(no subject)
Lllllllast round!
Remember!
- Applicants, respond anonymously.
- If you're going to do the whole "ask me why I voted you out!" thing, please state who you voted out.
- No speculating about the identity of the applicants!
Now VOTE. Closed!
Character: Kiyama Ryuichiro
Series: Tumbling
Character Age: 17~18
Canon: Throw in an underdog team, attractive boys in tights, and a lot of tears, and you get a sports drama called Tumbling. Karasumori High School has always considered their male rhythmic gymnastics team a pushover. That is, until one ex-gang member named Azuma Wataru joins the club and changes everything through his infectious determination and fighting spirit. And he drags a few of his friends into the team, too! Together, the boys try to get through their personal struggles while attempting to turn the male rhythmic gymnastics group around.
The last to join the team is Kiyama Ryuichiro, a loner who has a tendency to push people away. It's because of this that he's hard to read and get to know, but beneath his silent and mysterious exterior is someone who's thoughtful, street-smart, hardworking, and caring. Once you manage to penetrate through that protective wall of his, you'll have gained yourself one of the most loyal and trustworthy friends who would willingly sacrifice himself for others, partly because he has a tendency to blame himself for bad things that happen to the team. Though an ex-gang member, Kiyama doesn't start brawls and won't fight back if it will harm the team's reputation, so rival gangs seem to have developed this bad habit of beating him up. The injuries he's sustained from this is why he's often seen commenting on the sidelines more than actually performing with the team. But don't let this fool you; despite his refusal to fight, he's actually pretty strong and will probably break your face if you really piss him off.
Sample:
Whoever asked for me to be here in exchange for the release of my friends, well here I am. I have a few ideas of who you are and what you want from me, so let them go and let's settle this.
...Okay, maybe you aren't who I expected. The guy I had in mind looked more alive and healthy, and definitely less grayish-green. So just what are you trying to do by kidnapping my teammates and leading me to a place like this? You're lower than dirt. Actually, you should be under six feet of dirt, so I don't have a clue how it's even possible for us to meet face to face. But whatever your reason is for calling me here, I'm not running away. I'm not going to fight you, either. I'll do whatever you ask and you can do whatever you want to me, but please, leave my friends out of this. This is all I can do, but it's a good enough exchange for you, isn't it? If it is, then lead me to them. I want to know that they're safe. I get them into trouble just because they know me but they shouldn't suffer because of that; whatever I've done is my fault alone.
So you've kept them here in this barn? Seems you've gathered a lot of people here, too. Now answer me: Where are my teammates? I don't recognize any of them among the ones inside here. No, I'm very sure none of my friends are missing any eyes, and they bathe a lot so they can't possibly smell this bad. Actually, the people in this barn all look more like your gang members than my teammates. You're all sporting the same... half-open skull and ragged look, which is a little bit different from the pink shirts and tights that we usually wear. Yeah, I did say pink shirts and tights. Unfortunately. Got a problem with that?
Hey-! Did you just bite me, you bastard?! Alright, I think I know what's going on now. You might have tricked me into getting cornered like this, but it's going to take more than that to take me down, and I'm not ready to be someone's dinner just yet. You'd better leave if that's all you have to show me. Going to the extent of using my friends to deceive me... You're rotten to the bone, aren't you?
...I meant that figuratively.
Poll Vote!
Character: Mizusawa Taku
Series: Tumbling
Character Age: 17
Canon: Karasumori High School ('Karakou') has a gang, and its leader Azuma Wataru is a known badass. So when this badass walked in on his first day of his last year, he didn't expect to end up in the rhythmic gymnastics club. Unfortunately, the boys’ rhythmic gymnastics team is anything but badass. They're wimpy guys who don’t even number enough to enter a tournament. But Wataru’s drive to succeed brings out the best of the team... and brings in several new members. What follows is a surprisingly cohesive story with a lot of tears, punching, flipping, handstands and more bromance than you can twirl a baton at - though the bath scenes after each practice were probably a bit much.
Mizusawa Taku is one of the original members of Karakou's rhythmic gymnastics team and one of the most talented. A somewhat quiet guy who may seem skittish at first, his willingness to help contributes a lot in introducing newcomers to the sport. When he does speak up, Mizusawa is friendly, honest - sometimes brutally so - and optimistic, making him pleasant to be around. Even though his confidence has taken blows from early failures and a nasty situation involving his (unrequited) crush on teammate Kiyama Ryuichirou, the support of the whole team has made him a tougher person. He’s the kind of guy who tends to blend into the background, but Mizusawa is an anchor to the team’s overall dynamic. Sure, getting him to open up can take work, but there’s a fun bright person in there somewhere who’s always going to lend a hand.
Sample Post:
Um, your enthusiasm is great, but I don’t really think this is the right venture for you. Rhythmic gymnastics is something you’ll definitely need all your digits for and your limbs even more, even if your flexibility is really good. I think if you keep your muscles tense, you might be able to keep your center of gravity strong and also hold yourself together better. If you keep falling apart and don’t point your toes, the shift in weight is going to make you overbalance and- and. Your back really shouldn’t bend that way without snapping, but someh- oh. Hey, are you-? ...you’re okay. Somehow.
