Without Heaven [OOC + Signups]

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Name: Sasuke
Alias/Titles: Whirlwind, Kuro (to close friends and family), Monkey/Sarutobi (if you want to get your head caved in)
Age: 23
Gender: Male
Profession: Street Performer, Punisher


Likes: women, music, honest and hard-working people, freedom, dancing
Dislikes: bladed weapons, anyone who enjoys making others suffer

Bio: 50 years ago, an Italian Jesuit had brought with him the first black man to set foot upon Japanese soil. A servant once warrior who was now tasked in waiting on the hands and feet of a pompous priest; come to spread His word where none had asked to hear it and all had more important things to focus on like the psychopathic daimyo constantly engaging in war with one another. However one such psychopath happened to be Nobunaga Oda, and he happened to have quite a fascination with foreign cultures. So it came as a surprise to few when the devil king of the 6th heaven sought to meet the 'man with skin back as an ox'. The black man, who was named Yasuke by the Japanese (his original name was yasufe), found a friendship in this 'demon king' and was brought out of service to the jesuites by him, even becoming a samurai in Nobunaga's service.

The Italian looked down upon Yasuke for his complexion, but Oda instead saw a man with the strength to snap those who annoyed him like twigs, and yet chose not to. In their developing friendship Yasuke would explain that in his youth he had been hot-blooded and eager to call himself a warrior, convincing himself there was some sort of glory in the name, but that this had come to an end when he had gotten in a brawl with another hot blooded youth with similar ideas, and ultimately won by murder. Yasuke had not gone into the conflict intending to end a life, but had found that when he was pressed with the decision between loosing, or fighting with lethal force, he had chosen wrong. Filled with guilt with what he had done and rightfully branded a criminal, he had found redemption in the service of the servants of God. Nobunaga found all of this amusing and considered Yasufe to be a valuable ally, not as another blade but as a trusted shield under his service. To that extent, while he had given Yasuke a sword and taught him how to use it upon making him a samurai, he also had a western shield crafted for him. It was perfectly round buckler about 15 inches in diameter that Nobunaga gifted to Yasuke because he knew it suited his brawler's fighting style much better than the sword ever would.

Unfortunately Yasuke's shield would not prove enough to save Nobunaga from the flames of honno-ji three years later. He had escaped the temple after Nobunaga committed seppuku, fleeing with Nobutada to azuchi castle and fighting to defend him from Akechi Mitsuhide's men, but here too he failed before the traitor's numbers and was captured. However, while Mitsuhide had hated Nobunaga, he had never had any ill will towards the quiet and respectful Yasuke, so rather than have him killed as an enemy soldier the black man was instead returned to the Jesuits' care as he was 'just a beast who knew nothing (and thus was unaccountable)'.

Yasuke mourned his friend's loss and his inability to protect him, and was robbed of any thoughts of vengeance when hideyoshi beat him to the punch. While he had not been officially stripped of his tile, these were the end of Yasuke's days as a samurai and he returned to living a simple life among the servants of god, eventually marrying a Japanese christian convert by the name of Fumiko. As the sengoku period came to a close through hideyoshi's rule Yasuke was able to find peace, siring a son nearly two decades after first coming to the Japanese islands. Unfortunately the peace would not last as the last embers of the sengoku period came with the Tokugawa usurping the Toyotomi. Whereas Hideyoshi had at least been tolerant of christians thanks to Nobunaga's open welcome of them in the past, Ieyasu saw them as a disruptive force to be removed, and Yasuke knew that with him in power it would only be a matter of time before danger returned to threaten his family.

This prompted him to pick up his old buckler, left unused since his failure at honno-ji and azuchi, and train himself once more. Yasuke also used his much of the funds he had saved up to buy enough iron to have a second shield forged for his son Sauske once he had become big enough to hold one. He taught Sasuke the wild martial dances of their people, and how he had refined them by observing the fighting styles of the japanese. With punches, graples, flips, kicks and all manner of shield bashes (both with the flat and the reinforced edge of the buckler) Yasuke taught his son how to be a shield, how to break an opponent without killing him. He instilled his son with the values he had gained through his own experience, as any good father ought, and wanted to impart on him the knowledge of how to use his strength and temper his youthful hot blood so as to protect those important to him.

