(no subject)
Name: Dragon
Journal: dragonoflife
Contact: Same as for every other character. :)
Character Name: Mr. Champloo
Series: Disgaea
Gender: Male
Age & Canon Point: 3442
Requested Sponsor: N/A
Entry position (Cadet, SeeD, Instructor, other): Instructor: Home Economics
History:
Mr. Champloo is the Home Economics teach of Evil Academy, a demonic Netherworld that is also a massive school. His existence there was mere legend; those who sought out his classrooms were never seen again, either lost to the dangerous terrain of the Netherworld or unable to leave until they achieved mastery in Fire Chaos (High Heat) Kitchen Fist Style cooking.
Prior to the beginning of Disgaea 3, Mao, the child of the Overlord of Evil Academy, got angry at his dad for (once again) accidentally crushing his game system and destroying 4,000,000 hours of saved date. Shortly thereafter, Super Hero Aurum comes to defeat Mao's Dad after hearing that he's the Strongest Overlord. Before the battle, Mao told Aurum his dad's weak points, wanting to see his father humiliated. Aurum, despite promising not to do so, killed the Overlord, who could not use his ultimate attack "The Century Killer" without harming Mao.
Realizing he had slain the strongest Overlord he could find, Aurum felt no satisfaction, only a loss of purpose. After Mao attacked him, Aurum realized he could make Mao into a worthy opponent, and assumed the role of his butler to groom the child into an ultimate evil.
The Overlord's body and soul were unable to fully die, however, and his ghost called upon his old friend Mr. Champloo to help awaken his son to more the powerful emotions of friendship and love, so that Aurum could be defeated with his transforming into a monster.
Mr. Champloo first appears when Mao and his friends track down his classrooms in an effort to cook a dragon's egg sunny-side-up, for various and completely misguided reasons. He challenges Mao to crack the dragon's egg before he can. Mao succeeds, thanks to Mr. Champloo going entirely easy on him and subtle guidance towards opening his heart in the process.
He next appears to assist Mao in rescuing his rival from brainwashing by the School Board, yet another step in opening his heard (revealing in the process that he is an unlicensed teacher). This puts Mao one more step closer to an open heart. However, his hard work, as well as that of Almaz, an human slowly being turned into a demon for completely insane reasons that make perfect sense in canon, is undone when Mao discovers that his faithful butler Geoffrey (Aurum, of course) had been experimenting on him in secret. His heart closes up tight again and he grows closer to the path of evil once again. When Mao is accidentally reverted to an infant mind (again, for insane reasons that only make sense in context), Mr. Champloo turns his efforts to Almaz, guiding the youth on both the path to heroism, and to being Mao's friend... though Almaz's crush Princess Sapphire immediately slaps more sense into him than Mr. Champloo could, and the bemused teacher finds himself simply explaining that Sapphire had been cruel to him to inspire him. Mr. Champloo's bizarre metaphors lead Almaz to the right decision, charging into danger to try to save Mao.
A few scenes later he shows up to inform Mao's rival, Raspberyl, that she was the first graduate in Evil Academy's history (since she was such a screaming delinquent by demon standards it was the only way to get rid of her). This... doesn't have a lot of plot relevance from Mr. Champloo's point of view, but eh. Mao's mind is restored through unrelated circumstances, only for the party to discover that Evil Academy students are being brainwashed by the senior class. Mr. Champloo advises Almaz, through the power of talking to ingredients through their hearts, to continue to try to open Mao's heart through his own actions and connections to Mao. Mao chooses to stick by Mao yet again. However, against a senior at the Academy the party has no real hope, so Mr. Champloo arrives in person to assist them in the fight. And the party.
Mao fights one of the legendary Diez Gentlemen, Salvatore the Magnificent, who attempts to kill him -- but Geoffrey teleports in and takes the bullet. The rage Mao feels begins to awaken his monstrous inner self, but Mr. Champloo quiets it with one strike. Geoffrey survives, claiming he wore a bulletproof vest, and sends them into Mao's heart to kill his subconsciouses and thereby awaken his inner power. Mr. Champloo attempts to advise against this, and after a fight against an image of Super Hero Aurum, points out that the Super Hero appears to be what scarred Mao's heart and left it so closed and secretive. He urges them to keep moving on, noting in an aside that some things will only become clear when the time is just right, but they are the only ones who will be there to support Mao when the time comes.
