STATUS:
Graduation has happened - I am no longer a teacher. Won't have to work 12 hour days + weekends anymore, so maybe I'll actually have enough time for hobbies.
7 mos ago
Current
Graduation has happened - I am no longer a teacher. Won't have to work 12 hour days + weekends anymore, so maybe I'll actually have enough time for hobbies.
10
likes
10 mos ago
I sound like a broken record, but only 2 months left till I'm done teaching. Not sure what's next, but it feels like anything would pay more and be less stressful lol
5
likes
1 yr ago
Only 6 more months till the school years over. If I renew my contract, someone kill me lmao.
3
likes
2 yrs ago
Teacher update: I feel like a villain from a cartoon. The laughter of teenagers gives me migraines, and I no longer feel guilt when giving bad grades to kids that sleep through my lessons.
10
likes
2 yrs ago
First day as a Biology Teacher tomorrow - hopefully the kids will be able to read my handwriting.
Passive Abilities: Inspiring Presence: Whenever user takes damage, they have a small chance to either recover 100HP or have target nearby friendly gain 50HP. Vengeful Smite: User has a low chance to deal magic damage to target that has managed to deal melee damage against user. Fortress of Wood: User gains a small, permanent, irremovable damage reduction. Works for all kinds of damages.
Shield [Round] (Equipped) Full Plate Armor (Equipped) Longsword [Uncommon] (Equipped) Rosary of Courage (Equipped)
Interactions: None
The day started like the prior had, with no distinction between them - Theo awoke, paid for a bath, the same pie that he had eaten every single meal, and talking with Hans and Julia. The morning itself had very little in the way of special occasions or unique occurrences. Upon finishing his meal and saying goodbye to the NPCs who were some of his closest friends, he made his way to the Data Link 66 Guild house. Theo had realized just the previous night that the subscription he purchased was for a single week, and he silently kicked himself for not realizing this sooner. He quickly paid for 4 more weeks, the gold coin he slid to the secretary of the guild gleaming gently in the light. It was only in there that he realized how much he'd like for the Legion of the Wolves to have their own guild house - a nice place of their own to hang out and live, without a constant drain on their expenses.
But then again, if they did have a guild house, Theo would have no excuse to see Julia and Hans anymore. That helped ease his jealousy a little.
As he left the guild house, Theo saw the bulletin board they had set up in their lobby area. The player count, in only 9 days, had dropped by more than 200. Theo's blood ran cold at this, and it took a great deal of effort to keep walking. He just kept his head down, quickly making his way to the Shopping District, where he met the Holy spell teacher - A large man, gruff, older. He wore extremely large and immaculate armor, with a massive shield in hand as well. He was the very definition of a pillar, a monster of defense and safety. Just looking at the man had always intimidated Theo. He had spent the majority of Renn he had earned on the spells that the man taught, and he was about to flush another 275 Renn down the drain. Theo disliked spending time with the man - Theo's grandparents were dead on his mother's side, and the ones on his father's side lived in a state on the other side of the country. This older man simply reminded Theo that he would not see his family for a long time - potentially forever.
As he learned Greater Bless, Theo left the market palce entirely. The thought of searching for a new piece of equipment - maybe a new shield or some add-on's to his armor - crossed his mind, but he quickly dismissed the thought. He had already spent a decent chunk of his Renn, and he wanted to save a decent amount for the Festival tomorrow.
It was only 3 PM when Theo returned back to the Inn, deciding to rest for the remainder of the day. It was only when he rested his head on his pillow when his mind cleared, and he finally had a chance to think. Thoughts turned on the companions in the guild, his newfound friends. Well, perhaps acquaintances was more appropriate - none of them knew each other's real names, after all. Theo chuckled slightly, glad that he didn't have to lie even more than he already had to them by making up some false persona and fake life. A fake life that would have been far more fitting of a real hero, a life fitting Dirk. Quickly, he dismissed the thoughts - he'd cross that bridge when it came up.
