OOC || APP
Name: Wind
Livejournal: zoldyck_fan
Contact: AIM; winddoesitbetter
Other Characters Played: Hitsugaya Toushirou (iceandivory) and Killua Zoldyck (kill_joo_ded)
Are you 18 or over? Yes.
Canon: Ouran High School Host Club (Specifically anime, though I'm filling in a lot of the gaps with information revealed in later chapters in the manga.)
Character: René Tamaki Richard de Grantaine (Suoh Tamaki)
Timeline: Episode 24
Personality: Tamaki can be summed up in four words. "The annoying prince guy." Surprisingly enough, this summary does him a lot of justice, though if he heard it himself, he'd make haste to his corner of woe. First word: The. Always capitalized. He is the one and only. No one can deny that. Second word: annoying. Loud, rambunctious, clueless, and hyper. His energy is endless, and his ideas radical. He can't go a day without proclaiming something ridiculous or running through commoner markets with a passed out friend over his shoulder. He makes visits unannounced, and every emotion he feels is expressed so completely over the top that it can't be taken seriously anymore. It takes real skill to endure him for long periods of time. Third word: prince. His archetype of choice is the prince character, and he embraces it both inside and outside of the 3rd Music Room's walls. He is completely sincere in his desire to sweep every girl in existence off her feet. And finally the fourth word: guy. Although it may be difficult to tell at times, yes, Tamaki is male. He is so flamingly male that it can be painful to watch. With chivalry and shameless flattery as his main weapons, Suoh Tamaki strikes swiftly and without mercy. For anyone. Especially Kyouya.
He is a very easily entertained individual and often disregards social norms for his own extravagant whims. In short, he's an idiot. An intelligent and elite idiot but an idiot none-the-less, and the rest of the club has never sugar coated this fact in front of him. His epic-overreactions are legend worthy and so are his instant recoveries. In every sense of the word, he seems to be a shallow person, caught up with appearances, wealth, and his own popularity - upset by trivial things and needing only an affirmation of his greatness to leap back to the top in seconds. He appears this way enough that the Newspaper Club is certain an interview with the Host Club will give them proof that Tamaki is using the power of his family name to influence the other members of the club. It really only takes a few hours with him, however, to wipe that idea from a person's mind.
He sees appearances as important, they're a part of his work as a host, but more so than that, he believes appearances should reflect who a person truly is. All of the good looking people in the Host Club are people he believes are good people, and he actively flatters older or less attractive women in the same way he does the attractive ones. Money is the last thing on Tamaki's mind. He is used to living in extravagance, certainly, but one of his favorite past times is exploring so-called commoner culture. He buys souvenirs from marketplaces and is fascinated by instant coffee and ramen. He is completely sincere in his enjoyment of such things and doesn't realize that referring to them with the adjective "commoner" could be at all offensive. His popularity is something he also takes for granted. He has it in boatloads, but he seems to see it as something everyone can achieve, so it's not something he takes pride in. That doesn't stop him from enjoying it though; he thrives on companionship and gets lonely very easily. But rarely does he expect people outside of the Host Club to do anything for him.
Childish might be a nicer way to describe him than "idiot," and it applies equally as well. Tamaki is as innocent and selfish as a five year old. As gullible and easily excited. He keeps a stuffed bear named Kuma-chan with him at home and in the club room. Even his unconditional forgiveness resembles that of a small child towards his parents; "Mommy is so wonderful and amazing, how could she ever make a mistake?" He simply never grew up. He acknowledges himself that he probably enjoys playing around with everyone so much because he didn't do it as a kid. He didn't do a lot as a kid, and though he was happy, his mind began building up mental barriers to help him cope.
