Application - The Far Shore
Feb. 9th, 2017 12:12 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
junkyarddogPlayer Information
Name: Callie
Contact: callistodementia@gmail.com/![[plurk.com profile]](https://plurk.com/favicon.ico)
lymmea/Lymmea#6855 @ Discord
Age: 34
Other Characters: N/A
Character Information
Name: Ken Joshima
Canon: Katekyo Hitman Reborn!
Canon Point: Post-Future Arc, going off anime canon - may someday canon update if/when I read the manga
Age: 15
History: Wiki article
Personality: The alternate reading for the kanji of Ken's name is 'dog', and there's definitely a reason that people draw that parallel so regularly with Ken; he's basically a shaved canine that's learned to walk upright. Ken is loud, unabashedly filthy(and hates baths), rambunctious, loves chewing on things, hatesvets doctors, is constantly hungry for attention and approval from those he loves, and he's loyal unto death. It's possible that the experiments he underwent as a child might have exacerbated some of these tendencies - one of his transformations is in fact a wolf, so it's possible some actual canine DNA might've been spliced into him somewhere - but there's really no way to tell where outside influences end and Ken's natural personality begins, so the point is moot.
Having been raised by a mafia family that had fallen out of favor with all other mafia families, their members targeted on sight, Ken and the other children of his generation were turned into his famiglia's guinea pigs for the dangerous experiments that had gotten the Estraneo Famiglia ostracized in the first place - by that point, the only hope for the Estraneo to survive was to create weapons strong enough to save from from the other mafia forces against them, and the children were otherwise useless strategically to them. This left a deep impression on Ken - not just violent and terrified distrust of any medical professional, but a lingering bitterness and distrust for not just the mafia, but pretty much all adults, if indeed not all people in general. But, conversely, it left an incredibly easy loophole in Ken's personality to exploit - he became so accustomed to ill treatment and complete disregard that anyone who looks after his best interests, in even the smallest of ways, can win him over wholeheartedly in seconds. And the only way to break his loyalty once it's earned would require a betrayal so deep and unambiguous that, frankly, it's never actually come up with him before. And since Ken is a very useful tool - loyal, powerfulto an extent; he gets outclassed in his canon, but he's far beyond a normal human, even people with no real investment in him who've managed to earn his loyalty would probably think twice before throwing it away.
That said, it's rare for even the people he likes best to see the full extent of Ken's loyalty directly. In his past life, Ken was only openly loyal and and affectionate with Mukuro - following the dog similarities, there's no question that Mukuro was Ken's master. With Chikusa and Chrome, both of whom also - and obviously - meant a lot to him, he was more inclined to act standoffish and tsundere, pretending (badly) at detachment or hassling them to maintain a tough outer exterior even while spending 90% of his time with them, fussing over them, or showing obvious concern. Ken's inability to be emotionally honest may stem from the fact that he'd spent most of his past life with Mukuro and Chikusa - Mukuro, who despite his quiet affection for his subordinates never openly acknowledged it and insisted they were just tools to use and willing bodies to possess, and Chikusa, who is emotionally stunted and closed off at best and rarely expresses anything, much less affection. Ken's deep feelings of affection for them were in stark contrast to both of his companions, and his longing to have it returned wasn't something either was really capable of. This - especially Mukuro's vocal emphasis on their usefulness to him as tools first and foremost; Ken's not the brightest, and not likely to pick up on emotional subtleties - likely fed into just how eager Ken is to prove himself, how suicidally loyal he can be. It leads to a feeling that if he proves himself enough, he'll be acknowledged and rewarded the way he's always wanted.
For all his loyalty and affection, though, Ken's also like a dog in that he'll sneakily break the rules when he thinks no one's watching. Even with Mukuro, who Ken respected beyond anyone else, Ken would steal his food, wear his jacket, and say things he knew Mukuro would punish him for - either just for fun, as some kind of payback for not getting enough attention, or maybe just to see if he could get away with it. He'd always get punished, but this never particularly deterred him. Unlike most dogs, he never showed any shame for his actions beyond the immediate regret of being punished with casual violence.
