Kurusu Akira [Joker] (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
survivaltricks) wrote2025-01-16 04:54 pm
survivaltricks) wrote2025-01-16 04:54 pm
[guess this is now a GP app]
APPLICATION
NAME: Al
AGE: 21+
CONTACT: Journal PM
CHARACTER(S): n/a
INVITED BY: Kia!
NAME: Kurusu Akira
AGE: 17
CANON: Persona 5: Royal (with Strikers content)
CANON POINT: Post-Strikers
CRAU: n/a
OTHER: n/a
SUITABILITY: HONESTLY. . . Akira won't have much trouble fitting into the setting at all, rofl. He's a Persona protagonist; part of his game is a dating sim, and while I do not play him as having romanced any of those in-game options, it's still there!! Akira's first Persona was, after all, Arsene Lupin-- the gentleman thief known to fall for a pretty face at the drop of a hat. Akira is similar in that regard! While he isn't one to give away his heart freely, he is not immune to the charms of other people, and it's not difficult to get a little pitter-patter going in chest. And when he falls. . . he falls pretty fast and hard.
Akira isn't ashamed of his own desires, either; if anything, the way society has tried to push him down has only made him more determined to do what he wants, when he wants, the opinions of others be damned. He also isn't afraid to be open and honest about those desires with the people he cares about (see: how in every romance Confidant in his game he is the one to confess). As a young man who values freedom of choice and agency, there will be aspects of the resort that he hates-- the suit system, the pushiness of the hotel staff, food and drink that's laced with aphrodisiacs, etc etc-- but hilariously all of this will just make him all the more stubborn about doing things his way, on his own terms. Akira isn't the type to be defiant for the sake of defiance; he's the type to reclaim his agency by taking the things he has been given and making it his own. And that's very much what he'd do. The hotel wants him to bang then by GOLLY he will bang but WHEN HE DOES IT'LL BE ON HIS OWN TERMS, THANKS!!
TL;DR: he won't need the incentives to engage with the game's premise, he's a bisexual disaster whose heart flutters easily at the sight of a pretty face and isn't afraid to go for what he wants. If anything, he may struggle by falling for the wrong person and getting said heart unwittingly broken. He'll be fine!!
HISTORY: Born and raised in the Japanese countryside, Akira's life was forever turned upside down by a fateful encounter with one of Japan's most powerful politicians. Accused of assaulting this politician when all he was trying to do was stop him from drunkenly harassing a poor woman, Akira was arrested for a crime he never committed. . . and shoved face-first into a corrupt criminal justice system. Defeated, alone, and completely helpless, the courts ordered him to transfer to a school in Tokyo in lieu of serving jail time. If he could keep his head down and quietly serve out one year of probation, then the rest of his sentence would be communed.
. . . but Akira was never one to keep his head down when facing down the world's injustices.
In Tokyo, Akira gained the supernatural ability to steal hearts and force corrupt individuals to confess their crimes to the public. He used this ability to enact his own justice for the weak and helpless that society ignored. He created a little family of thieves who supported him in his cause, and together they made waves all throughout Japan. Eventually, he came face-to-face with the politician who had tried to crush him, and managed to bring that man to justice by stealing his heart. And at the end of this Journey in reforming society. . . he stood before a god who had imprisoned humanity's consciousness. He defeated this god, allowing society to once again think for itself, paving the way for even more permanent reform in a world that had tried so very hard to destroy him.
He had some more adventures after that, too. He defeated a second god that had influenced his school counselor to imprison him and his friends in a false "perfect reality" out of a misguided desire to make them happy. And then, seven months later, he went on a road trip across Japan with his friends to take down a third god who was trying to enslave humanity. The themes of Akira's enemies are all the same: they're deities who wish to take away society's agency and free thought, and Akira is always the one fighting to maintain that freedom.
So while getting arrested and being falsely accused of assault was probably the worst part of Akira's life, everything that came after. . . well. That's what shaped who he is today: a scruffy revolutionary and bold rebel who always follows his heart.
ABILITIES: Akira's main power is his ability to summon Personas, which are representations of his soul given physical form. As a Wild Card, he has the ability to summon multiple Personas, whereas most people only have one personality and thus can only summon one. He can hold up to twelve Personas at once and swap between them at will, which means he can change his elemental affinities at the drop of a hat to cover any weaknesses and gaps a team composition may have. I usually play him with this lineup of Personas, which includes the following line up of elemental skills: dark, light, psy, electric, ice, almighty (non-elemental damage), physical skills and healing/buffing abilities. He will be missing fire, wind and nuclear attacks.