Sasuke had grown up idolizing his father. He wholeheartedly believed in the lessons his father taught him and trained hard to one day become a fighter as skilled as him. Unfortunately when he was 17 the daimyo saw fit to cut the training short. Harassment of christians was already cmmon by the daimyo;s men and the few remaining Jesuit missionaries knew they were no longer welcomed in nippon, and now finally the Shogun had declared christianity as illegal. Those who refused (or were suspected to be likely to refuse) to abandon the western church were therefore criminals in the eyes of the shogunate and were taken from their homes.

When the soldiers came to Sasuke's village his father would have liked nothing more than let everything end peacefully, but the other men were not going to let themselves be kicked out of their own homes. Thus when a fight inevitably broke out the black samurai came to the aid of his friends and neighbours. Sasuke also joined in the fray but ultimately with he and his father being the only really experienced combatants on the villager's side, it was no surprise that they lost the fight. Yasuke died that day, cut down by a man with far fewer reservations to killing than he. Sasuke was deported, like the rest of his village, off japanese soil with only what they all had managed to grab in their arms before the soldier hauled them away. Sasuke only thought to grab his father's buckler, and hold onto his own.

He was separated from his mother as the men and women were taken away separately and was never able to find out what happened to her. Sasuke himself was deported with many of the younger men to Ritenkyo, stripped of japanese citizenship and branded a permanent resident of the prison island. Sasuke was full of rage against the shogun's men, but quickly found that rage could not keep your stomach full and that few people had use of a warrior who could only fight with shields beyond considering him a curiosity piece. Capitalizing on that curiosity piece angle Sasuke became a wandering perforer, turning his martial arts into a dance he used to entertain others in return for coin. It was this way that Sasuke kept himself fed and traveled the island of the broken and rejected. He eventually encountered nother pair of entertainers; a Goze (blind songstress) by the name of Narumi who played the shamisen, and a man named Jingen, only a few years older than Sasuke, who was ostencibly Narumi's percussionist but was mostly acting as her body guard while she travelled. The three became fast friends and they were quick to incorporate their acts together, mixing their music to his dance.

however, even with this newfound happiness sasuke could not forget the anger he held inside. While all on the island were victims of the shogunate some were not above taking advantage of the weakness and misfortune of others in order to increase their own standing on the island. From the brigands who pillaged peaceful farming villages, to the three blades of dominion themselves, Sasuke found many parasites ready to prey on those weaker than them and always rose to challenge them whenever he saw them bully or take advantage of anyone else.

He is a generally pretty laid-back guy who enjoys having a good time, but the anger he feels towards those who unjustly harm others is always ready to burst forth when he sees injustice. And while he continues to use shields and foregoes bladed weaponry in his father's memory, he has beaten several opponents to death with his blows since coming to the island. On some level he knows this goes against what his father tried to teach him, but Sasuke tells himself that rapists and murderers the likes of which he's met on the island threw away their right to live long ago anyways.

recently to avoid causing his band mates trouble he has gotten to sneaking out and tracking down people he has seen abuse others at night, after the fact, to punish them for their misdeeds. While he tells himself this is to protect Narumi and Jingen, he also keeps his night time vigilantism a secret from them.

Weapon(s): he weilds his father's buckler in his right hand, and his own in his left.

Fighting Style: Sasuke fights in his own dual-wielding version of father's style which is similar in principle to Capoeira. Many acrobatic flips and turns to disorient and intimidate the opponent, however his style has less focus on kicks than capoeira and instead focuses on putting the momentum of those spins and turns into Sasuke's arms in order to deliver bone-crushing blows with the bucklers that Sasuke dual wields into battle. Of course, the shields are ultimately defensive tools, not blunt weaponry, so in addition to strikes Sasuke is also very handy at blocking/parrying weapon strikes and moving in for the counter when he sees the chance. His style is well suited to taking out several brawlers at once and is useful against most swordsmen since the majority of samurai have never had to work around a western shield before, let alone two. Unfortunately his style also suffers from incredibly short range, making him weak against pole-arms and ranged attacks. His acrobatics also require a fair amount of stamina, meaning that he will tire out quickly if the fight drags on and he is not careful. It's this style that has given him the moniker 'whirlwind' among some.


