Stuff from A_Facility ( last game )
Goals and IC strategy for Character Development within Facility
Adjustment to Facility
Given Tamaki's canon and sheltered lifestyle, I knew there would be some challenges in bringing him into a dark game like Facility. In my opinion, he is most effective in his methods of helping people when he can relate to what the other person is enduring in at least one way or another. Given the frequency of tragedy, pain and violence within Facility, Tamaki would need to endure some of it in order to truly empathize with, understand, and effectively help those around him.
I also was concerned about how Tamaki may delude himself when it came to Facility. His first week there was spent in the notion that it was actually a strange hotel. He'd never be able to truly connect with the other members there if he kept those kinds of delusions, so I had to make it incredibly clear to him that he was indeed stuck in this place, that it really was bad, and there truly was nothing he could do to fight against the experiments.
So to familiarize him with the struggles of the other people there, and to break him of any remaining delusions, I had Tamaki endure a number of horrible things in his first 8 weeks within Facility. He's been forced to harm people, he's endured physical violence and has died on two separate occasions. When he came in, he hadn't had to endure that sort of pain before, never physically harmed anyone and had never seen blood to such a degree. Now he knows these things, and he knows and understands his situation. Now he can focus on helping others, knowing these things without ignorance or delusions to hinder him.
In the process, he's had to question his identity. Without his friends and his home, there have been times that Tamaki wondered if he was slowly losing parts of himself in his stay there. With every horrible thing he was forced to do, every week his family wasn't around him, how could he define himself, how could he monitor his changes. Even so, he still strives to help others remain happy.
Dealing with losing his 'Family'
Losing the Host Club and his whole world has taken a toll on him, though Tamaki does what he can to continue. This is the second time he's left one world to enter another. I chose for him to refrain from talking about his friends and home too much since Tamaki refrains from speaking about his mother and France in the canon. He doesn't bring it up until it's important and only does when it's going to benefit someone. He doesn't ever look for pitty when it comes to those sorts of things. So, like before, he'll turn his attention to learning about his new home and meeting and helping his new friends.
It doesn't mean in the least that he's lost interest in his home, or forgotten his friends. He just keeps the specifics to himself to help him retain his smile. It's far easier to say "I had a friend back home that enjoyed cake." Than to say "Hunny-Senpai enjoyed sweets." The name holds a great deal of emotional weight. Eventually, he will be in an emotional state where he'll be able to openly speak about them and call their names, but not now.
Tamaki's place within the Rebellion
Tamaki fights back against Val in his own way. He sees her experiments as an effort to hurt and break the people there, so he fights against her through helping others. He's passionate about this, in an effort to hold onto what he knows and what he sees as an important part of his identity, but to rebel against the computer.
Goals and Hopes for Future Character Development
I'd like for Tamaki to continue to grow within Facility. I want him to be someone the other characters can turn to for anything, and a strong role model for others. A leader in how people can fight against Facility simply through their attitudes and to be a voice for peace and understanding.
My Struggles with Tamaki
As you can see, I enjoy thinking about his thoughts and inner-workings. He's such an interesting and lovable character that I've had the amazing privilege to try my hand at. However, I let my observations about him slip out now and then. If he is a bit too self aware about his emotions, please let me know. That's Mun slipping through and isn't pleasant on a character. I want to do my best and do this wonderful character justice.
Love and Sex
-Sexual Identity and Drive
~On Women
Tamaki is an 18 year old male (aged one year during his stay in A_Fac) and as such, saying that he has no sex drive at all is completely unrealistic. However, I feel as though Tamaki doesn't actively see females as sexual creatures. I feel as though he's educated about sex and is aware of it and how it works, but thoughts of sex with females probably rarely crosses his mind, given his outward and consistent attitude towards women. When boys reach his age, it's natural for their eyes to drift to certain places or to react to certain unintended innuendos, and yet he doesn't. And even though he's been brought up to maintain a certain behavior around women, his attitudes about women never change even in the private company of his friends. It's a consistent view to see them as wonderful human beings who are at their best and most beautiful when they are filled with true happiness. And if it ever occurred to him in the slightest that what he does in the Host Club, indulging in girls' tastes and fantasies, works on a sexual level, I believe it would give him great pause.
I am not saying he's not attracted to females or find them sexually alluring. His reactions to Haruhi in her bathing suit, seeing her change, fantasies of her sitting with him on a bed without his shirt, they're there in the canon. But I think he's not aware of these growing urges and still sees women as people to be treated as princesses. Kind of similar to prepubescent boys who still think girls have cooties, just with crowns instead.