I’m sorry about that! Flattened corn isn’t really the best surface to be practising stag handstands on. I’m probably not the best person to have come to for this, either. Of course I’ll teach you, especially since you were so eager to know what’s in my head. But really, I’m not that brainy and there’s a lot of you... I’m not exactly captain material; I’m better at assisting others one-on-one. -Oh, you’re willing to take it in turns with me? Well, that would make things a lot easier, but there’s no need to line up, I’ll get to you each as we go. H-hey, that doesn’t mean take your uniform off. You’re still going to need that.
What’s that noise...? Marcy-san! I realise that liberties will have to be taken with your technique, but throwing your arms around like that is just going to end up hurting someone. This is why I can’t keep an eye on you all at once, there’s not enough space - um. I don’t need to borrow any eyes, thank you. If one of you could go and help Marcy-san while the rest of us try and find some proper mats, then maybe we can move on? ...The rest of the group has found some already? That sure was fast.
...well. It was great of you all to go look, but I said mats, not mattresses. That’s too thick and springy, and if anything goes wrong it could be dangerous. Plus, you’ve only brought one. Yes, I did say you’d need to take turns with me, but can’t the rest of you practise amongst yourselves in the meantime?
Wow. You’re really enthusiastic.
Poll Vote!
Character: Hino Tetsuya
Series: Tumbling
Age: 16
Canon: Azuma Wataru, yankee extraordinaire and student of Karasumori High School is a teenager who strikes fear in the hearts of people. Sadly, gang fights in the street and terrorizing fellow students rarely go hand in hand with good marks, and so in order not to be forced to repeat his second grade, Wataru must pick up a club activity - only, none of them are really his forte. Luckily his adorable girlcrush's interests makes his final decision easy enough: joining the team of male rhythmic sports gymnastics, a small assortment of wimpy guys and the laughingstock of the school. Hopeless though it looks at the beginning, he starts to pursue the supposedly unmanly sport with burning shonen spirit, inspiring other unlikely choice boys to join in. The tumbling team both improves and gains enough members to participate in tournaments - but they have a ways to go.
A constant reminder of that fact is Hino Tetsuya, All-Japan Junior participant from a family of Olympic geniuses. He was the last to properly join the Karasumori team of gymnasts due to prioritizing his individual success over them, but as a series with burning shonen spirits goes, he was jesused by the lot until he integrated himself into the group. Hino is commonsensical, a sober but silent young man who will bluntly state his opinion, be it to be the voice of reason or to drag you back down to earth with the bitter, gospel truth. In fact, he is so used to being an unpleasant guy that he occasionally forgets to be a little nicer to his friends. Some people never grow out of being a dickwad completely. Even so, he is able to relate to another person's troubles and pick up on a mood very well. He especially sympathizes with anyone showing some sort of father complex - having struggled his whole life to prove himself to his own, Hino understands. And shows it, if a little awkwardly.
Sample Post:
From the look of things, I'll be having my hands full with your team. Although I am not interested in being anyone's Captain, I owe the director a favor, so I am asking you to bear with me as I bear with you. Especially to those among you who do not take men's rhythmic gymnastics seriously - I have no intention of going easy on you. Let me see what you can do, then; training starts now.
You're going to have to try harder than that if you want to convince anyone of your skill. This is not about your purple fur - although it would be a lie to say that everyone can take a yankee seriously doing sports of this kind. Now, to those of you who seem still under the impression that tumbling is a type of body jewelry, listen carefully. You need to point your toes and keep your knees together. Only spread them when I ask you to do so.
It seems that nobody has ever cared to point out your poor posture to you. Slumping over like that does nothing to convey that you are willing to put in an effort and will make you lose important points in any tournament. It has, in fact, lead the judges to believe they were being propositioned before. If you truly think you can afford that, you may go ahead and humiliate yourselves in front of the judges, but do not 'iyan' me for stating the truth. I am bringing a certain degree of ambition into this performance, myself. Do you even understand what it is like to be considered unworthy of the time of someone important?
. . . Ah. The reason you joined this team was your father. I had a feeling that you didn't actually prefer rhythmic gymnastics over another sport, although I am not familiar with such a thing as pumpkin boat derbies. In any case, if those are your feelings, I have no use for you here. If you require assistance with consulting your father, I... will make time to be there. Until then, do not let him preach if you already know you are in trouble deep. Losing sleep will lower your concentration. You'll be taking a break, have some water, and I will see you after training. The rest, reassemble.
Poll Vote!
Character: Misaki Marin
Series: Tubame Syndrome
Character Age: appears to be around 16
Canon: Misaki Marin is the sort of girl who lives life to the fullest, embracing every new day and all the experiences and excitement it brings! She's introduced as a counterpoint to Taiga, Tubame Syndrome's protagonist. Both Marin and Taiga's bodies contain Origin Hearts, chunks of reality-warping space crystal whose energies attract monsters called Phantoms when their owners' emotions run high. This has made Taiga introverted and deeply afraid of his own feelings, while Marin refuses to let it beat her, never seeming to lose her upbeat smile and constantly looking for new things to try. After all, she asks, what's the point of life if it isn't fun? Her relentless optimism proves inspiring to Taiga, and the two become fast friends.