Ken is extremely straightforward and, it must be said, not too bright. He lived firmly in the present even in his past life, preferring not to think of the past too much - it wasn't pleasant for them anyway - and usually too caught up in his immediate actions and desires in the present to care about the future, including considering things like far-reaching plans or even direct consequences of his actions. However, he'd never been the one responsible for thinking those kinds of thoughts; Chikusa handled managing their day-to-day concerns, and Mukuro decided on their ultimate goals and how they would pursue them. Ken mostly took his cues from others all his life, and he was comfortable enough with that, despite occasional complaints. Provided he has trust in the person who's deciding their direction, he's willing enough to follow their lead even if he personally would prefer to do something else.
Abilities: Due to the experiments Ken underwent at the hands of the Estraneo Famiglia, he's able to trigger certain partial animal transformations in himself, through the use of cartridges - essentially what look like fake fangs, slotted over his own front teeth. Through a process that's never explained(and can basically be chalked up to anime hand-waving), the cartridge seems to bond itself to Ken's own teeth, growing them into animal-appropriate fangs and inducing physiological changes on his body specific to the type of cartridge he's inserted. In canon, Ken compares this to a video game system being able to play different kinds of games depending on what kind of game you put into it.
His transformations - channels, as he calls them, referencing 'channeling' an animal - vary depending on the cartridge used. Most of his channels include claws, fangs, and enhanced speed and strength beyond what a human could achieve; his Rhino Channel actually allows him to grow horns, while Kong Channel actually grows his stature - especially his forearms - to the size of a male gorilla. Likewise common to most forms are animalistic stripes that mark his face, and every form gives him - for unexplained reasons - a picture on his left cheek in the shape of an animal head, displaying the appropriate animal and a written name held in the animal's teeth to identify the channel he's in.
A list of his canon channels, with the understanding that this probably isn't the full list(though I don't see the need for introducing any others at this time):
• Monkey Channel
• Kong Channel
• Wolf Channel
• Cheetah Channel
• Lion Channel
• Rhino Channel
• Boar Channel
• Opossum Channel
• Kangaroo Channel
In Ken's world, a number of people have the abilty to use Dying Will Flames - essentially a form of energy powered by one's own lifeforce, that resonates with one's feelings and strength of will. Most often in Ken's canon, these flames are channeled through the use of rings; however, Ken's never actually had a ring, yet. But due to time traveling shenanigans, it's known that Ken, ten years in the future, acquires a ring, and that in particular he uses Sun flames. The Sun flame is known for its activation properties - it can enhance cell growth or stimulate muscles and joints, which often translates into healing and strengthening properties, and it may have been Ken's latent Sun flames that the Estraneo experimented with to enhance his body and its abilities for his channels. At his current age, however, Ken has never possessed a ring - but, due to further time travel shenanigans, he has the memories of his future self, so if he had a ring he would likely know how to manifest his flames. (Whether he would have the strength to do so, without having developed his flames as his TYL self did, is up for debate. But he'd have to get a ring first for this to matter.)
And while this is a manga-specific ability, Ken appears to have the ability to control the actions of dead animals. This power comes up once and then never again, and isn't exactly explained in any way. Whether this would have any kind of relevance in the Far Shore is up to mod discretion; it's a pretty minor ability that I'd be fine with ignoring, but given the game setting and that this ability relates to dead things, it could potentially be interesting in context?
Strengths: Physically powerful, versatile natural powers, fiercely loyal, obedient, flexible moral compass (stinging rare to nonexistent)
Weaknesses: Not bright, more terrible warning than good example, doesn't think things through ever, hot-headed, needs to be given direction by others
God/Shinki: Shinki
Why?: Honestly, Ken would be a terrible god. He's too accustomed to looking for direction from others to suddenly have his own goals, and he wouldn't really have the intelligence or skill at planning things to figure out how to pursue goals if he had them(or at least how to pursue them effectively). He fits more naturally and comfortably into the role of servant to someone else.
Cause Of Death: Ken died shortly after Chikusa did, gunned down in his vengeful fury.Like a dog.
Vessel: Chimera - a animal with three heads(dragon, goat, and the main head being a maned lion), the wings of a dragon, the forelegs of a lion, the back legs of a goat, and a snake's tail. Basically meant to represent that Ken's a bunch of animals at once due to his channeling. Presumably the dragon head can breathe fire - which I feel works well in association with Axel and Hestia - although if that'd be too powerful for an animal vessel I'm fine with nixing that.
Name Location: Curving around the front of his throat, like a collar.
Power: Regenerative Healing Factor
Writing Sample
Sample: "Don't leave me, Kakipii!"