Also, his views on sex may be a little foggy. Mixed with childhood notions of first comes love, then comes marriage, when two people love each other very very much the stork comes along as well as the consequences of his own conception the act of sex has romantic fairy tale aspects as well as frightening what-ifs. The things he and his family had to endure, he'd never, ever wish upon his own someday and if there was the slightest chance that a child may result, he would worry if everything was in place. For a real family and a real home, he, the one he loves and whatever children that may come. Without those certainties, it would be hard for him to engage in sex, or act normally there after.
It would take a long running, fully committed and consistent relationship to help transition him into seeing women as sexual creatures and develop the kind of trust and certainty in their future together for sex to happen by his own choosing. There would have to be available resources for a theoretical child, he would have to have already asked her hand in marriage or be married, and a slow and loving introduction to the act.
~On Men
I can't ignore how Tamaki had so openly flirted with Haruhi when he had thought that she was a boy. The closeness, suggestive talk, blowing on the neck, things he either cut back on or refrained from doing again once he found out the truth about her. I question if he would have allowed Haruhi so close to him emotionally if this mistake had never happened. After all, Tamaki entertains dozens of young women every day but never falls for any of them. None, except for Renge, even truly qualify for the title of 'close friend.' He is also much more casual around his friends, calling them names or cursing slightly, all of them being boys.
This natural inclination to trust and act casually around other boys might give a boy a bigger advantage over a girl who is trying to win his heart. Subconsciously, I think there's a deeply rooted thought that when you become careless with your emotions with women, things happen that you may one day regret. But boys. Boys, you can express yourself without the consequences of reckless expression with women. There aren't rules as to how love with boys go. No need for a courting, for marriage, for a home for a child. There would just be expression and a need for one another and nothing else. Again, these aren't accepted truths that he's aware of, but ones that influence his actions.
OOC Information:
Name: jao
Age: 25
AIM: zigziggon
E-MAIL: jaokolad@gmail.com
IC Information:
Name: Tamaki Suoh
Fandom: Ouran High School Host Club
Timeline: Episode 23 “Tamaki's Unwitting Depression”
Age: 18 ( Originally 17, his birthday occurred April 8th )
Appearance:
Ref 1 | Ref 2
Abilities:
Tamaki is exceptionally perceptive of other people's feelings and can pick up on them with the smallest of hints or gestures. Other than an over-active imagination, bounds of creativity and a flair for the dramatic, Tamaki's only other ability is the ability to play the piano.
Personality:
At first glance, Tamaki may seem like a self-centered rich play boy. He lavishes ladies with romantic prose and gestures, and shows his wealth in not just his appearance but his sheltered views. He openly talks about how beautiful he views himself and seems to think only simple shallow thoughts. It would be easy to assume that he has no real understanding of the world outside his massive estate and the extravagant Ouran Academy at which he attends.
However, Tamaki is far from shallow or self-centered. While he does openly compliment and flirt with women, it is always done with the intention of bringing them happiness. It's in the happiness of others that Tamaki feels real fulfillment. Because of this, he has developed a very sensitive perception for the feelings of those around him and can easily see through fake smiles and disingenuous laughs. Once he finds the cause of their unhappiness, Tamaki will do what it takes to make them truly happy. If someone approaches him with a problem he will always agree to help however he can. Even when someone lashes out at him, Tamaki will still do what he can to help someone. Even if it puts him in danger, or asks a great sacrifice from him, he still agrees if it will make them truly happy. His methods of helping may seem a little over the top, typically including huge expenditures and plenty of dramatics, but always works out in the end. Since the happiness of others comes first, it has caused Tamaki to become a bit blind towards his own feelings, and often it takes a blunt speech to make him realize what would be obvious to others.
Although he comes from an extremely wealthy family, Tamaki doesn't look down on those who are poorer than him. Instead, he has a fascination for the “commoner” and their life style and sees it with the same kind of wide-eyed wonder as those who are poor may see his. Any offense made towards someone's financial standing is usually made by accident through genuine ignorance, rather than by any malicious intent. His wonder at the world around him, combined with general sheltered naievity, makes him look exceptionally childish.
On a deeper level, Tamaki strives to build a family group around himself. Due to his own circumstances, it's the only thing truly lacking in his personal life. It can not be bought with money and is something Tamaki believes is a fundamental part of true, lasting happiness. The host club is that family to him, each member dearly important. His name means a link, and Tamaki wishes to be a link between people.