Mao chooses to invade the Senior Classrooms. Mr. Champloo makes a cake metaphor to urge caution against the Diez Gentlemen. Mao notes that he knows an awful lot about the Diez Gentlemen, but a fight interrupts that line of questioning. Almaz is poisoned by a trap, but only Mr. Champloo recognizes that he's slowly succumbing to it.
Judging the time to be right, Geoffrey reveals himself to be Super Hero Aurum. A furious Mao decides to kill Almaz, but is unable to bring himself to do so (despite his excuses for WHY this is), and elects to destroy the human world instead, to cause pain to Aurum. Very proportionate. Mr. Champloo is horrified, openly questioning how he could have let this happen; it appears the Overlord's plan is falling apart. Mao reveals that all this time, he's known the truth about his father's status, but he believes that his father remains a ghost out of anger towards Mao.
Mr. Champloo abruptly corners Salvatore the Magnificent, who has been following the group. In response to her outrage that he managed to do that, he points out that neither of them have been showing their true powers -- and that Salvatore had lost their previous fights because she believed she should. Aurum's manipulations had succeeded because demons had chosen to live according to conformed beliefs, not following their hearts.
Almaz, Sapphire, and Raspberyl try to talk Mao away from his path, but fail. Almaz, still succumbing to the poison, vows to follow Mao to the end and save him from taking the wrong path, to show him that he's not all alone. Mr. Champloo realizes that Almaz is properly walking the path of a hero, and that he will be the key to saving the situation. He vows to watch until the end.
At the gateway to the human world, Mao's anger erupts again. Raspberyl grabs him in a Cooldown Hug, forcing him to settle down before he kills her, but Almaz steps in to try to show Mao, one last time, that his acts weren't born out of anger or evil, but sadness. And then he dies. Mr. Champloo explains Almaz's sacrifice, that he had hidden his impending death. And Mao's inner evil actually gains a physical body.
They defeat it, but Dark Mao explains that Mao had given his evil side all that power itself. Mr. Champloo adds that Aurum, as Geoffrey, had so carefully cultivated that inner rage. Dark Mao disappears... leaving Mao to rage at Almaz's corpse. His inner heart finally opens, admitting the friendship and trust he feels to Mao's spirit, and through complicated reasons Almaz is restored to life. Though he may deny it, Mao has shed his evil inner power for strength from bonds and friendship. Aurum's plan has failed.
On-world history: Mr. Champloo just showed up one day at Trabia Garden teaching Home Ec. It took a while before anyone realized he'd set up classrooms in the basement, since it wasn't a popular subject, but eventually Trabia's Headmaster found out and had a long debate with the upper staff about expelling him from campus, versus allowing him to continue to teach. On the downside, he was an unlicensed teacher, an offworlder, and a demon; on the other hand, his students learned a lot, and no one was really willing to go up against him. Eventually they decided to dump the problem in Balamb's lap: they convinced him to learn enough of paramagic to be a SeeD, then shipped him off to Balamb. He'll be returning to Garden after undergoing his SeeD test, which took him slightly longer than anyone expected because he spent two months in a chocobo forest attempting to understand the heart of these delicious birds.
Abilities & Physical Abnormalities: Mr. Champloo is a demon. As such, he is more physically powerful than a human. Because of his own training, he has a power level that approaches Overlord level (or more generically, divine) -- but he never uses it. Instead he engages foes with a variety of martial arts attacks derived from the Kitchen Fist Fire Chaos Style, usually choosing to present his own attacks at a level of strength and power close to that of those he's fighting with.
He is a cook on a level that makes all others pale. After hundreds of years of nightmarish training, down to cooking himself to better understand the heart of ingredients, he can prepare meals almost instantly, to absolute perfection. He is capable of communicating telepathically with the heart of ingredients... and, possibly alarmingly, pretty much anything or anyone is capable of being an ingredient.
Personality: Mr. Champloo is a chef. Mr. Champloo is pretty much an acceptable synonym for chef. He views the world in terms of cooking: "Cooking is passion! Cooking means always risking your life! Don't underestimate cooking, kid!" Underneath his passionate and fiery exterior, Mr. Champloo is quite wise and perceptive; his advice, though veiled in metaphor that often complete obfuscates the point (such as advising that a true educator would drink salty coffee), is invariably helpful and insightful. Great mistakes, even -- especially -- well-intentioned ones seem to pain him, though he tries explanations before a fist, unless a fist would be the best explanation.