Reylan was a good leader - or, at the very least, he was able to keep the guild in check, and he was willing to keep everyone in line. Theo was grateful that he didn't need to take the leadership position, even if Dirk may have preferred to be the big shot hero - Theo could barely handle the stress of protecting everyone in combat as the tank, so being the one to lead the party must have been an incredible burden.
Aster was skilled in her swordplay, and she definitely was useful in combat. Theo appreciated having someone up close and personal in melee along with him. Out of the entire group, it was a tough call between her, Reylan, and Karma when it came to who Theo would call the most trustworthy.
Alisea was reckless, and in all honesty, Theo couldn't get behind her in that regard. Dirk was supposed to be the badass hero, but Theo could never manage to through caution to the wind, and he always made plans, or at the very least evaluated hi options... Hell, what was Theo thinking. He hardly knew Alisea, he was just still nervous about the boss fight. He was nervous about causing another death.
Well, Theo couldn't fault Alisea for that. There was that guy, Paralyze - he was definitely one of the most brutal - and frankly disturbing - people that Theo had ever met. Like someone you would see mumbling to himself in the corner of the classroom during school - he just rubbed Theo the wrong-
Theo immediately rose out of bed, pacing in his room for what felt like an eternity. After what could only have been several minutes at most, Theo rushed to the bathroom, and vomited his lunch - the second time in only a few days that he had barfed up his food. Theo could easily hear his heartbeat in his ears, his head pounding in tune with the constant, slowly increasing pressure. Theo hadn't realized it in the last few days because of how busy and hectic things had been, especially with the festival around the corner. Paralyze hadn't shown up to the inn in days, never ate with the guild members, and while Theo rarely spent his free time around the others, it was clear that there was only a single possibility left.
Paralyze had died.
Paralyze had died and Theo had only just realized it. One of the more than 200 deaths were him. A real person, someone that Theo had known. Just like Kajin.
The fact that Theo knew these people only made the number of deaths feel more impactful - he had known only two of them, and he couldn't imagine the weight of all those lives.
When the guild met together to decide their future, Theo barely paid attention. The others had to have realized that Paralyze wasn't around and simply weren't talking about it - why? Then again, Theo couldn't say anything. He hadn't even realized till earlier in the day. Theo hardly paid attention to the meeting, only really coming to his sense when Hans pointed out another player in the inn.
Theo left as soon as he finished eating - he needed time to sleep. Moving to his equipment screen, he equipped the Rosary of Courage - if only for a few moments. It gave him comfort - Paralyze was gone, and there was nothing that he could do about it. He simply had to let it go. Theo removed the Rosary as he fell to sleep, doing his best not to focus on the loss of his teammate, another life lost to the game that Theo felt would be the crowning moment of his life to play.
Theo woke up late on the Tenth day. It was already 11:00 AM by the time he rose from bed, and it was already 11:30 once he finished his same, monotonous morning rituals. He had missed the meeting of the guilds, but in all honesty, he didn't really care. That sort of thing really wasn't something that interested Theo.
Theo quickly made his way over to Hans and Julia, eager to partake in the festivities. It was the perfect distraction from what he had been realized yesterday.
"Congratulations - you guys get to hang out with me of all people for the Solar Festival! Now hurry up and get ready, the festival starts in only 30 minutes, and we need to have as much fun as possible."
Julia was very animated in her eagerness to respond, quickly setting down the empty tray she was returning to the kitchen.
"I can't believe it's so late already! I need to take a bath, fix my hair, grab some spending money, change into nicer clothes-"
Hans interrupted her as she rattled off the various preparatory activities she still needed to finish before she could have nay fun at the festival.
"You also need to clam down. The festival lasts all day, there's no reason to rush into it and end up with nothing left to do by the end of the day."
Julia groaned so realistically, that Theo had to remind himself that these two were lines of code and not real, genuine people.
"You say that, but I know you're itching to close shop for the day and have fun like everyone else."
