App for Star Kingdom.
Player info
Your Name: Krys
Your E-Mail/AIM/Whatever: PM please~
Livejournal: onacrystal@LJ (my bottom part of app disappears each time I use the user wizard...it's annoying!)
Your age: The legal 18~
Character info
Series/Fandom: Tiger & Bunny
Character's Name: Barnaby Brooks Jr.
Character's Sex: Male
Character's Age: 24
Canon point: Episode 10 - The Calm Before the Storm
Abilities:
Please refer to Kotetsu’s
(I feel like paraphrasing now… Not even. Maybe plagiarising. It is surprisingly difficult to explain the same thing without using similar phrases. I apologise in advance. I don't mean to plagiarise...!)
Barnaby was born with a NEXT power that is exactly his partner’s - Hundred Power. After activation, Barnaby (or Kotetsu)’s body will simmer in blue light (if he is in his suit, pink light will simmer through his eyes instead), and their ability (such as his strength and speed) will increase by one-hundred fold in five minutes. Along with his pink and white armour suit that his sponsor company provided for him, he can fight without using any weapon but with his “bare” feet. The series didn’t indicate what type of martial arts lesson he took, but it is quite certain that he did not learn the kicks and moves all by himself. “Good Luck Mode” is the most useless crap feature Dr. Saito upgraded to celebrate his birthday. It simply enlarges his right foot and make the attack look more powerful to the audience. Plus, the feature only activates the last few seconds before they use up the power, so it is more of a hassle than a flashy feature to Barnaby, at least.
Strengths:
Unlike powers that other NEXTs own, his power can be strengthened if he frequents gym. A slight improvement in strength can be multiplied in a hundred fold, which is very significant. For this reason Barnaby goes to gym every day to tone up his muscles and increase his stamina, so that he can keep working even after his five minute quota is used up.
Weaknesses:
Since the Hundred Power only lasts for five minutes, Barnaby can’t really do much even after hours of physical training. He can at most help with the rescue like a normal human, but both Kotetsu and him cannot continue fighting like other heroes do. Therefore it is very critical for them to coordinate activation time to achieve the best result. Unfortunately, it is more like a dream than an actual goal with their lack of teamwork…
Background:
Barnaby was born to a family of engineers in Sternbild, NC1953 (Barnaby is not his real name, but his fathers; he takes it as his hero name in honour of his father, so his real name remains unknown). His parents are both well-known engineers who had a strong passion on inventing AI robots, such that they owned a laboratory and invited a team of engineers to work on research projects. Emily Brooks, mother of little Barnaby, loved to make toy robots for her son. Fascinated by the amazing toy robots that he had, Barnaby once mentioned in a TV interview (which is beyond canon point episode but it’s a background info worth mentioning) that he would follow his parents’ path to be an engineer if he didn’t become a hero.
Barnaby’s next power - Hundred Power - appeared when he was merely two years of age. He recalled that his mother complained how he loved to abuse the power to gain attention. The power brought some trouble for the family, but Barnaby seemed to be a quick learner in controlling his power.
Since the Brooks often had busy schedules, they were unable to take care of their son as much as they wanted to, so they hired Samantha to take care of little Barnaby. Aunt Samantha was a benevolent mid-age woman back then. She treated Barnaby like his own son, baking cakes for him during birthdays and taking him to spend holidays together. Eventually they formed a tight bond which was second the most strongest to Barnaby’s parental bond.
Maverick was a researcher in the Brooks’ laboratory, and also the producer of HERO TV. Because NEXTs were not quite accepted by the mainstream society, so Maverick teamed up with a certain organization to produce crimes by giving them the Brooks’ robots in return. Displeased with what Maverick was doing, the Brooks invited him to their house at Christmas Eve to talk about the matter. At the same time, little Barnaby (aged 4) was having fun sightseeing with Aunt Samantha, taking pictures under the Christmas tree. At night, Maverick and the Brooks were unable to reach the compromise. Barnaby Brooks was about to call the police but was shot by Maverick. Emily was shot a second after. Little Barnaby witnessed all of this but his memory was altered soon after by Maverick, who happened to be a memory-altering NEXT. Replacing the image of Samantha with himself, Maverick successfully made little Barnaby to believe that the murderer had a tattoo on his hand, and Maverick was the person who spent Christmas Eve with little Barnaby together (Samantha’s memory was also changed).
Soon later, Maverick’s HERO TV became so successful that he became rich, and owned a company named Apollo Media. Little Barnaby, who was implanted with memories that he was very close to Uncle Maverick, formed a strong bond with him. Maverick provided him monetary support, sponsoring him to study in private schools and eventually, entering Hero Academy to receive trainings. He also supported Barnaby to find out the real murderer of his parents. Starting at the age of 10, little Barnaby began to gather information on the streets, showing by-passers the tattoo he had in his mind. From a crazy criminal on court he was told that the tattoo was the logo of Ouroboros, a crime organization. Determined to find out the criminal, Barnaby entered Hero Academy (where Origami also studied at) to learn wielding his power. Rumours said that he was quite popular among girls, but his relationship status remained unknown. Nonetheless, it was quite certain that at this point, Barnaby was very contended with having only Aunt Samantha and Uncle Maverick as his emotional support.
Probably after finishing college (Barnaby’s info is extremely limited), Barnaby was recommended by Maverick to debut as a hero. In NC1977 October, he blinded the HERO TV audience with his flashy entrance, saving Wild Tiger with a princess-style hold before announcing his teaming up with the other at the end of September season. As the first hero tag-team ever in history, they were supposed to bond with the other and iron out their differences. Unfortunately, Kotetsu’s goofy rescue left him a strong negative impression, resulting in Barnaby’s dissatisfaction and distrust later on. The partnership was simply awful to the point that Lloyd had to keep threatening Kotetsu to keep cooperating and following Barnaby’s need.
