[golden peacock] application (new)

APPLICATION

OOC

NAME: Yama
AGE: 32
CONTACT: Yamadori
CHARACTER(S): n/a

INVITED BY: Yak | Yakule, invitation here

IC

NAME: Akira Kurusu
AGE: 17; Akira is 16 at the start of the game, but I'd like to have him at this age if possible considering his canon point is after the hc birthday I have for him + chances are very high his birthday already passed since his canon point is at the end of the school year
CANON: Persona 5 Royal
CANON POINT: post-canon
CRAU: n/a
OTHER: n/a

SUITABILITY: At 16/17 years old, Akira falls within the game's age requirements. As a Wildcard chosen to walk the Fool's Journey, like the Persona protagonists that have come before him, it's vital for Akira to form bonds with people if he wants to avoid the coming "ruin". While these relationships may have started as mutually transactional - what Akira could do for them, and how those people could benefit the Phantom Thieves - as time passed, they became genuine bonds that carried trust and affection. I believe that the same can happen within the Resort - sexual encounters that are engaged for the sake of playing the game, but with enough time, Akira will come to forge genuine connections with people. Additionally, one of Akira's greatest weaknesses is that he keeps his true wishes and desires locked up tight. Between the effects of the House and the necessity of becoming closer to people, the Resort presents an excellent opportunity to pry those honest thoughts out of him, for better or for worse.

HISTORY: While little is known of Akira's childhood before the start of the game, there still remains one incident that effected the course of Akira's life before the main events of Persona 5 - an attempt to stop a drunken man from assaulting a woman in the street, which resulted in the arrest and probation that landed him as a ward in Tokyo. Not only did that moment cement in his mind that adults wouldn't believe him when he was in need, but it brought him to the city that (unknown to the public) had become the epicenter of a series of supernatural events.

Akira's life undergoes another radical change when he stumbles into the cognitive world and awakens to the power of Persona; discovering that although it carries some risks, if successful he can change the hearts of people cruelly abusing their positions of power. Together with those who fought alongside him, Akira forms and becomes the leader of the Phantom Thieves in the hopes of wielding their power to reform society. As the Thieves gain more notoriety, they are slowly swept up in a plot setting them up to take the fall for a political organization working in the shadows.

Changing hearts of the powerful, and forming bonds with those that became accomplices to the Phantom Thieves - one was Akira's rebellion, and one was part of his "rehabilitation" put in place by Igor. Little did Akira know that the real Igor's identity had been stolen, and the organization's plot was only part of a bigger web orchestrated by the false god, Yaldabaoth. Months of Akira working to help people, to fight against the injustices that he ran into over and over, had only been a part of a larger manipulation to imprison the general population and leave their free will stolen. While Akira is given an offer to leave the world distorted and the Phantom Thieves remembered and in good standing, in the true ending he chooses to reject the deal and fight against humanity's enslavement. Though the risk is high, the strength of his bonds makes victory possible.

Unbeknownst to Akira, the battle that took place above Tokyo was the catalyst for one of his closest confidants and friends, Maruki Takuto, to awaken to the power of his own Persona. Much of it can be probably be lent to Azathoth's nature as an eldritch outer god, but Maruki was able to begin manifesting his power of Actualization, making people's wishes into a reality. While Akira was one of only three people able to tell that something was terribly wrong, with time he was able to wake up his friends from their happy dreams in the hopes of stopping Maruki from making his ideal reality permanent. On the cusp of changing Maruki's heart, Akira discovered the nature of his own wish, which was to see Akechi Goro alive and well. Once more, he was presented with a choice: to accept the ideal reality and finally want something for himself, or to reject it and honor his bond with Akechi.

In one life, Akira choose that sweet, false dream, and in yet another, the weight of responsibility paralyzed him. In this one, Akira chose what was right - to forsake his own heart, to let go of Akechi's, and to save Maruki's from his pain. Though the true reality was harsh and meant grief for them both, Akira stopped Maruki's distortion and helped him accept his grief. In the true reality, Akira will learn to face his own - but with a heart that's opened itself to bonds, a Fool's Journey fulfilled.

ABILITIES:
• PERSONA: Throughout the Persona series, Personas themselves are generally beings that are a person's personality and feelings given form, but each one manifests a little bit differently throughout the games. In 5/Royal, Persona users harness the painful feelings of being taken advantage of, or of others/themselves being wronged, and rebel against it - that form is their "rebellious heart", so to speak. Akira is a unique Persona user because he's a "Wild Card", capable of using multiple Personas (unlike most, who are only capable of using one). I've linked the page of at least Arsène, the Persona that's considered his true one, and whose skills I'll briefly list below:

Eiha: Light curse damage to one target.

Cleave: Light Physical damage to one target (but injures himself slightly to use).

Sukunda: Decrease Agility of to one target for a short time.

Dream Needle: Light Gun damage and a medium chance to inflict Sleep on one target (but injures himself slight to use; more damaging than Cleave).

Adverse Resolve: Increases Critical rate when surrounded.

