APP: Akutagawa Jirou // Reims
( fandom student application )
PLAYER INFORMATION
PLAYER: Cassie
AGE: 22
CONTACT:
→ captchalogue it (aim)
→ mac.is.a.girl[at]gmail.com (email/msn)
→ lethargicmonster (skype)
→ starfishing (plurk)
PERSONAL LJ: hotawesome
CHARACTERS PLAYED: None yet!
CHARACTER INFORMATION
NAME: Akutagawa Jirou (Western order: Jirou Akutagawa)
CANON: Prince of Tennis
CANON REFERENCE: Wikipedia and series Wiki, and his info (third down) on each of the same. Also his page at FET!
AGE: 15
GENDER: Male
YEAR IN SCHOOL: HS2 after the break.
ENROLLMENT: Wealthy family. Canonly, the school he's from is considered prestigious and rich as well.
APPEARANCE: Here! This isn't a canon image, but coloured manga shots of this kid aren't common, and I don't like his hair colour in the anime, so....
PERSONALITY: At first glance, Jirou appears to be an upbeat, cheerful sort of kid without a care in the world, and that's not necessarily an incorrect assumption to make. He's very much optimistic, very enthusiastic - even when he loses or has bad luck, he takes an 'ah, well, maybe next time' attitude. He rarely, if ever, laments a loss or a failure, and when he does, it doesn't last very long. He's supremely easygoing, difficult to anger, upset or offend; most insults and aggressiveness just roll right off his back. He's not easily intimidated, either, which stems less from a lack of comprehension and more from a lack of concern: even if someone is better than he is, or if they don't like him, it's not the end of the world.
He'd be more troubled, though, if someone didn't like him than if they were better than he was. While he has a healthy amount of pride to speak of (in his athleticism, his social status, his looks), it takes a backseat to things that he considers more important, like making friends and being a good person. He goes out of his way to be kind to people, whether it's helping new kids find their way around, tutoring his underclassmen, or stopping to give a homeless man a snack. Making friends is easy business, with a disposition like Jirou's, and keeping them is easy, too - he's playful, fun, adventurous and always ready for a good time, unless he's sleeping.
Sleep is his biggest vice, with pocky and shounen manga running a close second and third. (If it weren't for tennis, he'd probably be fat.) He'll take any available opportunity for a nap: on his desk in class, on the bleachers during tennis practice, under a tree after classes... if he can steal a moment, he'll sleep through it. He's not lazy so much as he is indulgent; he rarely denies himself anything, especially when it comes to comforts like sleep and food. On the upside, though, sleeping so often gives him plenty of energy when he's awake. When he's up, he's way up. His seemingly endless well of enthusiasm is fueled by all of his rests and recharges.
As high-tension and silly as he seems, Jirou can often come off as naive. Don't be fooled. He's actually quite observant (even when he's 'asleep' - he fakes it sometimes!), and he does have a serious side. He's pragmatic and fair, good at mediating, thinking through problems and finding reasonable solutions, and keeps a very cool head under pressure. While his upbringing hasn't put much responsibility on his shoulders, he's still capable of making responsible, mature decisions - he just often chooses not to. He's very stubborn, exponentially moreso when his fun is at stake. If the responsible decision means he'll have less fun, you can bet he'll be irresponsible, and unless he gets in trouble, he probably won't think twice about it. Conversely, when he does get in trouble, he accepts punishment well.
It's not hard to uncover the more serious part of him, either; he's a very open person. There's more to him than meets the eye, but overall, Jirou's a pretty simple guy: simple pleasures, simple motives. He's fun to be around and in general, a good kid, if pretty spoiled by a lifetime of luxury.
COMPUTER APTITUDE: Not excellent. He can navigate the internet with no trouble, and he's definitely computer-literate, but he's no hacker.
AU HISTORY: Jirou grew up in the Tokyo area of Japan, as both an older and younger brother, in a well-to-do family where much emphasis was placed on happiness. The children were typically given and allowed to do anything they wanted, provided they'd been behaving (and they usually had been). As a result, all three children are fairly spoiled, but also good-natured. They've led easy lives, and Jirou is no exception.
