► APPLICATION FOR route_29
Player
Name: Silver
Livejournal Username: smilekk
E-mail: headtripping[at]gmail[dot]com
AIM/MSN: AIM; silverus maximus
Timezone: CST / US Central Time
Current Characters in Route: None!
Character
Name: Yusuke Urameshi
Series: Yu Yu Hakusho
Timeline: Following the end of the Dark Tournament (so post season two, pre season three).
Canon Resource Links: Here, have Yusuke's little profile blurb on Wikipedia, his entry on the Yu Yu Hakusho wikia, and some TV Tropes! Here is the main wiki page for the series itself as well.
Personality:
Oh, he's darling.
… okay, yeah, that's a lie. Just as one might expect from a fifteen-year-old hoodlum with a reputation for being the toughest kid both at school and on the street, Yusuke is, to put it succinctly, a jerk. Rude, arrogant and with a constant barrage of smartass remarks in his arsenal seemingly at all times, it's no mystery as to why a lot of people tend to find him off-putting, and the fact that he has a bad temper and a violent streak doesn't help. Authority figures in particular tend to take the most issue with him, and Yusuke, being the strong-willed and forceful thing he is, takes issue with them right back, cussing and back-talking and requiring a metric ton of elbow-twisting before he does anything that he doesn't want to do. What's more, Yusuke is brutal when it comes to letting other people know what he thinks - sensitivity is a virtue, but it sure as hell isn't one of his, and while the fact that he isn't afraid to speak his mind isn't necessarily a bad thing in of itself, it's the delivery that generally makes his input more obnoxious than it is helpful.
Aside from all that, Yusuke is, as previously mentioned, kind of a cocky bastard. No matter how many times overestimating his own abilities has screwed him over in the past, he somehow manages to retain a certain knack for swaggering into potentially dangerous situations whilst under the assumption that he's more than capable of handling them, which isn't always the case. This brings me to my next point: Yusuke is a total idiot. I'm not just talking about his not-so-stellar academics, either - the kid's so lacking in common sense and reasoning skills that his body moves about ten times faster than his brain does. On the one hand, this makes him a quick thinker, which in turn means he can be pretty creative when put on the spot; on the other hand, that "kick it in the head first and ask questions later" approach isn't always the brightest, and were it not for his epic amounts of shounen hero luck, all that not-thinking-ahead would've definitely gotten him killed in the past. He tends to operate based on what he thinks will work as opposed to having a set plan, thus putting both himself and others in more danger.
Like any good shounen animanga protagonist, though, Yusuke isn't nearly as bad as he seems - in fact, if you were to disregard the fighting and the lousy attitude, you'd find that his reputation back home makes him sound a lot worse than he actually is. Sure, he skips classes to go smoke on the roof of the school and doesn't have much respect, but contrary to what his fellow students and even some of his teachers say about him, he's not a gang leader, he doesn't hit people just for looking at him, and he doesn't kill for fun. Really, with the other kids and some of the adults talking about him like that, it comes as no surprise that he has a pretty jaded outlook on life when we first meet him at the beginning of the series, especially when you throw in the stress of having to go home to his negligent, alcoholic party-girl of a mother at the end of the day. Following his death and him taking up the offer to regain his life back, though - an offer which he initially refused, mind you, until he was persuaded to visit his wake and saw his loved ones mourning for him - Yusuke begins to appreciate living a lot more, and more than that, he begins to appreciate the people around him.
It's this apprecation for and his loyalty to his friends, family and allies that is, hands-down, one of Yusuke's greatest strengths. Mind, he can still a bit of a dick toward them, and most of the jokes he cracks at their expense tend to be rather mean-spirited, but that has more to do with him being a loyal practitioner of 'tough love' than anything else. He is absolutely not the type of guy who'll leave his friends behind or throw them under the proverbial bus in times of trouble, and messing with or threatening the people he cares about is one of the most sure-fire ways to earn his foot up your ass. Though many of his friends are more than capable of taking care of themselves, Yusuke tends to feel responsible for their safety and has been known to get very distraught upon seeing them in danger, even beating himself up if left unable to help them. Taking all of this into consideration, it almost goes without saying that Yusuke's a good guy to have on your side, multiple personality flaws notwithstanding.