"We can't have fun without you there Hans - You're the coolest guy I know!"
Theo didn't really know what would be sadder - if he was lying to one of the people he felt closest too in the game or, the more likely possibility, he was telling the truth and Hans was the coolest person he knew in the game. Hans appeared deep in thought for several seconds before sighing.
"Alright, Alright - I'd be lying if I wasn't excited to spend the day outside of the old inn. I'll take you up on your offer, Theo."
Julia must have told Hans about Theo's name - well, he probably would have told him the truth anyways. It was a little hard to explain, but the fact that they weren't "Real" people made them... easier to talk to? Or maybe Theo just didn't like people from the real world as much. Whatever the case, by Noon, the trio had exited the Inn, eager to partake in the celebrations going on.
It was a passing thought, initially, but Theo hadn't seen the barkeep there that morning - Theo never really interacted with him since he did not drink, but it was most certainly rude of him to take away his coworkers during the festival, without even inviting him. Theo resigned to introduce himself, and to offer to take him around the city as well.
"Known throughout the Five Shinobi Nations, the reputation of a mighty hero echoes far and wide! When they speak of her impossible taijutsu skill and raw physical might, they're talking about me - The Incredible Soul Lee!"
Character Fields
Name|Aliases Lee Soul
Age|Gender 13/Female
Clan|Rank Lee/Student
Affiliations Konohagakure Physical Description Standing at 140 centimeters tall and weighing 42 kilograms, Soul is easily on the smaller side of the spectrum in terms of size - however, this is not indicative of her personality in the slightest. Whether because she was born as a girl into the Lee clan, or she was simply lucky, she lacks the thick eyebrows and dark hair that are characteristic of her clan. Her hair is cider brown, and kept short due to how longer hair is easier to grab in close quarters. Fitting for her small stature, Soul's voice is high-pitched, yet she can easily talk over most people in a room and grab attention quickly.
She wore the signature green jumpsuit of the Guy and Lee clans when she was beginning her training, but once her favorite training spot was taken by Kaminarimon Corporation's rapid expansion and construction, she adopted an orange mechanic's jumpsuit to protect against the large amount of soot and grime. Ever since then, she rarely wears anything other than the jumpsuit, only wearing formal clothes in the most necessary of cases. She wears very thick steel-toed boots, due to a time when she stepped on a nail in the Freight yard, forcing her to rest for weeks without training. When performing her "Hero Work," Soul wears a black Fukumen and Zukin on her head in order to "Hide her secret identity." In reality, it is to pay homage to the ninja that saved her life as a child.
Characterization & Prestige Soul is hot-headed, extremely stubborn, thickheaded, and is overall a very dramatic person. She rarely uses an inside voice, and seems to do her best to appear larger than life, despite her very small size. One of her most obvious traits is that she gives herself grandiose titles, typically lying blatantly about her achievements, or embellishing and exaggerating them to ridiculous proportions. She is addicted to the idea of being a "Hero," doing her best to help as many people in the village as possible, even at the expense of her own free time and her grades - to the point where she would commit incredible sacrifices for the most petty and insignificant of reasons if it meant someone else was less inconvenienced. Soul sticks extremely close to a set of morals and rules, which she follows with ironclad focus and usually murmurs to herself when a situation related to them comes up - the very first of which being that she does not use genjutsu or ninjutsu, as Taijutsu is, in her eyes, the most "Pure and Heroic" of the standard Ninja arts (As well as the fact that it costs a large amount of money to learn techniques in the modern day...). Due to her intense following of the rules, her absolute devotion to her training and volunteerism, and the eagerness she reports violations to the Konoha police force, Soul has made very few friends of her age, leaving her almost a social pariah among her peer group.
Most of the children her age view Soul as a goody-two shoes and a snitch, but most adults, especially the ones that work in the freight yard where she trains and the police force, see her as an incredibly hard worker and someone who does her best to help others.
