OOC ♬ vatheon Application
[ Player Name ] : Von
[ Personal LJ ] : inmemorybound
[ Age ] : 23
[ Timezone ] : GMT
[ Character's Name ] : Chōsokabe Motochika
[ Character's Age ] : 28
[ Series ] : Samurai Warriors 3
[ Canon Point ] : His story mode, just after the battle of Yamazaki.
[ History ] :
Motochika was born into the Chōsokabe clan of Tosa, in the island region of Shikoku, during the warring states period of Japan. He became the clan's head and united all of Shikoku under his rule. Around the same time, Oda Nobunaga of Owari conquered the east of Japan, and became the biggest military power in the country.
One of Nobunaga's chief retainers, Akechi Mitsuhide, was a good friend of Motochika's. When the Oda army moved to quell an uprising lead by the Mōri clan at Kizugawa, Mitsuhide requested Motochika's aid. Motochika brought the Chōsokabe navy to help, stating that he would not turn Mitsuhide down.
During the battle of Kizugawa, Motochika observed both Nobunaga and his friend. He found Nobunaga to be a remarkable man, and his sheer ambition resonated with Motochika, so he decided to join with the Oda, stating that perhaps what the land needed right now was not empathy, but ambition great enough to swallow the chaos whole. Following the surrender of peasants who were escorted to safety by Mitsuhide, then slaughtered by another general at Nobunaga's orders, one of Nobunaga's other retainers, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, left the battlefield. Seeing Mitsuhide's shock at Nobunaga's heartless actions, Motochika challenged him, saying: 'I'm waiting for you to run away too. Or are you man enough to stay?'. When Mitsuhide chose to stay, he then challenged Mitsuhide to prove his commitment to Nobunaga's cause.
After they won at Kizugawa, Uesugi Kenshin of Echigo opposed Nobunaga; Nobunaga's general Shibata Katsuie was cornered by the Uesugi at Tetorigawa, and Nobunaga himself lead the reinforcements. Motochika joined the battle too, once again at Mitsuhide's request. During the battle, when setting some of the Uesugi strongholds aflame, Nobunaga purposely set one of his own alight - the one that Mitsuhide occupied. Motochika understood that it was Nobunaga's way of testing Mitsuhide's ambition, and so Motochika encouraged his bewildered friend to rise to the challenge and prove his ambition real, by overcoming the flames and securing victory for the Oda. When Hideyoshi once again retreated from battle, Motochika said to Mitsuhide: 'Hideyoshi does as his conscience demands... Mitsuhide, what does your soul command you to do?'. Like at Kizugawa, Motochika saw Mitsuhide's repressed inability to reconcile with Nobunaga's methods, and observed that Nobunaga would use any method necessary to ensure the future that he envisaged was made.
Together they won. But Motochika had suspicions that his alliance with the Oda would soon come to an end. With the Uesugi no longer a threat, Motochika expected Nobunaga to set his sights on Shikoku. Mitsuhide protested the idea, though his faith in Nobunaga had wavered. Motochika informed Mitsuhide that if they wanted to survive, then they would have to keep a step ahead of Nobunaga, and returned home.
Just as he'd predicted at the end of the battle of Tetorigawa, Nobunaga broke their alliance and began to prepare for an invasion of Shikoku. Mitsuhide came to Shikoku to warn Motochika, and Motochika was left with two choices: destroy Nobunaga, or be wiped out.
Motochika challenged Mitsuhide's presence in Shikoku, exposing his friend's faultering loyalty to Nobunaga, and convinced Mitsuhide to rise against Nobunaga with him. Together they went to the temple of Honnōji, where Nobunaga had stopped to rest, apart from the majority of the Oda forces. With the Akechi forces behind them, they attacked Nobunaga.
The incident was especially hard on Mitsuhide mentally, so Motochika had to constantly reassure his friend and push him forward as they drew ever closer. Along the way they were forced to fight some of Mitsuhide's old comrades; one in particular, Mori Ranmaru, accused Motochika of staining Mitsuhide's white hands (with blood). They managed to corner Nobunaga, even as Honnōji went up in flames, and together defeated him.
While killing Nobunaga had ensured their survival, it made Mitsuhide a target for all those who had served the Oda. One in particular, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, near immediately sought to take revenge upon Mitsuhide. Motochika stood at Mitsuhide's side, and they took to the battlefield once again at Yamazaki. Killing Nobunaga had taken a grave emotional toll on Mitsuhide; as the battle began, Motochika acknowledged Mitsuhide's despair, but encouraged him to take it and use it to strive for a better future, instead of being consumed by it.
Hideyoshi had captured Mt. Tennō and so had the tactical advantage; despite this, Motochika and Mitsuhide fought on. While Mitsuhide used Chōsokabe boats to reach Hideyoshi's main camp as part of their secret plan, Motochika won them back Mt. Tennō, and reunited with Mitsuhide for the final push. Hideyoshi, like Ranmaru, accused Motochika of manipulating Mitsuhide, to which he replied: 'Mitsuhide made the choice himself. I am merely standing beside him, a friend in his time of need'. The pair defeated Hideyoshi, and Motochika promised the dying man that they would not forget his spirit.