As part of her efforts to draw Taiga out of his shell, Marin drags him into their school's drama club, and that's where some cracks start to develop in that perfect, vivacious mask of hers. As demonstrated by her "re-imagining" of Romeo and Juliet (spoilers: they kill each other, instead of themselves), Marin's taste for excitement is not always the most wholesome. And while that may not be the weirdest thing anyone's ever written in high school, it's the tip of Marin's issues iceberg: behind that happy smile lurks an embittered girl who's been more scarred by the hardships of having an Origin Heart than she lets on. Angry at the world for the cruelty it inflicted upon her, Marin plots to rewrite it to her tastes using the power of her Origin Heart--and the life-force of, say, a school's worth of students. A small price to pay for a world designed to be ceaselessly fun and exciting...for her, anyway.
Sample Post:
So this is the American Midwest! I read somewhere that these are called "Flyover States," 'cause they're so boring they're only worth flyin' over. That just isn't fair! You can find excitement anywhere you look. For instance, I look at all this corn, and what's the first thing that comes to mind? Crop circles! I've always wanted to try makin' some, and come on, what's not exciting about makin' art on a canvas miles wide? There's no way it won't be seen, and just think of the looks on the everyone's faces! I'd try to work some message into mine. "BOW BEFORE MARIN!" Hahahaha, watchin' people try to figure it out would be great! It could turn this place into a real famous mystery spot--though, huh. I guess whoever made all the zombies kinda beat me to the punch there. Well, that doesn't mean it'd hurt to pile on a little more! Space zombies created by UFOs would make for a way wilder story than just UFOs or just zombies.
Speakin' of stories and zombies, here's my next idea--Oklahoma! (Does Oklahoma even grow corn? Whatever, it's attention to detail if it does, artistic license if it doesn't!) Picture it! A sprawling midwestern musical, performed in an actual midwestern field! Only in this version, all the farmers'll be part of a secret cult that performs human sacrifices and waters the corn with the blood, and then the bodies of the sacrifices rise, and bam, zombies! Way more exciting than just some cowboy/farm girl love story, right? ...Wait, what? I've been beaten to the cult thing, too? Well, whatever. You don't have to be original, just unexpected! Like maybe the cowboy falls for the farm girl, but then he finds out about the cult--maybe she's the high priestess!--and then when he tries to leave, it turns out there's some magic that keeps him or anyone else from leavin' without permission! So he's gotta stay, and it really kills him at first, but over time he finds himself getting comfortable and abandoning the objections that made him want to leave. Sound familiar? From what I've seen of the people around here, that little twist should hit pretty close to home for a lot of the audience! Give 'em something to think about before I start eating their very lives--
Hahaha, I wasn't supposed to say that out loud, nah. But now it's out, and I've gotta figure out how to deal with it, right? Aaah, messin' up can be a thrill all its own sometimes . . . especially when the only way to fix it is runnin' someone down like a dog. I'd kinda start running if I were you. Go on, I'll even give ya a head start! More fun for both of us that way, right?
Poll Vote!
Character: Akira
Series: Togainu no Chi
Character Age: 18/19
Canon: Set in a post-apocalyptic future, there's a battle game, "Igura", where participants fight each other to obtain dog tags stamped with numbers and suits in order to create poker hands. Once a hand is created, the player can challenge the undefeated "king" of Igura: Il Re. The main character, Akira, was accused of a crime and was given a choice: life imprisonment or to participate in Igura and defeat Il Re.
Akira's a textbook tsundere, a prickly marshmallow. He presents an apathetic front, but once someone earns his loyalty, it tends to stick. He has Trouble expressing his feelings, as his concern presents itself via anger and annoyance. Akira doesn't talk much unless something really gets to him (usually someone he cares about doing something dumb), during which he then spouts some relatively impressive rants. They can be cruel, words tossed out in the heat of the moment without thought, but sometimes show that he's more insightful than he seems. His anger fades quickly though, and what's left is usually quiet regret for his harsh words. He rarely vocally apologizes, but it comes through via his actions and words: something unexpectedly gentle or warm.
Originally a BL computer game, Togainu no Chi is now a manga, a PS2 game, and very recently, an anime. He is being apped from the original PC game, with bits and pieces from the other mediums to supplement if necessary. A lot of his thoughts and opinions were shown via inner monologue in the game, so that was done a bit in the app as well.
Sample Post:
[ More cornfields? There's just corn, corn everywhere. We've been wandering around these fields for days; it's amazing we haven't run into anyone else yet. It might be his outfit that scares them off. Why would anyone wear something like a gorilla suit for such a long time? Then again, as long as it doesn't slow him down, it doesn't really matter. How he dresses doesn't affect me, and it makes it simple to find him. Purple stands out in yellow . . . ]
Oi, we should get out of the open. It's getting close to nightfall and it could be dangerous. Even if nothing's attacked us the past few nights, I can hear things moving around. Just . . . keep an eye out. If something happens, you have to defend yourself, got it? I'm not going to protect you. Run if you don't think you can fight. Especially since we won't be able to see if anything comes up behind-!