Kotetsu was the first person Barnaby had ever met who kept meddling his life shamelessly even after countless of rejections. It was very frustrating at the beginning but Barnaby was now getting used to it slowly. He was a bit surprised when Kotetsu promised that it was okay to go to the prison, since he would take care of business for him. After the birthday incident, it was the first time he thought that Kotetsu can actually be trusted. Sadly, he was engulfed by darkness before they could improve their relationship a little more…
Appearance: His awesome face and his cuite suit
Personality:
As a rookie hero who cares about image and points more than the heroic rational of saving people, Barnaby changes his faces continuously as most of the idols do. In front of camera and large crowd of enthusiastic fans, Barnaby is literally a prince-charming who enjoy working to bring peace to Sternbild. As he aims to earn points than the actual rescue, he appears to more like a savior of the city than his partner, Kotetsu. With his attractive appearance, he successfully captures countless female fans’ heart, including Kaede, Kotetsu’s 10-year-old daughter. His courteous manner towards his supporters and his disposition to speak politely even to people he dislikes (at least in front of the camera) furthermore help him to build up an affable and charming impression for the public.
Yet the personality he displays to his co-workers - his partner especially - is very different, if not completely opposite. Keeping emotions to himself, Barnaby might occasionally smile at other heroes for greeting purposes, but generally he neither like to form bonds with his colleagues nor to be associated with them - it is his best interest to treat them as rivals to as much points as possible for the company. His coldhearted and indifferent personality hurts no one but Kotetsu the most, as he dislikes the other and treats him with little or no respect whatsoever - which is somehow reasonable after witnessing how goofy and reckless he can be. Also, Barnaby can be irked easily when people try to intrude into his life. He is very used to solitude, living without much support. Therefore how Kotetsu keeps meddling his life results in nothing but being turned down.
Aforementioned, Barnaby is a character of “many faces”, thus it is incorrect to assume that he is a cool and merciless jerk who acts more mature than his partner in mid-30s. He seems to look cool (and maybe gloomy) but it can be broken down. He can be passionate at times when it comes to people he cares about, such as Aunt Samantha and Maverick, who supported his life after his parent’s death; he can also be mad when Kotetsu gets too noisy and meddlesome. He is still a child, so instead of being indirect he tends to express himself more straightforwardly. The accident twenty years ago had a strong impact on his development of basic trust, resulting in his tendency to suffer in mistrust and insecurity, which also highlights the main issue of trust between him and Kotetsu in the series.
Strengths:
In contrast to Kotetsu, Barnaby is more of a reticent, brain-over-brawn person. Valuing strategy over aggression, He possesses a brilliant mind and the ability to wield the power of logic to solve problems that would, at the same time, earn him the most points. It might sound wrong for Barnaby to value points over the purpose of being a hero, it is completely right for him to be calm and logical, avoiding bringing unnecessary damages and troubles to the city (and to themselves). With a partner who values a cool and awesome looking rescue over millions dollars of fine, it is not unusual to see Kotetsu and Barnaby maximising their ideological conflict during and after work by arguing, arguing, and arguing (even when they are rescuing).
How Kotetsu love doing cool poses and awesome moves regardless of facing huge debts is another matter that irks Barnaby. As a pragmatic man, he thinks it is idiotic to execute “cool moves” if it is impractical ultimately. Awesome moves need not to be forced out, and in his opinion, Kotetsu is definitely not the coolest hero in the earth even if he pretends to be one (this thought will be changed later, rest assured!). This philosophy is also reflected in his apartment design - clean, modern, and simplistic. There is no unneeded furniture - enough for him to live by himself without inviting guests over.
When a goal is set in mind, Barnaby becomes iron-willed; he will work on the matter restlessly until he reaches the goal. This unyielding spirit is evident when it comes to researching on Ouroboros. He begins on his research since six, wandering on the street and asking by-passers for clues. Normal people tend to give up soon, perhaps at most a year, and return to their normal lives. Barnaby is different - he has been pursuing the goal for twenty years incessantly. This admirable work ethic really helps him to take up challenging quests during work.
Weaknesses:
As most of the characters with cool demeanor are more prone to emotional issues, Barnaby is not an exception. As an orphan witnessing his parents’ death, Barnaby is cynical in nature. There are only two people whom he trusts, which are Aunt Samantha and Maverick (and his diary). He treats people courteously, but that doesn’t help getting him abundance of friends because of his nature. In other words, he is quite lonely and not many people really cared about him until he teamed up with Kotetsu. His meddling is indeed an unprecedented experience for Barnaby - there is no one as shameless as him to keep “caring” about him despite of being rejected for so many times.
As a judgmental person, once he left a terrible first impression on something, it takes a long time, if not forever, for him to change his mind: Aunt Samantha and Maverick are the best people in the world, Jake should go to hell, and Kotetsu should just retire like right now. He insists that his thinking is always logically correct so he can get quite narrow-minded at times, refusing to listen to others’ opinion even if they are the right.
Spending his past twenty years chasing after his parents’ murderer, life didn’t mean much to him. Therefore, it is inevitable for him to overreact to clues that help him to identity the true identity of Ouroboros and the criminal. He is still a child who doesn’t know how to manage his feelings. Instead of talking it out to someone he trust (which he has none), he represses his tragic past under his cool mask in the incorrect way, such that nightmare of the night of accident often recurs. If obstacles get in the way of revenge, his emotion will definitely explode, harming people and acquaintance around him.
Samples
Action/Journal Sample:
-Barnaby’s old-fashioned diary entry, written in pen-
It has been a while not writing an entry on this diary. I am an atheist, but for the first time in my life I feel like Moira (or God, whatever) is playing with my fate.
