[OOC] You Can Become a Hero!

[mickilennial]

I mean, it is quite the backlog, but don't be dismayed! All applications will be looked at on their own merits!

[Scrub Mage]

I just watched the first season a couple of days ago, and now I want to join my good friends in a quality roleplay about it.

The Little Matron

T a k a r a

Personal Dossier

---

_Name

Katō Takara
加藤財

_Age

15

_Origin

Tokyo

_{Physical Description}

A short girl by trade, Takara stands at an astounding 4’8”. Her eyes are a simple brown, but they’re a bit big for her face. All around, she is plain on the outside. Beyond this, a Chinese ancestry shows subtly in her chin and nose among an otherwise pure Japanese face.

Her body is stronger than it looks, especially given her short stature. Her width is obvious, but there’s a certain discipline to it that’s evident. Takara’s legs are exceptionally strong, having trained them for an optimal Tachi-ai. On top of this, she is faster than she looks, and tends to be slightly stronger than most kids her age.

_{Characterization}

Brave
Careless
Dumb
Dreamer
Hard Worker
Optimistic
Solipsistic
Super Secretly Cynical

_{Personal History}

Takara was born to Katō Yuuta and Miho, a semi-famous Sumo wrestler and a teacher, respectively. She has a strong relationship with both of her parents, and while she admires her father more, she feels that she knows her mother better.

When she was young, Takara wanted to pursue her father’s career choice of wrestler, though between her quirk and the traditional rules of Sumo, that was out of the question from the start. While her father didn't exactly approve, he liked having his daughter look up to him and taught him what he felt he could. She received some minor bullying because of it, but her Sumo moves allowed her to make quick work of most opponents, and she quickly became respected by her youngest peers. Her tough (stubborn) spirit and her heroic (hot-headed) attitude were traits she had been given by her father, and she used them often. Little Takara, unfortunately, only realized that it was a pipe dream when she was twelve.

After that, she died down a little bit. She got through school fine enough without much incident except from a less-than-a-few less-than-favorable grades. Her worst offense was sneaking off to see an underground Sumo event. Her mother scolded her for obvious reasons, but she understood well enough and helped Takara where she needed it. Through Takara's slump, her mother helped her and is the sole reason that Takara enrolled at Ishin Academy. Studying for it was harsh, and she would have preferred one of the "nicer" schools, but she figured that if she couldn't make her parents proud through Sumo, she'd make them proud by being a hero, and so she put in the work to study. She was a little slow, and had to really work at understanding the concepts, but combined with the help of her mother and more than a few weeks of working at it, she managed to scrape together enough of an understanding to get in. Barely.

_{Character Development & Conceptualization}

As she is now, Takara's one of those kids who has only one real interest and that's all she knows how to talk about. Her identity is focused on one big aspect, Sumo, but at the root of this obsession is a fear of disappointing others, or even worse, disappointing herself. She shifts this lens onto becoming a hero in an attempt to make sense of it without calling her motives into question, and as a result, she boils things down to a simple game.

Takara has yet to mature enough to the point of understanding that other people don't share her motives. She believes that if she wants something, everyone wants it and it's right. She has poor teamwork skills and tries to take the lead, but her lack of wit makes her less than optimal for such a role. She works hard but hardly works, only putting in any real amount of effort if she thinks it'll benefit her in some way. Those who openly disagree with her earn her ire. Her dimwitted nature combined with her bullheadedness means that she is constantly at odds with figures of authority. Worse still, the girl has yet to develop the self-awareness required to realize that she projects herself onto others.

Her desire to take on competitors in Sumo, coupled with her careless attitude and her sinkhole optimism, see Takara wanting to take on any and all challengers. She does not consider such big concepts like her duties to humanity, she does not quite register that saving lives is an important and morbid reality of the hero, nor does she consider that stopping a villain is a moral dilemma that could have bigger implications than simply winning. Her actions are rooted in her own desire for glory and sportsmanship above all else, and she does not quite grasp the risk of the world. Heroes and villains are just sides to take (wrestlers to cheer on), she figures, and she does not think of the moral implications of a thought like that. The words of bad guys and good guys is showmanship and little else in her mind. Takara has yet to develop an identity outside of Sumo, and this is the only lens she is capable of seeing the world through.