He is a secondary character, and knows this. He isn't a hero or even a protagonist, meant to do great things; rather, he's a mentor and supporting character, who gives advice and help where it's needed. Despite his great power, he professes to be 'just a chef', and almost never displays even a hint of his real strength.
Despite being a demon, he doesn't even put up the pretense of being petty and selfish that most Disgaea demons do. In this regard he seems the closest character to actually understanding what demons are, instead of what they claim they are. Live according to the desires of your heart, is his credo, not any conformist expectations!
On the downside, he's quite overtly fanatic about cooking. In Evil Academy his class subjects went along the lines of "Fasting for a Month" and "Living With Violent Ingredients". He once punished his disciples by ordering them to cut 10,000 potatoes into julienne fries. Everyone tried to drop out at least once. Mr. Champloo holds himself to the same rigorous standards, however, and even seems to take pleasure from them, even when he's cooking himself to better understand the hearts of ingredients.
Anything else? I'd kind of like him to have appropriated space in the basement for an extremely over the top kitchen. Preferably without the knowledge or permission of anyone in charge.
Complete TWO out of the FOUR options.
i) IC Questionnaire (can be found on the application page)
(As this questionnaire is entirely IC, your character is free to lie.)
What do you prefer to be known as? Kiiiiyaaaaah! Kitchen Fist Fire Chaos Style! I appear by the name of... Champloo!
How old are you? 3,442.
Do you have any history in combat? A chef must be prepared to tame even the most violent of ingredients!
If so, have you ever killed? Even in death, an ingredient lives on in the hearts of the one who cooks it, and the one who eats it.
i) How do you feel when you get involved in some project that calls for immediate and rapid activity? Cooking is all about passion! If the charcoal grill flares up, do you simply watch the meat burn?
ii) Do you organize and initiate leisure activities? A moment wasted in frivolous pursuit is a moment whose unique taste is forever lost!
iii) What role do you take when working in a group? I'm just a cook. When the hearts of others have grown cold and bland from simmering on low heat, then it is my job to sear them to heat once again, without allowing the juices of passion to escape!
iv) How talkative are you around other people? I only say with words what I can't say with meals!
v) What three things would you want to have with you on a desert island? State your reasoning. A true chef needs nothing but ingredients! If you have no fire, cook with the fire in your heart! If you have no dishes, then season the ground!
vi) Is it important to be liked by a wide range of people? A chef who makes a meal worth eating will always touch the hearts of those who eat his meals. A lonely chef is a poor chef!
vii) When the odds are against you, is it worth taking a chance? Cooking is all about risking your life! Don't underestimate cooking!
viii) Do you consider yourself to be an impulsive person? If a watched pot is not boiling, do you throw the water away and start with new?
ix) Would you agree that planning things ahead takes the fun out of life? It's a poor chef indeed who sets out to prepare a five-course meal with nothing but a box of iodized salt and one elongated leek!
x) Do you like surprises? Anyone can make food people know is good. But only a master can surprise you with how good the food is?
xi) Do you sometimes wonder if there is something wrong with you? ...What a weird question.
xii) Do you consider yourself to be smarter than your superiors, and disagree with their decisions? Have you ever tasted the difference between a show hen and a wild chicken?
xiii) Lastly, how do you feel about cabbages? [Mr. Champloo responds with a long, rambling lecture on the virtue of cabbages, which somehow ends up advising the interviewer on a minor personal problem he'd had earlier.]
iii) Bracket/Commentspam RP sample (can be general or a response to the post's prompt).
[As the bell rang, the Home Ec. classroom... has no teacher. The students are welcome to look around, talk amongst themselves, and wonder what's going on for all of a minute -- WHEN SUDDENLY--]
KiiiiiiiYAH!
[A sun shines brilliantly in the heavens (even though they're indoors), silhouetting the figure of the Home Ec. teacher as he descends from above! With a crash, Mr. Champloo lands in the middle of the floor, then rises and points at the class.]
Kitchen Fist Fire Chaos Style! I, your Home Economics teacher, appear by the name of... Champloo!
[At once, every stove burner bursts into flame.]
You all have embraced the path of cooking! And some other things covered in this class that are much less important. I warn you, the path of cooking is not for the faint of heart! You must have strength! You must have passion!
For your first challenge, you must boil this pasta! Your goal is to reach the perfection of al dente! Soft and slippery as jelly, yet firm at heart as your own spirit! Now, show me your passion!