Family is the most important thing to Tamaki. He will do virtually anything for it, endure any hardship or mistreatment for it, even if that mistreatment is committed by a family member. When he is separated from his family, it's too difficult for him to handle, so if he can't have his family by blood, then he can create a new family of friends. Throughout the series, he refers to his club members as family members: He's the father, Kyouya's the mother, Haruhi's the daughter, Hikaru and Kaoru are the sons, and Honey and Mori are like the neighbors. Although the others go along with it for fun, it seems to be a very serious issue for Tamaki. He gets irrationally upset when other clubs might have to close because it's like breaking up a family, and when faced with his own romantic feelings for Haruhi, he subconsciously uses it as a cushion. "It's okay that I feel this way. It's just because I'm her father!" This coping mechanism eventually leads him to go into complete denial, enough that he makes himself sick over it and can't recognize obvious symptoms that he identifies in others on a near daily basis.
That's another bad habit of his. He is extraordinarily talented in recognizing other people's problems and putting together elaborate plans to fix them. There doesn't even have to be a real problem. He catches onto emotional situations that don't involve him quickly, and for someone so absorbed in himself, he's surprisingly observant at times. After all, it is his vocation to bring smiles to as many people's faces as possible, so he has to recognize what makes each individual person happy. What he fails miserably at, however, is deciding what to do about his own problems. When the situation doesn't involve him, he can easily analyze it, but when his own feelings are at stake, the only things he can think to do are to continue to offer his presence or completely remove himself from the picture, even if his presence (or lack thereof) is the problem he wants to fix. His happy-go-lucky personality makes it very easy for others to overlook his problems as well because he refuses to acknowledge them in a serious way. He is all about being HAPPY and LIVING LIFE TO THE FULLEST and NEW EXPERIENCES because his mother told him that she is happy as long as he is happy, and he takes that to heart like nothing else.
It is actually suggested on his wikipedia page that he may have Histrionic Personality Disorder, which while not likely intended by Bisco Hatori, fits a great many of his personality traits and his history.
And so, in short, he is The annoying prince guy.
Background: Tamaki was born the illegitimate son of the heir to the Suoh family, Suoh Yuzuru, and a French mistress. His father was married to a woman his mother chose, but he fell in love with Anne-Sophie while visiting Paris, had an affair, and thusly divorced his wife. His mother was angered, refusing to accept Anne-Sophie and by extension Tamaki.
Because of Anne-Sophie's poor health, a chronic illness that manifested itself by weakening her body in spurts, she was forced to remain in France, and she raised Tamaki there for fourteen years. Tamaki's father visited as often as he could, bringing with him (untrue) stories of Japanese culture, and Tamaki was home-schooled by a womanizing tutor. Tamaki was a very happy, excitable child, very obviously a mama's boy, and even though Anne-Sophie wanted him to get out and play with other kids more often, he wanted nothing more than to entertain his mommy while she was ill. On days when she was at her worst, he would wander around alone uncharacteristically solemn and distraught, but more often than not, he played the piano for her. He didn't have many friends, and his anxiety over his mother's condition left him fairly isolated.
When the Grantaine family's business fell through, Tamaki's grandmother offered Anne-Sophie the option of handing Tamaki over to the Suohs and in return receiving money in order to keep herself healthy. Tamaki agreed, wanting the best for his mother, and under the condition that he could not see his mother again, he left for Japan. Shortly afterward, Anne-Sophie disappeared, though it's implied and eventually revealed that Yuzuru knew where she was hiding out.
Although his grandmother agreed to take him in as part of the Suoh family, she still refused to accept him as an heir. While she and Yuzuru lived in the main mansion, Tamaki was forced to stay in the second, smaller Suoh mansion with a separate staff and virtually no connection to anyone within the main mansion. He received nothing but hostility from his grandmother whenever they met, but he took all of it without complaint and treated her as kindly as he would anyone else, going so far as to warn others not to speak ill of her.
Because Suoh Yuzuru was the superintendent of Ouran, it was only natural that this was where Tamaki was enrolled starting from his third year of middle school. Because he'd been so lonely before, he was determined to make as many friends as possible, and he quickly gained popularity in school, especially among the girls. It was right after he transferred that he met Ootori Kyouya, the class representative sent to greet him, but this friendship was particularly more noteworthy than others he formed.