Another one of Yusuke's strong points is his sense of humor. While he probably wouldn't be caught dead doing backflips and smiling and acting like everything's going swimmingly when it isn't, he's got a way of downplaying the severity of most situations and reducing tension by putting his sarcastic streak to good use and cracking jokes, some of which are actually pretty witty. Granted, it does tie in quite a bit with him being cocky, since it does function as yet another way for him to make light of situations that should probably be regarded more seriously, but there's something to be said for him being able to handle these things without flipping out or otherwise becoming excessively emotional or srsbsn on everyone. On a related note, Yusuke's also brave, and quite a bit of effort is needed in order to really scare or intimidate him. And while there are definitely things that he finds annoying or unacceptable in other people (namely disloyalty, messing with his buddies or being cruel to children, all of which will earn a knee to the face), Yusuke generally takes people as they are and doesn't try to change them, figuring that it isn't any of his business to begin with. (Unless they're a friend and they're doing something dumb, in which case he'll just hit them and/or yell at them. Oh, Yusuke.)
On a final note, since it'd be a huge mistake to end things without mentioning it at least once, Yusuke loves a good fight, and competition and being in situations that challenge him physically more or less turn him into the proverbial excited little kid in a candy shop. He's not really an overly excitable person, but there are definitely moments where he's capable of near-devastating enthusiasm, and whether it be a scuffle or an all-out brawl, being in a fight is more than enough to pull that sort of reaction from him. Not all of his schoolyard fights were had just because someone said something to him that pissed him off, man - he's an adrenaline junkie through-and-through.
Strengths/Weaknesses:
STRENGTHS --
+ Physical strength / Athleticism.You don't earn the title of being the most formidable punk on the block by being a lightweight, man, and you can bet that even before being granted his spiritual powers Yusuke was known for bringing massive amounts of hurt to anyone who messed with him. Here on Route, he probably won't be boasting quite as much in terms of brute force ('cause, seriously, he is crazy strong in canon), but even so you'll probably still be feeling it for a couple of days if he hits you. Yusuke's also pretty quick on his feet and has great endurance and reflexes.
+ Loyal. Taking into consideration how much of an impact that whole jerkass juvenile delinquent thing has had on Yusuke's social life, he has tons of appreciation for the family and friends/allies he has, and there's nothing that would ever make him turn his back on them in times of trouble. Rest assured that one of the quickest ways to really piss him off is to threaten the people he cares about.
+ Good sense of right and wrong. While Yusuke doesn't exactly abide by the rules all the time and does have a certain knack for getting himself into trouble, he's not an evil or particularly malicious guy and would never kill or torture someone for kicks. He's not the type to go picking on the weaker guys, either - that is, not unless they really, really deserve it.
+ Thinks well on his feet. Yusuke is no genius by any stretch of the imagination, but he definitely seems to have a knack for coming up with some pretty creative (read: harebrained but surprisingly effective) solutions to problems when put on the spot, and he's not one to waste five minutes deliberating before taking action.
+ Bravery. He's definitely had his fair share of “oshi--” moments ('sup, Toguro?), but in general Yusuke isn't easy to scare or intimidate. (Being an idiotic testosterone-addled teenage boy certainly helps.)
+ Street smarts. Yusuke isn't paranoid, but he definitely isn't gullible either, and in general he's a pretty good judge of character when it comes to other people. (See, for example, him trusting surly ex-felon Hiei to save him and the rest of their four man band from getting crushed under a wall at the beginning of the Four Saint Beasts arc in season one, and being right.)
