ooc ♔ route-29 application
Player
Name: Kitty
Livejournal Username: enthroned
E-mail: kittehness?gmail.com
AIM/MSN: AIM: Hyoutei Prince
Timezone: CST
Current Characters in Route: None
Character
Name: Atobe Keigo
Series: Prince of Tennis
Timeline: Post-Nationals
Canon Resource Links: Oresama no wiki ni yoina~
Personality (revised):
Arrogant, conceited, self-absorbed, and egocentric, Atobe Keigo is the absolute definition of a 'Diva'. Boundlessly rich and extremely good looking but also prideful and snarky, he's someone who everyone wants to hate but also wants to be. Brushing Atobe off as the standard pampered-from-birth spoiled brat is harder than it ought to be though, since despite his indulgent lifestyle and flashy, narcissistic tendencies, he's got something that most people who would fit such a cliche do not: the talent and brains to back up all of his boasting. In fact, as big as Atobe's words are, so are his deeds. A hard-worker and a self-starter, Atobe is a motivated and perhaps even dangerously ambitious individual who takes extreme pride in his achievements. He's extremely intelligent and fantastically educated in a wide variety of subjects. As a personal philosophy, Atobe truly subscribes to the idea that he IS the best and therefore deserves only the best, thus making it perfectly justifiable to flaunt his rewards that he has earned. It's also this spirit that makes Atobe the showman that he is. Possessing natural charisma and charm in abundance, he knows how to combine these tools to create an eye-catching and captivating persona who's generally larger-than-life and begging to be worshiped.
Very much like most celebrities, Atobe's lifestyle comes with it's ups and downs and a personal fanclub. Practically a deity within his own school, Atobe reigns with an easy authority that seems to come as naturally to him as breathing. His public face is different than his private one though, and he holds himself strongly to standards far beyond those of others his age. Constantly in the spotlight, it isn't easy for Atobe to relax. An extreme perfectionist in all that he does, he's constantly and acutely aware of himself in extreme, continuously searching for flaws and micromanaging the tiniest details of his life out of fear that he'll fail to meet someone's expectations or that he will fall behind in a way that will let people down. This fear of failure is the biggest motivator in Atobe's life and being the only son in a family of the sort of status that the Atobe's have, it's unsurprising that he feel the strain of living up to all the privilege that he's been gifted. Though he hides his uncertainties well with wit and pretension, he does crave approval and the reassurance of praise.
The dual-nature of Atobe's private self versus his star facade sometimes causes contradiction, as Atobe is ironically anxious in very large anonymous crowds despite his love of limelight and being the center of attention. He is also uncomfortable being touched, a symptom of a sterile upbringing and mostly solitary childhood, but he seeks contact with others on his own terms, catlike in the way that he adores fuss and focus directed towards him. This dichotomy extends to Atobe's moods, which are mercurial at times, especially around closer friends with whom he's more likely to lower his shields. Even around those that are close to him, Atobe has a hard time opening up, feeling that doing so invites vulnerability. When he does feel fully comfortable with someone though, he's much less inflated and drops most of his airs, even going as far as to be the silly, joking, slightly dorky teenager that he is. He is sometimes guilty of getting carried away with the role he's always held as master of his house however, and will overstep himself around friends or others, ordering and bossing them about with the expectation of being obeyed. He is fond of melodrama and exaggeration and will always opt to cause a scene rather than not, feeding on the dramatics even when the feedback is negative and never opposed to taking the villain's role if he feels it's apt. Relatedly, Atobe is not above manipulation and extortion as means to get his way, though he will never tell an outright lie, and he rarely realizes exactly how selfish his motives are at the time since he's able to justify just about anything, especially to himself. Being bitchy, catty, judgmental, and snide also fall into the same frame, as it's hard to run in circles as elite as he does without subscribing to the currency exchanged within.
Bred to exploit weakness in order to further himself, Atobe is a master of the act. He's a force to be dealt with when angry or slighted and he tends to hold grudges, not taking insult lightly. Within his school, Atobe and his inner circle are feared as much as they are loved, and it's not been unknown of him to ruin the reputations and sometimes lives of students who he blacklists for crossing or wronging him in some way. It speaks in his favor though that Atobe does at least hold to his own brand of ethical code and he has his own strong sense of honor. He is absolutely not a bleeding heart, nor does he have concern for the "little people", but he does genuinely care about others and doing good, and he has no pity or tolerance for people who cheat, steal, or are needlessly cruel or those who abuse or take for granted privileges like money and power. Atobe's extravagantly generous when it comes to charity and sharing his wealth with those he cares for, taking more sincere pleasure in buying gifts for others than for himself. It's also to his school, friends, and teammates that he's endlessly loyal and will go to extreme lengths to stand up for and defend. He has a powerful sense of responsibility to his team, especially, and takes his position as Captain very seriously.
As a leader he is well suited and fully deserving of the respect he commands, and it's here and in his own tennis that his unrelenting pursuit of perfection and intolerance for failure mesh flawlessly and put him a cut above the rest. He never backs down from a challenge, seeing competition as the most accurate reflection of one's ability, and loves to provoke others into pushing themselves beyond their comfort zones. Atobe definitely puts his absolute all into everything he does, and as harsh and ruthless as he can be, he also never fails to provide inspiration to his teammates and regulars and to push his rivals to strive to embrace their full potential in order to keep up with him and to live up to the high bar he sets.