As time goes on, Takara is intended to mature past these views. Ideally, she sees the error of her ways and learns to practice her brain as much as her body, or at the very least accepts that the reigns of command be handed over to someone else. Instead of looking inside and calling it outside, she will learn to separate the two things and think about the impacts of her actions. Most importantly, she will learn that Sumo isn't the only aspect of her which exists, nor is it even the most important aspect - she will learn that there is more to a person's actions than mere showmanship, perhaps jading her worldview a bit.

Abilities & Talents

---

_{Quirk Type}

Transformation

_{Quirk Description}

Matroyshka allows Takara to disconnect her upper and lower body from one another, allowing a secondary, smaller, Takara to come out. This Second Takara can do the same thing. The Third one, however, is too small to contain another Takara, and despite Takara's best efforts, cannot seem to open her up. Doing this is painless, but she frequently finds her midsection cramping, and she has some spinal problems from it.

Each of these mini-Takaras are like a pinky toe in terms of control. They are incapable of acting autonomously, and will stand around doing nothing unless Takara concentrates on animating them. Recombining her upper and lower body is a taxing feat on its own, and there is some hollow space within her (as a result, she can hide small objects inside of her). She can make the the mini-Takaras move, but like her pinky toe, she can only make it move if she moves her other parts too. As an extension of her body, she can see/hear/smell/taste/feel/etc. what her miniatures do, but it is often disorientating for her to decipher what is going on.

A side-effect of this Quirk is that each of the mini-Takaras require just as much nourishment as the big Takara. Gaining weight is difficult for her, and she is essentially eating for three people. The more weight she is able to gain, the bigger they grow, and she suspects that if she were to eat enough, she could grow a fourth Takara. Strangely, her physiology is fine (if not odd in its arrangement). When she is not controlling them, they "fall asleep" in the same way as a foot, and she has to stretch them to prevent that prickly feeling which occurs during such an incident.

Oddly enough, when she sneezes, all of her miniatures sneeze with her.

_{Other Talents & Attributes}

• Takara can Cook A Mean Chankonabe. That's about it.
• Takara knows a lot of Sumo Moves. She is a decent fighter because of this, but even more than that, uses her vast knowledge of Sumo to formulate her strategies and adapt in a physical confrontation.
• Takara is Tough. Really, she can take a pretty hefty punch for a 4'8" 15 year old.

[Chao]

Err, hi.

Still accepting, by any chance?

[Grey]

Yea.

[AlteredTundra]

Unlike the previous time you ran this, I am gonna for sure enter in. I swear I mean it.

[mickilennial]

do u

[mickilennial]

@TheWindel

The personal formatting choice threw me off, as did the use of modifying the template image that served as a placeholder. You didn’t need to insert your FC in there, but neither of these things will affect your review in any shape or form.

Konohe Junko seems fine enough, but there are a few things me and Pirouette were discussing we’d like to see elaborated on or added into the sheet before we accept it into the cast of the roleplay. I’ll throw the softball thoughts first so we can get those out of the way. As it currently stands, I don’t see much of a mention of her physical description beyond her casual attire and her gas-mask. What about her height? Explaining or describing her inverted pupils? I’d like to see these things so I can reference things when it comes to the classrooms; to help me visualize the student population. I guess that leaves some of the non-softball issues.

There are two sentences that cause concern.

“Though the journey will, of course, be long and enduring, the end goal remains the same: advance her power to the point where it can make brains bleed.”

My biggest worry with this is well, this is an assertion that feels more reflective of the progression of a villain. We want to define heroes here, though there is room for changing thinking processes and some would-be heroes might be more brutal than others in their personal philosophy. But there’s nothing in your character’s backstory to indicate where this end goal comes from nor is there any indication of why this goal is important to the character. Characters that are brutal and obtuse in their heroic thinking exist in the canon (such as Katsuki Bakugo) so this is something we can potentially work around if there are proper elaborations and edits.