Yesterday I was scheduled to spend my 24th birthday with my dear nanny, Aunt Samantha, as usual. Since my parents passed away, she is always the one who takes a day off from work and bakes me a big, delicious cake. Although Uncle Maverick is too busy working for Hero TV, he often drops off birthday presents at my house or my dorm. It has been working well for the past twenty years - I am satisfied with the cake and presents, thus I have no desire to change a bit of this perfectly peaceful day.
Yet the appearance of a man named Kotetsu T. Kaburabi changed the tempo of my entire life. Since the first day of our meeting he has been acting goofy, if not unreliable and untrustworthy. Besides that, he takes meddling people’s life as his favourite hobby. I was about to drive to Aunt Samantha's house to celebrate my birthday peacefully when I received a call from him, urging me to help him with catching a thief or some sort. Thinking he was finally getting old and the bright chance to earn more points, I had no choice but to reach the place he mentioned in a hurry.
He looked perfectly fine when I arrived, with no sign of injury or mental damage whatsoever. Insisting that there was an infamous thief hiding around the area, he dragged me along with his poor acting, not realising the thief as real. Stupid play was involved. I was utterly irritated when the old man told me that it was supposed to be a harmless skit, prepared by other heroes to celebrate my birthday, but at the same time I understood the reason behind the Old Man bugging me with Fashion Magazine and accessories for the past few days.
The real thief happened to be a NEXT with the power to form an invulnerable diamond armour to protect his body. Equipped with newly "upgraded" armour by Dr. Saito (speaking of which, I must ask him to take away the Bunny logo on my armour, along with the useless Good-luck mode), Old Man and I successfully arrested the criminal for the first time ever. Dr. Saito later told us that the powerful last move we made was not resulted from the "Good-luck mode", but from our collaboration. A confused, but happy smile promptly appeared on the old man's lips as I glanced over. It was somehowdisgusting, to be honest.
The Old Man caught me again as I headed towards my bike, handing me the valuable necklace I joked of wanting it as my birthday present. I couldn't believe this mid-age man actually believed in my sarcasm and fought his life for it. What was more surprising was the pink bunny plushie he gave me before I left. He scratched his head with a goofy yet apologetic grin, hoping I might find the plushie amusing without thinking of changing his irritating habit of calling me nicknames. Could he ever stand in people's shoes for once!? Why couldn't he understand my wish of not having intruders in my life?
The questions came back to haunt me as I met him next morning in the parking lot. Carrying a huge white box that blocked his eyes, he could not see his path very well and eventually, he bumped into me. Catching his frightened eyes - as if witnessing a precious yet fragile piece of artwork shattering into fragments - I saved the white box intuitively, wondering what could make the old man drop his heart.
A hideous bunny-shaped cake poorly decorated with heterogeneous mix of pink and blue icing, with a heavy touch of whipped cream.
(He said it was a Paopu cake. What on earth is that?)
I couldn't see apology in the old man's eyes. Instead of realising what he did wrong, he insisted in compensating me a forever lost birthday with this cake that he baked last night. I confiscated it, threatening him that I would throw the cake away. But all he left me before heading to work was "I have faith that you won't do that".
What is wrong with this man? Did he destroy too many buildings such that he had his mind blown away? Why couldn't he understand that I don't want any birthday presents or birthday cakes from him? He is meddling with my life too much that I can't handle it! I merely want to keep my personal life away from my partner at work, but couldn't he respect my will for once?
He is indeed driving me crazy. I have never seen such goofy AND unreliable man in my whole life... I was fairly surprised when I heard he has a daughter. He seems to own another NEXT power which enables him to implant virus that continuously show his cool poses in my mind. Probably it is my best interest to not be associated with him in every possible way.
Or maybe not. He is actually dependable during desperate times, and it's not too terrible to have a man as my scapegoat, no, as a support...
What did I just write?
Never mind. Please ignore the above paragraph.
Now I am confronted by two cakes, one baked by Aunt Samantha and another hideous bunny cake baked by the Old Man. Which should I eat first? Let me just it a try before throwing it away... Oh yes, I am definitely suing him if I get a stomachache from his cake.
P.S.: Now I remember why the Old Man is overreacting. He remembered me saying "It will make me sadder by remember the events from yesterday".
2nd edit: That hideous bunny cake is surprisingly delicious. But I will still sue him for causing me to gain weight.
RP Sample:
Where am I? Red. Night. Fire...
Barnaby thought. He readjusted his glasses before opening his emerald green eyes, groaning in pain. All he could see was a strange, white mammal-like creature poking his forehead curiously with its flamboyant pompom.
"...Where on earth am I?"
That creature with a pair of bat wings seemed to understand his words since it flew aside to let Barnaby regain his full view. It was a Victorian-age town with surprisingly large and heterogeneous population. There were Caucasians, Asians, Warrior-in-armour, children with cat ears... Too diverse that it seemed unrealistic. Barnaby rose from the floor as he rubbed his back, raising his question, "Is this Dr. Saito-"
"Here, kupo! Welcome to Traverse Town, kupo!" The creature dropped him a electronic device that looked a century-old.
"No I am asking did Dr. Saito-"
"Do you want a tour, Kupo?" It insisted.
"No thanks-" The creature promptly shot him a glare. "...Fine, I will take it." He sighed.
Barnaby was not paying attention at all during the so-called tour - the creature merely talked about stores and hotels around the area, some random creature named heartless that didn't worth his concern, and what to watch out for while living here. He admitted that he was a bit overwhelmed by how realistic this virtual simulation was, and deep in his heart he admired the almost-infinite ability of Dr. Saito.
"I didn't know Dr. Saito create games too. Is this a RPG like...Dragon Quest?" He asked again, finally being able to finish his question before the creature interrupted it.