Origin Story Soul was born as a member of the Lee clan, and the single child to her mother and father. Soul spent the earliest parts of her childhood with very little struggle or want for anything, even though her clan wasn't known for their fabulous wealth. She had little plans for her adult life, mostly enjoying the here and the now. She occasionally got into trouble because of her short temper and hotheadedness, but she never seriously tried to hurt anyone and usually was the one to end up worse off after starting a fight. She was a far cry from her current self, which didn't begin to arise until she was eight.
At the age of eight, Soul became lost while playing in the woods - she never discovered how far she had gotten away from Konoha, but she didn't return to the village until nearly two days had passed. After collapsing from exhaustion and nearly blacking out, a ninja from Otogakure discovered her - after feeding and giving her water, he had explained that he was a chuunin on a (D-ranked) mission to gather supplies from Konoha and to return back to his village. He had quickly returned Soul to Konoha, despite the fact that he had already gathered the supplies needed to complete his mission. The ninja left without asking for any reward, before Soul could even ask his name. His kindness had left a massive impact on Soul's life and development, sparking her burning passion for becoming a hero and ninja.
From then on, she trained nearly every day, doing her best to replicate the ninja that had saved her life. Due to the Lee clan having a lack of funds compared to many other clans in Konoha (a large chunk of which were being spent simply to send Soul to the academy), Soul was forced to rely on the taijutsu her family was known for in order to accoplish her goals. She entered the academty as soon as possible, and even with intense practice in taijutsu and her physical training, she refused to learn any form of ninjutsu or genjutsu - combined with her poor academics, this quickly gave her some of the lowest grades in her class. She is still seen as one of the worse in her class, both due to her self-imposed restrictions and her unwillingness to use techniques outside of her limited specialization (AKA, literally anything besides Taijutsu and Shurikenjutsu)
Character Development & Conceptualization OOC: I'd love to see the massive differences between the Taijutsu of old and the rapid development of technology in the modern age. Even more than this, I'd like to see how an extremly stubborn and rigid character like Soul would interact with other ninja her own age - especially if they went against her moral compass. Or if She was ever put in a position where she was forced to go against her own self-imposed rules in order to save people.
IC: Soul wants to help as many people as humanly possible, viewing her life as a gift from the ninja that saved her life - she could care less about ninja ranks, and only pursues higher ranks in order to take higher ranking missions, that could help more people. She wishes to eventually help all the people of Konoha accomplish their dreams, but even more than this, she wishes to find and thank the ninja that had saved her life and led her down the path to being a true hero.
Conceptualization: While initially starting off very similar to both Rock Lee and Might Guy, I tried to differentiate her heavily by making her motivations far more different. Rather than trying to be a "ninja that only uses taijutsu," I attempted to use the lack of prevalence that the Lee clan holds to excuse the lack of focus on other jutsu - in the modern day, learning many jutsu is very expensive due to commercialization, and some people simply can't afford that. This is exemplified in the fact that Soul's skill in Ninjutsu and Genjutsu is never mentioned - she simply does not care if she is skilled in their use, as she cannot afford to learn any even if she was. While both her and Rock Lee have strong moral compasses, they differentiate heavily in personality - Rock Lee is polite, refuses to give up, and is not above using dangerous taijutsu on his opponents (seriously, the front and reverse lotus are ridiculously deadly). Soul, meanwhile, is brash, quick to anger and steadfast in her morals, her strict training caused more by her extremely potent discipline and adherence to her self-imposed rules, rather than Rock Lee's motivation and perseverance to be a ninja.
Triple T's
Talents
Mechanics Perhaps "Repairs" would be a better descriptor, but Soul's skill in fixing and operating machinery far exceeds her skill in fixing most other things. Due to her devoting all time not used for training to help out the people of Konoha, Soul has a large degree of experience with repairing things that most villagers were too lazy or confused to fix themselves - usually things such as doors or creaky doorsteps. Her real experience comes from the Freight Yard she trains in - the employees there have used her as cheap labor as she would work for a simple "Thanks" - as a result, she has become very intimate with complex machinery, which is jarring considering she is not the sharpest tool in the shed.
