app for sirenspull
Character Information
General
Canon Source: Saiyuki and Saiyuki Reload
Canon Format: Manga
Character's Name: Gojyo Sha
Character's Age: 23
Conditional: If your character is 13 years of age or under, please clarify how they will be played. N/A
What form will your character's NV take? A small hand-held computer that he can just shove in his back pocket and accidentally sit on. And it will of course be red.
Abilities
Character's Canon Abilities: Gojyo is half-youkai, meaning he is physically stronger than most humans (and, as it happens, most youkai as well). He can summon a shakujo, a long staff with a half-moon blade attached via a chain at the end. The chain extends as far as he wants it to, and he controls the blade with his mind, using it to slice up his enemies from all directions. It's a messy weapon.
Conditional: If your character has no superhuman canon abilities, what dormant ability will you give them? N/A
Weapons: The shakujo, listed under his abilities.
History/Personality/Plans/etc.
Character History: Gojyo is born from a human mother and a youkai father, making him a half-breed or a child of taboo. We've never been given the full details of what happened to his family, although we do know that his parents killed themselves when Gojyo was three. He somehow survived, and after that Gojyo was sent to live with his father's legal wife -- a full-blood youkai.
She, of course, wasn't too happy with the situation. She despised Gojyo. He looked like her husband, but she could still see traces of the human he'd left her for in Gojyo's face. Gojyo was always desperately seeking her love, and would even bring her flowers, while she would beat Gojyo over the head, pull at his hair and call him names ("Such an ugly shade of red! Red, like that woman's blood!").
Gojyo had an older half-brother named Jien who protected him against the worst of his step-mother's anger. He loved his little brother, but he also loved his mom. He took the place of his father, often sleeping with his mom to get her to lay off Gojyo for a bit. As this was the only kind of love Gojyo could recognise, we can assume he was jealous as he listened to the moans of his step-mom during the night.
It was inevitable that his step-mom would eventually have enough. She'd lost her mind, and in a fit of anger she cut Gojyo's cheek and lifted an axe to kill him. He was prepared to let her, anything to make her stop crying (she always cried when she looked at him, and he felt bad, because it was his fault), but apparently Jien didn't agree. He killed his mother and then disappeared, horrified by what he'd done.
Gojyo was just a child, but having no one else he spent the next few years alone, stealing and gambling to survive (even, apparently, working as something of a pimp). He made a few not-so-good friends, and didn't care much about anything. He didn't expect anything either, not from anyone else, and not from himself. He hated the way he looked, his hair and eyes reminding him of what he was; a half-breed, bad luck. He couldn't kill himself, but he didn't have much of a reason to live, either. This though, changed one day, after someone made a comment on his hair and Gojyo decided to leave the pub early. Walking home in the rain, he found a man lying on the ground, covered in blood, his guts trailing behind him. Surprisingly, he was alive, and Gojyo decided to bring him home and nurse him back to health. Apparently he'd looked like he wanted to die, and Gojyo was too much of an ass to let him.
The man was Cho Gonou. He later changed his name to Cho Hakkai, and moved in with Gojyo because the half-breed couldn't even remember when trash day was, and it worried him. He proved, by saving Gojyo's life after Gojyo had pretty much told him to fuck off, that he could actually expect something from him and rely on him when he needed to, and he became Gojyo's best friend. At the same time he also met Sanzo and Goku, and they became, if not friends, still someone he felt he could trust.
Three years later a minus wave started spreading across Shangri-La, the result of a forbidden experiment utilising a combination of human and youkai magic. This wave was affecting the land, making farmland and fields turn into desert, but it was also causing youkai to go berserk. They no longer saw humans as their equals, but as a potential afternoon snack instead, and only those with an exceptionally strong will or who weren't pure youkai, like Gojyo, were unaffected.
Sanzo, being a high-ranking monk, was given the order by the Three Aspects of Buddha to travel west and stop the experiments. They also told him to bring Gojyo, Hakkai and Goku along. This may or may not have been a very bad decision.