-Tch! I just said-! Don't just stand there, MOVE! I'll hold them off! Go towards that building, I'll meet you there! GO!
. . .
Dammit! You stupid idiot, I told you to protect yourself if we got attacked! Just standing there watching is not protecting yourself! What if you'd gotten killed!? Didn't you want to get out of here too? You can't do that if you're dead, moron! I'm stronger than I look; it's harder to fight when trying to watch someone else! You would have just gotten in my way, so don't do dumb things like that again! I told you to run if you didn't think you could fight. You shouldn't have needed the extra reminder! . . . I would have found you. Remember? We agreed. We're going to find safety, so that means we can't die. Not me, and not you.
That sound-more enemies? I can't fight this many on my own, so it'll probably be easier to run. Hey, wait! Not towards. . . ah. Do you know them? Then these are . . . Are these your friends? It's good that you finally met them. You don't need to thank me, I didn't do anything. O-oi, I get it, you can stop that. Hey, don't touch me there! Get your hands out of my pan-don't push that! Too much touching! How do I stop the touching!?
Poll Vote!
Character: Shakugan
Series: Sengoku Youko
Character age: mid-to-late teens
Canon: LISTEN UP! STOP YOUR EVIL DEEDS OR THE DEMON SIBLINGS WILL SMASH YOUR FACE IN! Such is the premise of Sengoku Youko, a story set in ancient Japan, when humans and demons constantly fought. The Demon Siblings are Tama, a human-loving demon fox who wishes for a happy world where everyone helps each other, and Jinka, a human sage-hermit who could care less and just wants to find a way to turn himself into a demon. During their travels, they are joined by Hyoudou Shinsuke, a self-declared ronin who is really just a coward with a sword and doesn't know what the hell he's got himself into, and then Shakugan, a demon-human hybrid.
Originally introduced as a crazed rock demon on a murderous rampage, it is later revealed that "Shakugan" is actually two souls: the demon Kagan having been forcefully fused into Shakuyaku's human body. Both are deeply traumatised by the events surrounding the experience, but eventually come to terms with their situation. Shakuyaku is sweet-natured, caring and easily flustered, although she can also be assertive when the need arises. Full of optimistic cheer in the face of a harsh life even before being turned into a half-demon, she prefers to be grateful for the chance to meet her new friends of whom she is fiercely protective. Kagan is bold, boisterous and generally appears more worldly (both in matters "normal" and supernatural), although he regrets the recklessness that resulted in his capture and "imprisoning". Nevertheless, touched by the kindness extended to him by Shakuyaku in spite of everything, he adopts an almost brotherly attachment to his "owner and vessel" and the rest of the group.
Due to their unique relationship, the two souls switch back and forth seamlessly, sharing Shakuyaku's body and access to Kagan's abilities such as super-strength, enhanced senses and partial-to-full transformation of Kagan's original demon form.
Sample Post:
Yo, purple monkey demon! Yeah, you. Any chance you can tell us where we are? With nothing but wheat as far as the eye can see, it's a bit hard to get your bearings, ya know? We're sort of in a hurry to get back our friends, you see, and my owner's getting a bit restless, but can you expect? It was a bit startling for the both of us to suddenly wake up and find ourselves in the middle of nowhere, really. Can't figure out why I can't pick up their scent either ...
Hey now, what's that look for? If you're one of those human-eating demons, I wouldn't recommend it. This is my owner's precious body, after all! I can't imagine why eating a human would be appealing anyway. They're so soft and probably really chewy too. Wouldn't you rather have some nice, good soil with a side of rocks instead? You'd probably get more nutrients that way, and you'd be able to eat just about anywhere. Plus they're delicious. I could go for a few mud dumplings myself, actually. I keep trying to convince Shaku to let me eat some, but she never does. It's such a shame. For all we know, it could help her body be more robust, if you know what I mean, and then I'm sure Shinsuke-dono would-
-Kagan! He doesn't need to know your thoughts on t-that! And I do not feel that way about Shinsuke-sama! Please excuse my, ah, partner's straightforwardness. You shouldn't listen to him. He has trouble understanding that most creatures just can't eat dirt and mud like he can ... or ... could. I'm sorry, I realise this conversation must be a bit confusing for you. It's a bit complicated. All you need to know is that I'm not a normal human, so it's really not a good idea if you're still thinking about eating me. Now, as Kagan was saying, could you possibly tell us where we are? ... Or we could follow you. That works too.
... Um. You seemed so sure of where you were going and we've come quite a long way, so I'm really grateful that you're trying to help, but now I'm confused. Is there any reason why you brought me to this pond? Something you want me to help with first? Wow, it sounds like you've had a lot of trouble with this ... "legendary" water demon then, huh. Dealing with troublesome demons isn't usually our job, especially if it's as strong as you say, but alright. I know if it were Tama-sama, she would want to put a stop to its tyranny, so we will do the best we can. Marcy, I demand you show yourself!
What the- Kagan, don't only tell me you're not effective against water demons now!!
