Application // Biography
PLAYER INFORMATION
Name/Nickname: Cy
E-mail: cypress262@hotmail.com
LJ: darklightshades.livejournal.com
CHARACTER INFORMATION
Canon Character and Series: Shido Fuyuki from GetBackers
In-Game Name: Shido Fuyuki
Age: 21 (As of August 12th, which is his canonical birthday!)
Gender: Male
Position & Ship: Seaman for the Winding Way
Appearance:
Shido is a reasonable 6ft tall with the lean build of a hungry predator. His hair is black and perpetually spikes in every direction as he grooms it just enough to keep the tangles out and then leaves it to grow wild. His eyes are grey and typically narrowed in a suspicious glare, and for reasons unknown he does not actually possess any eyebrows whatsoever. He usually wears a headband that covers this fact, and serves the dual purpose of helping to keep his hair out of his eyes.
He doesn’t care too much about his appearance or his wardrobe, and tends to wear drab/dark colours so he doesn’t stand out. His outfits usually consist of sturdy jeans (usually with holes), dark shirts and a vest. Occasionally he will also wear a few small pieces of tribal jewellery - necklaces and bracelets made of small beads or leather strips.
It should be noted that when he’s using his beast mimicry technique, Shido often takes on attributes of the creature he’s imitating, which can make him look outright inhuman. He can grow the fangs of a wolf, the claws of a bear and the eyes of a cat, just to name a few. During those times, he also moves less like a person and more like an animal, able to move quite comfortably on all fours or swoop with the grace of a bird, adding to the illusion of his animal semblance.
Personality:
Shido is a loner by nature. He has an ingrained distrust of ‘humans’, finding them for the most part to be noisy, weak and inconvenient. He’s come to look down on people who can’t communicate with animals like he can - a trait which is completely second nature to him - and thinks especially lowly of people who have no respect for creatures or nature. When he actually has something to say, it’s usually blunt to the point of rudeness. He has very little understanding of dishonesty or courtesy, and will usually say exactly what’s on his mind. Considering how few nice things he has to say about others, this usually means he comes of as condescending. He’s very confident of his own abilities, which occasionally rises to full-blown arrogance.
He fits the stereotype of the wild child raised by wolves (which isn’t actually so far from the truth). He’s very good a reading and responding to instinct, but he’s rarely able to decipher the complexities of human nature and so he rarely tries to. On the surface he’s a very difficult person to get to know, and he personally claims to have no sense of humour, but for those that do make it that close will be surprised to discover that he’s a surprisingly gentle person, and deeply loyal to anyone who earns the high distinction of being ‘one of his own’.
Much like a wolf, he is intensely loyal to his pack. Anyone he considers a friend he will defend with his life, but he also values independence and will let them stand on their own for as long as they can before coming to their aid as a mark of his own respect.
Abilities/Weapons:
He can communicate with any kind of animal as easily as breathing. He can do this near silently, speaking in a complex combination of body language and a strong rapport of empathy, or he can speak aloud and be understood by both animals and humans simultaneously. He can also use a technique known as the ‘Beast Whistle’ to summon or control any animal within a limited radius.
By the nature of his very existence, animals are drawn to him, and in his presence the natural laws don’t apply and an unspoken truce is formed. Cats will sit along side dogs and mice to share his company. Predator animals will actually make a point of leaving his presence to go hunting for prey.
Because of the strong bond he has with animals (and the advantage he has of being able to speak their own language) he can control them at will; or more accurately, he can ask them for favours. Even loyal pets will usually favour his requests rather than the wishes of their owners, and in return he considers them to be his own and will fight to protect them.
In direct combat, Shido has another technique which has been passed down through his bloodline, known as Beast Mimicry. By awakening the latent traces of animal DNA that has been diluted in humans by evolution, he can take on the traits and abilities of a hundred different kinds of animals. This can give him various advantages such as increased strength and speed, an acute sense of smell, or the ultra-sonic hearing of a bat.
Weaknesses:
Shido is his own worst enemy at the best of times. He refuses to conform, or be anything other than what he is, and thus manages to alienate most people around him. The fact that he tends to attract all sorts of animals from sewer rats to people’s prized pets has often made him a target of fear and anger. He doesn’t fit in well in towns, and most people think of him as cold, aloof, and a bit of an arrogant bastard.
His clan rejected modern society, and because Shido holds to their principals, most modern technology baffles him, as do some really basic concepts such as the value of money.
Because of the number of battles he’s won and his low opinion of others, he’s prone to underestimating his opponents and sometimes overestimating his own abilities. It doesn’t happen often, but this arrogance has sometimes gotten him in over his head. He also hates asking for help, at least from ‘humans’.
His Beast Whistle only has a range of 2km, but that’s usually enough, although he won’t send his animals into battle against opponents who will senselessly slaughter them. For his Beast Mimicry he can only mimic one animal at a time, and while he gains the strength of said animal, he also gains its weaknesses. His bear form is short sighted, in his bat form he can be easily injured or confused by loud sounds, and he sometimes finds the instincts of his wolf form hard to control.