Events throughout the manga can be difficult to summarise, as they include several minor events all tied up into larger arcs that can go on for volumes. However, a few points are worth mentioning:
As the journey begins, youkai they run into keep mentioning a Prince Kougaiji, who they remember is the son of Gyomaoh, the youkai being revived in the forbidden experiment. It's not long before they run into him, as well as his companions. One of these, however, turn out to be none other than Sha Jien, Gojyo's long lost brother. He has now changed his name to Dokugakuji and is working under Kougaiji; meaning he and Gojyo are now enemies. It takes them half a moment to get over the shock of seeing each other again after ten years, and then the brotherly bickering begins. However, they both agree on one thing: They've decided how they're going to live their lives now, and being brothers doesn't change that. Dokugakuji has sworn loyalty to Kougaiji, and Gojyo is siding with Sanzo, and they will kill each other if they have to. They then pretend to fight, very unconvincingly; but then the two groups have a lot of respect for each other and never really get any better at being enemies after that.
A little over a year after the journey begins, another character makes an appearance. Hazel, from the continent in the west, shows up with his trusty companion Gat. Hazel is a priest with the power to revive the dead, and he is on a mission to kill all youkai. Where he is from, they are simply known as monsters, and Hazel holds a grudge against them. Any human he revives also seems to be unable to forgive youkai, and act like zombies whenever one is around, attacking with a sudden super-human strength.
Hazel has the ability to get on all of their nerves, and maybe especially Gojyo. He also forces them to take a look at their own hypocrisy: They get immediately angry when they realise that he is reviving people, feeling it goes against ethics, but if given the option, wouldn't they have chosen to revive a loved one, too?
Hazel is also well-aware that Gojyo, Hakkai and Goku are youkai, and for that reason is incredibly rude to them, while trying to convince Sanzo to join his cause. Things get worse though, when someone informs him that Goku is 'Seiten Taisei' - Neither youkai nor god, he is the great sage equaling heaven. He is the epitome of chaos, despite that, with the power limiter he wears on his forehead, he is nothing but an adorable (if somewhat obnoxious), fight-loving, bottomless pit of a kid. Hazel becomes determined to see what he is for himself, and to kill him.
He gets his chance when his hidden informer attacks from the shadows, nearly killing Goku. Sanzo storms off to destroy whoever this person is (he thinks he recognises the presence - or rather, the lack of a presence - this person gives off). Gojyo and Hakkai come out and find Goku on the ground, bleeding to death, and their attempts at healing him and bandaging his wounds do nothing. As a desperate last-resort they remove his limiter, hoping the Seiten Taisei will be able to deal with the injuries better than Goku.
It works a little too well. The Seiten Taisei is born from the earth itself, and as such can draw energy directly from it. He is healed in seconds, and then goes into a berserker rage, attacking anyone who happens to be closest. And without Sanzo around, stopping him won't be easy.
In the end that falls to Hakkai, who removes his own limiters, telling Gojyo that he wants him to be the one to stop him if he minus wave makes him go insane. And Gojyo is forced to watch as Goku and Hakkai nearly kill each other, helpless to do anything. Sanzo returns just as Hakkai finally manages to get the limiter back on the boy. Gojyo is understandably pissed at Sanzo, and tells him to fuck off, carrying Goku and Hakkai on his own back to the inn.
And Sanzo does; he leaves with Hazel to hunt down the person who dared attack Goku.
Point in Canon: Right after Saiyuki Reload ends. After Goku is attacked by someone unknown, Sanzo goes off with a narcissistic youkai exterminator to find the guy who's been playing with them from the shadows for a while. When Gojyo, Goku and Hakkai finally find him, he's losing horribly in a fight against Ukoku Sanzo, and they pull him away from the attack to save his sorry ass. Gojyo and Goku hold Ukoku off and distract him with their attacks, while Hakkai heals Sanzo. Just as Ukoku is about to disappear, Sanzo succeeds in shooting his glasses off. They're all extremely beat up and exhausted and close to passing out as the Reload manga ends, mocking each other and making bets on who'll die first.
Conditional: Brief summary of previous RP history: N/A
Character Personality: The first impression you get of Gojyo is that he's a shameless flirt. He'll hit on anything with tits, assuming they've been through puberty, and might (more jokingly) hit on some men as well. Sex was, for a long time, his only way of getting through the night.