“That’s not up for negotiation; that’s going to be the end goal.”

This kind of reads problematic to me and I think the assertion that on a player-to-GM basis is probably unfitting. We need to make sure everyone is collaborative here and wants to work together to create something. If this is just awkwardly phrased then I apologize for jumping down your throat but I am very worried about these kind of things given the nature of these roleplays.

I want to give Junko a fair shake, I do. But these are some of my thoughts that I want addressed.

[mickilennial]

@follycle @Polaris North

Both your characters are accepted. Do the thing at your own leisure.

Other reviews are coming, so please be patient. Do note that I will be gone for most of the day come an hour or two from now.

[Pirouette]

@Anders

Hi there!

So one thing that Ink and I constantly bring up with your character is the Quirk. Arsenic, as you already know, is very deadly and a deadly poison would not emulate a prospective hero properly. I bring this up because one of the themes that I've managed to find in BnHA is that the Hero idolized society is messed up. It demonizes almost anyone who has a villainous quirk. I was hoping you might include a bit of that characterization seeing as your character is described as a "softie" but there wasn't explicit mention of this theme. But that's okay if you don't! However, I think we can hopefully agree that arsenic is too deadly anyway and picking a chemical agent that isn't so brutal is preferred.

[TheWendil]

@TheWindel

The personal formatting choice threw me off, as did the use of modifying the template image that served as a placeholder. You didn’t need to insert your FC in there, but neither of these things will affect your review in any shape or form.

Konohe Junko seems fine enough, but there are a few things me and Pirouette were discussing we’d like to see elaborated on or added into the sheet before we accept it into the cast of the roleplay. I’ll throw the softball thoughts first so we can get those out of the way. As it currently stands, I don’t see much of a mention of her physical description beyond her casual attire and her gas-mask. What about her height? Explaining or describing her inverted pupils? I’d like to see these things so I can reference things when it comes to the classrooms; to help me visualize the student population. I guess that leaves some of the non-softball issues.

@Inkarnate

That's just to be fancy in formatting her CS.

I didn't think the inverted pupils needed much explanation, lest they be mistaked for some kind of magic usage, but I can add some small things in like height and what not.

My biggest worry with this is well, this is an assertion that feels more reflective of the progression of a villain. We want to define heroes here, though there is room for changing thinking processes and some would-be heroes might be more brutal than others in their personal philosophy. But there’s nothing in your character’s backstory to indicate where this end goal comes from nor is there any indication of why this goal is important to the character. Characters that are brutal and obtuse in their heroic thinking exist in the canon (such as Katsuki Bakugo) so this is something we can potentially work around if there are proper elaborations and edits.

@Inkarnate

From what I've read up on, there's a student character in the series who uses explosions. Explosions aren't exactly heroic either, yet he's learning to be a hero. I could be wrong, but I figured a Quirk could go either way; that is to say, a Quirk can appear villainous but be used for good intentions. Likewise, the same could apply for the inverse. Furthermore, this section of the CS skeleton made no mention that this had to be relating back to the character's backstory; instead, it talked about what our personal thoughts for the character were going forward. Unless I misread something. If you still want a relation to her backstory, I can make one.

This kind of reads problematic to me and I think the assertion that on a player-to-GM basis is probably unfitting. We need to make sure everyone is collaborative here and wants to work together to create something. If this is just awkwardly phrased then I apologize for jumping down your throat but I am very worried about these kind of things given the nature of these roleplays.

I want to give Junko a fair shake, I do. But these are some of my thoughts that I want addressed.

@Inkarnate

As I said, that's what I want in terms of her final power set and what I would like to achieve through the progress of the RP. If that's not possible, then I'm afraid I'm going to have to make a new character then since this is the route I'd like to take. With that in mind, I don't plan to make her a straight villain; once again, from my understanding a Quirk can appear villainous but be used for good. Besides, I expect there to be a long time before even getting to that point anyway. Furthermore, I meant no harm in my words but it is something I won't budge on but instead can be worked with in flexibility.

[mickilennial]

@TheWindel

Explosions aren't exactly heroic either, yet he's learning to be a hero.

