[ Däta;APPLICATIOn ]
Character
Name: Nishijou Takumi
Series: Chäos;HEAd
Timeline: At the end of Chapter 6 in the game, during the scene at O-Front
Canon Resource Links: Chäos;HEAd at wikipedia
Anime Summary Guide; though he's being taken from the visual novel, it does help give an idea of the plotline
Personality: Takumi could probably be best described as a borderline shut-in who prefers to never leave his container housing whenever possible. Though he hates to be called a shut-in specifically, he can't deny that he pretty much fits the bill. His problem is his overwhelming anxiety; whenever he's around other people, he just can't relax. All he can think about is what everyone else must be thinking of him, and hey, he's realistic. He's a creepy otaku who shouldn't be associating with the public at large, and surely the rest of the world would agree. Because he's very set in this belief, it's hard for him to ever accept that someone might want to be genuinely nice to him. He suspects that there's always an ulterior motive, even if it's something as simple as getting a laugh at his expense. For example, if a girl started flirting with him and he responded positively only to have her laugh and say it was just a joke. That was a very real scenario that he lived in constant fear of and wished to avoid at all costs. Public humiliation was the worst, and once he let it happen once, it would all be over. He wouldn't be able to leave his house ever again. It doesn't help that in a similar fashion, his trust has been betrayed. Just when he thought it was safe to reach out to someone, that he finally found someone who would actually accept him for who he was, he had every suspicion confirmed. One incident; it's all it took, and it set him back further than he started at.
However, I mentioned it's best to describe him as a borderline shut-in. This is because he decided of his own volition to finish high school, even though it's the place where his anxiety is at its highest. He did the math of how many times he was required to attend school in order to graduate, and it equated to 2.5 times a week. Therefore, he attends by his Minimum Attendance Chart, which means he must go twice a week, with one extra day every two weeks. At school- and really, anywhere he goes, his only goal is to become air. He just wants to get by without interruption from anyone else. Although he does come to realize that this doesn't mean he wants to live in a world with no one else in it. Even someone like him needs some basic social interaction to survive, apparently. He just prefers to do so indirectly. Most of his life is spent online playing an MMO called Empire Sweeper Online (or “Ensue” for short), and in that world... he is a god. He is a widely known player known as the “Lightning Fast” Knight-hart, he's reached the maximum experience points so he's at the top level, and he spends hours at a time on many occasions hunting for rare items (simply because people will see him wearing them and be jealous). Online, he can talk to anyone. Online, his identity isn't his own, but that of Knight-hart's, and so he doesn't have to worry about what others think of him. Online, he is admired, and it's because of that that he dreams now and again of switching places with his avatar.
But it's not just Knight-hart that he masquerades as. He actually has another character, Liselotte, a girl who's rather new and therefore not so experienced. See, being such a prominent figure gets tiring! When he's not feeling up to the Knight-hart hype, he takes it easier with his second character. It's also rewarding since he can do things that Knight-hart isn't allowed to do. For example, Knight-hart never takes part in player-killing. By all accounts, he's a model hero-type character, and Takumi has to present that at all times. But Liselotte? Who would even remember her a week later? If he teamed up with some people that weren't doing their share or were just plain stupid... Yeah, he had no problems PKing and taking their things.
Takumi's greatest asset is his mind, for better or worse. He's capable of severe delusions, ones that feel so real he has difficulty discerning them from reality. These come in all sorts of varieties, as well. When around girls, it isn't unusual for him to start having some sort of perverted delusion (although he does take liberties in altering their personalities to fit his moe tastes), but the paranoia haunting him often produces very vivid, horrifying imagery. He's affected deeply by his own visions, too. Even realizing that it was all in his head, he proceeds to take precautions in his everyday life to prevent them from coming true.
Essentially, Takumi has a lot going on upstairs. When talking with himself in his head, he could probably go on for hours about random topics and often contemplating his life as a whole. But when it comes to speaking out to others, it's so much harder. Physically, it's difficult. Even when he tries to clear his mind and respond as calmly as possible, he stutters excessively and his voice is quiet and often cracking. Of course, he's aware of this and his awareness only makes him more self-conscious. As a result, he can get even quieter as a conversation drags, his eyes will start darting as he plans an escape route, and- yeah, he's not above outright running away. One may be able to get a bit more out of him if they could prove that they were an anime fan (and he knows how to sort out those who actually know what they're talking about) and were genuinely interested in his input concerning a show, a figure, or something of that nature. He can get a little carried away talking about the details, since inside his head, he is actually a rather talkative person. But once he realizes he's said too much, he will back down again and return to his usual hesitant stance.
Strengths/Weaknesses:
+ He attends school even though he hates it!
+ Despite not going to school often, he's actually rather intelligent.
+ He has a very strong imagination.
+ He has a vast knowledge of anime. He watches at least the first episode of everything that airs, knows about the producers, directors, etc., and is especially qualified to talk up the specs on model figures.