Poll Vote!
Remember!
- Applicants, respond anonymously.
- If you're going to do the whole "ask me why I voted you out!" thing, please state who you voted out.
- No speculating about the identity of the applicants!
Now VOTE. Closed!
Character: Kiyama Ryuichiro
Series: Tumbling
Character Age: 17~18
Canon: Throw in an underdog team, attractive boys in tights, and a lot of tears, and you get a sports drama called Tumbling. Karasumori High School has always considered their male rhythmic gymnastics team a pushover. That is, until one ex-gang member named Azuma Wataru joins the club and changes everything through his infectious determination and fighting spirit. And he drags a few of his friends into the team, too! Together, the boys try to get through their personal struggles while attempting to turn the male rhythmic gymnastics group around.
The last to join the team is Kiyama Ryuichiro, a loner who has a tendency to push people away. It's because of this that he's hard to read and get to know, but beneath his silent and mysterious exterior is someone who's thoughtful, street-smart, hardworking, and caring. Once you manage to penetrate through that protective wall of his, you'll have gained yourself one of the most loyal and trustworthy friends who would willingly sacrifice himself for others, partly because he has a tendency to blame himself for bad things that happen to the team. Though an ex-gang member, Kiyama doesn't start brawls and won't fight back if it will harm the team's reputation, so rival gangs seem to have developed this bad habit of beating him up. The injuries he's sustained from this is why he's often seen commenting on the sidelines more than actually performing with the team. But don't let this fool you; despite his refusal to fight, he's actually pretty strong and will probably break your face if you really piss him off.
Sample:
Whoever asked for me to be here in exchange for the release of my friends, well here I am. I have a few ideas of who you are and what you want from me, so let them go and let's settle this.
...Okay, maybe you aren't who I expected. The guy I had in mind looked more alive and healthy, and definitely less grayish-green. So just what are you trying to do by kidnapping my teammates and leading me to a place like this? You're lower than dirt. Actually, you should be under six feet of dirt, so I don't have a clue how it's even possible for us to meet face to face. But whatever your reason is for calling me here, I'm not running away. I'm not going to fight you, either. I'll do whatever you ask and you can do whatever you want to me, but please, leave my friends out of this. This is all I can do, but it's a good enough exchange for you, isn't it? If it is, then lead me to them. I want to know that they're safe. I get them into trouble just because they know me but they shouldn't suffer because of that; whatever I've done is my fault alone.
So you've kept them here in this barn? Seems you've gathered a lot of people here, too. Now answer me: Where are my teammates? I don't recognize any of them among the ones inside here. No, I'm very sure none of my friends are missing any eyes, and they bathe a lot so they can't possibly smell this bad. Actually, the people in this barn all look more like your gang members than my teammates. You're all sporting the same... half-open skull and ragged look, which is a little bit different from the pink shirts and tights that we usually wear. Yeah, I did say pink shirts and tights. Unfortunately. Got a problem with that?
Hey-! Did you just bite me, you bastard?! Alright, I think I know what's going on now. You might have tricked me into getting cornered like this, but it's going to take more than that to take me down, and I'm not ready to be someone's dinner just yet. You'd better leave if that's all you have to show me. Going to the extent of using my friends to deceive me... You're rotten to the bone, aren't you?
...I meant that figuratively.
Poll Vote!
Character: Mizusawa Taku
Series: Tumbling
Character Age: 17
Canon: Karasumori High School ('Karakou') has a gang, and its leader Azuma Wataru is a known badass. So when this badass walked in on his first day of his last year, he didn't expect to end up in the rhythmic gymnastics club. Unfortunately, the boys’ rhythmic gymnastics team is anything but badass. They're wimpy guys who don’t even number enough to enter a tournament. But Wataru’s drive to succeed brings out the best of the team... and brings in several new members. What follows is a surprisingly cohesive story with a lot of tears, punching, flipping, handstands and more bromance than you can twirl a baton at - though the bath scenes after each practice were probably a bit much.
Mizusawa Taku is one of the original members of Karakou's rhythmic gymnastics team and one of the most talented. A somewhat quiet guy who may seem skittish at first, his willingness to help contributes a lot in introducing newcomers to the sport. When he does speak up, Mizusawa is friendly, honest - sometimes brutally so - and optimistic, making him pleasant to be around. Even though his confidence has taken blows from early failures and a nasty situation involving his (unrequited) crush on teammate Kiyama Ryuichirou, the support of the whole team has made him a tougher person. He’s the kind of guy who tends to blend into the background, but Mizusawa is an anchor to the team’s overall dynamic. Sure, getting him to open up can take work, but there’s a fun bright person in there somewhere who’s always going to lend a hand.
Sample Post:
Um, your enthusiasm is great, but I don’t really think this is the right venture for you. Rhythmic gymnastics is something you’ll definitely need all your digits for and your limbs even more, even if your flexibility is really good. I think if you keep your muscles tense, you might be able to keep your center of gravity strong and also hold yourself together better. If you keep falling apart and don’t point your toes, the shift in weight is going to make you overbalance and- and. Your back really shouldn’t bend that way without snapping, but someh- oh. Hey, are you-? ...you’re okay. Somehow.