Yes, I mentioned Bakugo. But here’s the thing about that character, he’s often remarked as “unheroic” and a lot of why he’s the way he is and how he thinks is brought up contextually throughout the story. If someone is to make a Bakugo-type character they need to be clear on their characters philosophy, explaining that philosophy contextually, and showing with confidence how that can be developed in the long-term. My basis as a GM, especially since I am accepting people as they come and I have a gigantic pool of interest is that I need to see these things and see these things consistently. I just won’t accept vague.

Eurthermore, this section of the CS skeleton made no mention that this had to be relating back to the character's backstory;

The conceptualization section is meant as a loose way for the author to show me how their thoughts on character development, characterization, character philosophy, and other things fit into their character concept. To explain influences, if they want, but most of all to show the general path of progression they want to deal with. This could include a variety of things. Something like “I want my character to be able to make brains bleed” is on the level that would require greater explanation and context: on why it exists and where it will go as a dynamic. Essentially, I need to see the contextual relevance and make sure it is consistent with the concept at large.

it is something I won't budge on but instead can be worked with in flexibility.

I am honestly not quite sure how something can not be budged on yet can be worked with in flexibility. Such assertions seem contradictory.

[Pirouette]

@TheWindel

Judging form a bit of your wording, you may not be familiar with series beyond what research you did for your character? In BnHA, there is a central theme building that an idolized hero society has its problems. Deadlier, villainous Quirks are often looked at a bit negatively. For example a character with a mind control quirk is deemed "evil" in the eyes of characters and suggested they'd make a good villain even though he wants to be a hero. There is actually some oppression to characters in the series based on their quirks, essentially.

So the issue arises from your character actively wanting to pursue a more dangerous application of her quirk. Brain hemorrhages are really scary and by actively pursuing this application of your quirk, there is an implication that your character is okay with killing so long as it stops a villain because a person's survival after a brain hemorrhage would be out of your character's control. Thus, the staff Ishin would actively attempt to dissuade your character from pursuing this application of your quirk.

[TheWendil]

@Inkarnate, @Pirouette

Hmm. I'm starting to see that a quick brush up on the source material might not be the best approach if I want to use Junko as a character. Given I don't want to tamper her core concept and the time it would add on to make a new character to fit, I think it's best to back out of this for now, at least until I start watching the show itself.

[Pirouette]

@TheWindel

I really suggest the series. It contains plenty of happy, colorful themes but I think the series does well in exploring more complex themes within characters.

But sorry to see you go! To your credit, sound frequency is a good idea for a Quirk that would have a place in this world.

[TheWendil]

So I've heard. In any case, farewell for now; I might keep an eye on this. Hope the RP goes well.

[Pirouette]

@floodtalon

Ink likes your Quirk but I just can't picture how it works ;-;

Could you explain it a bit more? Like how does it turn a sphere into something sharp? There are no edges!!

[Anders]

@Pirouette

Towards the villain aspect, it’s intentional and I agree with you that it fits the character. He’s just been incredibly sheltered despite the freedom he was given among his friends. And until he’s separated f his support system for an extensive periods of time “his parents” he likely won’t really think about it.

As for the Arsenic thing, I’ll research other mineral based toxins and get back to you.

[mickilennial]

Also, just so everyone knows, I apologize for not being clear but the[color=yellow]input was supposed to be a placeholder for your character’s personal dialogue color. So be sure to adjust that when you have the time. Just for… uniformity and stuff.

[Flood]

@Pirouette

Ink and I came up with this description, a psionic barrier is formed around the object which is what gives it edges and makes it sharper. For example, around a sphere would be a dodecahedron with lots of sharp edges. This also explains why larger objects progressively become less sharp. The barrier has more to cover. Does that make sense?

[mickilennial]

@Pirouette

Ink and I came up with this description, a psionic barrier is formed around the object which is what gives it edges and makes it sharper. For example, around a sphere would be a dodecahedron with lots of sharp edges. This also explains why larger objects progressively become less sharp. The barrier has more to cover. Does that make sense?

@floodtalon

I think it is doable once it is described well enough, hopefully Piro is content with that option.