The Toyotomi were not the last of their enemies, but for now, they had time to try to recover and prepare for one last battle. Motochika was willing to deal with whatever threat came next, while Mitsuhide worked through his grief.
[ Personality ] :
Motochika is cool-headed and calm. He is also extremely stubborn and rebellious -- in fact, you'd be hard-pressed to find a man more so. It is as he states: 'I have no intention of changing who I am for anyone'. To say that he lacked passion would be folly. He is a man of conviction who actively responds to challenges, and in turn challenges others' views. When he sees his friend Mitsuhide begin to doubt in Nobunaga, Motochika directly challenges Mitsuhide's position, and it results in them turning on Nobunaga at Honnōji. In fact, any sort of hesitancy or uncertainness he notices, he will challenge, how ever grand or small it may be. It is no surprise, then, that he is eternally confident and secure in himself and his actions. Nor is it any surprise that he can seem and even be quite arrogant. Considering that he has always been strong and capable and independent, he is not used to needing help himself. He's slow to admit weakness, and accepts help grudgingly, having expected better of himself. He's the kind that looks out for others, not vice versa.
It is obvious that Motochika is an artistic person, given that his weapon of choice is a shamisen. Musically inclined, he is often found playing his shamisen when he is otherwise idle or unoccupied, or when he wishes to create a certain atmosphere or express a certain mood. It is second nature to him. He is never without his music. His words also display his artistic side -- he can be a poetic speaker when he wishes to be, normally utilising metaphors of water and sound in such cases. He usually chooses to be fairly succinct, however. He also possesses a dramatic streak. Not only is it evident in his striking appearance, when he wants to make a big point he dresses it up not only with music but with bold actions as well, such as snapping his shamisen's strings one by one as he plays or casually dropping backwards off of a balcony. There is nothing subtle about Motochika.
Motochika is brutally honest. He doesn't coddle or sugar-coat his words for people, even those he cares for, so he sometimes comes across as harsh. He believes that sometimes cruelty is necessary to be kind, but also that without kindness, a person is no better than an animal. He is never needlessly sharp, at least; he nurtures with a firm hand opposed to a soft touch. He is a realist rather than an idealist, and sees the world in shades of grey. While it makes him difficult to control, it also means that Motochika is not a petty man: he has learned how to look at the bigger picture, rather than focusing on the incidentals.
Motochika is very much a person who looks ahead without regrets: 'What's done is done; we have no choice but to move on'. That does not mean that he ignores the past. He is concerned with legacy, and the notion of carrying forward the lessons of the past. He believes in responsibility and takes it seriously. What he does not allow the past to do, however, is hinder the ability to move forward in the first place. He is very conscious of making history and leaving a mark behind, intending never to be forgotten once his time is done.
For these reasons, when he supports Mitsuhide in the betrayal of Nobunaga, all of Mistuhide's old comrades accuse Motochika of corrupting and manipulating Mitsuhide into it. Motochika staunchly defends that it was Mitsuhide's idea, and that he is standing by his friend. Few believe him.
When it comes to Mitsuhide, the truth is somewhere in-between; Motochika is honest in saying that he supports his friend wholeheartedly, and Motochika acts as the soft-hearted, prone to self-doubting Mitsuhide's strength, protecting him, advising him, lending his side unwavering confidence and helping him make the hard decisions. But it is also true that Motochika, upon noting Mitsuhide's inner conflict, pushed Mitsuhide's doubts to the surface and challenged him to confront them, thus making him act upon them. Mitsuhide appears not to mind, and so Motochika stays firmly at his side.
Like the seawaters he has mastered as Lord of Shikoku and head of a strong naval force, Motochika is sometimes calm and sometimes turbulent, deep and constant, always in motion and never tamed.
[ Strengths/Weaknesses ] :
STRENGTHS
♪ Motochika is a powerful daimyo and therefore experienced in both combat and administration. The whole island region of Shikoku is under his control and he is head of his own army.
♪ Motochika is a talented musician and plays the shamisen expertly. He can also beat people up with his shamisen (it's surprisingly hardy) and the soundwaves it produces. Of special note are the sound bubbles that he can create; up to five released at once, they are blue bubbles that will drift out and explode when triggered by a certain note on his shamisen.
♪ Unsurprisingly, Motochika is very good with water. He has his own naval fleet and is therefore skilled in boatcraft and swimming. He also has an elemental affinity with water; with his shamisen he can create a projectile balls of water, and if using his ultimate musou, he can call forth short-lived but powerful jets of water.
♪ Motochika has unwavering self-confidence. Combined with his independent spirit and the fact that he is a man who prefers to act, it means that he is a natural leader.