History:
Shido was born a member of the Mariudo clan, a tribe who all have the same innate connection with animals as himself. He was raised thinking this was completely normal, though even by the standards of his people, his own abilities were considered to be quite advanced. He mastered the full 100 beast forms before he turned thirteen; a feat that most never managed in a life time. His clan held a lot of promise for him, but around that time they were savagely attacked by an enemy tribe, and while Shido escaped he is, as far as he knows, the only survivor.
He can’t even remember where his people’s lands originally were. All he knows is that when they told him to run he did, feeling the footsteps of his pursuers behind him the whole time, but they never quite caught up. Even after he lost sight of them he never quite lost the feeling that he was still being chased, so he simply kept moving, following his instinct until he came upon the monstrosity known as the Limitless Fortress.
This bizarre creation exists on the outskirts of Bellcius; an enormous, unfinished skyscraper, some architect’s warped dream to challenge the laws of gravity. It’s a savage, desolate place that provides homes for an untold number of people. It’s completely lawless, its existence going ignored by the Bellcius enforcers simply because it’s too much trouble. The tower seems to be joined to another world entirely, the strange and impossible things can and will happen at whim.
Having been drawn by the strange power of the Limitless Fortress, and having no other place to go, Shido became a resident. Befriending the crows and rats who fed on the corpses of the tower, he carved a fearsome reputation for himself that eventually earned him the title of ‘Beastmaster’. He resisted joining a gang, rebuffing their efforts by utterly defeating anyone who tried to come after him, but after a few years a new power emerged. A man known as the Lightning Emperor began to gain a reputation in the Limitless Fortress, and despite his best efforts to remain a loner, this person had a strength and spirit that eventually won even Shido’s loyalty. He became a part of the Lightning Emperor’s gang, a group known as the Volts, and was chosen to become one of the Four Kings; a special name given to the four strongest members. Under the Lightning Emperor’s rule, life at the tower became almost bearable for most of its residents, and with true companions who were actually work his time Shido achieved something almost like happiness.
Then, not too long ago, the Lighting Emperor left without a word to anyone, and the solidity of the Volts and all the progress they had made slowly began to fall apart. Rather than see it all return to dust, or try and hold the splintering group together, Shido finally chose to leave. A part of him might have admitted that he was still unconsciously trying to follow the Lightning Emperor’s lead, but he’ll never say it aloud.
Unfortunately, once he left the Limitless Fortress, it wasn’t long before Shido started to get the sense that he was being hunted again. Though the enemies that had slaughtered his clan had never been able to follow him into the tower, they somehow managed to pick up his trail as soon as he was out of it. Even despite his confidence in his own abilities, he has no idea what the strength of his opponents are, and chooses to run again rather than confront them. He’s been hopping airships to try and throw them off the trail, looking for a new place to call home where he and his animals can just be left alone.
SAMPLES
Third Person (roleplay):
The animal trainer had performed in the square earlier that day, forcing the lion to jump through his ring of fire with a whip as though it were something to be proud of. Shido had found it disgusting, and at that very moment the trainer was being paid a visit by two of the crows that had chosen to follow him from the Limitless Fortress. They had a particular taste for human flesh. He’d encouraged them to go for the man’s eyes.
Inside the dirty tent he found the cages and borrowed the strength of a rhino to break the locks. The dogs crawled to him, whining pitifully, and he’d carefully removed the metal-studded collars and soothed the raw welts on their necks. They followed closely on his heels as went to the lion, fearless of the larger predator with Shido there to mediate.
The great beast snarled out of reflex until Shido whispered the promise of freedom in its ear. The smell of singed fur filled his nose as he helped pull the lion to its feet, listening to the rumble of its silent complaints and being especially careful of the fresh whip marks. One of the dogs licked consolingly at the wounds while another braced itself against the lion’s shoulder, helping it to walk.
They would all go together, and leave this horrible, rotten town behind. The more Shido saw of humanity, the more he hated it, but he was willing to suffer another airship ride if it meant getting out of this particular city. He hoped it wouldn’t be too hard to find one that would take his friends as well.
First Person (journal):
[Paper Journal, most likely, because Shido’s not picking up an electronic one until he absolutely has to]
Found a ship. They call it the Winding Way, and it seems they’re willing to take on someone to handle the animals if they ever need them for a performance. A theatre ship. Sounds ridiculous to me, but I can’t complain if they’re willing to get me out of here. That bastard might come looking for his lion.
I’ve got that feeling again…like I’m someone’s prey. I’d rather get out of here sooner, but there’s no help for it. I won’t leave a friend behind and this is the best I can do. Can’t figure out the stupid money to get passage on anything else so I’ll have to work in trade. Maybe this time I’ll lose them for good, but they better know that if they try get close to me I’ll tear them to pieces. I’m sick of being hunted.