to let you steal a kiss and maybe even spend the night
Character: Kanji Tatsumi
Fandom: Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4
History: At his Persona wikia, taken from pre-Yomotsu Hirasaka dungeon with a maxed S. Link
Personality:
Kanji is a very peculiar breed of man, as he presents himself one way, but his actions are the complete opposite. On the outside, he's a rough and rugged man's man who acts tough, is a bit of a lone wolf and solves problems with his fists instead of his brain, causing people to both fear and avoid him. On the inside, he’s a pretty nice guy who likes to participate in “feminine” activities like sewing and cooking, and isn’t afraid of being forward with the people he trusts. This “inner Kanji,” however, is the side he’s kept hidden from the world underneath the mask of a tough guy.
When he was a child, Kanji preferred playing house and going to home ec instead of participating in other activities that normal boys participated in. It was because of these weird interests that neither the boys nor the girls accepted him. This lack of acceptance coupled with his dad’s final message of being strong, like a man, caused severe gender-confusion inside of Kanji, resulting in his manly, bad-boy projection in order to assuage his own fears of homosexuality; his own fears of isolation. Kanji longed to be accepted and was afraid of being left out. After all, it was easier for him to act tough than to actually be himself.
This tough exterior was only further cemented by the negative reinforcement from the Inaba community, as many of them jumped to conclusions based on his appearance. Despite this delinquent appearance, Kanji doesn’t like being referred to as one. People tend to judge him at first sight and assume he’s a troublemaker, even when he hasn’t done anything wrong. He admits that he feels worse for the people who have to deal with this, like his mother. He’s not exactly the brightest bulb in the bunch, but he isn’t intentionally mean either, so his mother, who takes care of him despite everything, doesn't deserve to have to deal with society's projections onto her only son.
Meeting the Investigation Team and facing his Shadow Self on the Midnight Channel changed him and caused him to strive to accept himself, hidden sides and all. After confronting his homosexual “other side,” Kanji began the process of healing with the help of his new friends (which he’s never actually had prior to meeting the team), especially Souji. It was a surprise to the group how sensitive this punk could be, especially when they also witnessed his confrontation with his shadow.
Kanji doesn’t want to cause trouble for the team/his friends, so he makes a promise to himself, and to Souji, to finally change and use his powers for good. Despite this, he’s still awkward, paranoid of people thinking he’s gay or queer because of his hobbies and his gender-confusion (and slight interest in Naoto Shirogane, who was believed to be a boy for a good portion of the game). As sensitive as he is, he also has problems expressing his emotions and dealing with gratitude (a typical trait among some men) and often lashes out when he feels vulnerable or embarrassed.
Throughout his S. Link, however, he learns the true meaning of strength and that people aren’t as judgmental and intolerant as he originally believed. Helping a little boy and being told he was cool helped him realize this and come to terms with his hobbies, allowing him to finally show his true self. Through the help of Souji and his friends, he also learned that strength is doing what needs to be done and giving your all, not acting tough and conforming to society’s standards for masculinity.
Kanji thinks with his fists and is quick to jump to conclusions and blow up at people in order to defend himself. Rather than explaining circumstances in order to save himself trouble, he often lets situations blow out of proportion and involve the people closest to him, like when the police were accusing him of bullying children. This aside, he will also do a lot to protect the people closest to him, even at his own expense. He does things with his all, which can be seen as a strength, but also a weakness.
Abilities:
Years of protecting his "manly" image has left Kanji with a mean left hook and an extraordinary physical skill. Another one of Kanji's abilities lie in his power to wield his persona, Rokuten Maou, who is strong physically, but weak magically. When he's not on the Midnight Channel, however, Kanji loses the ability to use his persona, leaving him with only his fists (and a folding chair, which he could still technically use outside of the TV).
Physical abilities aside, Kanji is also very talented with a sewing needle, even making some extra money off of selling his elaborately knitted plush animals at Tatsumi Textiles.
