Application.

Jul 08, 2010 13:20

Series: Naruto
Series' Medium: Manga/anime.

Character: Subaku no Gaara.
Age: 13.
Sex/Gender: Male.
Canon Role: Antagonist at first, then evolves into a full ally, and a partial main character at times.
"Real" Name: Madoka Surei.

Please give us a detailed personal history of your character:
Gaara's existence was cursed while in the womb. His father, the fourth Kazekage, or leader, of Sunagakure, their village, had him implanted with a demonic entity in hopes of Gaara becoming the ultimate weapon for Suna. The Shukaku, a demon tanuki that controlled sand, was one of the nine Biju--huge demonic animals made of chakra, the energy of their world. This infusion was successful. The Shukaku bonded with the baby, and the child lived. The mother, on the other hand, was ripped apart in the process. With her last breath, she cursed the people of the village, hoping that her child would avenge her death. She gave him the name Gaara; roughly meaning "a monster who only loves himself."

Though created into what he was for the sole purpose of being a weapon for Suna, as a child Gaara was horribly ostracized, to the point of other children running from him, and adults cursing his name as they saw him only as a monster. His father was no better, resenting him for his wife's death although he was the one that had planned the process, and failing to see the use in Gaara. His two siblings, Temari and Kankuro, would have nothing to do with him, and Gaara became increasingly depressed. It was impossible for him to sleep, as the Shukaku would gain more power while Gaara was unconscious, so the child became more miserable.

When he was six years old this all came to a sharp point. Lonely beyond measure, Gaara tried to play with other children; returning their ball to them with his sand abilities when it rolled away. Although he approached them with a smile, the other children refused to have anything to do with him, and ran away. Upset and angered, the sand around Gaara chased after them, grabbing one of them to pull towards him. Unhinged at this point, Gaara's next actions would have been destructive, if not for the intervention of his uncle, Yashamaru, who was injured in the process.

Later that night, Gaara was alone staring at a picture of his mother who looked exactly like his uncle. After a moment, he held up a knife to stab his arm, but the sand around him intervened, not allowing him to be injured. Yashamaru, in bandages, came in at this point, and told Gaara to stop. Gaara apologized for Yashamaru's injuries, which the other brushed off. The child then asked what pain felt like, as the sand had always protected him from all harm. Upon being given the explanation, Gaara was filled with more remorse for Yashamaru's injuries and asked if he hated him. Yashamaru told him that people hurt each other in their life, but it's difficult to hate. The boy told his uncle that he understood what pain was now, and that he feels it constantly in his chest. Yashamaru moved on to explain the difference between physical and emotional pain, and tells Gaara that the only way that pain can be healed is through love, and that he already has it from his mother, Yashamaru's sister, who protects him from harm with the sand that surrounds him because of her love. Yashamaru then claimed that Gaara was important and dear to him as well.

Inspired by all of this, Gaara asked for medicine to take to the child that he hurt earlier. Once there, however, the door was slammed in his face as he was called a monster, crushing his hopes. On the way back, a man ran into him, and Gaara attacked and killed him (because he couldn't understand or accept the man's fear and treatment of him) in sight of his father. Concerned that Gaara was finally losing control and noting that he was useless in controlling the sand by himself, his father writes the boy off, sending assassins after him.

The first one attacked the same night, as Gaara was sitting sadly by himself, wondering what he was and why he was set apart. As he cried, blades were thrown at him, and sand automatically defended him. Startled and scared, the boy quickly turned to anger, asking again why he was the only one who had to go through this. He consciously used his sand in an attack for the first time, crushing the assassin. Thoroughly upset, Gaara asked the dying assassin who he was, and when given no response, removed his mask. It turned out to be Yashamaru; the one person Gaara loved and who he believed fully cared for him.

Sobbing outright, Gaara asked why he did this, to which he is answered that Yashamaru was ordered to kill him by Gaara's father. Sick with shock, Gaara desperately asked Yashamaru if he was forced to do it. His uncle responded in the negative, saying that he always hated Gaara deep within his heart for taking his sister's life. He tells Gaara the meaning of his name, and that his sister wished for Gaara to love only himself, fight only for himself, and by doing that, continue to exist. That she did not love Gaara, but only wanted him to continue her hatred for the village, and what they had done.