The creature shook its head. "This is not a game, kupo."
It flew in front of Barnaby, dancing happily in the air.
"This is Traverse Town, kupo."
"This is a real world, kupo!"
Barnaby couldn't help but chuckled, brushing his hair back. "You are kidding me. There are no children with cat ears in the world. Nor creatures like you-"
"This is a real world, Kupo." The creature reiterated.
"...Then why am I here?" Barnaby's voice began to shiver. He blinked and observed his surroundings again. Yes, it was real. He could feel the gentle autumn breeze kissing his arms, rich smell of freshly-brewed coffee intruding his nose, a gorgeous starlit sky above him... and a strong sense that it was not the city that he belonged to. It was a world of game, world of wonder and strangeness that he wanted to log out immediately and returned to his road of revenge - to kill the murderer of his parents, the man from Ouroboros.
The thought of vengeance brought him an answer to the question he just raised. He remembered he was driving on the freeway, towards a prison. The sky was dim and lifeless. He had a tiny piece of paper in his hand, containing a clue of the true identity of the murderer. oh yes, he was on his way to interrogate Jake Martinez, a criminal who happened to be a member of Ouroboros. And what happened after he reached the bridge?
Fire. Christmas Eve. Gun shoot. Parents laid dead. A tall man. Tattoo of Ouroboros....
Falling on his knees, Barnaby bawled abruptly with both hands pressing against his head. Fearing the man might go mad, the by-passers quickly avoided walking pass him, as if treating the blond as a fearsome monster.
"...How can I go back to Sternbild?" He whispered after recovering from the nightmare attack. The creature shook its head again.
If I can't go back, what is the true meaning of my life?
"Then you are not helping! Get out from my sight, now!" He demanded and pointed at a random direction angrily. His green eyes turned into ferocious blue, and blue light simmered all over his body - he was using his Hundred Power. Terrified, the creature quickly dropped some cash, a hotel room key and a thick book or manual before disappearing for its dear life.
No, it's possible. It is possible to go back to Sternbild and continue my mission.
Barnaby stared at the manual that looked more like a dictionary than a guide.
"......And you told me this is not a game?"
~*~
Wandering on the streets of First District aimlessly, Barnaby kept an eye on his surrounding for any suspicious-looking transportation or stations while trying to retrieve his memory. He already tried using his mobile phone and bracelet while he waited in line to purchase some drinks, but none of them worked. He also checked out the item shop but all they sold were useless stuff like potions and armour in ridiculous high price, which he didn't need any.
People here all looked unfriendly and untrustworthy. They all dressed in weird clothing and armour, walking around and eating ice cream awkwardly. Some of them even cast him a discriminative glance, as if treating him as an outcast of the town.
Hunger and thirst struck him again as he passed through a shop that sold elastic, plastic-like material, urging him to fulfill the needs as soon as possible. "...Right, I need more energy to find the way back..." He mumbled to himself, not noticing a shade of darkness following him as he passed through the gate of Second District.
The communicator dropped from his pocket, touching the ground and shattering into pieces.
And the stars looked dimmer than those in First District.
Driven by instinct, he kept walking and walking lifelessly without getting aware of his surroundings. Not realising how much time had passed, he just knew that the sky grew darker as he walked, and there wasn't much time left for him to interrogate Jake Martinez. Not until he reached a cul-de-sac behind the hotel did the blond man retrieved his consciousness and found out he was surrounded by a dozen of black, hideous-looking creatures.
Wanna become one of us? A creepy voice crept into his ears, as if spiders climbing through the canal slowly, nibbling at the small bones.
Sure you do. You will become powerful enough to go back to your world... And take revenge. The voice snickered.
Barnaby blanked out for a second. The invitation was so tempting that he was ready to say yes, but for some reason he couldn't stop his body from trembling in fear. “Who are you!?” He cried despairingly.
I am Darkness. The Darkness in your heart. The voice kept climbing and climbing through the nerves until it reached Barnaby’s brain, echoing incessantly.
Don't you want to kill the murderer? The wicked criminal?
You want to,
you want to,
you want to…
NOOO!!!
A husky male voice suddenly burst out in his mind, urging him to activate his power and kick the Heartlesses away. That voice was gentle and soothing so he obeyed it willingly and activated his power, expelling those creatures with his skilled butterfly kicks. Half of the original gang fled, but another dozen soon replaced the lost army, approaching the desperate blond man again.
Too exhausted to continue fighting, he leant against a concrete wall and let the Heartlesses hovering over him. He knew they were dangerous, but there were not enough stamina for him to run away. He knew he could cry out loud for help before passing out, but that wouldn't help. There was no one that he knew here. There was no one that he could trust.
Twenty years ago,
the child could not save his parents from being engulfed by the Fire.
Twenty years later,
the young man could not save himself from being engulfed the Darkness.
He was all alone again, witnessing something precious to be destroyed.
"...Kotetsu..."
Extra?:
Long app is...long.
I didn't know I wrote that much until I compile the sections together (I wrote each section in separate word documents so it didn't look lengthy). I apologise if the the RP sample is waay too long. I had a wonderful discussion with dear Tiger mun tigerhero lately so how the app is constructed is pretty much discussed before hand. The overflowing of ideas were simply too tempting to reject. So I threw away a little and wrote out most of them.
Barnaby also appears to be much darker than I expected to be... perhaps due to the canon point choice. Upon that time there was only revenge in his head. The trust issue with Kotetsu was still unsolved so it was difficult to depict his bright side (because he hasn't showed it yet). Please do not reject him just because he is a bit too dark for the SK society! Kotetsu-mun and I will work out to bring back his deredere bright side after Barnaby meets Kotetsu in SK.
Have you read the rules & F.A.Q.s? Yes sir.