Link to an image of the character: This is a link to the image
Sample writing: Sample Prose Log from soul_campaign
Sample journal entry: Sample Post from soul_campaign
Fandom: Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4
History: At his Persona wikia, taken from pre-Yomotsu Hirasaka dungeon with a maxed S. Link
Personality:
Kanji is a very peculiar breed of man, as he presents himself one way, but his actions are the complete opposite. On the outside, he's a rough and rugged man's man who acts tough, is a bit of a lone wolf and solves problems with his fists instead of his brain, causing people to both fear and avoid him. On the inside, he’s a pretty nice guy who likes to participate in “feminine” activities like sewing and cooking, and isn’t afraid of being forward with the people he trusts. This “inner Kanji,” however, is the side he’s kept hidden from the world underneath the mask of a tough guy.
When he was a child, Kanji preferred playing house and going to home ec instead of participating in other activities that normal boys participated in. It was because of these weird interests that neither the boys nor the girls accepted him. This lack of acceptance coupled with his dad’s final message of being strong, like a man, caused severe gender-confusion inside of Kanji, resulting in his manly, bad-boy projection in order to assuage his own fears of homosexuality; his own fears of isolation. Kanji longed to be accepted and was afraid of being left out. After all, it was easier for him to act tough than to actually be himself.
This tough exterior was only further cemented by the negative reinforcement from the Inaba community, as many of them jumped to conclusions based on his appearance. Despite this delinquent appearance, Kanji doesn’t like being referred to as one. People tend to judge him at first sight and assume he’s a troublemaker, even when he hasn’t done anything wrong. He admits that he feels worse for the people who have to deal with this, like his mother. He’s not exactly the brightest bulb in the bunch, but he isn’t intentionally mean either, so his mother, who takes care of him despite everything, doesn't deserve to have to deal with society's projections onto her only son.
Meeting the Investigation Team and facing his Shadow Self on the Midnight Channel changed him and caused him to strive to accept himself, hidden sides and all. After confronting his homosexual “other side,” Kanji began the process of healing with the help of his new friends (which he’s never actually had prior to meeting the team), especially Souji. It was a surprise to the group how sensitive this punk could be, especially when they also witnessed his confrontation with his shadow.
Kanji doesn’t want to cause trouble for the team/his friends, so he makes a promise to himself, and to Souji, to finally change and use his powers for good. Despite this, he’s still awkward, paranoid of people thinking he’s gay or queer because of his hobbies and his gender-confusion (and slight interest in Naoto Shirogane, who was believed to be a boy for a good portion of the game). As sensitive as he is, he also has problems expressing his emotions and dealing with gratitude (a typical trait among some men) and often lashes out when he feels vulnerable or embarrassed.
Throughout his S. Link, however, he learns the true meaning of strength and that people aren’t as judgmental and intolerant as he originally believed. Helping a little boy and being told he was cool helped him realize this and come to terms with his hobbies, allowing him to finally show his true self. Through the help of Souji and his friends, he also learned that strength is doing what needs to be done and giving your all, not acting tough and conforming to society’s standards for masculinity.
Kanji thinks with his fists and is quick to jump to conclusions and blow up at people in order to defend himself. Rather than explaining circumstances in order to save himself trouble, he often lets situations blow out of proportion and involve the people closest to him, like when the police were accusing him of bullying children. This aside, he will also do a lot to protect the people closest to him, even at his own expense. He does things with his all, which can be seen as a strength, but also a weakness.
Abilities:
Years of protecting his "manly" image has left Kanji with a mean left hook and an extraordinary physical skill. Another one of Kanji's abilities lie in his power to wield his persona, Rokuten Maou, who is strong physically, but weak magically. When he's not on the Midnight Channel, however, Kanji loses the ability to use his persona, leaving him with only his fists (and a folding chair, which he could still technically use outside of the TV).
Physical abilities aside, Kanji is also very talented with a sewing needle, even making some extra money off of selling his elaborately knitted plush animals at Tatsumi Textiles.
Link to an image of the character: This is a link to the image
Sample writing: Sample Prose Log from soul_campaign
Sample journal entry: Sample Post from soul_campaign