Taijutsu It is no surprise that a member of the Lee clan is skilled in Taijutsu - compared to most members of her clan, Soul is not especially unique in her taijutsu skill or physical traits. Despite this, compared to the average ninja, she is a taijutsu specialist of extreme prowess, if only due to the fact that most ninja don't focus on taijutsu as heavily as their ninjutsu. She refuses to learn fatal techniques, as killing is against her moral code.
Physical Fitness Soul is incredibly devoted to her physical training, and is supported entirely in this effort by her Clan members. She had been training ever since she was saved by a ninja from Otogakure at the age of 8, and has trained 5-6 days a week ever since, usually for 6 hours or more. At her current level of physique, she puts the vast majority of ninja to shame physically - her large degree of strength and moderate skill in shurikenjutsu has allowed her access to a very unique fighting style. She is incredibly fast, to the point where few can match her speed - and her large amount of stamina makes those that can keep up with her unlikely to do so for long.
Pain tolerance/Durability Even with her Physical Fitness being ridiculous for someone her age, Soul is exemplary when it comes to the amount of pain and damage she can take without falling unconscious. She had been especially focused this trait during her training, upon realizing the danger being a shinobi presented. While she rarely uses the Eight Gates outside of her training, this Pain Tolerance has allowed her to fight far longer than most people should, and minor injuries are sometimes completely ignored - The fact that she cannot feel paper cuts anymore was a source of great amusement to younger children in the village. This freakish resilience to pain has made her a natural Eight Gates user.
Shurikenjutsu The only form of Ranged combat that Soul is willing to use, she is fairly average when it comes to normal shurikenjutsu - her real talent comes when she uses heavier ranged weapons. Due to her intense training, she is physically strong enough to throw far heavier objects than others would be able to, with similar speed and accuracy to those using lighter weapons. This has resulted in her using ridiculously sized objects that she finds mid battle as ranged weapons.
Tools Weights Weights, one of the cornerstones in tools for the Lee clan. They are worn around the ankles, and weigh enough where Soul only moves slightly faster than other students her age. When doing upper body exercises and practicing her punching, she wears the weights on her arms instead. In serious situations, Soul will use her Shurikenjutsu skills to throw the weights at opponents, usually when they are too far away to hit with taijutsu. Her weights are only removed in the event of a serious fight that has very high stakes or results in the suffering of other people.
Senbon Senbon are metal needles, pointed at both ends. While mostly seeing use in medical ninjutsu and assassination, Soul uses them as a ranged weapon when no improvised weapons are found. She carries dozens, if not hundreds on her person at all times.
Eight Gates (Soul is barely able to open the 3rd gate during her training, and she is unable to use the 3rd gate in combat at all due to the stress on her body.) Strong Fist
Miscs
Soul's strict adherence to her self-imposed restrictions and her refusal to use ninjutsu or genjutsu has caused her to be one of the weaker members of her class, despite her incredibly powerful taijutsu and physical form.
Soul refuses to use the Eight Gates unless people's lives are at stake.
HP: 429/500 MP: 200 -Strength: 20, Rank: I -Endurance: 25, Rank: I -Dexterity: 10, Rank: I -Agility: 15, Rank: I -Magic: 20, Rank: I
May quickly struck the skeleton several times in the head, the dagger making a rather poor bashing weapon compared to the other options... The futility of the slashing weapon made her regret only bringing a single weapon with her. After the second or third hit, the skeleton's screaming rose in volume, and cracks rapidly began to splinter from the center. She would have even seen the chip fall from the skull, had the skeleton not knocked her feet away in a single hit.