• THIRD EYE: An ability received from Igor, this allows Akira to scan the area around him for things that are out of place. It gives a glow to things that are of notice, such as searchable objects, gaps that can be jumped across, dangerous or interactable areas (pitfalls for the former or vent openings for the latter), or how dangerous an enemy may be. It also seems to have an effect on certain activities, such as slowing down shots in baseball for better timed hits, indicating different breeds of fish with one of the aforementioned glows, or improving accuracy while playing darts.

If it's alright I'd like him to only have Arséne or just a few Personas instead of the 200+ he has access to, but I'm fine with whatever seems appropriate! I'm not quite sure how to handle Third Eye since it's not exactly tied to a Persona, but I'm happy to have it nerfed entirely or regained along with his mask, whichever the mods find most appropriate.

VICES:
• SEES THE FOREST FOR THE TREES. Akira has a tendency to miss what's right in front of him. While he does tend to be a more detail-oriented person when it comes to scheduling and work, the issues that he struggles with the most are those of a more interpersonal nature (notable examples of these would be missing how Morgana is bothered right before the Hawaii trip, or looking the other way from any doubts he might've had about Igor). It seems contradictory when he's also a person that spends a lot of time listening to others and being very observant of them, but enough details can distract him from something that's about to become a big problem.

• GREY MORALITY. Akira, for the most part, tries to be a good person, but how good he strives to be doesn't change the fact that he would have easily accepted it if Kamoshida died during his change of heart. Though the Phantom Thieves have had a "no killing" policy since their first successful Change of Heart, Akira himself is probably the closest to morally gray amongst his friends. Even his own Persona Arsène, essentially a reflection of Akira's heart, calls it as such during his Awakening: "Thou who art willing to perform all sacrilegious acts for thine own justice!" His justice can be, and often is, a positive trait - but the way he wields it isn't always as pure as it could be.

• WITHDRAWN. Though more open at his current canon point, Akira can still be quite reticent, especially when it comes to things relating to himself. It seems a little paradoxical when he's become something of a social butterfly, but he mostly expresses that in listening; when it comes to speaking, about himself or otherwise, he's still a very quiet and reserved person. It's a little easier to get around if you befriend him and earn his trust, but that trust is something very hard-won. Even with friends, it can take a long time before he starts to share little bits and pieces, and longer still before he lets down some of his walls and masks.

VIRTUES:
• JUSTICE. While it has its times that he wields it in a less righteous way (as seen with the "grey morality" above), oftentimes Akira's justice can be a good thing. He sticks firmly to his own moral code, but it's one that hates those with power taking advantage of the vulnerable. Someone else being put into a position similar to Akira's was even the catalyst for him becoming a Phantom Thief, making it a goal to take down anyone using their money or position to take advantage of others.

• GOOD WORKS. Sometimes he can be a little too selfless about it, but a big portion of Akira's probation is spent on doing things for others. Favors here and there, helping out at one of his many part-time jobs, or just being the sounding board that others need - nothing is too big or too small if he can be of use to someone. Sometimes it strays into people pleasing tendencies, but Akira genuinely thrives on doing what he can to help others.

• CHARISMATIC. It's a quiet sort of charisma, but Akira has a magnetic sort of pull to him that attracts the rest of the Phantom Thieves one at a time, willing to plunge into danger not only for their joint cause, but for him as a leader as well. Sometimes they may disagree, but they respect him enough to listen when he weighs in on a discussion, and follow his orders in combat without batting an eye. Warm, encouraging, diffusing - these are some of the ways that Akira leads, both gentle and firm at once.

SUIT REQUESTS:
♥ HEARTS. My first choice for Akira is Hearts. While so much of the story makes Hearts appropriate thematically, I think it's the most fun and challenging option for him since he does so much to keep his own emotions private and locked up. Where Akira rarely speaks his true thoughts, this suit offers plenty of opportunities to break down the walls over his heart. Where sex would normally be a transactional thing for him, this also provides more chances for him to form genuine bonds that he might be more reticent to do when intimacy is involved. If Akira suspects that he's catching genuine feeling for someone, it will be far more likely for him to avoid sexual encounters for a period, so suit flares are also more likely with this choice. One of the most fun things for me to write as a player is a character's emotions - their catharsis, their turmoil, their development, and their growth - so Hearts would be a blast for me! I want to crack his psyche open like an egg, and I think this is an ideal way to do it.

♦ DIAMONDS. As a follow up choice, I think Diamonds could also be very interesting for Akira. As mentioned within the Hearts request, sex would ordinarily be a transactional engagement for him - so what would happen if his body demands more beyond that? Depending on the circumstances and cr, he could end up avoiding it like he would for the more emotional Hearts... or maybe he'd come to find it even more enjoyable and lean into his suit even more. There's also the angle that Akira doesn't usually initiate touch with people unless he's very close with them, so this could lead him to more physical encounters (even non-sexual ones) than he might have otherwise.
RANK REQUESTS: If possible, I'd love 3 or another low rank!
SAMPLES:

SAMPLE ONE. [Game] — An inbox thread from 7dead with Takuto Maruki,

SAMPLE TWO. [Meme] — Midfuck thread with Maruki Takuto, two years post-canon.

SAMPLE THREE. [Game] — TDM top level from Golden Peacock / peacockstop.