For personal takes on other aspects of his character as well as a little head canon, please stop by his Goals and IC strategy for development post.
History:
When the patriarch of the Suoh family died, Yuzuru Suoh, Tamaki's father was hurried into a marriage arranged by his mother Shizue Suoh. However, Yuzuru didn't love his new wife. During a trip to Paris, he met Anne-Sophie Grantine and fell in love. From their affair, Tamaki was born. Natrually, Shizue disapproved and wouldn't acknowledge Tamaki as part of the Suoh family. So, Tamaki grew up in France with his mother.
In his early teens, Anne-Sophie became ill with Lupus, around the same time that the Grantine family business began to go under. Tamaki would stay by his mother's bed side and play the piano to cheer her up. This was when his love for the happiness of others began. They were sinking further into debt and his mother's health was fading, but he could at least make her smile. He didn't have many friends during this time, taking care of her as best as he could.
Worried that Yuzuru would never produce an heir with his arranged wife, Shizue approached Anne-Sophie with a proposition: Tamaki would come to live in Japan and she would be taken care of financially, but Tamaki would never be allowed to speak to his mother again. Knowing that she needed better, proper medical care, Tamaki agreed and had to say goodbye to his beloved mother.
Once in Japan, Shizue forced Tamaki to live in a separate, though still extravagant, mansion and refuses to treat him with any sort of respect. To her, he is simply a last resort, and Tamaki knows this. Still he treats Shizue with only love and respect and continues to try to earn her love. Rather than wallow in self-pity, Tamaki strives to make the best of any situation and helps those around him find happiness. Happiness that doesn't come from money, but from true joy like the kind he worked hard to give his mother. With the conception of the host club, Tamaki was able to also build a family of close friends, fulfilling his need for a family while able to make those that visit the club happy as well.
Roleplay Sample - Log:
Tamaki stretched, running a hand through his blonde hair before sitting up. The white of the room was the first indication that something was off. His own bedroom had lush pinks and reds and accents of gold and was possibly four if not five times this size.
“Shima?” He waited for the reply of his faithful chief of staff and caretaker, but there was no reply. “Hmm, Perhaps this is some sort of practical joke. Yes! That's it.” Tamaki stood from his bed and stretched, a grin on his lips.
“I bet the Hitachiin twins came over while I was sleeping and placed me in this closet! Very clever, I must say. I was concerned for a moment.”
A glance down at himself brought him to pause. “Strange, the last thing I remember was riding home from school.” Sure enough, he was still dressed in his violet Ouran Academy uniform. “I would never fall asleep in my day clothes.” Turning to see if he could perhaps spot his school bag, the unrecognized communicator fell from his pocket.
Roleplay Sample - Journal:
[ Voice ]
[ There's a laugh and a bit of fumbling as Tamaki opens his bedroom door and walks into the suite. ] Hikaru, Kaoru? Well done, you got me. Now, if you could please come and get me from this place, that would be wonderful. I'm sure Shima will worry if I don't arrive home on time.
[ He's obviously new or stupid, there's too much happiness in his tone. Another door opens and you can hear him swallow. ] Wow! A commoner's bathroom! The shower is so small, you can hardly turn around inside! The white on white reminds me of pictures I've seen of western prisons! And this little living area, it's so plain, so quaint! Is this some sort of economy lodge?
[ He flops loudly onto the couch. So much for needing to get home on time. ]
Aim: Zigziggon
Overall Info
Rating: G - R
Death: Discuss beforehand please
Smut: Tons and Tons of plot first~
Yaoi - Het - Yuri: Maybe // Maybe // N/A
~~Are you interested in winning over the King? Please read all of THIS first!~~
Permissions
Physical Harm? Punching, hitting, kicking?: Go for it, as long as you have a reason. Tamaki can say some stupid stuff. If he offends you and your muse wants to sock him one, go for it.
Romantic stuff? Kissing, hugging, other?: PG-13 stuff, go right ahead. Tamaki's rarely ever kissed, so it should surprise him. He loves hugs! Other things, please ask me first. He's 'of age' but the boy's still pretty pure and innocent by most standards.
Wanna mindf**k him? Break his mind, tell him horrible truths and break his heart?: Go for it. I can't stop what others say to him. Here's a list of things that would break him:
1) Termination means that people are burned and sprinkled in the biodome.
2) He's a clone and the real Tamaki is still at home. All his memories are lies.