+ Compassion. Yusuke's pretty damn rough around the edges, but he does care about other people, and when he puts his mind to it he has a pretty remarkable capacity for kindness.
+ Good with kids. Not sure where this might apply here in Route, but given that Yu Yu Hakusho begins with Yusuke throwing himself infront of a car to save a little boy's life, I think it's worth mentioning that he has a pretty massive soft spot for little kids and is generally very good with them. He is also very protective of them, and in no way is he above curbstomping the fuck out of someone if he catches them harming or threatening to harm a child.
WEAKNESSES --
- Dickish behavior. Self-explanatory. He's a good guy at heart, as previously mentioned, but man, does he act like a twat.
- Recklessness to the point of stupidity. Being mentally agile can sometimes be both a blessing and a curse, and this is definitely true in Yusuke's case: he pretty much relies on dumb luck to carry him to safety when he's in a bind, and he doesn't exactly apply much thought to his actions in other situations either.
- Hotheadedness. Thanks to his age and general personality, Yusuke is pretty moody, easily annoyed and prone to fits of explosive anger when upset. He's no good at managing it, either, which generally leads to him either hauling off and finding a face to smash or just standing around and yelling a whole lot.
- Violent. Speaking of face smashing and head kicking, Yusuke is a pretty violent guy - not to the point of assaulting random people on the street without provocation or anything, but uhh, it absolutely would not be an exaggeration to say that he practically lives for a good brawl. This probably comes as no surprise since, hello, hotheaded shounen hero, but what this means is that aside from engaging in relatively harmless activities like having ~manry ass-kicking bonding sessions~ with other like-minded characters, he will most likely refuse to let his Pokemon fight for him when he runs into trouble unless there's absolutely no other option. So yeah, next time something terrible decides to try its hand at conquering Johto, everyone can look forward to seeing Yusuke try to headbutt/wrestle/curbstomp it into submission. :')
- Arrogance. Yusuke has a way of being seriously overconfident, which, as one can imagine, has gotten him into some serious trouble - namely getting the stuffing beaten out of him by bad guys whom he might've defeated faster had he bothered to pull his head out of his ass sooner than he did.
- Book dumb. The guy got a 12 on a science test. You probably don't wanna consult him for homework help, is all I'm saying.
- Authority issues. Sorry, Officer Jenny, but Yusuke does not like being told what to do, and just about anyone who tries it can count on getting some serious lip in return. Hell, if he felt threatened enough, he wouldn't even be against making things physical, though the situation would definitely have to escalate to a certain point before such a thing occurred - believe it or not, he's not exactly keen on the idea of being thrown in the slammer, even if having someone in his face trying to boss him around really pisses him off. Yusuke also isn't above shoplifting, so you can bet that if he's too low on cash to take care of himself or his team he'll be swiping supplies from the nearest store and hightailing it to safety.
Pokémon Information
Affiliation: Trainer.
Starter: Swablu.
Password: Sunflower seeds!
Samples
First Person Sample: [Well, good morning, Johto! On this fine day, you are treated to a terribly exciting view of... gravel. And shoes. And someone's legs, clad in a well-worn pair of green uniform slacks. In the background, you can clearly make out the sound of people shuffling around and going about their business, and closer still is a shrill and excited trilling. A brief moment passes before the camera suddenly proceeds to go flying all over the damn place, accompanied by a horrible muffled noise which goes on until the view finally readjusts and focuses on the face of a teenaged boy. Ladies and gentleman, meet our newest arrival, the buoyant and ever-so-charming Yusuke Urameshi!]
[Judging by the rather bleary eyes, the wrinkled green shirt and how mussed his slicked back hair is looking, it's clear he'd just got done getting unceremoniously pushed out the door by Mom. And in case you missed that royally pissed off look on his face, don't worry - it takes him less than a second of realizing that the camera's on to start screaming at the top of his lungs.]