Kyouya's father had told him that getting close to Tamaki and thus the Suohs would be beneficial, and so Kyouya put on his best fake smile and began to tread the long and torturous road of trying to please Suoh Tamaki. Tamaki promoted him to best friend on the very first day and dubbed him a god by the second. In order to follow his father's orders, Kyouya made attempt after attempt to meet all of Tamaki's ridiculous whims, and it's implied that Tamaki knew more about Kyouya's true feelings than he let on, egging him on by apologizing for asking too much and then erupting into cheers whenever Kyouya gave in, pushing him to the brink with gradually more obnoxious behavior.
Eventually, he visited Kyouya's home without permission, chatting with Kyouya's older sister and enchanting the Ootoris with his piano music until Kyouya himself arrived. They had a discussion that quickly became an argument. Kyouya lost his cool for the first time, abandoning his fake congeniality in his rage and knocking over a table before grabbing Tamaki and yelling at him for giving up when he had it so easy. He was jeopardizing all the effort he'd put into getting close to Tamaki, but it wasn't until then that Tamaki decided to speak with him seriously, insisting that Kyouya was the one giving up because he was allowing himself to be held back solely because he was the third son. He knew Kyouya despised his situation just from the look in his eyes, but Kyouya did nothing to change it. Kyouya was stunned at first, then laughed up a storm and insulted Tamaki, any and all remnants of his former friendly act having disappeared without a trace.
Yes, that's right. Tamaki birthed the Shadow King. And to this day, he has never regretted it.
In that same school year, Tamaki came to Kyouya with his idea of starting the Host Club. He already had candidates picked out, and he ran all of his ideas by Kyouya before acting on them even though Kyouya was mostly disinterested. He managed to rope in Haninozuka by convincing him with a bunny puppet that real strength was being able to accept who you were and still thinking positively about yourself. He dragged the twins along by winning their impossible game through dumb luck, assuring them that their paradox was what made them who they were and that was perfectly fine. It was by no means an easy task, but he seemed determined that these specific people were the ones he needed in his club, and he wasn't willing to give up until he had them.
One year after founding the club, a certain special girl wandered in on accident and broke a vase. Tamaki, unaware of her gender due to her appearance, declared her the Host Club's dog until realizing that she was hiding real beauty behind her big glasses, loose sweater, and mussed-up hair. He put her to work as a host to pay off her debt, and only after walking in on her while she was changing did he finally realize she was very, very female. Notably, however, he was making jokes about her falling for him before then. She was Daddy's Little Girl even before he knew she was a girl.
Tamaki quickly took a liking to Haruhi. Most of the Host Club did. Perhaps too much of a liking. She was getting to know the real people behind the Host Club personas while everyone else idolized them as characters, and by doing this she disrupted their former flow - creating dissonance while at the same time bringing them all closer together. Tamaki very clearly had a crush on her - dealing with jealousy whenever others monopolized her time, attempting to keep her from kissing anyone, becoming competitive the moment she was mentioned during one of the twins' games. He believed this affection to be paternal, however, and rationalized it accordingly.
When Haruhi was framed by a jealous Host Club customer, the club took Haruhi's side and banned the customer from further club activities. When Haruhi was about to give up her first kiss in order to help pay off her debt, Tamaki tried and failed to put a stop to it. When an unknown man was walking the halls of the school during their physical exam, Tamaki kicked him right out of the way in order to protect Haruhi. When he saw Haruhi crying, he immediately demanded answers, frighteningly close to violence without even knowing the situation. When the twins stuffed Haruhi into a bathing suit, Tamaki offered her a jacket. When the Zuka Club tried to convince Haruhi to transfer, the club went so far as cross-dressing in order to keep her. When Tamaki dreamed about Haruhi's devastating living conditions, he dragged the club along to make sure she was okay and, unlike the others, was actually relieved by what he saw. When Hikaru took Haruhi on a date, Tamaki attempted to interfere the entire time, held back by Kaoru. When the Zuka Club tried to steal a kiss from Haruhi, the hosts invaded Lobelia to get her back. When Kasanoda discovered Haruhi's gender and fell for her, Tamaki reverted to a robotic blob, and when Kasanoda was turned down, he found himself sympathizing with him which, Kyouya pointed out, was not something the father would do, putting into question his motives for anything he'd done for Haruhi prior to that moment.