Trivia: Because of his name, some less-than-educated folk have mistaken him for the legendary ninja Sarutobi Sasuke (who would be his elder by at least 30 years). Even worse, those people have a tendency of then assuming that "the reason people call you (actually talking about sarutobi) a monkey is because of your black skin?". Sasuke has grown very annoyed with this and typically reacts violently when someone confuses him for the ninja, or calls him 'monkey'.

He has also become quite fond of the Street of Flowers in his years on the island, becoming a regular customer and coming for a visit whenever he is in the region.

EDIT (almost forgot ;) )
Battle Theme:
 
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@Buio Is it? I'm sorry. I just couldn't really find the right word to describe it, and went with that phrase I cobbled off Google. I suppose it's more adaptive than eidetic, since the latter does make it sound... infallible, and powerful. Makoto is just an impressionable (for a lack of a better word) kind of guy, and his copy techniques won't be a 100% match. Just like how kids used to imitate the heroes they saw on television.

And thanks, mate! Plus, with what I have in mind, Makoto's going to find himself quite involved with the Three Blades. But putting that aside for now, I like Sasuke. Him and Makoto could definitely become interesting rivals and foils to one another.

@Hologram Summer Thanks, chief! I'm having a bit of trouble connecting to the site, apparently, so I might be a little slow to catch up.
 
1) It should be noted that the two female companions of my character are mine to control, just like my character, unless and until I give someone permission to use one of those girls for their own character. In order for such an event to occur, I am intentionally leaving most detail regarding those girls out.

2) I'm noticing that several characters have little to formal training, instead having 'invented their own style'. While I understand that anime physics are in work here, I still need to know if they will be considered peers of samurai in terms of prowess by the group at large. Because I won't, and my character won't.
 
2) I'm noticing that several characters have little to formal training, instead having 'invented their own style'. While I understand that anime physics are in work here, I still need to know if they will be considered peers of samurai in terms of prowess by the group at large. Because I won't, and my character won't.

I would say it's a matter of situational relevance. Given Yigin's background, he would not last long against an armed samurai in a duel. However, should he be able to catch one in a bar fight there's a high likelihood that he would break his/her neck. I would assume each character would have a similar sea-saw scenario.
 
Also, I would argue that few of the characters really do have styles that are completely made up. The only two characters besides makoto who have neither formal training nor extensive battle experience are a prostitute and a geisha who are working the information network instead (and the geisha still knows some swordsmanship thanks to her brother). Shiro has no one style she practices, but has instead spent her life being taught many different techniques to many different weapons and situations in fighting, so she acts as a 'jack of all trades, master of none' and offsets her lack of mastery by adopting an analytical stance in her fights, looking for weaknesses in enemy armour before moving. Yingin has no formal training, but formal training is no comparison to actual battle experience and he has that in spades. Like Warrior said, he'd suffer in a classic duel because that's the samurai's arena, but flip that into a bar fight and yingin comes at an advantage. then obviously there are shigane and aito, the power-players on teh good guys side. And my own newest character is arguably more formally trained than the majority of the characters accepted, after all his father had been a formally trained warrior who drew experience from two distinct schools of battle from two different continents, and then trained sasuke in that specific blend of techniques from the time he was a child to his late adolescence. The modifications sasuke had to bring to his style to accommodate the second shield were minor and didn't significantly detract from his skill (though he is still one of the lower teir characters in strength due to his lack of raw battle experience in comparison to nearly everyone else).

as for makoto himself who is neither formally trained nor has extensive mortal combat experience? well this is an anime-styled rp, and he is clearly our token 'prodigal idiot' fighter haha. I think the trope is Crouching Moron Hidden Badass.
 
EDIT: nevermind this question was answered by reading the most recent posts.
 
...I haven't spoken up before because I can't figure out how to manipulate the map, but I'm going to say yes, assuming Tsubaki-maru is the current location of the fight.
 