He slept excessively as a child, and though the doctors assured his parents that there was nothing wrong with him, they remained somewhat concerned. When he entered elementary school at the prestigious Hyoutei Gakuen, they enrolled him in tennis in an endeavour to raise his energy levels. It looked like a failed attempt until Jirou befriended Shishido and Mukahi, a couple of boys on the tennis team, and began taking interest in the club's activities and matches.
He and his friends remained close when they entered the middle school division together, where they met the boy who would change their fates Atobe Keigo, a flashy and arrogant tennis player just transferred from a school in England. Atobe commandeered the middle school tennis team from his upperclassmen quickly, making himself captain in his first year. Jirou, Shishido and Mukahi became regular members as well, and under their much-less-forgiving new coach and captain, Jirou was forced to work harder to keep his spot. Luckily for him, his natural talent still carried him far: he was able to maintain a spot on the regulars, even in such a highly competitive environment, simply by playing in the ranking matches.
As a team, they progressed to the national level more than once in their time, but never managed to win. They were the challengers to the devastating champions, Rikkai, captained by a force of will easily equal to Atobe's, and filled with just as much talent as Hyoutei. Even so, Atobe and his team never gave up.
In their third year, they had a run of terrible luck. Shishido, by now one of their best, lost in an early match in the prefectural tournament. By Hyoutei's rules, he was dismissed from the regular lineup, though after much hard work and a desperate show of dedication, he was allowed back on. Hyoutei managed to secure a win in the consolation matches, then went on to lose to Seigaku, the season's unexpected powerhouse, in the first round of the regional tournament. They made it to Nationals only because they were recommended when Tokyo was chosen to host the tournament, and lost again to Seigaku three rounds in, ending their run for the year.
As in previous years, however, they intensified their training and prepared for the next tennis season. The majority of the regulars moved on to highschool, where Atobe promptly offered an encore to his middle school takeover, defeating each of the highschool regulars consecutively and naming himself captain. Ranking matches were held, and while Atobe's team was expected to take regular slots, not all of them succeeded - Jirou, in particular, lost before making it as far as the final cut.
This was the beginning of his wake-up call. He spent an entire tennis season on the back burner, watching his friends and teammates make their way to Nationals. He played in the earlier, less significant tournaments of the season, but ultimately, he felt like he was training for nothing, accomplishing nothing. It was frustrating, and it was motivating.
Jirou began to work harder than ever, with a goal in mind, for once in his life: next year, he was going to go with his team to Nationals, and they were going to win. He wanted to contribute something to the team, to make a difference, and if he had to put in more effort to do it, so be it.
He trained through tennis season and well beyond, in anticipation of another ranking tournament in the spring. What came instead was something of an upheaval - several of his teammates were planning to enroll in an academy in France. Jirou was quick to decide to go with them, particularly because of Shishido, whom he'd grown closer to while training alongside him, and Atobe, to whom he felt he had to prove himself after his shortcomings the prior year.
Come the end of the term, Jirou dropped out of Hyoutei Academy and began preparations for attending Reims, where he would arrive in time for summer vacation, giving him a chance to settle in.
SAMPLES
INTRANET/1ST PERSON SAMPLE:
→ Provide a stand-alone sample of something the character would post on the Intranet that others would respond to. Please make this sample approximately 7-10 sentences long.
OR
→ You may set up a thread with another character in reimsapplicants or another musebox and link the completed sample in the application. Please note that a linked sample must still be representative of how they will communicate online. With this option, we require a minimum of 10 individual comments from the character being apped. As always, we reserve the right to ask for more if we feel there isn't enough characterization/interaction to properly judge the sample.
Announcing your candidacy for the Student Counsel elections, Planning for the upcoming trip to the mainland, Receiving a care package from home, Spreading gossip about a teacher/student.
LOG/3RD PERSON SAMPLE:
→ Provide a stand-alone sample of the character's situational thoughts and feelings. Please make this sample at least 200-300 words long.
OR
→ You may set up a 3rd person prose log with another character in reimsapplicants or another musebox and link the completed sample in the application. With this option, we require a minimum of 5-7 individual comments, dependent upon length, from the character being apped. As always, we reserve the right to ask for more if we feel there isn't enough characterization/interaction to properly judge the sample.
Caught smoking behind the bleachers, Discovering the school newsletter has slandered your best friend, Deciding on your free electives, Working up the nerve to give your crush that love letter you spent hours writing.