Your Name: Krys
Your E-Mail/AIM/Whatever: PM please~
Livejournal: onacrystal@LJ (my bottom part of app disappears each time I use the user wizard...it's annoying!)
Your age: The legal 18~
Character info
Series/Fandom: Tiger & Bunny
Character's Name: Barnaby Brooks Jr.
Character's Sex: Male
Character's Age: 24
Canon point: Episode 10 - The Calm Before the Storm
Abilities:
Please refer to Kotetsu’s
(I feel like paraphrasing now… Not even. Maybe plagiarising. It is surprisingly difficult to explain the same thing without using similar phrases. I apologise in advance. I don't mean to plagiarise...!)
Barnaby was born with a NEXT power that is exactly his partner’s - Hundred Power. After activation, Barnaby (or Kotetsu)’s body will simmer in blue light (if he is in his suit, pink light will simmer through his eyes instead), and their ability (such as his strength and speed) will increase by one-hundred fold in five minutes. Along with his pink and white armour suit that his sponsor company provided for him, he can fight without using any weapon but with his “bare” feet. The series didn’t indicate what type of martial arts lesson he took, but it is quite certain that he did not learn the kicks and moves all by himself. “Good Luck Mode” is the most useless crap feature Dr. Saito upgraded to celebrate his birthday. It simply enlarges his right foot and make the attack look more powerful to the audience. Plus, the feature only activates the last few seconds before they use up the power, so it is more of a hassle than a flashy feature to Barnaby, at least.
Strengths:
Unlike powers that other NEXTs own, his power can be strengthened if he frequents gym. A slight improvement in strength can be multiplied in a hundred fold, which is very significant. For this reason Barnaby goes to gym every day to tone up his muscles and increase his stamina, so that he can keep working even after his five minute quota is used up.
Weaknesses:
Since the Hundred Power only lasts for five minutes, Barnaby can’t really do much even after hours of physical training. He can at most help with the rescue like a normal human, but both Kotetsu and him cannot continue fighting like other heroes do. Therefore it is very critical for them to coordinate activation time to achieve the best result. Unfortunately, it is more like a dream than an actual goal with their lack of teamwork…
Background:
Barnaby was born to a family of engineers in Sternbild, NC1953 (Barnaby is not his real name, but his fathers; he takes it as his hero name in honour of his father, so his real name remains unknown). His parents are both well-known engineers who had a strong passion on inventing AI robots, such that they owned a laboratory and invited a team of engineers to work on research projects. Emily Brooks, mother of little Barnaby, loved to make toy robots for her son. Fascinated by the amazing toy robots that he had, Barnaby once mentioned in a TV interview (which is beyond canon point episode but it’s a background info worth mentioning) that he would follow his parents’ path to be an engineer if he didn’t become a hero.
Barnaby’s next power - Hundred Power - appeared when he was merely two years of age. He recalled that his mother complained how he loved to abuse the power to gain attention. The power brought some trouble for the family, but Barnaby seemed to be a quick learner in controlling his power.
Since the Brooks often had busy schedules, they were unable to take care of their son as much as they wanted to, so they hired Samantha to take care of little Barnaby. Aunt Samantha was a benevolent mid-age woman back then. She treated Barnaby like his own son, baking cakes for him during birthdays and taking him to spend holidays together. Eventually they formed a tight bond which was second the most strongest to Barnaby’s parental bond.
Maverick was a researcher in the Brooks’ laboratory, and also the producer of HERO TV. Because NEXTs were not quite accepted by the mainstream society, so Maverick teamed up with a certain organization to produce crimes by giving them the Brooks’ robots in return. Displeased with what Maverick was doing, the Brooks invited him to their house at Christmas Eve to talk about the matter. At the same time, little Barnaby (aged 4) was having fun sightseeing with Aunt Samantha, taking pictures under the Christmas tree. At night, Maverick and the Brooks were unable to reach the compromise. Barnaby Brooks was about to call the police but was shot by Maverick. Emily was shot a second after. Little Barnaby witnessed all of this but his memory was altered soon after by Maverick, who happened to be a memory-altering NEXT. Replacing the image of Samantha with himself, Maverick successfully made little Barnaby to believe that the murderer had a tattoo on his hand, and Maverick was the person who spent Christmas Eve with little Barnaby together (Samantha’s memory was also changed).
Soon later, Maverick’s HERO TV became so successful that he became rich, and owned a company named Apollo Media. Little Barnaby, who was implanted with memories that he was very close to Uncle Maverick, formed a strong bond with him. Maverick provided him monetary support, sponsoring him to study in private schools and eventually, entering Hero Academy to receive trainings. He also supported Barnaby to find out the real murderer of his parents. Starting at the age of 10, little Barnaby began to gather information on the streets, showing by-passers the tattoo he had in his mind. From a crazy criminal on court he was told that the tattoo was the logo of Ouroboros, a crime organization. Determined to find out the criminal, Barnaby entered Hero Academy (where Origami also studied at) to learn wielding his power. Rumours said that he was quite popular among girls, but his relationship status remained unknown. Nonetheless, it was quite certain that at this point, Barnaby was very contended with having only Aunt Samantha and Uncle Maverick as his emotional support.
Probably after finishing college (Barnaby’s info is extremely limited), Barnaby was recommended by Maverick to debut as a hero. In NC1977 October, he blinded the HERO TV audience with his flashy entrance, saving Wild Tiger with a princess-style hold before announcing his teaming up with the other at the end of September season. As the first hero tag-team ever in history, they were supposed to bond with the other and iron out their differences. Unfortunately, Kotetsu’s goofy rescue left him a strong negative impression, resulting in Barnaby’s dissatisfaction and distrust later on. The partnership was simply awful to the point that Lloyd had to keep threatening Kotetsu to keep cooperating and following Barnaby’s need.