3) He's manipulating women and taking advantage of their situation here.
4) That he's affecting women in a sexual way with his romantic antics.
I'll add more as they come to me.
Weeks 10 and 11- Week 10, Tamaki returns from termination. ( I had dropped and decided that that was a mistake and reapped right away. ) That week, interns had left notes for the characters in the form of notes, but during his disappearance, Tamaki had been experimented on. During the experiments, the interns would tell him over and over that he was a a horrible person for harming his friends and using Xion as a replacement for Haruhi. Once he returned, Tamaki was depressed, believing what he had been told. An argument with Ryoji helped snap Tamaki out of it when he saw how upset his friend was when he had tried to push him away. After that, Tamaki spoke with Sasha Nein and Xion about his fears and regrets.
The conclusion of these talks was incredibly important. Deciding that he had to stop thinking about his home, he decided to consider Facility his home now and that he should try to find all of the good in it. Back to his normal self, Tamaki invited people to once again come and enjoy the rec room with him.
Week 11, dreams were broadcasted over the network. His first dream was a reflection of his decision the week before, reaffirming his choice to stay strong and focus on the friends and family he had here. The second was a bit more embarrassing, ending up being a semi-erotic dream of Xion with ice cream. Despite his embarrassment, Tamaki's friends only playfully teased him and reassured him that this was a normal occurrence for boys his age. Tamaki also watched a number of dreams, gaining a great deal of insight into the people he cared about, each helping him find new and more meaningful ways to help make them truly happy.
Updated every few weeks, Recording the efforts of a King
Tamaki's Thoughts on Facility: Further Back
Week 1- When Tamaki first arrived, he wasn't quite sure how to handle the sudden change in scenery. It was much easier to think of this new place as some strange hotel in a dream, where the door is hidden by crafty owners who are playing a game with all the guests. As he continued to meet new people, it was increasingly clear that there were a lot of people suffering within Facility that could use his help. So, instead of concentrating on his fears and worries about the place, Tamaki began to concentrate on learning more about the people around him. He began to try to piece together their problems and plan ways of bringing happiness to their lives here.
In meeting Maka and a few others, he was finally able to bring himself to read the basic information text given to all new commers. While he still chooses not to think about his own situataion and focus instead on the happiness of others, Tamaki now understands that this is in no way a hotel and his friends from school are no where to be found. Facility is a dark place and there's preperation to do to be able to further help those who are stuck there with him.
During the first week, Tamaki would often mention his friends back home, but wasn't able to say their names in fear of bringing others down and losing his focus on serving those who need him. As the week went on, Tamaki managed to keep up happy appearances, but the loss of his 'family' is begining to ware on him.
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Week 2-During the second week, Xion and Gilgamesh were switched into his canon. They now knew of the host club and thought theirselves to be part of it. Gilgamesh claimed himself to be king of the host club and they had a short lived rivalry. Knowing that it was just a result of an experiment, Tamaki let the subject go in fear that dragging on a compition might get in the way of helping other people.
Xion, however... Xion's hair style, stature and face shape is very much like Haruhi's. After a week of isolation from his 'family' being around Xion is growing harder and harder. Now that she not only knows of the host club, the people in it, and is wearing the Ouran uniform, the week becomes even more trying for him. He allows Xion to believe that she's from his world to enjoy the feeling of a host club again and have someone to talk to about all the antics of the other members back home. But, when Xion confesses to have feelings for Tamaki, he confesses that she's not really from his world and apologizes to her for being so selfish as to let the charade go on for his own happiness. It's then, for the first time, he really shows his loneliness and pain from being taken from his home.
While spending time with Alice Baroque, she turned from a Plus into a Hollow. Unable to protect himself, Tamaki was mortally injured and died for the first time.
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Week 3- Tamaki was revived after his first brush with death to find himself as a vampire. His reaction to both that and his current state was just not to dwell on it. His own death and the memories of the whole thing were memories he quickly hid away and treated as if waking from a nightmare. He refused to look at his remaining wounds for the same reasons. Thankfully with his friends' efforts and his own healing abilities from the current experiment, Tamaki was healed before he'd ever even have to worry about dressing his injuries. Circular scars do still remain on his left chest, center of his stomach, right side and lower back.