I’m sorry about that! Flattened corn isn’t really the best surface to be practising stag handstands on. I’m probably not the best person to have come to for this, either. Of course I’ll teach you, especially since you were so eager to know what’s in my head. But really, I’m not that brainy and there’s a lot of you... I’m not exactly captain material; I’m better at assisting others one-on-one. -Oh, you’re willing to take it in turns with me? Well, that would make things a lot easier, but there’s no need to line up, I’ll get to you each as we go. H-hey, that doesn’t mean take your uniform off. You’re still going to need that.
What’s that noise...? Marcy-san! I realise that liberties will have to be taken with your technique, but throwing your arms around like that is just going to end up hurting someone. This is why I can’t keep an eye on you all at once, there’s not enough space - um. I don’t need to borrow any eyes, thank you. If one of you could go and help Marcy-san while the rest of us try and find some proper mats, then maybe we can move on? ...The rest of the group has found some already? That sure was fast.
...well. It was great of you all to go look, but I said mats, not mattresses. That’s too thick and springy, and if anything goes wrong it could be dangerous. Plus, you’ve only brought one. Yes, I did say you’d need to take turns with me, but can’t the rest of you practise amongst yourselves in the meantime?
Wow. You’re really enthusiastic.
Poll Vote!
Character: Hino Tetsuya
Series: Tumbling
Age: 16
Canon: Azuma Wataru, yankee extraordinaire and student of Karasumori High School is a teenager who strikes fear in the hearts of people. Sadly, gang fights in the street and terrorizing fellow students rarely go hand in hand with good marks, and so in order not to be forced to repeat his second grade, Wataru must pick up a club activity - only, none of them are really his forte. Luckily his adorable girlcrush's interests makes his final decision easy enough: joining the team of male rhythmic sports gymnastics, a small assortment of wimpy guys and the laughingstock of the school. Hopeless though it looks at the beginning, he starts to pursue the supposedly unmanly sport with burning shonen spirit, inspiring other unlikely choice boys to join in. The tumbling team both improves and gains enough members to participate in tournaments - but they have a ways to go.
A constant reminder of that fact is Hino Tetsuya, All-Japan Junior participant from a family of Olympic geniuses. He was the last to properly join the Karasumori team of gymnasts due to prioritizing his individual success over them, but as a series with burning shonen spirits goes, he was jesused by the lot until he integrated himself into the group. Hino is commonsensical, a sober but silent young man who will bluntly state his opinion, be it to be the voice of reason or to drag you back down to earth with the bitter, gospel truth. In fact, he is so used to being an unpleasant guy that he occasionally forgets to be a little nicer to his friends. Some people never grow out of being a dickwad completely. Even so, he is able to relate to another person's troubles and pick up on a mood very well. He especially sympathizes with anyone showing some sort of father complex - having struggled his whole life to prove himself to his own, Hino understands. And shows it, if a little awkwardly.
Sample Post:
From the look of things, I'll be having my hands full with your team. Although I am not interested in being anyone's Captain, I owe the director a favor, so I am asking you to bear with me as I bear with you. Especially to those among you who do not take men's rhythmic gymnastics seriously - I have no intention of going easy on you. Let me see what you can do, then; training starts now.
You're going to have to try harder than that if you want to convince anyone of your skill. This is not about your purple fur - although it would be a lie to say that everyone can take a yankee seriously doing sports of this kind. Now, to those of you who seem still under the impression that tumbling is a type of body jewelry, listen carefully. You need to point your toes and keep your knees together. Only spread them when I ask you to do so.
It seems that nobody has ever cared to point out your poor posture to you. Slumping over like that does nothing to convey that you are willing to put in an effort and will make you lose important points in any tournament. It has, in fact, lead the judges to believe they were being propositioned before. If you truly think you can afford that, you may go ahead and humiliate yourselves in front of the judges, but do not 'iyan' me for stating the truth. I am bringing a certain degree of ambition into this performance, myself. Do you even understand what it is like to be considered unworthy of the time of someone important?
. . . Ah. The reason you joined this team was your father. I had a feeling that you didn't actually prefer rhythmic gymnastics over another sport, although I am not familiar with such a thing as pumpkin boat derbies. In any case, if those are your feelings, I have no use for you here. If you require assistance with consulting your father, I... will make time to be there. Until then, do not let him preach if you already know you are in trouble deep. Losing sleep will lower your concentration. You'll be taking a break, have some water, and I will see you after training. The rest, reassemble.
Poll Vote!
Character: Misaki Marin
Series: Tubame Syndrome
Character Age: appears to be around 16
Canon: Misaki Marin is the sort of girl who lives life to the fullest, embracing every new day and all the experiences and excitement it brings! She's introduced as a counterpoint to Taiga, Tubame Syndrome's protagonist. Both Marin and Taiga's bodies contain Origin Hearts, chunks of reality-warping space crystal whose energies attract monsters called Phantoms when their owners' emotions run high. This has made Taiga introverted and deeply afraid of his own feelings, while Marin refuses to let it beat her, never seeming to lose her upbeat smile and constantly looking for new things to try. After all, she asks, what's the point of life if it isn't fun? Her relentless optimism proves inspiring to Taiga, and the two become fast friends.