Kotetsu was the first person Barnaby had ever met who kept meddling his life shamelessly even after countless of rejections. It was very frustrating at the beginning but Barnaby was now getting used to it slowly. He was a bit surprised when Kotetsu promised that it was okay to go to the prison, since he would take care of business for him. After the birthday incident, it was the first time he thought that Kotetsu can actually be trusted. Sadly, he was engulfed by darkness before they could improve their relationship a little more…
Appearance: His awesome face and his cuite suit
Personality:
As a rookie hero who cares about image and points more than the heroic rational of saving people, Barnaby changes his faces continuously as most of the idols do. In front of camera and large crowd of enthusiastic fans, Barnaby is literally a prince-charming who enjoy working to bring peace to Sternbild. As he aims to earn points than the actual rescue, he appears to more like a savior of the city than his partner, Kotetsu. With his attractive appearance, he successfully captures countless female fans’ heart, including Kaede, Kotetsu’s 10-year-old daughter. His courteous manner towards his supporters and his disposition to speak politely even to people he dislikes (at least in front of the camera) furthermore help him to build up an affable and charming impression for the public.
Yet the personality he displays to his co-workers - his partner especially - is very different, if not completely opposite. Keeping emotions to himself, Barnaby might occasionally smile at other heroes for greeting purposes, but generally he neither like to form bonds with his colleagues nor to be associated with them - it is his best interest to treat them as rivals to as much points as possible for the company. His coldhearted and indifferent personality hurts no one but Kotetsu the most, as he dislikes the other and treats him with little or no respect whatsoever - which is somehow reasonable after witnessing how goofy and reckless he can be. Also, Barnaby can be irked easily when people try to intrude into his life. He is very used to solitude, living without much support. Therefore how Kotetsu keeps meddling his life results in nothing but being turned down.
Aforementioned, Barnaby is a character of “many faces”, thus it is incorrect to assume that he is a cool and merciless jerk who acts more mature than his partner in mid-30s. He seems to look cool (and maybe gloomy) but it can be broken down. He can be passionate at times when it comes to people he cares about, such as Aunt Samantha and Maverick, who supported his life after his parent’s death; he can also be mad when Kotetsu gets too noisy and meddlesome. He is still a child, so instead of being indirect he tends to express himself more straightforwardly. The accident twenty years ago had a strong impact on his development of basic trust, resulting in his tendency to suffer in mistrust and insecurity, which also highlights the main issue of trust between him and Kotetsu in the series.
Strengths:
In contrast to Kotetsu, Barnaby is more of a reticent, brain-over-brawn person. Valuing strategy over aggression, He possesses a brilliant mind and the ability to wield the power of logic to solve problems that would, at the same time, earn him the most points. It might sound wrong for Barnaby to value points over the purpose of being a hero, it is completely right for him to be calm and logical, avoiding bringing unnecessary damages and troubles to the city (and to themselves). With a partner who values a cool and awesome looking rescue over millions dollars of fine, it is not unusual to see Kotetsu and Barnaby maximising their ideological conflict during and after work by arguing, arguing, and arguing (even when they are rescuing).
How Kotetsu love doing cool poses and awesome moves regardless of facing huge debts is another matter that irks Barnaby. As a pragmatic man, he thinks it is idiotic to execute “cool moves” if it is impractical ultimately. Awesome moves need not to be forced out, and in his opinion, Kotetsu is definitely not the coolest hero in the earth even if he pretends to be one (this thought will be changed later, rest assured!). This philosophy is also reflected in his apartment design - clean, modern, and simplistic. There is no unneeded furniture - enough for him to live by himself without inviting guests over.
When a goal is set in mind, Barnaby becomes iron-willed; he will work on the matter restlessly until he reaches the goal. This unyielding spirit is evident when it comes to researching on Ouroboros. He begins on his research since six, wandering on the street and asking by-passers for clues. Normal people tend to give up soon, perhaps at most a year, and return to their normal lives. Barnaby is different - he has been pursuing the goal for twenty years incessantly. This admirable work ethic really helps him to take up challenging quests during work.
Weaknesses:
As most of the characters with cool demeanor are more prone to emotional issues, Barnaby is not an exception. As an orphan witnessing his parents’ death, Barnaby is cynical in nature. There are only two people whom he trusts, which are Aunt Samantha and Maverick (and his diary). He treats people courteously, but that doesn’t help getting him abundance of friends because of his nature. In other words, he is quite lonely and not many people really cared about him until he teamed up with Kotetsu. His meddling is indeed an unprecedented experience for Barnaby - there is no one as shameless as him to keep “caring” about him despite of being rejected for so many times.
As a judgmental person, once he left a terrible first impression on something, it takes a long time, if not forever, for him to change his mind: Aunt Samantha and Maverick are the best people in the world, Jake should go to hell, and Kotetsu should just retire like right now. He insists that his thinking is always logically correct so he can get quite narrow-minded at times, refusing to listen to others’ opinion even if they are the right.
Spending his past twenty years chasing after his parents’ murderer, life didn’t mean much to him. Therefore, it is inevitable for him to overreact to clues that help him to identity the true identity of Ouroboros and the criminal. He is still a child who doesn’t know how to manage his feelings. Instead of talking it out to someone he trust (which he has none), he represses his tragic past under his cool mask in the incorrect way, such that nightmare of the night of accident often recurs. If obstacles get in the way of revenge, his emotion will definitely explode, harming people and acquaintance around him.
Samples
Action/Journal Sample:
-Barnaby’s old-fashioned diary entry, written in pen-
It has been a while not writing an entry on this diary. I am an atheist, but for the first time in my life I feel like Moira (or God, whatever) is playing with my fate.