HAVE YOU READ THE FAQ? Rabid wombaaats. *A*
PLAYER INFORMATION
PLAYER: Cassie
AGE: 22
CONTACT:
→ captchalogue it (aim)
→ mac.is.a.girl[at]gmail.com (email/msn)
→ lethargicmonster (skype)
→ starfishing (plurk)
PERSONAL LJ: hotawesome
CHARACTERS PLAYED: None yet!
CHARACTER INFORMATION
NAME: Akutagawa Jirou (Western order: Jirou Akutagawa)
CANON: Prince of Tennis
CANON REFERENCE: Wikipedia and series Wiki, and his info (third down) on each of the same. Also his page at FET!
AGE: 15
GENDER: Male
YEAR IN SCHOOL: HS2 after the break.
ENROLLMENT: Wealthy family. Canonly, the school he's from is considered prestigious and rich as well.
APPEARANCE: Here! This isn't a canon image, but coloured manga shots of this kid aren't common, and I don't like his hair colour in the anime, so....
PERSONALITY: At first glance, Jirou appears to be an upbeat, cheerful sort of kid without a care in the world, and that's not necessarily an incorrect assumption to make. He's very much optimistic, very enthusiastic - even when he loses or has bad luck, he takes an 'ah, well, maybe next time' attitude. He rarely, if ever, laments a loss or a failure, and when he does, it doesn't last very long. He's supremely easygoing, difficult to anger, upset or offend; most insults and aggressiveness just roll right off his back. He's not easily intimidated, either, which stems less from a lack of comprehension and more from a lack of concern: even if someone is better than he is, or if they don't like him, it's not the end of the world.
He'd be more troubled, though, if someone didn't like him than if they were better than he was. While he has a healthy amount of pride to speak of (in his athleticism, his social status, his looks), it takes a backseat to things that he considers more important, like making friends and being a good person. He goes out of his way to be kind to people, whether it's helping new kids find their way around, tutoring his underclassmen, or stopping to give a homeless man a snack. Making friends is easy business, with a disposition like Jirou's, and keeping them is easy, too - he's playful, fun, adventurous and always ready for a good time, unless he's sleeping.
Sleep is his biggest vice, with pocky and shounen manga running a close second and third. (If it weren't for tennis, he'd probably be fat.) He'll take any available opportunity for a nap: on his desk in class, on the bleachers during tennis practice, under a tree after classes... if he can steal a moment, he'll sleep through it. He's not lazy so much as he is indulgent; he rarely denies himself anything, especially when it comes to comforts like sleep and food. On the upside, though, sleeping so often gives him plenty of energy when he's awake. When he's up, he's way up. His seemingly endless well of enthusiasm is fueled by all of his rests and recharges.
As high-tension and silly as he seems, Jirou can often come off as naive. Don't be fooled. He's actually quite observant (even when he's 'asleep' - he fakes it sometimes!), and he does have a serious side. He's pragmatic and fair, good at mediating, thinking through problems and finding reasonable solutions, and keeps a very cool head under pressure. While his upbringing hasn't put much responsibility on his shoulders, he's still capable of making responsible, mature decisions - he just often chooses not to. He's very stubborn, exponentially moreso when his fun is at stake. If the responsible decision means he'll have less fun, you can bet he'll be irresponsible, and unless he gets in trouble, he probably won't think twice about it. Conversely, when he does get in trouble, he accepts punishment well.
It's not hard to uncover the more serious part of him, either; he's a very open person. There's more to him than meets the eye, but overall, Jirou's a pretty simple guy: simple pleasures, simple motives. He's fun to be around and in general, a good kid, if pretty spoiled by a lifetime of luxury.
COMPUTER APTITUDE: Not excellent. He can navigate the internet with no trouble, and he's definitely computer-literate, but he's no hacker.
AU HISTORY: Jirou grew up in the Tokyo area of Japan, as both an older and younger brother, in a well-to-do family where much emphasis was placed on happiness. The children were typically given and allowed to do anything they wanted, provided they'd been behaving (and they usually had been). As a result, all three children are fairly spoiled, but also good-natured. They've led easy lives, and Jirou is no exception.
He slept excessively as a child, and though the doctors assured his parents that there was nothing wrong with him, they remained somewhat concerned. When he entered elementary school at the prestigious Hyoutei Gakuen, they enrolled him in tennis in an endeavour to raise his energy levels. It looked like a failed attempt until Jirou befriended Shishido and Mukahi, a couple of boys on the tennis team, and began taking interest in the club's activities and matches.