AWRIGHT, PACIFIER BREATH, YOU'RE ASKIN' FOR IT THIS TIME! I SAVE EVERYONE'S STINKIN' HIDE AND YOU REPAY ME BY DROPPING ME IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE FIRST CHANCE YOU GET? WHAT THE HELL IS THIS STUPID MUSIC?!
[Behind him, a young couple flinches away from him in surprise and hurries off in a different direction, clearly a little alarmed by the epic scene this rather unsavory looking kid is causing. He doesn't seem to notice, though, because after a few seconds of silence he's back to shouting, giving the 'Gear a rough shake and leaning so close to the camera that there's barely any space between his nose and the screen.] HEY! ANSWER ME!
[There's a pause as the young man glares into the camera, presumably waiting for this “Pacifier Breath” to show up on the screen. It would seem that his earth-shatteringly loud bellowing was in vain, though, because after roughly half a minute of standing there, he grits his teeth, makes an irritated noise and glances off to the side, muttering to himself.] Damn it... where the hell am I?
Swabluuu~!
[There's that trilling again! Yusuke looks up, his eyes following something off-screen before a fluffy-winged bird suddenly flies at his head and he ducks away, looking irritated.] Hey. [The bird disappears, and then moments later swoops in again, this time attempting to settle on Yusuke's shoulder.] skf;ka-- Hey, watch it!
Swa swabluuu~! [NO YUSUKE YOU ARE MY NEW MOMMY, PLEASE LOVE ME /WING - > FACE]
--”Puu”? [The camera's jiggling quite a bit at this point and Yusuke's a little muffled, but one can probably make out the incredulousness in his voice and in his face if they pay enough attention. Unfortunately, there's no time to correct him right now, because the feed abruptly cuts off from there. Looks like he accidentally button-smashed while trying to pry his new buddy off his face.]
Third Person Sample:
Night had fallen, and by then Yusuke had been pushing on toward Cherrygrove since he'd left New Bark Town earlier that day, his bag thrown over one shoulder and Puu the Swablu following along just slightly overhead. It'd been an unpleasantly humid day, and though the lack of sun had managed to cool him down considerably, his uniform had already become stuck to his skin; even if he'd wanted to, he wouldn't have been able to count how many times he ended up stopping specifically to peel the cloth from between his shoulder blades and behind his knees and a variety of other areas, some of which were better left unmentioned. As if that wasn't enough, his legs hurt, his feet were blistering, and the only sign of civilization so far was the beaten path ahead of him. There was another thing that was pissing him off pretty badly, too: no matter how hard he concentrated, and no matter how many times he'd held his right index finger infront of his face and glared at it, he could not, for the life of him, get his Spirit Gun to work.
He was staring the tip of his finger down again when the path ahead suddenly opened up into a clearing, and Yusuke, seeing the sudden change in scenery out of the corner of his eye, paused and looked up, blinking. There was still forest on either side of him, but now the road he'd been following wound around and eventually disappeared behind a small raised ledge, next to which was a fairly nondescript young girl in a skirt. Judging by the vacant stare and the minimal amounts of movement, it wasn't hard for Yusuke to guess that she was another one of those "NPC"s, one of the vague, repetitive natives to this place who supposedly got a lot more interactive the farther you went. As it was, Yusuke was starting to think that was a load of crap - he'd nearly gotten chased out of the last town for hauling off and shoving one of them for being annoying, and hours later he still had yet to find one that was actually helpful.
At any rate, it seemed to him that going up that ledge'd be the fastest way to clear this part of the forest, so gritting his teeth and shoving his hand in his pocket, Yusuke made his way on over, hoping he could somehow sneak his way past before the girl could notice him. Unfortunately for him, he got roughly less than ten feet of her before she suddenly whirled around and looked right at him, startling him so badly he tripped and toppled sideways into a bush.
"Hi! Do you see this ledge?" She asked, her voice filled to the brim with boisterous cheer as Yusuke, sputtering, untangled himself from the foliage. "You can jump down from them to get to the next town faster! You can't go back up, though, so be careful!"