Done with speaking, Yashamaru revealed the explosives on his chest, and asked Gaara to die. Broken, the boy didn't move, though the sand protected him once again. Gaara sat there afterwards, thinking about the times that his uncle told him his mother loved him, and that love healed all wounds, as well as Yashamaru telling him that his mother lived on through the sand that protected him out of love. Gaara cracked at this point, too overwhelmed by everything that had happened, and screamed, as the sand carved the kanji for love onto his forehead. For this point on he created a belief system revolving around the last words Yashamaru said to him--to live only for himself. He was alone, and that was the way he would live, without believing in or loving anyone else.

As he grew, the assassination attempts continued, and were thwarted every time. While they didn't stop, Suna seemed to realize they had to deal with the monster they had created, and teamed him in a three-man unit with his siblings, as they were the only ones he would not think of killing outright without a reason. Eventually they were given the Chunin exam mission, which would cumulate in the teamed destruction of Konoha, the main village of the series.

In the exams, Gaara passed effortlessly; using a third eye technique in a test you had to cheat successfully to win at, and killing anyone in his way during the second. After that, he was teamed against a Konoha shinobi, and with the other's enhanced speed and strength, Gaara was hurt for the first time. He lashed out accordingly, crushing the other's arm and leg. When he moved to finish it, the shinobi's teacher stepped in to defend him, creating a rage remembered--a question of bonds.

Afterwards, Gaara went to the hospital where the other resided, in an attempt to finish the job. He was stopped by Naruto, Shikamaru, and the teacher previously mentioned, though only after he explained his nature as a monster created--murder as a reason for existence. Naruto saw similarities between the two but noted the different ways they had moved from childhood. Soon after that, Gaara was attacked at night, and methodically "gets rid of" the opponent, causing his siblings to worry about his control.

For the last test of the Chunin exam, Gaara was paired against Sasuke. To this end, Gaara went to where the other was training, and noted similarities between them--having bonds made only of hatred, and the fact that Gaara truly wanted to kill him. When the actual battle came, Gaara was stopped on his way by two people, and again, simply gets rid of them.

The fight with Sasuke was different because his sand, which had previously blocked all attacks, had started not to keep up with Sasuke's moves. This came to a head when Sasuke was successful in hurting Gaara, and Gaara retreated into a protective ball of sand, talking to the sand, and partially transforming into the Shukaku to attack him. This told his siblings about a loosening control, and they started the second half of the mission early, taking Gaara to heal him and allowing him time to transform. Sasuke followed the trio, and a group of Konoha shinobi followed him as well.

Gaara's siblings were forced to split off from him to combat the ones who followed, though his sister showed concern as he transformed more. He fought with Sasuke as he was partially transformed, and gained the upper hand. Once others arrived, he used Sakura as leverage against Naruto, which forced a dedication to a fight that the latter had been hesitant on.

The fight with Naruto accentuated to a full transformation into the Shukaku, and Naruto summoning a giant toad, which then transformed with Naruto's help into a copy of the Kyubi, the demon fox Biju residing within Naruto. Gaara's transformation was only the result of a forced sleep--and so Naruto attacked the real Gaara atop the Shukaku's head, waking him up, and both fell to the ground.

At that point, both were beaten, but Naruto kept struggling to protect his friends, making Gaara question the nature of bonds. His siblings appeared to defend him, and they escaped--as they did, Gaara apologized to them [for his behavior] for the first time.

Gaara was next seen coming to Konoha's aid against someone named Kimimaru in the Sasuke retrieval arc, when Sasuke fled Konoha to escape to the Sound village, which had been the other half of the group that attacked Konoha at the Chuunin exams. Seen fighting Kimimaru, Gaara showed new, far more powerful techniques learned in the short amount of time, a desire to protect those he once attacked haphazardly, and most importantly, he showed a new degree of calm--a better control of himself and his abilities. After winning by a slight percentage, he remarked on the nature of bonds and precious people, showing his new persona regarding others.