The blow landed May on the ground prone, and the air in her lungs was completely gone, leaving her gasping for air as she rose to her feet. The skeleton itself was slowly dragging itself towards her, in the same unbecoming speed that it had when it approached the pair earlier. May held her dagger in front of her, her attempting to assert some sort of defense against the skeleton's surprising strength.
Until Klou immediately attempted to bash the creature's skull in, her fists smashing into the skeleton's skull with heavy force
The group exited into the humorously-named forest, they awaited the rest of the small group, before following the rabbit once more. Luke quickly began to notice a theme of this dream - if it was a dream at this point, he honestly didn't think he could dream up something this crazy on his own. The group continued on the trail, before being stopped once more by the rabbit.
Luke nearly groaned, until the cause of the stop was revealed. The sound of mostly female laughter filled the air, high-pitched and somewhat annoying. Several voices resonated through the surrounding trees, and as each hurled another insult or rude comment, Luke's incredible fear slowly diminished, replaced by a slowly growing anger. Heh, it seemed that being pissed off was a theme for him in a place like this. The blast of wind from the final yell managed to chill the flames of anger, but underneath the rediscovered fear was clear annoyance.
Another woman began to speak, and her cool and polite tone of voice briefly reminded Luke of his mother - she always adopted a similar tone whenever they had company, especially someone from Luke's school or a member of the board of directors for the company. As Luke noticed the others reach for their weapons, he just remembered the weight of the axe in his hand, quickly moving to hold it in both hands. He trusted the weight and sharpness a hell of a lot more than some dumb watch.
The familiar voice of the Dorm Mouse was luckily heard cutting through the cacophony of voices, and Luke was simply glad that someone he knew and didn't dislike very much was there. Her relaxed and defiant nature towards the opposing voices was very intriguing, and the fact that she was willing to risk her skin for people she didn't know was something that Luke wish he could do - he wanted to be able to be a big damn hero like that, stay behind and save everyone.
The thoughts of the man who was burned to a crisp from earlier immediately shut down this inspiration, reminding Luke of his position. He just had to wake up and escape this dreamland as fast as possible. Luke followed the white rabbit and Alice, who apparently elected herself the de facto leader. Luke didn't really mind this, especially considering he only wanted to leave the voices that were previously discussing the groups deaths as quickly as possible.
Normally, the short distance that the group had run would not tire Luke in the slightest, but he was far too tired from earlier. At the rate he was going, he'd end up with a cramp or something. This thought was dismissed as black goo dominated the area around the group, their faces being obscured by masks and being in a variety of strange and... not very menacing forms. Luke was only fearful from how bizarre the situation was, and was quick to slash at the nearest puddle's mask.
... However, just like the boy who attacked a few seconds before Luke, the blade of the axe cleanly moved through the puddle, not dealing the slightest bit of damage.
The leader, Alice, was the first to "Awaken" - she quickly displayed a very high aptitude with her pocket watch - A sentence that Luke never thought he would think in his life. However, cynical and dickish remarks were hard to make when something so amazing was underway. Luke only managed to see her slightly, before a beam of light erupted from the watch in her hand and he had to shield his eyes. As he looked away from the light's brilliance, he felt intense winds roar past him, slamming into one of the monkey-like shadows nearby, and a mouth shadow flew towards the person who caused this.
"Jesus Christ, I thought the watch thing was a joke! That's bad ass!"
As the others in the group quickly repeated and awakened on their own, Luke realized he probably needed to hurry as well. He only noticed a large monster of a man appear next to one of the other kids, someone even more ripped looking than Luke, and far taller to boot. If Luke was lucky, his per-whatever would be someone that looked bad ass as the big guys everyone else was summoning. Gripping the watch in his hand, Luke did as the white rat said earlier - focusing on a single thought, a single ideal. Luke only had one thought - the creed he lived his life by since he got out of that damn hospital bed he lost his childhood in. He'd make up for lost time, he'd do anything it took to be better than others in living his life. He'd never give up and go back to being a person who lived their lives completely motionless - he'd never give up on something he tried as long as he could still stand.