I usually play him as being able to summon even without a physical mask on his person, since the mask/outfit in the Metaverse are more metaphorical catalysts than actual ones (like P3 Evokers). The power of Persona exists within them at all times (more like P4 characters), it just takes a certain shape when they're in the cognitive world! HOWEVER. . . I AM A DUMB DUMB and read the FAQ question about them needing to regain the mask as a physical item before being able to summon after playing with Akira's Personas on the TDM (sobs). I'm willing to totally retcon that thread and have him buy back a mask to access his powers, if needed!
ALSO: I tend to play with his summons coming with a (temporary) outfit change that fades away once the battle is over/he dispels his Personas. If this isn't okay, just let me know and I can totally not play with this aspect of things. I just think it's fun!!
The only other supernatural power he has is what is called his "Third Eye." In the game, this is basically a puzzle-solving skill. When used, it shows hidden footprints and highlights objects that can be used to solve puzzles. I don't generally play with this because it's hard to translate into Dreamwidth roleplay, BUT if it ever comes up. . . he has it!
The rest of his skills are perfectly ordinary! He has parkour abilities because he is a phantom thief, and regular human combat abilities (he particularly skilled with a knife and a pistol). His personal power levels are no stronger than that of a normal human.
VICES: Anger/Bitterness: Anger is, without a doubt, Akira's worst vice. But who can blame him, after everything he has been through? Being falsely accused of a crime he didn't commit, watching his loved ones suffer at the hands of the powerful and the corrupt, living in a society that has done everything it could to crush him. . . it's no wonder that he harbors a bit of bitterness in his heart. But while his anger runs deep, Akira has at least learned how to temper it into the sword he uses to cut through the injustices before him. He's great at controlling said anger, and he prefers to use it as fuel for his personal justice than to let it overtake him.
Pride/Overconfidence: Akira's second vice is undoubtedly pride. Akira has a lot of confidence; he's a dramatic li'l shit who isn't afraid to take risks and run with them (see: him slamming through a glass window within the first five minutes of the game). He knows he isn't infallible, but he is extremely confident in his skills, and it shows in every action he takes. This confidence can make him a bit. . . impulsive and overconfident at times, driving him to take dangerous actions. And occasionally, it finds him getting into in very dangerous situations (see: in Strikers, he agrees to be bait for an entire horde of enemies all by himself). Akira's pride also makes him a bit competitive; it's not hard to rile him up with a little game, so long as there's something in it for the winner! And while his pride has served him well thus far, it wouldn't be a stretch for that confidence to get him into trouble he can't weasel his way out of one day.
Guarded: It also comes as no surprise that Akira's experiences with the world have made him pretty distrustful and guarded. He keeps himself at a distance from people, only lowering his walls for those he knows extremely well. He doesn't like sharing details about his life, especially not the ones related to the accusations of assault and his false arrest. He also guards his emotions pretty well; not just because he is distrustful, but because he focuses so much on taking care of other people that he tends to belittle his own feelings. He is so used to being considered a "burden" by society that part of him has unknowingly internalized that fact. Getting him to open up can be a real trial, but. . . it is possible! It just may take some time.
VIRTUES: Kind-hearted: Above all else, Akira is the type of person who will step in to help someone in need, regardless of the circumstances. This kind heart of his is what got him in so much trouble in the first place; if he hadn't tried to stop the drunken politician from harassing that woman, he never would have gotten arrested. And yet. . . if you asked Akira if this action was a mistake, he'd respond with an emphatic absolutely not. He is the type of person who hates seeing other suffer, and he has the drive to do something about it, if he can. He cannot stand the sight of injustice, which is why he took up the mantle as a Phantom Thief. Society is shit, but he believes in its ability to change. And if he has to be the driving force of that change by going out of his way to help others, than he is more than willing to do so.
Thoughtful: This may seem similar to kind-hearted, but it's not!! This virtue speaks more to Akira and his approach to individual relationships, not his approach to trying to make the world a better place. When Akira really cares about someone, he gives them his all. He is willing to sit with them through their problems, and give them advice and gentle pushes to encourage them to be better people, when necessary. This virtue is present in every single one of his in-game Confidants, where he challenges his friends to become better people by helping them through their issues. He has a remarkable amount of patience and insight, and it genuinely gives him great joy to watch the people he loves grow and change for the better. Though. . . it should be said that while Akira is immensely attentive to his loved ones, he is less attentive to himself. By placing his focus solely on other people, he is prone to ignoring his own needs.