As part of her efforts to draw Taiga out of his shell, Marin drags him into their school's drama club, and that's where some cracks start to develop in that perfect, vivacious mask of hers. As demonstrated by her "re-imagining" of Romeo and Juliet (spoilers: they kill each other, instead of themselves), Marin's taste for excitement is not always the most wholesome. And while that may not be the weirdest thing anyone's ever written in high school, it's the tip of Marin's issues iceberg: behind that happy smile lurks an embittered girl who's been more scarred by the hardships of having an Origin Heart than she lets on. Angry at the world for the cruelty it inflicted upon her, Marin plots to rewrite it to her tastes using the power of her Origin Heart--and the life-force of, say, a school's worth of students. A small price to pay for a world designed to be ceaselessly fun and exciting...for her, anyway.
Sample Post:
So this is the American Midwest! I read somewhere that these are called "Flyover States," 'cause they're so boring they're only worth flyin' over. That just isn't fair! You can find excitement anywhere you look. For instance, I look at all this corn, and what's the first thing that comes to mind? Crop circles! I've always wanted to try makin' some, and come on, what's not exciting about makin' art on a canvas miles wide? There's no way it won't be seen, and just think of the looks on the everyone's faces! I'd try to work some message into mine. "BOW BEFORE MARIN!" Hahahaha, watchin' people try to figure it out would be great! It could turn this place into a real famous mystery spot--though, huh. I guess whoever made all the zombies kinda beat me to the punch there. Well, that doesn't mean it'd hurt to pile on a little more! Space zombies created by UFOs would make for a way wilder story than just UFOs or just zombies.
Speakin' of stories and zombies, here's my next idea--Oklahoma! (Does Oklahoma even grow corn? Whatever, it's attention to detail if it does, artistic license if it doesn't!) Picture it! A sprawling midwestern musical, performed in an actual midwestern field! Only in this version, all the farmers'll be part of a secret cult that performs human sacrifices and waters the corn with the blood, and then the bodies of the sacrifices rise, and bam, zombies! Way more exciting than just some cowboy/farm girl love story, right? ...Wait, what? I've been beaten to the cult thing, too? Well, whatever. You don't have to be original, just unexpected! Like maybe the cowboy falls for the farm girl, but then he finds out about the cult--maybe she's the high priestess!--and then when he tries to leave, it turns out there's some magic that keeps him or anyone else from leavin' without permission! So he's gotta stay, and it really kills him at first, but over time he finds himself getting comfortable and abandoning the objections that made him want to leave. Sound familiar? From what I've seen of the people around here, that little twist should hit pretty close to home for a lot of the audience! Give 'em something to think about before I start eating their very lives--
Hahaha, I wasn't supposed to say that out loud, nah. But now it's out, and I've gotta figure out how to deal with it, right? Aaah, messin' up can be a thrill all its own sometimes . . . especially when the only way to fix it is runnin' someone down like a dog. I'd kinda start running if I were you. Go on, I'll even give ya a head start! More fun for both of us that way, right?
Poll Vote!
Character: Akira
Series: Togainu no Chi
Character Age: 18/19
Canon: Set in a post-apocalyptic future, there's a battle game, "Igura", where participants fight each other to obtain dog tags stamped with numbers and suits in order to create poker hands. Once a hand is created, the player can challenge the undefeated "king" of Igura: Il Re. The main character, Akira, was accused of a crime and was given a choice: life imprisonment or to participate in Igura and defeat Il Re.
Akira's a textbook tsundere, a prickly marshmallow. He presents an apathetic front, but once someone earns his loyalty, it tends to stick. He has Trouble expressing his feelings, as his concern presents itself via anger and annoyance. Akira doesn't talk much unless something really gets to him (usually someone he cares about doing something dumb), during which he then spouts some relatively impressive rants. They can be cruel, words tossed out in the heat of the moment without thought, but sometimes show that he's more insightful than he seems. His anger fades quickly though, and what's left is usually quiet regret for his harsh words. He rarely vocally apologizes, but it comes through via his actions and words: something unexpectedly gentle or warm.
Originally a BL computer game, Togainu no Chi is now a manga, a PS2 game, and very recently, an anime. He is being apped from the original PC game, with bits and pieces from the other mediums to supplement if necessary. A lot of his thoughts and opinions were shown via inner monologue in the game, so that was done a bit in the app as well.
Sample Post:
[ More cornfields? There's just corn, corn everywhere. We've been wandering around these fields for days; it's amazing we haven't run into anyone else yet. It might be his outfit that scares them off. Why would anyone wear something like a gorilla suit for such a long time? Then again, as long as it doesn't slow him down, it doesn't really matter. How he dresses doesn't affect me, and it makes it simple to find him. Purple stands out in yellow . . . ]
Oi, we should get out of the open. It's getting close to nightfall and it could be dangerous. Even if nothing's attacked us the past few nights, I can hear things moving around. Just . . . keep an eye out. If something happens, you have to defend yourself, got it? I'm not going to protect you. Run if you don't think you can fight. Especially since we won't be able to see if anything comes up behind-!