He and his friends remained close when they entered the middle school division together, where they met the boy who would change their fates Atobe Keigo, a flashy and arrogant tennis player just transferred from a school in England. Atobe commandeered the middle school tennis team from his upperclassmen quickly, making himself captain in his first year. Jirou, Shishido and Mukahi became regular members as well, and under their much-less-forgiving new coach and captain, Jirou was forced to work harder to keep his spot. Luckily for him, his natural talent still carried him far: he was able to maintain a spot on the regulars, even in such a highly competitive environment, simply by playing in the ranking matches.
As a team, they progressed to the national level more than once in their time, but never managed to win. They were the challengers to the devastating champions, Rikkai, captained by a force of will easily equal to Atobe's, and filled with just as much talent as Hyoutei. Even so, Atobe and his team never gave up.
In their third year, they had a run of terrible luck. Shishido, by now one of their best, lost in an early match in the prefectural tournament. By Hyoutei's rules, he was dismissed from the regular lineup, though after much hard work and a desperate show of dedication, he was allowed back on. Hyoutei managed to secure a win in the consolation matches, then went on to lose to Seigaku, the season's unexpected powerhouse, in the first round of the regional tournament. They made it to Nationals only because they were recommended when Tokyo was chosen to host the tournament, and lost again to Seigaku three rounds in, ending their run for the year.
As in previous years, however, they intensified their training and prepared for the next tennis season. The majority of the regulars moved on to highschool, where Atobe promptly offered an encore to his middle school takeover, defeating each of the highschool regulars consecutively and naming himself captain. Ranking matches were held, and while Atobe's team was expected to take regular slots, not all of them succeeded - Jirou, in particular, lost before making it as far as the final cut.
This was the beginning of his wake-up call. He spent an entire tennis season on the back burner, watching his friends and teammates make their way to Nationals. He played in the earlier, less significant tournaments of the season, but ultimately, he felt like he was training for nothing, accomplishing nothing. It was frustrating, and it was motivating.
Jirou began to work harder than ever, with a goal in mind, for once in his life: next year, he was going to go with his team to Nationals, and they were going to win. He wanted to contribute something to the team, to make a difference, and if he had to put in more effort to do it, so be it.
He trained through tennis season and well beyond, in anticipation of another ranking tournament in the spring. What came instead was something of an upheaval - several of his teammates were planning to enroll in an academy in France. Jirou was quick to decide to go with them, particularly because of Shishido, whom he'd grown closer to while training alongside him, and Atobe, to whom he felt he had to prove himself after his shortcomings the prior year.
Come the end of the term, Jirou dropped out of Hyoutei Academy and began preparations for attending Reims, where he would arrive in time for summer vacation, giving him a chance to settle in.
SAMPLES
INTRANET/1ST PERSON SAMPLE:
→ Provide a stand-alone sample of something the character would post on the Intranet that others would respond to. Please make this sample approximately 7-10 sentences long.
OR
→ You may set up a thread with another character in reimsapplicants or another musebox and link the completed sample in the application. Please note that a linked sample must still be representative of how they will communicate online. With this option, we require a minimum of 10 individual comments from the character being apped. As always, we reserve the right to ask for more if we feel there isn't enough characterization/interaction to properly judge the sample.
Announcing your candidacy for the Student Counsel elections, Planning for the upcoming trip to the mainland, Receiving a care package from home, Spreading gossip about a teacher/student.
LOG/3RD PERSON SAMPLE:
→ Provide a stand-alone sample of the character's situational thoughts and feelings. Please make this sample at least 200-300 words long.
OR
→ You may set up a 3rd person prose log with another character in reimsapplicants or another musebox and link the completed sample in the application. With this option, we require a minimum of 5-7 individual comments, dependent upon length, from the character being apped. As always, we reserve the right to ask for more if we feel there isn't enough characterization/interaction to properly judge the sample.
Caught smoking behind the bleachers, Discovering the school newsletter has slandered your best friend, Deciding on your free electives, Working up the nerve to give your crush that love letter you spent hours writing.
HAVE YOU READ THE FAQ? Rabid wombaaats. *A*