Independent: Akira is an extremely independent individual, which drives him to stay true to himself no matter the circumstances. He follows his own heart, regardless of what those around him may tell him to do, or what society says he should do. His independence also means he isn't prone to being influenced or corrupted by outside forces (see: when Yaldabaoth offers to release his captive friends in exchange for working together, giving Akira effective control over humanity's subconscious, Akira refuses this deal. See also: how he rejected Maruki's "perfect reality" because it meant he and his friends were captives to the man's schemes, rather than capable of making their own choices in life). Freedom, agency, and independence are probably the virtues that Akira values most in his life. . . probably because the world tried so hard to take them away from him, and he fought so hard to get them back. And after such a struggle, he isn't about to turn that freedom over to anyone else!1
SUIT REQUESTS: Spades is my first choice by a huge margin, because I think the themes of corruption and giving into one's darker desires are super fascinating for Akira. He truly is a good guy with a very strong sense of justice, and he'll be entering the resort with a mild amount of wariness and a firm determination to not let it change him. Spades would be a great suit to challenge him and his determination to stay true to himself. I don't think I'd use Spades to full-on corrupt him, but I would greatly enjoy Akira struggling against the resort's attempts at changing him. . . and defiantly continuing to choose to be himself again and again and again. I love that kind of narrative.
Alternatively, Hearts is also a good choice! Because he's a Phantom Thief. . . of Hearts. . . BADUM-TISH. More seriously, Akira does tend to wall off his feelings so he can continue to fuss at and protect others. He takes his job as the leader of the Phantom Thieves very seriously, and having too many feelings at any one time would affect his ability to lead! . . . or so he thinks. Hearts would see him butting against this basic instinct, and I think it'd be super interesting to see how he handles it.
RANK REQUESTS: I think it'd be hilarious if he started at the lowest rank and lived in the basement. THAT'S JUST CANON FOR HIM!! But otherwise, follow your heart mods!
SAMPLES: GP TDM Top Level. I also have Another game's TDM Top Level over here. And also This thread from that same game has a lot of character in it.
OOC
NAME: Al
AGE: 21+
CONTACT: Journal PM
CHARACTER(S): n/a
INVITED BY: Kia!
IC
NAME: Kurusu Akira
AGE: 17
CANON: Persona 5: Royal (with Strikers content)
CANON POINT: Post-Strikers
CRAU: n/a
OTHER: n/a
SUITABILITY: HONESTLY. . . Akira won't have much trouble fitting into the setting at all, rofl. He's a Persona protagonist; part of his game is a dating sim, and while I do not play him as having romanced any of those in-game options, it's still there!! Akira's first Persona was, after all, Arsene Lupin-- the gentleman thief known to fall for a pretty face at the drop of a hat. Akira is similar in that regard! While he isn't one to give away his heart freely, he is not immune to the charms of other people, and it's not difficult to get a little pitter-patter going in chest. And when he falls. . . he falls pretty fast and hard.
Akira isn't ashamed of his own desires, either; if anything, the way society has tried to push him down has only made him more determined to do what he wants, when he wants, the opinions of others be damned. He also isn't afraid to be open and honest about those desires with the people he cares about (see: how in every romance Confidant in his game he is the one to confess). As a young man who values freedom of choice and agency, there will be aspects of the resort that he hates-- the suit system, the pushiness of the hotel staff, food and drink that's laced with aphrodisiacs, etc etc-- but hilariously all of this will just make him all the more stubborn about doing things his way, on his own terms. Akira isn't the type to be defiant for the sake of defiance; he's the type to reclaim his agency by taking the things he has been given and making it his own. And that's very much what he'd do. The hotel wants him to bang then by GOLLY he will bang but WHEN HE DOES IT'LL BE ON HIS OWN TERMS, THANKS!!
TL;DR: he won't need the incentives to engage with the game's premise, he's a bisexual disaster whose heart flutters easily at the sight of a pretty face and isn't afraid to go for what he wants. If anything, he may struggle by falling for the wrong person and getting said heart unwittingly broken. He'll be fine!!
