000; app
OOC
alias: Mol
timezone: PST
chat: comixology at gtalk, lefttostagnation on aim
character journal: jundere
IC
name: Takase Junta (高瀬 準太)
age: 17, born 02-02
position & team: Ace, Tousei.
koushien dream email: notyetdivorced@koushiendream.net
history: Junta is the first son in a family of pranksters. His father loves slapstick comedy, his mother loves bad puns, and his little brother is a genius when it comes to practical jokes. Junta has always been the snarky one in the family. Junta's mother is a housewife, but tutors middle-school and high-school children in languages. His father is a child psychologist. Junta was a smart, somewhat sarcastic boy who grew up with an easy confidence. He and his father had played catch regularly when he was very young, and by the time Junta got to be old enough to play in little league, he adored baseball and especially liked to throw. His father doted on him probably more than he should have (like how his mother dotes on his younger brother) and was always eager to encourage Junta to do what he loved so that he'd be happy.
Spending so much time playing catch together really cemented Junta's relationship with his father as a positive one. Junta admires and respects authority figures, feels that he can talk with them openly and comfortably, and a lot of that is thanks to his strong relationship with his dad.
Pitch coaching, little league, and finally middle-school came around, and baseball had edged out most of Junta's other hobbies - except for eating sweets - and when he met Kazuki and then Riou, Junta settled into his identity as an ace. Junta became so close with Kazu that they are often in synch, and while Junta adores Riou and tends to treat him like a puppy; why anybody would seriously try to hurt the kid's feelings, Junta just never has understood. It was inevitable that he'd decide to go to whichever school Kazuki chose, so long as it had a good baseball team, and that he'd demand that Riou follow him. The three of them are so close that it's a bit of a joke in the baseball club that Kazu and Junta are like husband and wife (and that Riou is their kid), and every time anybody mentions it, Junta gets flustered and tries to tease his way out of the embarrassment. He really loves his two best friends, and thinks of them as being part of his family. Of course, he wants to spend as much time with them as he can.
Kazu chose to attend Tousei, which did indeed have an excellent baseball team (and was the school Riou's older brother had attended), and though Junta was only a relief pitcher in his first year, he managed to secure the ace position in his second year. He's excited to keep playing, even after their devastating loss to Nishiura in the first game of the summer tournament, and even though Kazu's given up baseball to focus on his college entrance exams. Junta is pretty mad that Kazu got all weird and avoided him (and Riou, and the rest of the team) for a few months after their loss, but his frustration is motivating him to become an even better pitcher. He's determined to take the team to Koushien at the spring tournament, and then again at the summer tournament during his third year.
personality: Junta is a pigtail-puller. He teases to show he cares. He has developed kind of an odd sense of humor - he thinks it's funny when people are a little uncomfortable, and he tends to egg people on. He especially likes to tease Riou in this way, because Riou is so adorable when he squirms. While Junta teases Kazu and the rest of his teammates, he tends to tease them in a different, more laid-back way.
Junta's fickle, hot-and-cold appearance is somewhat exacerbated by the way that he falls into roles when he's with different people. When alone with Kazuki, Junta tends to be more sarcastic but also more vulnerable - he lets Kazuki see his (few) insecurities and opens up to him when he's frustrated about things, and trusts Kazuki to help him through things. When alone with Riou, Junta is much more coy and playful, often ruffling up Riou's hair or tickling him just to get an overblown reaction out of him. Junta doesn't open up as much to Riou, but he does listen to him carefully, and Riou gets to see more of Junta's mischievous side than anyone else. When together with both Kazu and Riou, Junta has a dry, sharp-edged sense of humor and a tendency to bounce back and forth between them two of them, distributing his affection equally. He tends to make fun of his relationship with Kazu more when Riou is there, and is more likely to let Kazu take the lead both in terms of decision-making and teasing Riou when they're a trio. Junta likes to think of himself as someone they can both rely on.
When the rest of his teammates are around, or when Junta is with his family, he tends to tease even more than usual and laughs a little louder and longer at more things. He enjoys the excitement of being a large group of friends, but also the intimacy of spending one-on-one time. It can make him seem inconsistent, since he tends to be much sweeter in private, even when he is teasing.
Junta is a guy with a lot of self-restraint and control over his expressions. During games, he works to be hard to read, and not to give his opponents any hints on his mental state, if at all possible. Because he has pride in his ability to control himself, when that control is shaken up, he can deteriorate quickly. He thrives on support from friends as individuals and as a group, and tends to show his appreciation and affection physically. He isn't afraid of hugging, patting on the back, or putting his hands in people's hair, once he considers them a friend. Some people are pretty surprised by Junta's willingness to touch, especially if they're more used to his collected on-the-mound personality. He's full of surprises.
Junta is also pretty sure that he's gay, but he hasn't come out to anyone or anything. He's too focused on baseball right now to think much about dating, anyway, but he's also not sure how his classmates (and Kazu and Riou) will take the news. Further complicating things are how strong his feelings of friendship (and maybe not-quite-friendship) are for both Kazu and Riou.
Since losing to Nishiura (and losing Kazu as his catcher to cram school), Junta's been feeling a bit lost. He loves baseball, but hasn't ever seriously considered going pro - even though Riou tells him he's amazing and Kazu insists he'd be great at it. Junta makes good grades and isn't worried about university, but Kazu's departure from the team for entrance exams has moved The Future to the forefront of Junta's mind. He's not sure what he wants to do with himself, and trying to figure it out has dampened his usual teasing sparkle just a bit. It doesn't help that Kazu didn't talk to him for two months after their loss, the jerk. As a result, in the last few weeks or so Riou has been getting to see just a little more of Junta's vulnerable side, though Junta is pretty hesitant about sharing it.
strengths & weaknesses: As a pitcher, Junta is incredibly well-rounded. He has the stamina to pitch through an entire game, consistent speeds around 130 kph on his pitches, and the ability to place his pitches relatively well at those speeds. That said, Junta is susceptible to high-tension and when under pressure, his control falters. He has a low rate of dead balls and unintentional walks, but once he's uncertain of himself or loses his pace, he takes some time to settle back into it.
Junta is a reliable player, with a good eye, sharp motions, a decent batting average, and legs that can carry him around the bases quickly (though he's by no means the fastest runner on his team). He is diligent in his training and devoted to his team. Junta is very good at hiding his emotions during a game.
He's got a killer sweet tooth - one that he indulges just enough that he has a little extra weight through his hips and thighs that he can never quite manage to get rid of - but he's also very careful to balance the sweet things he likes to eat with all that other stuff he's supposed to eat. He can come across as a bully, and in some ways he is one. He isn't very good at openly admitting to a lot of his feelings, and because of that can appear to run hot and cold in his friendships. His strange sense of humor and fickle attitude make him difficult to manage as a friend and a pitcher.
Junta's bizarre sense of humor also means that Mihashi, with his crazy faces and ridiculous flailing body, is probably the funniest thing that Junta has ever seen, ever. He can't hear his name or think about the match with Nishiura, or see him even making a normal face without remembering the way he he looked during their game and completely losing his shit. It doesn't matter how inappropriate it is, Junta laughs like a maniac when Mihashi is involved. This doesn't exactly make him seem like a great guy. He really can't help it.
Junta's greatest weak spots, though, are for Kazu and Riou, who have been his best friends since they were young. He cares about them both immensely, and when it comes to the two of them he's prone to quick and instinctual reactions.
SAMPLES
First person sample.