It's a sentiment Ken's yelled at Chikusa before, whenever Chikusa's eyes would get distant and most of his consciousness just seemed to go somewhere else, somewhere far away where Ken couldn't follow. (Disassociating, not that Ken would have understood the concept even if someone had tried to explain the concept to him. But at least he'd recognize the word as describing something he's familiar with, something he's always hated.) But he's never screamed it like he is now, the words tearing raw out of his throat at eyes that have gone more than just distant. It's not most of Chikusa that's gone now; it's all of him. Maybe he's gone to find the rest of his chest, because so much of it is gone, there's so much blood, they've never really used guns and Ken had never dreamed how much ruin a simple shotgun could leave behind -
Everyone in the room is dead. Ken knows that, he'd killed most of them, and for a second it doesn't sink in - it can't - that this applies to Chikusa, too. Chikusa and dead don't go together. They can't. Chikusa's been with him all along, they've survived everything, Mukuro wouldn't allow it...
Chikusa wouldn't leave him behind. Not forever.
Ken's eyes are blurring the blank expression on Chikusa's face for him when he becomes aware of yelling, footsteps approaching from the hall. They're still a distance away, but Ken's ears are pretty exceptional in Wolf Channel. And that moves him when nothing else would - he can't handle this. He can't think about it a second longer. Maybe it's a trick, maybe it's an illusion, maybe it's something Mukuro can fix somehow - but whatever it is, it's beyond Ken.
Enemies, though? Ken knows what to do with those. And there hadn't been enough of the person who'd shot Chikusa for Ken to have worked out his need for vengeance. There may not be enough people in the world for that.
He rockets out into the hall, roaring already, and even with a solid thirty feet between himself and the approaching mafiosos - even with them having guns - Ken's on the first one before they can even raise them. He's raking the throat out of the third before anyone so much as strikes him, and it only knocks him back for a second.
The sounds are loud, but oddly Ken feels them more than sees them. The impact of them drive him back several steps, and it takes a second or two to process that they weren't just sounds, or vibrations; they were gunshots. Gunshots hitting him.
There's pain, but less than he thought; what bothers him more is that when he tries to move forward, to lunge at the men again, his legs simply crumple under him. His claws dig into the floor, and - not really thinking anymore - he starts to drag himself forward, teeth bared, until he sees a shoe.
He looks up, and all his fading vision sees is a dark tunnel. The bullet hits him before the realization that it's a gun barrel gets the chance to.
Other
Anything Else?: If possible, I'd like for Ken to be placed with Axel as his god! Art has given her permission for this. Ken would be best placed with a god that already has at least one other shinki anyway, as he wouldn't much of a moral compass for any god who had to rely on only him.
Name: Callie
Contact: callistodementia@gmail.com/
Age: 34
Other Characters: N/A
Character Information
Name: Ken Joshima
Canon: Katekyo Hitman Reborn!
Canon Point: Post-Future Arc, going off anime canon - may someday canon update if/when I read the manga
Age: 15
History: Wiki article
Personality: The alternate reading for the kanji of Ken's name is 'dog', and there's definitely a reason that people draw that parallel so regularly with Ken; he's basically a shaved canine that's learned to walk upright. Ken is loud, unabashedly filthy(and hates baths), rambunctious, loves chewing on things, hates
Having been raised by a mafia family that had fallen out of favor with all other mafia families, their members targeted on sight, Ken and the other children of his generation were turned into his famiglia's guinea pigs for the dangerous experiments that had gotten the Estraneo Famiglia ostracized in the first place - by that point, the only hope for the Estraneo to survive was to create weapons strong enough to save from from the other mafia forces against them, and the children were otherwise useless strategically to them. This left a deep impression on Ken - not just violent and terrified distrust of any medical professional, but a lingering bitterness and distrust for not just the mafia, but pretty much all adults, if indeed not all people in general. But, conversely, it left an incredibly easy loophole in Ken's personality to exploit - he became so accustomed to ill treatment and complete disregard that anyone who looks after his best interests, in even the smallest of ways, can win him over wholeheartedly in seconds. And the only way to break his loyalty once it's earned would require a betrayal so deep and unambiguous that, frankly, it's never actually come up with him before. And since Ken is a very useful tool - loyal, powerful
That said, it's rare for even the people he likes best to see the full extent of Ken's loyalty directly. In his past life, Ken was only openly loyal and and affectionate with Mukuro - following the dog similarities, there's no question that Mukuro was Ken's master. With Chikusa and Chrome, both of whom also - and obviously - meant a lot to him, he was more inclined to act standoffish and tsundere, pretending (badly) at detachment or hassling them to maintain a tough outer exterior even while spending 90% of his time with them, fussing over them, or showing obvious concern. Ken's inability to be emotionally honest may stem from the fact that he'd spent most of his past life with Mukuro and Chikusa - Mukuro, who despite his quiet affection for his subordinates never openly acknowledged it and insisted they were just tools to use and willing bodies to possess, and Chikusa, who is emotionally stunted and closed off at best and rarely expresses anything, much less affection. Ken's deep feelings of affection for them were in stark contrast to both of his companions, and his longing to have it returned wasn't something either was really capable of. This - especially Mukuro's vocal emphasis on their usefulness to him as tools first and foremost; Ken's not the brightest, and not likely to pick up on emotional subtleties - likely fed into just how eager Ken is to prove himself, how suicidally loyal he can be. It leads to a feeling that if he proves himself enough, he'll be acknowledged and rewarded the way he's always wanted.