HISTORY: Born and raised in the Japanese countryside, Akira's life was forever turned upside down by a fateful encounter with one of Japan's most powerful politicians. Accused of assaulting this politician when all he was trying to do was stop him from drunkenly harassing a poor woman, Akira was arrested for a crime he never committed. . . and shoved face-first into a corrupt criminal justice system. Defeated, alone, and completely helpless, the courts ordered him to transfer to a school in Tokyo in lieu of serving jail time. If he could keep his head down and quietly serve out one year of probation, then the rest of his sentence would be communed.
. . . but Akira was never one to keep his head down when facing down the world's injustices.
In Tokyo, Akira gained the supernatural ability to steal hearts and force corrupt individuals to confess their crimes to the public. He used this ability to enact his own justice for the weak and helpless that society ignored. He created a little family of thieves who supported him in his cause, and together they made waves all throughout Japan. Eventually, he came face-to-face with the politician who had tried to crush him, and managed to bring that man to justice by stealing his heart. And at the end of this Journey in reforming society. . . he stood before a god who had imprisoned humanity's consciousness. He defeated this god, allowing society to once again think for itself, paving the way for even more permanent reform in a world that had tried so very hard to destroy him.
He had some more adventures after that, too. He defeated a second god that had influenced his school counselor to imprison him and his friends in a false "perfect reality" out of a misguided desire to make them happy. And then, seven months later, he went on a road trip across Japan with his friends to take down a third god who was trying to enslave humanity. The themes of Akira's enemies are all the same: they're deities who wish to take away society's agency and free thought, and Akira is always the one fighting to maintain that freedom.
So while getting arrested and being falsely accused of assault was probably the worst part of Akira's life, everything that came after. . . well. That's what shaped who he is today: a scruffy revolutionary and bold rebel who always follows his heart.
ABILITIES: Akira's main power is his ability to summon Personas, which are representations of his soul given physical form. As a Wild Card, he has the ability to summon multiple Personas, whereas most people only have one personality and thus can only summon one. He can hold up to twelve Personas at once and swap between them at will, which means he can change his elemental affinities at the drop of a hat to cover any weaknesses and gaps a team composition may have. I usually play him with this lineup of Personas, which includes the following line up of elemental skills: dark, light, psy, electric, ice, almighty (non-elemental damage), physical skills and healing/buffing abilities. He will be missing fire, wind and nuclear attacks.
I usually play him as being able to summon even without a physical mask on his person, since the mask/outfit in the Metaverse are more metaphorical catalysts than actual ones (like P3 Evokers). The power of Persona exists within them at all times (more like P4 characters), it just takes a certain shape when they're in the cognitive world! HOWEVER. . . I AM A DUMB DUMB and read the FAQ question about them needing to regain the mask as a physical item before being able to summon after playing with Akira's Personas on the TDM (sobs). I'm willing to totally retcon that thread and have him buy back a mask to access his powers, if needed!
ALSO: I tend to play with his summons coming with a (temporary) outfit change that fades away once the battle is over/he dispels his Personas. If this isn't okay, just let me know and I can totally not play with this aspect of things. I just think it's fun!!
The only other supernatural power he has is what is called his "Third Eye." In the game, this is basically a puzzle-solving skill. When used, it shows hidden footprints and highlights objects that can be used to solve puzzles. I don't generally play with this because it's hard to translate into Dreamwidth roleplay, BUT if it ever comes up. . . he has it!
The rest of his skills are perfectly ordinary! He has parkour abilities because he is a phantom thief, and regular human combat abilities (he particularly skilled with a knife and a pistol). His personal power levels are no stronger than that of a normal human.
VICES: Anger/Bitterness: Anger is, without a doubt, Akira's worst vice. But who can blame him, after everything he has been through? Being falsely accused of a crime he didn't commit, watching his loved ones suffer at the hands of the powerful and the corrupt, living in a society that has done everything it could to crush him. . . it's no wonder that he harbors a bit of bitterness in his heart. But while his anger runs deep, Akira has at least learned how to temper it into the sword he uses to cut through the injustices before him. He's great at controlling said anger, and he prefers to use it as fuel for his personal justice than to let it overtake him.