Time would pass and, making a decision after speaking with his brother, Gaara would break away from his teamed siblings and attempt to work his way up through the ninja ranks like anyone else in order to prove his own worth and become some necessary to his village. In time, he would succeed, and become the Kazekage, the leader and heart of his village, and go on to be willing to sacrifice himself without a thought for them, but that hasn't quite happened yet.

What point in time are you taking your character from when he/she appears at Landel's and why?:
Gaara's coming after his battle with Kimimaru, at the end of the Sasuke retrieval arc. At this point he has the most possibility for growth. After this point, there’s a time slip, and when we see Gaara next, he’s amazingly different. I would like to play out that development that we don’t get to see in canon.

Please give us a detailed description of your character's personality:
One could truthfully say that Gaara did a complete one-eighty after coming into contact with Naruto. Like the other, Gaara was raised alone and despised--though instead of vowing to gain acceptance and approval, he became depressed and embittered. This was magnified by the hatred and lies of his uncle and his assassination attempt, as well as the Shukaku's presence within his mind. As Gaara could sleep little, if at all, because of this, as then the Shukaku would attempt to take him over, two things happened. He became unstable mentally, and emotionally forced a detachment in the form of a calm control over himself.

To balance part of this, he started giving the blood of the people he killed to the sand that protected him, which he believed was the soul of his mother. He started killing first as a reaction to the assassination attempts, and then as a reason for existence--if all that was in front of one was hatred and murder, it is not too much of a leap to use that to justify one's existence, if there was nothing else. This extended to all areas; working with his siblings because it was convenient, but making it clear that he would kill them if they were in his way.

During the Chunin exams he became interested in Sasuke because of his eyes that reflected his own--eyes that only knew bonds of hatred. During the same time period, three people were successful in actually harming him--Rock Lee, Sasuke, and Naruto--which was something completely new to him with his absolute defense. This, as well as Naruto fighting so hard to protect his teammates, caused effects to occur and memories of his childhood to resurface--the village shunning him and his uncle's betrayal. In the end, this caused Gaara to question the nature of bonds and the meaning of being a Shinobi, the first change occurring as an apology to his siblings.

In the time after this, his relations with his siblings greatly improved--gaining a defensive older sister and a brother to confide hopes and dreams in--both becoming very protective of him. His actions towards others shifted as well, taking moves to defend and protect where previously it would not have crossed his mind. Gaara decided to work like Naruto to achieve bonds, and looked up to him as someone who understood him intricately and was alike in nature, though achieved better results with what he was given. From this, Gaara wanted to become someone that other relied upon and loved--someone necessary to others' existence. To this end, he set his goal as being Suna’s Kazekage, so he could bond with the people around him.

Gaara is quiet and contemplative, being naturally stoic and silent. This comes from an uncertainty about what reactions are correct, and the lack of a want for unnecessary words. He speaks little, but when he does in the series, what he says carries weight--insightful things that could point to the heart of matters. He is someone who watches his surroundings constantly to take things in, keeping details for use later. He excels at strategy, and is able to turn a situation around completely to his benefit. He understands how people can affect other people while still lacking in the subtleties of human interactions. He has a 'analyze, then react' mentality, and is sure of himself enough to understand a situation and move within it without having to resort to the ask questions step of the process. He has been shown to be willful and determined, can be fierce in combat, and is extremely protective of those who have his loyalty. He does long for bonds of a more positive nature but does not know exactly how to go about it. Gaara is also unsure about how to react to people that once feared him, and if they still do. This, along with other things, is covered with his stoicism; a calm exterior for past turbulence.

Please give us a detailed physical description of your character:
Gaara stands at about four feet, ten inches, and is moderately small for his age. His main features of note are his bright red hair, pale green eyes, a lack of eyebrows, and black rings around his eyes, as well as the kanji for love scarred into the left side of his forehead. He normally has a somewhat detached expression, and is not one to show emotions easily. More than most, he has a reserved nature, and doesn't speak more than necessary. Though when he does, he tends to surprise, either in the form of threats or things that are extremely insightful.

What kinds of otherworldly abilities does your character have, if any?:
Gaara is first noted for his ability to control sand. As he says at one point, as long as he has sand, he can do anything. There isn't much that he can't do as long as he has access to sand, or the base minerals to form sand, and when he adds his chakra to it, his attacks magnify exponentially.