His friends warned him that his status as vampire would require him to feed on blood, but Tamaki refused to consider it. Instead, he busied himself with helping Maka care for the children that a number of the other subjects had been turned into. Once Wednesday came, his hunger drove him to bloodlust and altered him into a predator. Chane Laforet had come by to check up on him and Tamaki cornered her within his suite where he kissed her before a fight broke out. He overpowered her and fed on her blood. Once he had drank, Tamaki came to, to find himself on top of her. Thankfully, Chane was still alive. Faced with the fact that the dark and horrible aspects of Facility are impossible to avoid, he broke down in the face of what he had done.
Once Chane was safe and settled and healed, Tamaki returned to help watch the children again, but happened upon Yukina who was comatose from a mental attack by Alessa. Try as he might, Tamaki couldn't wake her and feared the sort of place that might do something like this to innocent children. On Saturday, his hunger returned. Maka had noticed the change in his behavior and insisted that Tamaki drink from her in order to protect others. He refused, scared what it would mean about his self and how the place may be changing him. When Maka cuts herself and bleeds into a cup, he's unable to fight against his own hunger and drinks with much shame and remorse. He's finally come to the conclusion that it's best that no one from his world is there. Maka comforts him and helps Tamaki cope with what he had to do. They return to the children and sleeping Yukina afterwards.
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Weeks 4 and 5- Week 4 started with the floors suddenly turned to ice. Tamaki was thrilled and kept himself busy busing food, water and skates to anyone who needed them. For the first time in weeks he was able to relax and have fun skating, and sometimes falling and crashing. Thankfully he got through it without breaking any bones.
Week 5 was an off week as new arrivals came in. On Sunday, to his horror Tamaki found the rec room destroyed. So like so many times before, he began to work to put it all back together again, as best as he could. When the sprinklers went off on Monday and ruined his efforts, Tamaki made a rash post to the network, showing his frustration. This was the first time he really publicly showed any kind of anger. In response, a number of people came forward to help and in hours, the rec room was finally back to working order.
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Week 6- Due to my own complications and the attacks on LJ, this week remained mostly inactive.
Finding himself in the Labrinth, Tamaki is lost in the hedge maze for the first two days. Luckily he meets up with Xion in his wandering and is later rescued by friends. He mentions his approaching 18th birthday and Xion begins to arrange a surprise party for him, since he wouldn't be able to share it with his friends from back home.
On his way to his surprise birthday party, Tamaki runs into Asura who infects him with a clown, beginning to pull Tamaki down into insanity. Once at his party, Tamaki falls into the grips of insanity and the influence of the clown. At the party, he scared Nepeta, insulted Suki and ended up cutting Xion before escaping.
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Week 7- Still under the influence of the clown, Tamaki slipped into the house Lili Zonatto was staying in. He attempted to leave her treats of M&M's and Pocky which was actrually pebbles and sticks. She awoke and tried to fight him off which only made the dellusional Tamaki angry. Before he could discipline her with the help of his clown Mr. Chuckles and Chuckles' vine whip, Sasha Nein was able to come in and save her. Tamaki fled.
During the course of the week, he managed to anger Harry Dresden, saying horrible and insensitive things to him about his murdered friends. He also attempted to ride Kharg and caused general confusion and unease.
On Wednesday, Tamaki stumbled upon Xion in the forest. Since her presence and worry was beginign to break the bonds between him and his clown, Mr. Chuckles became violent towards Xion. Her screams helped Tamaki come to and together, they fought against the clown. Xion set it on fire and when it seemed that everything would be fine, Tamaki's vine wrapped arm grabbed hold of her, holding her against a tree as the charred clown got up and began to approach. No matter how much they tried, his arm wouldn't budge. With no other option, Xion was forced to break Tamaki's arm and after a few heavy swings with her keyblade, she was free. It became clear the only way to destroy the clown was to kill Tamaki to weaken it. A strong swing to the back of his head and neck and Tamaki was gone. The clown was quickly destroyed after that, leaving a tramatized and minorly injured Xion alone in the woods.
This was Tamaki's second death.
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Weeks 8 and 9- Week 8 was spent mostly idle since Tamaki's death roll was pretty high. When he returned, he immediently apologized to those he had scared or harmed. Most people accepted his apology and others were a little slower to forgive. Feeling shameful for what he had done, Tamaki refrains from asking for healing and help from others and suffers his broken arm for that week.
Week 9, Kyouya arrived with the new arrivals and Tamaki at first believed he was having a hallucination. When he realized that Kyouya was really there, he panicked and insisted that he go home. Since that's impossible, Kyouya managed to calm him down and let him know that he had run into his mother in France. They spent the rest of that night talking about the many dangers in Facility.