Scowling, Yusuke yanked his leg out of the bush. "Oh yeah?" He barked crossly, regaining his footing and shrugging Puu away. The Swablu had flown down upon seeing his trainer disappear into the bushes, but now that Yusuke had recovered, he was busying himself with feeble attempts to pick pine needles out of Yusuke's hair, the state of which was clearly bothering him on a profound level. Yusuke, however, wasn't exactly appreciative, and made a face at the Pokemon before placing a hand on its head and pushing it away. "Hey, knock it off! You're gonna start pullin' hair out."
So he couldn't go up the ledge, huh? Standing back and eyeing it for a moment, Yusuke's gaze briefly wandered back to the NPC girl before he looked back at the ledge and walked over to it, scoffing. Now that was a slice. That thing wasn't even half his height! Even a kid could get up that little slope, and even if it was kinda slippery, hell, Yusuke had climbed way worse things than that. Like that time he'd had to follow Genkai up that stupid mountain during training! Damn, did that suck.
Sliding his bag off of his shoulder and tossing it over the top of the ledge, Yusuke began making his way up. Or, well... he tried to, anyway - thing is, he barely managed to get two feet on the thing before he suddenly lost his footing, sliding and toppled forward onto his stomach with a loud thump. Cringing, he pushed himself up onto his hands and knees and stared at the ledge, blinking owlishly a few times before narrowing his eyes. "Well, that's weird," he muttered, raising a hand to rub his jaw and getting to his feet.
Okay, so maybe the robot chick here wasn't kidding about it being kinda difficult to get up this thing. Still, it wasn't like it was a big slope or anything, so Yusuke tried again, taking wider steps this time to see if it'd make any difference. It didn't. He slid again, and just barely managed to keep from falling over this time, his feet briefly getting tangled up in themselves before he clumsily regained his balance and glared at the ledge incredulously, his hands balling into fists. "Dammit, what the hell are these things even made out of, melted butter?!" He shouted, and immediately jerked his head around to look at the NPC girl, staring at her accusingly. She didn't respond, merely standing and swaying a bit on her heels as she stared blissfully at nothing in particular.
Puu, meanwhile, had decided to wait for Yusuke at the top of the ledge, and was currently watching the spectacle with what could only be described as the avian equivalent of a "damn, you dumb" expression. Not that Yusuke was paying attention, or anything - he didn't care how slippery that damn ledge was, he was gonna get over it, whether it liked it or not! Staring the ledge down with determination, Yusuke took several dozen steps back, all the while removing his uniform jacket and tying it around his waist. Rolling his sleeves up over his shoulders and bending down briefly to wipe his palms on his thighs, Yusuke locked his eyes on the ledge, counted to three, and charged, flinging his entire body at the ledge with a loud bellow.
He didn't know what exactly happened in the seconds that followed, but somehow he ended up flipping backwards and landing flat on his back, the back of his head and his elbows connecting none-too-gently with the forest floor. Stunned, Yusuke stared up at the night sky in silence. It was only until the NPC suddenly turned and bent over him with a smile that he jerked upright, bristling at her as she raised a hand in greeting.
"Hi! Do you see this ledge? You can jump down them to get to tow--"
"Shut UP!" He snapped, leaping to his feet. Wiping the front of his shirt off, Yusuke cast a sullen look at the ledge and aimed a kick at it, grumbling under his breath. "Stupid ledge..."
It was then that his bag came tumbling down from its perch, and Puu, looking slightly winded, flew down after it. He looked rather as if he was planning on giving it a bit of a dusting to eliminate some of the dirt on it, but Yusuke bent and picked it up before he could, throwing it over his shoulder. "C'mon, Puu," he said, and turned to storm down the path, cursing. He didn't know who the hell it was that kidnapped him or where the hell his spirit powers went, but he swore to god that the minute he found out, he was gonna introduce them and their goddamn landscaper to his fist.