These techniques are far and wide in what they can do. His main ones of use are Sabaku Kyu, which encases an opponent in sand, and Sabaku Soso, which crushes the said opponent to death. He's created higher versions of both of these, to encompass areas and change and affect the environment itself, instead of just his opponent. He can create clones of himself using sand, rain sand down upon an opponent, hover above the ground, and even create an eye to watch different areas. What Gaara is known for, however, is his absolute defense. The sand around him will instantly defend him whether he wants it to or not, even if it's self-inflicted. If, for some reason, that doesn't work, he can layer himself in sand, which would absorb the impact of the attack on him. That, however, uses a great deal of chakra to maintain. Two final techniques of note would be his Ultimate Defense and Ultimate Attack, which he learned later in the series. These techniques are in the Shukaku's likeness. The Defense uses the earth's densest minerals and has never been broken though, and likewise for the attack, which has never been defended against.

As well as all of that, Gaara is home to the Shukaku, one of the nine demonic creatures that reside in their world. Its presence allows Gaara more power to his attacks, as well as the option of transforming into it when the situation is severe. This, however, turns all control to the Shukaku, and Gaara no longer sees that as an option. Since it wants to take control constantly, he's slept very little, if at all, in his thirteen years so he can guard against it. This of course has added to the instabilities of having a creature that wants to cause destruction inside of you, and everyone around you hating you. Nonetheless, he's found ways to use its powers without it coming out, as with his Ultimate Defense and Ultimate Attack.

If present, how do you plan to tweak these powers to make your character appropriately hindered in the setting of Landel's?:
Gaara will not has overt access to his chakra here, leaving his techniques useless without the large amount of chakra needed to sustain them. The Shukaku will be bound inside of him power-wise--its influence on him will still remain if the situation arises, and he will still not be willing to sleep. The only remaining thing is his control on sand, and he will not have any on him inside of the Institute.

Outside, though, would be a different story. If he goes outside, he'd be able to create sand from the materials in the earth, via mineral decomposition, and only about a gallon's worth at a time before being unable to continue. He would only be able to do two combative things with the sand as it remains--create a defensive barrier (limited in size, of course, by how much sand he has--as in it‘ll be useless for awhile), that could be broken through with strong force, but would otherwise hold for about one minute in place. And an offensive force with the sand which would only be a little more than the strength of an adult punch, which could be broken or blocked and would only extend five feet. Both of these would take more effort than they normally would and would both need a decent amount of sand to "power" them. Though if there is any sand on him, it would move to protect him first if threatened, regardless of intentions otherwise.

Does your character have any non-otherworldly abilities/training that surpass the norm?:
Other than a basic prowess of martial arts, he does seem to be proficient in the starting levels of most weapons, as shown in supplementary material. He's never needed to rely on those skills, however, so as a hand-to-hand fighter, he's sorely lacking. He's also proficient in strategy and tactics, allowing for detailed plans to be formed while in combat.

What do you see your character doing in the scope of the game and how do you plan to use the setting of Landel's Institute to develop them and affect their psychology in a unique, interesting way?:
An interest with Gaara is seeing how he will interact with others. He's coming from a point in which he has just shown a wanting for bonds with others that aren't of hatred--though he still does not have enough social experience to do so completely successfully. Most of the shinobi at Damned are from different points in time, most from his future, and having to deal with the differences, as well as the revelations they will offer will force him to deal with many different things. He would be affected by any precious people being risked, and that could lead to emotional instabilities. A last point would be the lack of his sand's constant defensive guard, which will have to be gotten used to.

Given that this RP takes place in an unsettling and outright horrific environment, how do you justify your character as being appropriate in both body and mind for this kind of setting?:
Given Gaara's childhood from age of six revolved around killing others to survive and that becoming his reason for existence for a majority of that time, I would say he is more than appropriate. He also has the life of a ninja to fall back on, as shinobi are raised as weapons and expected to act as such. His personal repose and instinctual reactions would have him dealing with the situation instead of panicking, and as he once considered himself a monster, and dealt with other "monsters," so those have become something known. And in everything, Gaara knows well the cruelty of men, and what they can create from their ambition.

app

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