"FAILURE! How dare you hesitate!? Doth thou wish to remain a simple rusted spearhead?! Doth thou wish to allow all thou has worked for and trained for to be a waste of effort?!"
The voice was internal, all in his head - but at the same time, it was the most real thing he had ever heard in his life.
"No... I ain't going to die in a place named Butter Daisy Forest, no way in hell."
"HA! A warrior never dies, even when he is shredded to pieces! You are far from a real warrior, but even a rusty spearhead can shine with hard work and effort - so to can a weakling like you grow! Call me forth and grasp thine destiny!"
The lid of the watch closed with ease, and the word that Luke had hardly heard earlier were quietly leaving his lips as if it was the most natural thing on earth.
"P... Persona..."
The burst of light was nowhere near as long as Alice's, more of a brief spark - a lighter flame in the wind, or the flicking of a light switch. Standing before Luke was a man of nearly 9 feet in height, with a far above average muscular build. He lacked a head, and the Axe he held was almost as large as Luke's entire body.
"Thou art I, and I am Thou! From the sea of thy Soul I cometh! Thou has permission to use my skills in battle - allow me to turn the rusted spear into a weapon fit for a Chariot!"
As his companions tore through shadows all around him, Luke couldn't help but allow his mind to fill with a single word, the name of the spirit standing before him. Xingtian
Almost as if driven by an external will, Luke immediately looked for another shadow, one that wasn't being killed by the surrounding humans. To his joy, there was clearly two of the Slimes near the outer part of the conflict, seemingly dazed by the repeated flashes of bright lights and colors. Rushing forwards, Luke slammed his axe into the mask of the first one, before attempting to cleave the second in two.
The pain in his legs, once a throbbing and overwhelming sensation, was now nearly nonexistent. If this was that "True Self" crap the Rat was talking about, Luke could get used to it.
Personality: Joe is a very upbeat and positive individual, a constant optimist - almost to the point of annoyance. He has several flaws that turn many people off from him initially. He is boisterous and loud-mouthed, with an arrogance that makes him seem incredibly full of himself. He demands to be the center of the room, and constantly gives himself and his companions compliments and grand titles and greatly exaggerating any feat that he accomplishes. Joe is also incredibly stubborn, to the point where he only concedes his ideals in a life and death situation - and sometimes, not even then. Joe repeatedly says that this is due to his "American Spirit," to the point where people at his high school made fun of him for it.
Despite these negative qualities, however, Joe has some qualities that shine once he gets to know people. He refuses to back down from anything, especially if it means leaving a person in harms way. His determination is easily his strongest quality - quitting is almost physically impossible for him. He is extremely defensive over other people, constantly trying to make sure those around him aren't hurt - almost to a disturbing degree. He does his best to make sure people aren't sad or upset, to the point where he never showed his emotions when his mother and uncle died.
Joe is extremely dedicated to his workout regiment, and practices boxing whenever he can - it would be his dream to be a professional boxer. Despite this, he is very conflicted in following this dream, as his father has stated multiple times that Joe would work for the corporation that his father works for. Other than this, Joe is able to easily speak English, as this is his native language - his Japanese, while very good, is spoken with a very thick accent, however. Despite how he was bullied heavily in high school for it, he is not ashamed to be a foreigner - in fact, his love for America is incredibly potent and a large part of his life.
Joe is very tall and well-built, standing at 6'2 and weighing just over 195 lbs (Joe refuses to use the metric system, to the point where his father is usually the one who fills out documents related to height and weight). He has a body fat of 12%, very impressive for his weight. He is usually either dressed in his school uniform, or a T-shirt and leather jacket, along with jeans. He usually wears sunglasses, but will take them off when indoors in order to avoid looking like a scumbag. Despite the picture, Joe does not own a katana - some friends wanted to take a picture of a "foreigner" holding one.
His most famous article of clothing is an American flag bandanna, which is almost always tied on one of his arms.