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Oh yeah, I noticed that too but I wasn't sure about bringing it up. I mean, this is anime physics we're working with, but they're also using old-fashioned guns, right? They probably shouldn't be anywhere near that powerful.
 
"Then a bullet tore the child in half, splattering his sister with his insides."


uhhhh, not that I'm no fan of vivid imagery myself , but these are muskets right? not anti-tank rifles? lol
 
oh, yeah, anime physics. I guess this is just Helsing physics then haha. well, it's up to our GM to say if it's too extreme or not.
 
Holy smokes, I just read that post actually haha. Yeah, a child dying a Mortal Kombat death from a stray musket bullet seems a bit too much.

And I will have to agree on the points raised regarding fictional vs non-fictional fighting styles. Real or not, it boils down to how much training and fighting experience your character has.
 
dammit, blitz got me with the ninja post. lol
 

Name:
Haruki Shinobu

Alias/Titles:
"Seventh Grandmaster Shinobu"

Age:
31

Gender:
Female

Profession:
Dojo Master; Income received through apprenticeship and trade.
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Likes:
Sake.

Dislikes:
Shogunate.

Bio:
Haruki is the first born of Shinobu Sakura and Shinobu Shun. Shun was the Grandmaster of the Karate (Way of the Empty Fist) Dojo. Shun's disciples were most often men training for the Shogunate. Shun's Dojo kept peace and did not see much unrest besides men disrespecting his floor and ending upside down for it. His wife refused to give birth to a son so he was left with the shame of a female Grandmaster or the disappointment of losing the family Dojo. Shun, stubborn as he was, refused to let his teachings to burn to ash and dissolve with man's wading memory. He began teaching his two daughters Aoi and Haruki the Way of the Empty Fist. Haruki being the eldest took the lead, but Aoi's determined nature allowed her to keep at her sister's heels. The two clashed often to hone their skills and focus their negativity else where.
The girls continued to train under their father's lead eventually moving on to help in his classes. Haruki took her job seriously and kept her training up, but Aoi caught an eye for one of her father's disciples and started to devote her attention to more feminine things. Haruki saw nothing in the men around her, but grew jealous of her sisters. Even her youngest sister had found a lover and was engaged at her young age of 17. The fact that Haruki neglected was that most of the men had feelings for her however these were driven most by lust than any other driving force. Haruki's training started to be driven by anger as she thought about her age and current life. She eventually picked up a small drinking habit to calm her mind and slowed her practice down after these drinks so that she could practice correctly, but her impatient nature always took over and unknowingly she'd developed the Way of the Empty Bottle (Drunken Karate).
The Way of the Empty Bottle's first test was proven just before her training when a pair of the Shogunate men thought it a good idea to try and sleep with her against her will. Their mission ended in a permanent end. After investigation Haruki grew a deep hate for the Shogunate and on a night when she had really made herself drunk challenged her father. The battle ended with Haruki victorious and an idiotic conversation in which she denied the Grandmaster title and accepted it in a repeated cycle. To top the night off she drifts off while standing and it takes a full ten minutes before anyone is able to get past her guard without hurting her.
Haruki eventually was taken to Ritenkyo personally by her father. Here he bought her a Dojo and asked that she continue the family's style. Haruki did not understand the tone of her father due to her being drunk beyond belief when fighting him. Haruki then became the seventh Grandmaster Shinobu and the first female Grandmaster of Karate. Haruki has challenged enough people and Dojos that most should know her name within the two year time period she's been on the island. She has been unaware of these Three Blades of Dominion for quite some time until their (silent/brutal?) conquests of the island.