For all his loyalty and affection, though, Ken's also like a dog in that he'll sneakily break the rules when he thinks no one's watching. Even with Mukuro, who Ken respected beyond anyone else, Ken would steal his food, wear his jacket, and say things he knew Mukuro would punish him for - either just for fun, as some kind of payback for not getting enough attention, or maybe just to see if he could get away with it. He'd always get punished, but this never particularly deterred him. Unlike most dogs, he never showed any shame for his actions beyond the immediate regret of being punished with casual violence.
Ken is extremely straightforward and, it must be said, not too bright. He lived firmly in the present even in his past life, preferring not to think of the past too much - it wasn't pleasant for them anyway - and usually too caught up in his immediate actions and desires in the present to care about the future, including considering things like far-reaching plans or even direct consequences of his actions. However, he'd never been the one responsible for thinking those kinds of thoughts; Chikusa handled managing their day-to-day concerns, and Mukuro decided on their ultimate goals and how they would pursue them. Ken mostly took his cues from others all his life, and he was comfortable enough with that, despite occasional complaints. Provided he has trust in the person who's deciding their direction, he's willing enough to follow their lead even if he personally would prefer to do something else.
Abilities: Due to the experiments Ken underwent at the hands of the Estraneo Famiglia, he's able to trigger certain partial animal transformations in himself, through the use of cartridges - essentially what look like fake fangs, slotted over his own front teeth. Through a process that's never explained(and can basically be chalked up to anime hand-waving), the cartridge seems to bond itself to Ken's own teeth, growing them into animal-appropriate fangs and inducing physiological changes on his body specific to the type of cartridge he's inserted. In canon, Ken compares this to a video game system being able to play different kinds of games depending on what kind of game you put into it.
His transformations - channels, as he calls them, referencing 'channeling' an animal - vary depending on the cartridge used. Most of his channels include claws, fangs, and enhanced speed and strength beyond what a human could achieve; his Rhino Channel actually allows him to grow horns, while Kong Channel actually grows his stature - especially his forearms - to the size of a male gorilla. Likewise common to most forms are animalistic stripes that mark his face, and every form gives him - for unexplained reasons - a picture on his left cheek in the shape of an animal head, displaying the appropriate animal and a written name held in the animal's teeth to identify the channel he's in.
A list of his canon channels, with the understanding that this probably isn't the full list(though I don't see the need for introducing any others at this time):
• Monkey Channel
• Kong Channel
• Wolf Channel
• Cheetah Channel
• Lion Channel
• Rhino Channel
• Boar Channel
• Opossum Channel
• Kangaroo Channel
In Ken's world, a number of people have the abilty to use Dying Will Flames - essentially a form of energy powered by one's own lifeforce, that resonates with one's feelings and strength of will. Most often in Ken's canon, these flames are channeled through the use of rings; however, Ken's never actually had a ring, yet. But due to time traveling shenanigans, it's known that Ken, ten years in the future, acquires a ring, and that in particular he uses Sun flames. The Sun flame is known for its activation properties - it can enhance cell growth or stimulate muscles and joints, which often translates into healing and strengthening properties, and it may have been Ken's latent Sun flames that the Estraneo experimented with to enhance his body and its abilities for his channels. At his current age, however, Ken has never possessed a ring - but, due to further time travel shenanigans, he has the memories of his future self, so if he had a ring he would likely know how to manifest his flames. (Whether he would have the strength to do so, without having developed his flames as his TYL self did, is up for debate. But he'd have to get a ring first for this to matter.)