Perhaps the most important moment between him and Haruhi was while they were visiting the beach. A few drunken guys wandered onto the private property and began harassing the Host Club's customers. Haruhi tried to stop them but wasn't strong enough, and one of the men pushed her off the rocky plateau and into the ocean. Tamaki ran after her and jumped without hesitation, catching her in the water and carrying her to shore. Rather than producing an elaborate princely speech, he yelled at Haruhi. When she insisted she had nothing to apologize for, he proclaimed he wouldn't speak to her until she realized her mistake. Later that night, Tamaki came into Kyouya's room asking for lotion for his sunburn when he found Haruhi and Kyouya on the bed with the lights out. Before he could get angry at Kyouya, the other boy shoved the lotion in Tamaki's face and left him alone with Haruhi. When Tamaki turned to leave, lightning struck. Scared by the thunder, Haruhi reached out to stop him and promptly ducked into a wardrobe to hide from the storm.
Upon discovering Haruhi's reasons, Tamaki professed that he sort of understood and that he'd lost. She was raised not to rely on other people. He opened the wardrobe door and invited her to come to him, promising to keep an eye on her from then on so that she'd never have to be alone again.
As soon as winter arrived, he wasted no time in hosting a kotatsu themed club day, and directly before arriving in Adstringendum, he was entertaining his guests in the same way he always had.
Abilities/Additional Notes: Despite being normal high school students, the Ouran Host Club boys show surprising athletic ability. Tamaki readily leaps off of rocks into the ocean and does flips off of balconies. He will be quick to play hero to the ladies, even if there are people better suited to it. He also plays the piano extraordinarily well, bringing the Ootori family to tears at one point and often shown in the series to be playing from memory.
Sample Journal Post: [Tamaki seems surprisingly calm for someone so prone to over-reaction as he scans his surroundings with a surveyor's eye. He takes a few steps forward, tapping what's left of a dirty, barely-held-together rock wall. After another minute, he nods decisively.]
My, Kyouya. You've really outdone yourself this time. It looks so authentic. But...
[He looks around again, placing one hand on his hip and wagging the other in the air as his expression undergoes a transformation from contemplative to admiring to confused and finally to commanding.]
This is hardly a proper environment for young women to thrive! Our guests will ruin their uniforms, and the beastly scenery will frighten them! While I respect the appeal of being the last man and woman on Earth, alone together forever in comforting embrace as the world crumbles around us... [Swoooooon~ and he twirls a non-existent girl in his arms before dropping her low.] There are much more romantic ways to portray such a scene! We'll have to redo it!
[He stands in his very princely and commanding pose for several seconds before deflating slightly. Once again, he looks around, beginning to nervously fret with the hem of his jacket.]
...Kyouya?
Sample RP: It had finally happened!
Tamaki peered hesitantly out from behind the bushes he'd adopted as his current hiding spot. Nothing was familiar; the landscape was littered with old, barely-serviceable buildings and overgrown flora. Upon confirming for the umpteenth time that this was not the Third Music Room, he shot back down into his bush-fort like a groundhog who'd just seen his shadow.
He. Suoh Tamaki. Handsome, talented, and brilliant Suoh Tamaki. Had been kidnapped! Clearly they had heard tell of him from seas afar and had come to punish him for being so perfect! Yes. That must be it! Pirates! Evil pirates from across the ocean had stolen him away from his precious Host Club! The fiends! To think, poor Haruhi and Kyouya! Poor Hikaru and Kaoru and Honey and Mori! So helpless without him, frantically searching for him because they couldn't live without him! He must find a way to stop these cruel people from further upsetting his dear noble daughter!
Thus with renewed determination, he picked up the rock he'd so cleverly discovered (tripped over) and the stick that he'd so ingeniously collected (hit his head on when he fell) and began rubbing them together with nervous energy unmatched by humankind. Suoh Tamaki would make fire! That would solve everything!
...It was what they always did on television anyway.