Haruki was born on the first month of the year and oldest of three sisters. Her father was Shinobu Shun, a Grandmaster, owner of the Empty Fist style and Dojo. Here on the island the style had been practiced for six generations and without a male heir Haruki was to be the seventh. Shun got over his disappointment of never having a son and trained his two oldest daughters to become masters of the style. The youngest was left to train as young woman with their mother Sakura.
Haruki trained vigorously and her sister, Aoi, followed suit. Aoi trained with the various weapons of the style that would eventually earn a title for herself, but Haruki devoted her time to the flexibility and the physical essence of the style. As time went on the two females developed just as any would and their younger sister was engaged at a young age. Time continued and their father thought that now they needed practice teaching the style and thus became assistants during training. Aoi was by far more feminine than her sister and soon fell in love with a man during the training and began helping more and more around the house. Haruki yet to find a suitor of the three became jealous and took up drinking. Her habit was a minimal one, but lead to experimentation.
Haruki's drinking was often at night where her practice time was more focused on the striking power of her skills rather than technique. When her balance was slightly off from the drinks she felt free and her punches began to go infinitely faster at the sacrifice of power. She also noticed that the ways she tripped always evaded the attacks of the training equipment. Haruki tried her best to remember the style so that she could practice with a clear head. From that moment on Haruki's schedule had almost no free time and she devoted herself to the art. Mornings she trained the Empty Fist, afternoons she taught it, and at night she reinvented it. Haruki was proud of her work and when she turned 29 the island went through catastrophic power changes and the Dojos were called upon to defend, but simple classes were not big enough to stop forces coming in and the island was eventually consumed. Haruki remained oblivious to the silent war and mastered her art. It was only when the Three Blades of Dominion usurped control that she noticed the changes.
It didn't take long for her to master her new style and she eventually felt ready to demonstrate it. She took this day that she had chosen to showcase it to celebrate by herself and got drunk that night. She was then approached by Shogunate spies and not knowing their affiliation told them simple things about her father, enough to confirm their target. The spies must have been looking for her father because when she returned home her sister Tsubaki stood in her father's room shivering. The sight made Haruki sober; their father had been abducted and from the looks of the room alive. Haruki from that moment on was known as the Seventh Grandmaster and began to teach both styles of the Empty Way; Empty Fist and Empty Bottle. At age 31 Haruki was head of the family and took on a hatred for the Shogunate, she saw them as the only possibility for her father's disappearance.


Weapon(s):
Silver Knuckles & Bracers

Fighting Style:
"Way of the empty fist" (Karate); "Way of the empty bottle" (Drunken Karate)


Theme(s):

Theme 1
Theme 2
Theme 3
Theme 4




 
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actually blitz. your post confuses me, I thought teh assassins were on rooftops, or are there two groups, one at the roof and one on the street?
 
It would make sense to have a ground unit and ones on top of the roof so we could go with you having fun of the roof while I take out the trash on the ground.
 
sounds good to me. Holo?
 
By the way I don't have a game plan with what's inside the pouch, I just figured that would be a logical way to learn more about these assassins, finding their orders or correspondence.
 
@ShiroKiyoshi your character couldn't exist with the lore we've set up already. Prisoners only started being sent here like seven years ago, not enough time for any of them to establish multi-generational dojos, and if your girl was one of the natives, it's hard to see why she would be fond of the three blades. As far as I can tell, the prisoners basically did a hostile takeover of the island from the natives when they were dumped there, and then the blades did a hostile take over of that. so you're dealing with your despot's despot, and we all know wet shit trickles down, so to speak).

though more pressingly, you should really try to just generally put more detail in your character's history. Look at Aito and Yingin for great examples of a bio section done right. as it you are summing up the defining life events of your character with little more than a sentence or two per event so it feels more like just seeing a quick report rather than really learning about your character's history and why they became the way the became. that's also very important, for example you put in your character likes that she likes fruits, why is that something important to know? Why is it more important than, say, her favourite colour which you didn't mention? Does she have a special history with fruits? And you said she dislikes weapons wielders. Why? was she raised to see them as rivals just because she fights with karate?

Basically, the personality section (in this case the likes/dislikes) of a character should tell us how they are, the bio/history should tell us how they got that way. know what i mean?

Also, as a more general aside, when you recount events you should always speak/write in the past tense. So, for example, instead of "Haruki is the oldest of three siblings and Shun Shinobu's eldest" something lilke "Shonibu Haruki was Shinobu Shun's firstborn child, the first of three daughters he would sire in his lifetime of trying for a son to carry his name."

adopting the past tense generally makes your writing look cleaner and more professional when recounting.
 
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