Yesterday I was scheduled to spend my 24th birthday with my dear nanny, Aunt Samantha, as usual. Since my parents passed away, she is always the one who takes a day off from work and bakes me a big, delicious cake. Although Uncle Maverick is too busy working for Hero TV, he often drops off birthday presents at my house or my dorm. It has been working well for the past twenty years - I am satisfied with the cake and presents, thus I have no desire to change a bit of this perfectly peaceful day.
Yet the appearance of a man named Kotetsu T. Kaburabi changed the tempo of my entire life. Since the first day of our meeting he has been acting goofy, if not unreliable and untrustworthy. Besides that, he takes meddling people’s life as his favourite hobby. I was about to drive to Aunt Samantha's house to celebrate my birthday peacefully when I received a call from him, urging me to help him with catching a thief or some sort. Thinking he was finally getting old and the bright chance to earn more points, I had no choice but to reach the place he mentioned in a hurry.
He looked perfectly fine when I arrived, with no sign of injury or mental damage whatsoever. Insisting that there was an infamous thief hiding around the area, he dragged me along with his poor acting, not realising the thief as real. Stupid play was involved. I was utterly irritated when the old man told me that it was supposed to be a harmless skit, prepared by other heroes to celebrate my birthday, but at the same time I understood the reason behind the Old Man bugging me with Fashion Magazine and accessories for the past few days.
The real thief happened to be a NEXT with the power to form an invulnerable diamond armour to protect his body. Equipped with newly "upgraded" armour by Dr. Saito (speaking of which, I must ask him to take away the Bunny logo on my armour, along with the useless Good-luck mode), Old Man and I successfully arrested the criminal for the first time ever. Dr. Saito later told us that the powerful last move we made was not resulted from the "Good-luck mode", but from our collaboration. A confused, but happy smile promptly appeared on the old man's lips as I glanced over. It was somehowdisgusting, to be honest.
The Old Man caught me again as I headed towards my bike, handing me the valuable necklace I joked of wanting it as my birthday present. I couldn't believe this mid-age man actually believed in my sarcasm and fought his life for it. What was more surprising was the pink bunny plushie he gave me before I left. He scratched his head with a goofy yet apologetic grin, hoping I might find the plushie amusing without thinking of changing his irritating habit of calling me nicknames. Could he ever stand in people's shoes for once!? Why couldn't he understand my wish of not having intruders in my life?
The questions came back to haunt me as I met him next morning in the parking lot. Carrying a huge white box that blocked his eyes, he could not see his path very well and eventually, he bumped into me. Catching his frightened eyes - as if witnessing a precious yet fragile piece of artwork shattering into fragments - I saved the white box intuitively, wondering what could make the old man drop his heart.
A hideous bunny-shaped cake poorly decorated with heterogeneous mix of pink and blue icing, with a heavy touch of whipped cream.
(He said it was a Paopu cake. What on earth is that?)
I couldn't see apology in the old man's eyes. Instead of realising what he did wrong, he insisted in compensating me a forever lost birthday with this cake that he baked last night. I confiscated it, threatening him that I would throw the cake away. But all he left me before heading to work was "I have faith that you won't do that".
What is wrong with this man? Did he destroy too many buildings such that he had his mind blown away? Why couldn't he understand that I don't want any birthday presents or birthday cakes from him? He is meddling with my life too much that I can't handle it! I merely want to keep my personal life away from my partner at work, but couldn't he respect my will for once?
He is indeed driving me crazy. I have never seen such goofy AND unreliable man in my whole life... I was fairly surprised when I heard he has a daughter. He seems to own another NEXT power which enables him to implant virus that continuously show his cool poses in my mind. Probably it is my best interest to not be associated with him in every possible way.
Or maybe not. He is actually dependable during desperate times, and it's not too terrible to have a man as my scapegoat, no, as a support...
What did I just write?
Never mind. Please ignore the above paragraph.
Now I am confronted by two cakes, one baked by Aunt Samantha and another hideous bunny cake baked by the Old Man. Which should I eat first? Let me just it a try before throwing it away... Oh yes, I am definitely suing him if I get a stomachache from his cake.
P.S.: Now I remember why the Old Man is overreacting. He remembered me saying "It will make me sadder by remember the events from yesterday".
2nd edit: That hideous bunny cake is surprisingly delicious. But I will still sue him for causing me to gain weight.
RP Sample:
Where am I? Red. Night. Fire...
Barnaby thought. He readjusted his glasses before opening his emerald green eyes, groaning in pain. All he could see was a strange, white mammal-like creature poking his forehead curiously with its flamboyant pompom.
"...Where on earth am I?"
That creature with a pair of bat wings seemed to understand his words since it flew aside to let Barnaby regain his full view. It was a Victorian-age town with surprisingly large and heterogeneous population. There were Caucasians, Asians, Warrior-in-armour, children with cat ears... Too diverse that it seemed unrealistic. Barnaby rose from the floor as he rubbed his back, raising his question, "Is this Dr. Saito-"
"Here, kupo! Welcome to Traverse Town, kupo!" The creature dropped him a electronic device that looked a century-old.
"No I am asking did Dr. Saito-"
"Do you want a tour, Kupo?" It insisted.
"No thanks-" The creature promptly shot him a glare. "...Fine, I will take it." He sighed.
Barnaby was not paying attention at all during the so-called tour - the creature merely talked about stores and hotels around the area, some random creature named heartless that didn't worth his concern, and what to watch out for while living here. He admitted that he was a bit overwhelmed by how realistic this virtual simulation was, and deep in his heart he admired the almost-infinite ability of Dr. Saito.
"I didn't know Dr. Saito create games too. Is this a RPG like...Dragon Quest?" He asked again, finally being able to finish his question before the creature interrupted it.