+ He's got good computer skills, since he pretty much lives online. He's also able to research just about anything through his online connections.
- He's extremely antisocial and has difficulty holding up even basic conversations.
- He hates crowds and avoids them at all costs.
- He tries not to make eye contact if he has to speak with someone.
- He doesn't care how pathetic it is; he will run away, collapse on the floor and cry, or beg for his life if he feels threatened enough. Living is what's important!!
- He has a very strong imagination.
- He doesn't have the brightest outlook on the world! Hopefully no one can read his thoughts, because he'll mentally tell someone to go die simply because of the vibe they give off as he's walking down the street.
- He's very paranoid and is prone to overreacting since his delusions tend to get the better of him.
- While his character Knight-hart may be a knight in shining armor, Takumi is... not. He doesn't have the strength to stand up to threats and would totally even abandon a damsel in distress if it meant he could save himself.
- On top of this, he can be manipulative in getting others to do things that he doesn't want to.
Pokémon Information
Affiliation: Trainer
Starter: Magikarp
Samples
First Person Sample: The sample must take place in Route_29's setting. Eight sentences is the minimum. This is a PokéConnect post--one that will be on the character's journal, broadcast to the network. Although it is short, it needs to show how your character would communicate with others, as well as be descriptive enough to express the character's voice without sounding too generic.
[He has to do it. Holding the communication device in his hand, sweat dripping down his forehead as if the device was the detonator to a bomb strapped to his chest, Takumi wavers on whether to try it or to just chuck it into a lake. Of course, if he were to entertain the latter idea, he might lose his chance at survival for good. He doesn't know where he is, and he doesn't know a single person here. He might as well be existing in a world with no people. But wait-! Though that's the problem, it could also be the solution here. If he doesn't know anyone, the same is true in reverse. No one knows him here... In that case, he doesn't have to send a text out at all. “Knight-hart” could do it for him! Finally getting himself to relax, he starts typing (a little on the slow side, since he's not too adept with cell phones).]
SUBJECT: Lost?
I thought I'd try asking on here since it seemed like the quickest way to get an answer. Anyone know what's going on with this place? ┐('～`；)┌
[... He even adds the emoticon so naturally. Really, if only he were able to become Knight-hart for real; he'd have such an easier time getting through life. Oh, well. Nothing to do now but wait for a response.]
Third Person Sample: It was the best night's sleep Takumi had had in a long time, not that there was much of a challenge in that department. It was so comfortable that he was in a deep sleep, one which it seemed that nothing might disturb him... until that alarm sounded. Not only did it disrupt his potentially very nice dream, but it woke him with such a shock that he flailed about and tumbled out of bed. Out of... “bed”...
He hadn't slept in a bed in ages, and even if he were to sleep in his and fall out of it, there was a chance of breaking his neck in the process. But this was just a slight fall, and furthermore, he was in a well-lit room. As if there could be any doubt before that evidence presented itself, Takumi knew that he was no longer in his container house. But- What, then? What did that mean? Where was this...? It wasn't his family's house, either, although admittedly, he hadn't been to visit them in quite some time. It was possible that they remodeled...
Of all things, he never expected to be kidnapped by his own family. The real question was, how did they do it? Why now? It was too sudden of a development, and Takumi couldn't keep up with it if he wanted to. The alarm kept ringing, threatening to go on forever if not forcibly stopped, but he couldn't bring himself to move a step toward it. For a while, he closed his eyes and tried to block out the noise, tried to block out the very atmosphere itself, in hopes that he would wake up for real, back in his own home. And then he'd laugh at himself about what a stupid delusion that was, and he'd go back to playing his online games. Come on, Takumi, just wake up!
He could have tried this technique for a very long time. He can be stubbornly determined when he's giving his imagination the full benefit of the doubt, but another noise pulled him out of it. He thought he had heard someone downstairs call his name. Whose voice was it...? It was so faint, he couldn't tell. He was afraid to find out. Shutting his eyes tight once more, he tried so hard to make it all disappear. He cradled himself, imagining possibility after possibility of what could happen if he left this room. He didn't want to find out.
But... Right. The sooner he left, the sooner he could get it over with. When he saw his parents, they'd surely explain what happened, why they suddenly acted so rashly. And he would make some excuse- it could be anything, really- and he'd be out the door so quickly they wouldn't have time to chase after him... All right. He could do this if he tried.
Leaving the still sounding alarm alone, he forced himself to his feet, albeit shakily. No matter how much confidence he attempted to instill in himself, what's impossible is just impossible. He didn't even have to admit it to himself; he was scared. There was still a chance that this wasn't his parents' house, and maybe he had been kidnapped for real. But are there kidnappers who go through such trouble to be hospitable to their captives? Well, he certainly did know people who were rather messed up in the head. No, no. Wrong. He had to stop thinking about it or he'd never leave this room, and that was something, too, he couldn't take. If he was to be confined to a single room for the rest of his life, it was going to be on his own terms. So taking one final deep breath, he placed a hand on the doorknob and opened it up.