In his spare time, Atobe is surprisingly academic and enjoys pursuing culture and furthering his studies even to shopping and grooming himself (which still don't fall far behind). Atobe's tastes themselves run very classically, especially in music, literature, and art, but his interest is born of true affinity rather the urge toward snobbishness, though the elitist side-effect isn't one he deigns to suppress. His hobbies coupled with his upbringing also cause Atobe to be eternally ignorant of many pastimes and entertainments that are popular among most of his peers and he's also sadly inept when it comes to 'common' activities that most people would find to be normal or mundane, though being introduced to them is often something he finds exciting or to be viewed as a learning experience.
Strengths/Weaknesses:
Atobe's greatest strengths lie primarily in his leadership ability, self-confidence, and sparkling charm. There're few people he isn't instantly able to win over or rally and fewer he isn't at least able to impact, even if by provoking or challenging them. Additionally, he's incredibly academic, with talents stretching from ballroom dancing and fencing to playing several musical instruments and fluency in multiple languages.
As far as weaknesses go, Atobe has many shortcomings stemming mostly from the nature of his upbringing. Holding to the cliche, money doesn't solve all problems and as could almost be predicted, a lot of Atobe's extroversion and pomp stems from deep-routed insecurity, a crippling fear of failure, and the constant need for validation. In close relation, Atobe responds strongly to challenges and doesn't much care to be alone, though quite ironically he also has a fear of large crowds (of strangers, mostly, fans are entirely different!). He'll also go to great extremes to cover vulnerability in himself, sometimes at the cost of others, and can be very manipulative when pursuing something he wants.
As far as minor things go, Atobe is very unfond of being without his creature comforts or at least the ability to summon them. He's used to luxury and people doing things for him, so often the simplest of common tasks elude him. Bugs and outdoors and dirt are also definitely not his list of super fun things.
Pokémon Information
Affiliation: Trainer, unless Coordinator is ever available.
Starter: Sneasel (Toto)
Password: Grape Jelly
Samples
First Person Sample:
[Video feed cuts in on Atobe, poised artfully and deliberately as if effort has been spent to to make his posing seem effortless while not compromising the lighting accentuating his best angle, of course.]
Hello, welcome to 'Atobe Keigo Lost In A Weird Place Spontaneous V-Blog Episode One'! I, obviously, am Atobe Keigo, and though normally I would not find it worthy of my valuable time to waste words on introduction at all, considering that one would be hard pressed to find anyone within a ten mile radius of Hyoutei Gakuen who is not aware of my greatness, but it would be hard to escape the notice of even to someone not blessed with my superior intelligence that I am not in Tokyo anymore.
[He shifts and flips his hair, a dramatic gesture that's become unconscious habit.]
It also seems that my bag has been stolen or somehow mistakenly replaced with another, quite possibly the least of my worries considering the likelihood that I may have been kidnapped, but this very limited and slightly outdated piece of communication technology is all I currently have access to and so you'll forgive my unfamiliarity. Most importantly though, I would appreciate the aid of whoever is viewing this. Whatever information pertaining to where I am and how I got here or any resources you've access to would be greatly appreciated, especially if one could provide me with use of a satellite phone. I'm sure some sort of monetary compensation can be arranged in return for such services once I'm returned home.
Lastly, does anyone know where I might purchase a bottle of mineral water? Fillico is preferred but I suppose anything properly filtered will do. ...And a can of bugspray?
Third Person Sample:
The first sign that something was very wrong came with the scratch of cheap cotton sheets against his skin. Atobe Keigo did not sleep on anything with anything with a thread-count so abysmally low.
The second, and far more obvious, was that he was not in his room nor were his surroundings in any way remotely familiar.
The third, and by far the most alarming, was that a creature of some horrific and unknown origin was scratching at the side of the bed. Tennis Camp hazings weren't entirely unheard of with new initiates, granted, but he was Atobe Keigo, and that alone should have certainly been more than enough to put off even the most dense of would-be practical jokesters.
It was lucky, Atobe thought, that he was so very above base irrational reactions like flailing panic and hysterics because, though certainly justifiable and easily forgiven in such a situation, they could be nothing but hindering when a level head could be his upper hand. Perhaps he'd been kidnapped and was being held for ransom? It was entirely possible. He was a perfect candidate for just such a scheme, after all. But didn't ransomers leave notes instead of backpacks full of random junk?
Assessing his surroundings, Atobe used his exceptional talent for gleaning detail to discover that there was nothing stopping him leaving the sad little house save for the hideous and probably genetically engineered guard-beast that seemed bent on tracking him as he edged around the far wall away from it and towards the door.
"Sneeaaasel," it said, coming after him, and Atobe (who definitely did not shriek) whapped it with a rolled up magazine picked up from the bedside in an attempt to fend it off. This, apparently angered the monster, or possibly offended it if one could trust the look it gave him, because it came after him with razor-like claws and sure intent to tear him to ribbons.
It followed him outside though, where things were even more strange, if possible, and he noted that he wasn't the only one being trailed by a short, colorful little animal, some of them looking suspiciously familiar, kind of like the cards Shishido and Jirou sometimes passed around.
"Cosplayers?" Had he gone to bed and woken up in some kind of an amusement park? Or even worse, Akihabara? He shuddered at the thought. The funny little brute slunk catlike around his ankles, pressing against him almost affectionately. He gave it a tentative poke and it didn't try to maul him again, just turned it's head questioningly with eyes that were eerily alert.
"Well, we're not in Kansas anymore, Toto," he informed it, and it stared at him blankly. "Maybe Wonderland." At least if he was dreaming he'd wake up eventually, he rationed, and might have pinched himself save for possibility that this was real enough and he bruised.