♪ Motochika is stubborn, which means it's impossible to change his mind or influence him. It's also impossible to make him stand down without removing him from the situation entirely.
♪ He tends to be sharp when it comes to reading people, because of the scruntiny he puts in the notion of legacy.
♪ Motochika is unfraid to do what he must, regardless of the consequences. He is prepared to pick the lesser of two evils, and he is prepared to stand against impossible odds.
♪ Motochika is level-headed and realistic.
♪ He is able to rouse others into action, usually through insightful goading.
WEAKNESSES
♪ He is immovable, and therefore terrible at compromise.
♪ His attitude tends to win him more enemies than it does friends. He's not a soft person. His enemies tend to be powerful ones.
♪ Because of his shades of grey outlook, Motochika can be seen as morally dubious.
♪ Because of his rebellious tendencies, Motochika is not always trusted.
♪ He's bad at following the lead of others.
♪ For all his battle skill, Motochika is only human, and therefore subject to all standard human frailties.
♪ Subtlety is not an option for him: 'I refuse to go into any battle quietly'.
♪ He is awful at sitting back and doing nothing.
♪ He is also bad at admitting weakness, and on relying on others.
♪ He is pushy.
[ Other Important Facts ] :
Motochika is a samurai from warring states period Japan -- 1582, specifically. While there are a good few obvious anachronisms and liberties taken in SW 'verse, especially where the characters are concerned, for the most part it's based off of history. HERE is an information post I've compiled for everyone's benefit.
[ Sample ] :
Motochika settled himself comfortably on the floor and shifted his shamisen into position upon his lap. The fingers of his left hand slid into place on the neck of the instrument; those on his right hand curled around his bachi. One of his men had reported Mitsuhide's approach.
Tonight, the only appropriate music would be a ballad of rebellion.
Mitsuhide coming to Shikoku now only confirmed his predictions during the battle at Tetorigawa; Nobunaga intended to break their alliance and invade his region next. He had already considered the possibility, and he knew that against Nobunaga's full might the Chōsokabe would be swallowed whole. He had told Mitsuhide that it was necessary to stay a step ahead of Nobunaga: a pre-emptive fight for survival was the only option. Shikoku depended on his victory, as did his and Mitsuhide's very lives.
That Mitsuhide came straight to him said everything of Mitsuhide's conviction, Motochika knew, even if his friend did not realise the full implications of the action. Motochika had already seen Mitsuhide's dissatisfaction and splitting loyalty in the way that his friend despaired of Nobunaga's cruelty and tried to find justification that did not exist for the slaughter of the surrendered peasants at Kizugawa - Nobunaga was simply cruel without condition and without mercy. He had seen it at Tetorigawa, too, in Mitsuhide's bewilderment and hurt when Nobunaga chose to test his friend's ambition by setting the stronghold that Mitsuhide occupied alight. Motochika had encouraged Mitsuhide to rise to the challenge then, and they had helped the Oda to victory once more, but afterwards Mitsuhide had been left in turmoil.
Mitsuhide had never truly acted on his misgivings before; his friend was too idealistic, too naïve to, too besieged by self-doubt.
But there was no place for compassion in Nobunaga's vision and compassion was the foundation of Mitsuhide's desires for the land. Despite Mitsuhide's presence here, Motochika would still have to push Mitsuhide that last step and guide him over the threshold that he hovered at the edge of, unable to cross alone.
Motochika never went into battle quietly. Nor would he let Mitsuhide, this time.
'You can remain loyal to Nobunaga, but you will drown in the blood of those you wished to save. You can choose to see your dreams for this land realised, but you will be called a traitor from that day forward. Loyalty... mercy... you cannot show both. The decision is in your hands. Yet you do not have to face this alone, Mitsuhide. Rebel with me!'
No, that wasn't quite right. He could not simply appeal to his friend. It was not enough to just make him see reason - that if Mitsuhide didn't act now then he would be swallowed whole, whether by Nobunaga directly or by his own aching conscience - because Mitsuhide was a man of emotion, too soft-hearted for the age they lived in, and they were talking about the ultimate betrayal, retainer against lord. Mitsuhide would hesitate and this was their only chance, a short-lived one at that. It had to be a challenge; Motochika had to show Mitsuhide his own doubts directly, their full extent exposed, so that Mitsuhide could no longer deny their existence and then make his choice. It would not be gentle, but Motochika could not afford to do any less, for the sake of both their futures.
He struck the strings of his shamisen with the bachi and the sound produced was loud in the silence. His eyes slid shut as he continued on from there, plucking out a song with the bachi as his remaining fingers danced over silken strings. He played against the rhythm of approaching footsteps; they doubtlessly belonged to Mitsuhide.
It was time to make a stand. The sounds of their rebellion would soon echo through the annals of history.
[ Questions? Comments? Concerns? ] : I AM EXCITED FOR PARTY TIMES.