The creature shook its head. "This is not a game, kupo."
It flew in front of Barnaby, dancing happily in the air.
"This is Traverse Town, kupo."
"This is a real world, kupo!"
Barnaby couldn't help but chuckled, brushing his hair back. "You are kidding me. There are no children with cat ears in the world. Nor creatures like you-"
"This is a real world, Kupo." The creature reiterated.
"...Then why am I here?" Barnaby's voice began to shiver. He blinked and observed his surroundings again. Yes, it was real. He could feel the gentle autumn breeze kissing his arms, rich smell of freshly-brewed coffee intruding his nose, a gorgeous starlit sky above him... and a strong sense that it was not the city that he belonged to. It was a world of game, world of wonder and strangeness that he wanted to log out immediately and returned to his road of revenge - to kill the murderer of his parents, the man from Ouroboros.
The thought of vengeance brought him an answer to the question he just raised. He remembered he was driving on the freeway, towards a prison. The sky was dim and lifeless. He had a tiny piece of paper in his hand, containing a clue of the true identity of the murderer. oh yes, he was on his way to interrogate Jake Martinez, a criminal who happened to be a member of Ouroboros. And what happened after he reached the bridge?
Fire. Christmas Eve. Gun shoot. Parents laid dead. A tall man. Tattoo of Ouroboros....
Falling on his knees, Barnaby bawled abruptly with both hands pressing against his head. Fearing the man might go mad, the by-passers quickly avoided walking pass him, as if treating the blond as a fearsome monster.
"...How can I go back to Sternbild?" He whispered after recovering from the nightmare attack. The creature shook its head again.
If I can't go back, what is the true meaning of my life?
"Then you are not helping! Get out from my sight, now!" He demanded and pointed at a random direction angrily. His green eyes turned into ferocious blue, and blue light simmered all over his body - he was using his Hundred Power. Terrified, the creature quickly dropped some cash, a hotel room key and a thick book or manual before disappearing for its dear life.
No, it's possible. It is possible to go back to Sternbild and continue my mission.
Barnaby stared at the manual that looked more like a dictionary than a guide.
"......And you told me this is not a game?"
~*~
Wandering on the streets of First District aimlessly, Barnaby kept an eye on his surrounding for any suspicious-looking transportation or stations while trying to retrieve his memory. He already tried using his mobile phone and bracelet while he waited in line to purchase some drinks, but none of them worked. He also checked out the item shop but all they sold were useless stuff like potions and armour in ridiculous high price, which he didn't need any.
People here all looked unfriendly and untrustworthy. They all dressed in weird clothing and armour, walking around and eating ice cream awkwardly. Some of them even cast him a discriminative glance, as if treating him as an outcast of the town.
Hunger and thirst struck him again as he passed through a shop that sold elastic, plastic-like material, urging him to fulfill the needs as soon as possible. "...Right, I need more energy to find the way back..." He mumbled to himself, not noticing a shade of darkness following him as he passed through the gate of Second District.
The communicator dropped from his pocket, touching the ground and shattering into pieces.
And the stars looked dimmer than those in First District.
Driven by instinct, he kept walking and walking lifelessly without getting aware of his surroundings. Not realising how much time had passed, he just knew that the sky grew darker as he walked, and there wasn't much time left for him to interrogate Jake Martinez. Not until he reached a cul-de-sac behind the hotel did the blond man retrieved his consciousness and found out he was surrounded by a dozen of black, hideous-looking creatures.
Wanna become one of us? A creepy voice crept into his ears, as if spiders climbing through the canal slowly, nibbling at the small bones.
Sure you do. You will become powerful enough to go back to your world... And take revenge. The voice snickered.
Barnaby blanked out for a second. The invitation was so tempting that he was ready to say yes, but for some reason he couldn't stop his body from trembling in fear. “Who are you!?” He cried despairingly.
I am Darkness. The Darkness in your heart. The voice kept climbing and climbing through the nerves until it reached Barnaby’s brain, echoing incessantly.
Don't you want to kill the murderer? The wicked criminal?
You want to,
you want to,
you want to…
NOOO!!!
A husky male voice suddenly burst out in his mind, urging him to activate his power and kick the Heartlesses away. That voice was gentle and soothing so he obeyed it willingly and activated his power, expelling those creatures with his skilled butterfly kicks. Half of the original gang fled, but another dozen soon replaced the lost army, approaching the desperate blond man again.
Too exhausted to continue fighting, he leant against a concrete wall and let the Heartlesses hovering over him. He knew they were dangerous, but there were not enough stamina for him to run away. He knew he could cry out loud for help before passing out, but that wouldn't help. There was no one that he knew here. There was no one that he could trust.
Twenty years ago,
the child could not save his parents from being engulfed by the Fire.
Twenty years later,
the young man could not save himself from being engulfed the Darkness.
He was all alone again, witnessing something precious to be destroyed.
"...Kotetsu..."
Extra?:
Long app is...long.
I didn't know I wrote that much until I compile the sections together (I wrote each section in separate word documents so it didn't look lengthy). I apologise if the the RP sample is waay too long. I had a wonderful discussion with dear Tiger mun tigerhero lately so how the app is constructed is pretty much discussed before hand. The overflowing of ideas were simply too tempting to reject. So I threw away a little and wrote out most of them.
Barnaby also appears to be much darker than I expected to be... perhaps due to the canon point choice. Upon that time there was only revenge in his head. The trust issue with Kotetsu was still unsolved so it was difficult to depict his bright side (because he hasn't showed it yet). Please do not reject him just because he is a bit too dark for the SK society! Kotetsu-mun and I will work out to bring back his deredere bright side after Barnaby meets Kotetsu in SK.
Have you read the rules & F.A.Q.s? Yes sir.