-Tch! I just said-! Don't just stand there, MOVE! I'll hold them off! Go towards that building, I'll meet you there! GO!
. . .
Dammit! You stupid idiot, I told you to protect yourself if we got attacked! Just standing there watching is not protecting yourself! What if you'd gotten killed!? Didn't you want to get out of here too? You can't do that if you're dead, moron! I'm stronger than I look; it's harder to fight when trying to watch someone else! You would have just gotten in my way, so don't do dumb things like that again! I told you to run if you didn't think you could fight. You shouldn't have needed the extra reminder! . . . I would have found you. Remember? We agreed. We're going to find safety, so that means we can't die. Not me, and not you.
That sound-more enemies? I can't fight this many on my own, so it'll probably be easier to run. Hey, wait! Not towards. . . ah. Do you know them? Then these are . . . Are these your friends? It's good that you finally met them. You don't need to thank me, I didn't do anything. O-oi, I get it, you can stop that. Hey, don't touch me there! Get your hands out of my pan-don't push that! Too much touching! How do I stop the touching!?
Poll Vote!
Character: Shakugan
Series: Sengoku Youko
Character age: mid-to-late teens
Canon: LISTEN UP! STOP YOUR EVIL DEEDS OR THE DEMON SIBLINGS WILL SMASH YOUR FACE IN! Such is the premise of Sengoku Youko, a story set in ancient Japan, when humans and demons constantly fought. The Demon Siblings are Tama, a human-loving demon fox who wishes for a happy world where everyone helps each other, and Jinka, a human sage-hermit who could care less and just wants to find a way to turn himself into a demon. During their travels, they are joined by Hyoudou Shinsuke, a self-declared ronin who is really just a coward with a sword and doesn't know what the hell he's got himself into, and then Shakugan, a demon-human hybrid.
Originally introduced as a crazed rock demon on a murderous rampage, it is later revealed that "Shakugan" is actually two souls: the demon Kagan having been forcefully fused into Shakuyaku's human body. Both are deeply traumatised by the events surrounding the experience, but eventually come to terms with their situation. Shakuyaku is sweet-natured, caring and easily flustered, although she can also be assertive when the need arises. Full of optimistic cheer in the face of a harsh life even before being turned into a half-demon, she prefers to be grateful for the chance to meet her new friends of whom she is fiercely protective. Kagan is bold, boisterous and generally appears more worldly (both in matters "normal" and supernatural), although he regrets the recklessness that resulted in his capture and "imprisoning". Nevertheless, touched by the kindness extended to him by Shakuyaku in spite of everything, he adopts an almost brotherly attachment to his "owner and vessel" and the rest of the group.
Due to their unique relationship, the two souls switch back and forth seamlessly, sharing Shakuyaku's body and access to Kagan's abilities such as super-strength, enhanced senses and partial-to-full transformation of Kagan's original demon form.
Sample Post:
Yo, purple monkey demon! Yeah, you. Any chance you can tell us where we are? With nothing but wheat as far as the eye can see, it's a bit hard to get your bearings, ya know? We're sort of in a hurry to get back our friends, you see, and my owner's getting a bit restless, but can you expect? It was a bit startling for the both of us to suddenly wake up and find ourselves in the middle of nowhere, really. Can't figure out why I can't pick up their scent either ...
Hey now, what's that look for? If you're one of those human-eating demons, I wouldn't recommend it. This is my owner's precious body, after all! I can't imagine why eating a human would be appealing anyway. They're so soft and probably really chewy too. Wouldn't you rather have some nice, good soil with a side of rocks instead? You'd probably get more nutrients that way, and you'd be able to eat just about anywhere. Plus they're delicious. I could go for a few mud dumplings myself, actually. I keep trying to convince Shaku to let me eat some, but she never does. It's such a shame. For all we know, it could help her body be more robust, if you know what I mean, and then I'm sure Shinsuke-dono would-
-Kagan! He doesn't need to know your thoughts on t-that! And I do not feel that way about Shinsuke-sama! Please excuse my, ah, partner's straightforwardness. You shouldn't listen to him. He has trouble understanding that most creatures just can't eat dirt and mud like he can ... or ... could. I'm sorry, I realise this conversation must be a bit confusing for you. It's a bit complicated. All you need to know is that I'm not a normal human, so it's really not a good idea if you're still thinking about eating me. Now, as Kagan was saying, could you possibly tell us where we are? ... Or we could follow you. That works too.
... Um. You seemed so sure of where you were going and we've come quite a long way, so I'm really grateful that you're trying to help, but now I'm confused. Is there any reason why you brought me to this pond? Something you want me to help with first? Wow, it sounds like you've had a lot of trouble with this ... "legendary" water demon then, huh. Dealing with troublesome demons isn't usually our job, especially if it's as strong as you say, but alright. I know if it were Tama-sama, she would want to put a stop to its tyranny, so we will do the best we can. Marcy, I demand you show yourself!
What the- Kagan, don't only tell me you're not effective against water demons now!!
Poll Vote!