And while this is a manga-specific ability, Ken appears to have the ability to control the actions of dead animals. This power comes up once and then never again, and isn't exactly explained in any way. Whether this would have any kind of relevance in the Far Shore is up to mod discretion; it's a pretty minor ability that I'd be fine with ignoring, but given the game setting and that this ability relates to dead things, it could potentially be interesting in context?
Strengths: Physically powerful, versatile natural powers, fiercely loyal, obedient, flexible moral compass (stinging rare to nonexistent)
Weaknesses: Not bright, more terrible warning than good example, doesn't think things through ever, hot-headed, needs to be given direction by others
God/Shinki: Shinki
Why?: Honestly, Ken would be a terrible god. He's too accustomed to looking for direction from others to suddenly have his own goals, and he wouldn't really have the intelligence or skill at planning things to figure out how to pursue goals if he had them(or at least how to pursue them effectively). He fits more naturally and comfortably into the role of servant to someone else.
Cause Of Death: Ken died shortly after Chikusa did, gunned down in his vengeful fury.
Vessel: Chimera - a animal with three heads(dragon, goat, and the main head being a maned lion), the wings of a dragon, the forelegs of a lion, the back legs of a goat, and a snake's tail. Basically meant to represent that Ken's a bunch of animals at once due to his channeling. Presumably the dragon head can breathe fire - which I feel works well in association with Axel and Hestia - although if that'd be too powerful for an animal vessel I'm fine with nixing that.
Name Location: Curving around the front of his throat, like a collar.
Power: Regenerative Healing Factor
Writing Sample
Sample: "Don't leave me, Kakipii!"
It's a sentiment Ken's yelled at Chikusa before, whenever Chikusa's eyes would get distant and most of his consciousness just seemed to go somewhere else, somewhere far away where Ken couldn't follow. (Disassociating, not that Ken would have understood the concept even if someone had tried to explain the concept to him. But at least he'd recognize the word as describing something he's familiar with, something he's always hated.) But he's never screamed it like he is now, the words tearing raw out of his throat at eyes that have gone more than just distant. It's not most of Chikusa that's gone now; it's all of him. Maybe he's gone to find the rest of his chest, because so much of it is gone, there's so much blood, they've never really used guns and Ken had never dreamed how much ruin a simple shotgun could leave behind -
Everyone in the room is dead. Ken knows that, he'd killed most of them, and for a second it doesn't sink in - it can't - that this applies to Chikusa, too. Chikusa and dead don't go together. They can't. Chikusa's been with him all along, they've survived everything, Mukuro wouldn't allow it...
Chikusa wouldn't leave him behind. Not forever.
Ken's eyes are blurring the blank expression on Chikusa's face for him when he becomes aware of yelling, footsteps approaching from the hall. They're still a distance away, but Ken's ears are pretty exceptional in Wolf Channel. And that moves him when nothing else would - he can't handle this. He can't think about it a second longer. Maybe it's a trick, maybe it's an illusion, maybe it's something Mukuro can fix somehow - but whatever it is, it's beyond Ken.
Enemies, though? Ken knows what to do with those. And there hadn't been enough of the person who'd shot Chikusa for Ken to have worked out his need for vengeance. There may not be enough people in the world for that.
He rockets out into the hall, roaring already, and even with a solid thirty feet between himself and the approaching mafiosos - even with them having guns - Ken's on the first one before they can even raise them. He's raking the throat out of the third before anyone so much as strikes him, and it only knocks him back for a second.
The sounds are loud, but oddly Ken feels them more than sees them. The impact of them drive him back several steps, and it takes a second or two to process that they weren't just sounds, or vibrations; they were gunshots. Gunshots hitting him.
There's pain, but less than he thought; what bothers him more is that when he tries to move forward, to lunge at the men again, his legs simply crumple under him. His claws dig into the floor, and - not really thinking anymore - he starts to drag himself forward, teeth bared, until he sees a shoe.
He looks up, and all his fading vision sees is a dark tunnel. The bullet hits him before the realization that it's a gun barrel gets the chance to.
Other
Anything Else?: If possible, I'd like for Ken to be placed with Axel as his god! Art has given her permission for this. Ken would be best placed with a god that already has at least one other shinki anyway, as he wouldn't much of a moral compass for any god who had to rely on only him.