Pride/Overconfidence: Akira's second vice is undoubtedly pride. Akira has a lot of confidence; he's a dramatic li'l shit who isn't afraid to take risks and run with them (see: him slamming through a glass window within the first five minutes of the game). He knows he isn't infallible, but he is extremely confident in his skills, and it shows in every action he takes. This confidence can make him a bit. . . impulsive and overconfident at times, driving him to take dangerous actions. And occasionally, it finds him getting into in very dangerous situations (see: in Strikers, he agrees to be bait for an entire horde of enemies all by himself). Akira's pride also makes him a bit competitive; it's not hard to rile him up with a little game, so long as there's something in it for the winner! And while his pride has served him well thus far, it wouldn't be a stretch for that confidence to get him into trouble he can't weasel his way out of one day.
Guarded: It also comes as no surprise that Akira's experiences with the world have made him pretty distrustful and guarded. He keeps himself at a distance from people, only lowering his walls for those he knows extremely well. He doesn't like sharing details about his life, especially not the ones related to the accusations of assault and his false arrest. He also guards his emotions pretty well; not just because he is distrustful, but because he focuses so much on taking care of other people that he tends to belittle his own feelings. He is so used to being considered a "burden" by society that part of him has unknowingly internalized that fact. Getting him to open up can be a real trial, but. . . it is possible! It just may take some time.
VIRTUES: Kind-hearted: Above all else, Akira is the type of person who will step in to help someone in need, regardless of the circumstances. This kind heart of his is what got him in so much trouble in the first place; if he hadn't tried to stop the drunken politician from harassing that woman, he never would have gotten arrested. And yet. . . if you asked Akira if this action was a mistake, he'd respond with an emphatic absolutely not. He is the type of person who hates seeing other suffer, and he has the drive to do something about it, if he can. He cannot stand the sight of injustice, which is why he took up the mantle as a Phantom Thief. Society is shit, but he believes in its ability to change. And if he has to be the driving force of that change by going out of his way to help others, than he is more than willing to do so.
Thoughtful: This may seem similar to kind-hearted, but it's not!! This virtue speaks more to Akira and his approach to individual relationships, not his approach to trying to make the world a better place. When Akira really cares about someone, he gives them his all. He is willing to sit with them through their problems, and give them advice and gentle pushes to encourage them to be better people, when necessary. This virtue is present in every single one of his in-game Confidants, where he challenges his friends to become better people by helping them through their issues. He has a remarkable amount of patience and insight, and it genuinely gives him great joy to watch the people he loves grow and change for the better. Though. . . it should be said that while Akira is immensely attentive to his loved ones, he is less attentive to himself. By placing his focus solely on other people, he is prone to ignoring his own needs.
Independent: Akira is an extremely independent individual, which drives him to stay true to himself no matter the circumstances. He follows his own heart, regardless of what those around him may tell him to do, or what society says he should do. His independence also means he isn't prone to being influenced or corrupted by outside forces (see: when Yaldabaoth offers to release his captive friends in exchange for working together, giving Akira effective control over humanity's subconscious, Akira refuses this deal. See also: how he rejected Maruki's "perfect reality" because it meant he and his friends were captives to the man's schemes, rather than capable of making their own choices in life). Freedom, agency, and independence are probably the virtues that Akira values most in his life. . . probably because the world tried so hard to take them away from him, and he fought so hard to get them back. And after such a struggle, he isn't about to turn that freedom over to anyone else!1
SUIT REQUESTS: Spades is my first choice by a huge margin, because I think the themes of corruption and giving into one's darker desires are super fascinating for Akira. He truly is a good guy with a very strong sense of justice, and he'll be entering the resort with a mild amount of wariness and a firm determination to not let it change him. Spades would be a great suit to challenge him and his determination to stay true to himself. I don't think I'd use Spades to full-on corrupt him, but I would greatly enjoy Akira struggling against the resort's attempts at changing him. . . and defiantly continuing to choose to be himself again and again and again. I love that kind of narrative.
Alternatively, Hearts is also a good choice! Because he's a Phantom Thief. . . of Hearts. . . BADUM-TISH. More seriously, Akira does tend to wall off his feelings so he can continue to fuss at and protect others. He takes his job as the leader of the Phantom Thieves very seriously, and having too many feelings at any one time would affect his ability to lead! . . . or so he thinks. Hearts would see him butting against this basic instinct, and I think it'd be super interesting to see how he handles it.
RANK REQUESTS: I think it'd be hilarious if he started at the lowest rank and lived in the basement. THAT'S JUST CANON FOR HIM!! But otherwise, follow your heart mods!
SAMPLES: GP TDM Top Level. I also have Another game's TDM Top Level over here. And also This thread from that same game has a lot of character in it.