His other coping mechanisms include smokes, beer and gambling, as well as getting into fights. He's also incredibly lazy, swears a lot; Sometimes it seems like he's got a list of all the sins and is checking them off one by one.
That's only on the surface, though. Most of the time, he gets into fights because of either sad women or helpless children, as he has a weakness for both. He has an incredibly soft heart, though he tries to hide it, and is the first of his group to help strangers. He also tends to act like a big brother towards kids, and has a talent for cheering people up.
While he'll often brag about how hot he is, and has a seemingly endless amount of confidence, he can be incredibly insecure at times. He knows he's not as strong as the others, rarely feels as useful; and as he's spent most of his life on the street, has never gone to school, so he doesn't come off as particularly intelligent. Plus, he's a half-breed -- half youkai, half human. This is taboo in his world, and the sign of a half-breed is the blood-red hair and eyes that he can't hide. His step-mom hated him for it, and he hates it, too, to the point where he might suddenly end a conversation and leave if someone brings it up.
He's not as insecure about it as he used to be, but it's not something he can forget, either.
Generally though, Gojyo is friendly and outgoing. He might come off as a bit crass as first, but once you get past that, he's a fun guy to hang out with. He's always got some sort of joke ready, and likes making people laugh, even he'll never admit it. He also enjoys teasing, and the more he likes you, the worse the teasing will get. Said teasing can and will include one-liners, bad jokes, leering, and nicknames that make you want to hit him over the head with a dictionary. If he doesn't like you though, he'll outright insult you or try to ignore you if he doesn't want to deal with it (of course, he's not always very good at that).
Conditional: Personality development in previous game: N/A
Character Plans: - Gojyo will be panicking at first, though mostly this will show as a lot of swearing and yelling. He's away from Hakkai, Sanzo and Goku, and that'll have him worried and pissed off. So his solution will be to go get wasted, and try to stay that way for as long as possible.
- He will also refuse to pick any sort of side. Canonly, all the main characters state that "from the day I was born 'til the day that I die, the only side I'm on is my own", and this isn't about to change. He has no reason to trust either side, so why would he help them out? Even if they could offer him something, Gojyo prefers managing on his own to being in anyone's debt anyway.
- He will try to make his living through poker, if possible. It's how he survived before going on the journey, and it's something he's good at. If not, he will probably end up doing odd jobs, because he's incapable of holding one down for any period of time. His reasons for being fired will most likely be: hitting on the wrong woman. Again. Or just forgetting to show up altogether.
- Aside from that, Gojyo can be fairly outgoing, even if he doesn't let people close too easily. So once he stops being wasted for five minutes (or while he's wasted, if anyone wants to get drunk with him), he'll want to talk to people. And hit on them. Shamelessly. Because that's what he does.
- He also tends to have a complete disregard for his own safety (see: getting drunk in a strange town where things in the dark want him dead), which could bring up some interesting plots. Especially without his best friend around to keep him in line.
Appearance/PB: Here is a good one.
Writing Samples
First Person Sample [video]
This thing on? Never used one of these things before. Never even seen one of 'em before. You gotta get 'em imported or something, shit.
[there's a pause, and the NV is adjusted until Gojyo's face comes into focus, if a little too close. He seems determined to set a new record in fastest-smoked cigarette, because the one between his lips is disappearing fast.]
There. People can hear me, right? Good. 'Cause I got a few questions.
First of all, anyone see a brown-haired asshole with a monocle? Might be wearing glasses instead, I dunno. He's usually got green clothes, and a dragon or a Jeep with him. I'm also looking for a shitty little monkey with a bottomless pit for a stomach. Failing that, anyone know any blond, homicidal monks 'round here, 'cause I could make do with that unholy shithead. That's a freakin' last resort, though.
And if you don't know any of those people, how 'bout directions to the nearest pub? I could do with a drink either way. Or ten.
[he rubs at the back of his neck, obviously frustrated, and then leans back in the chair he's sitting in. He exhales a cloud of smoke before continuing]
Oh yeah. I'm Sha Gojyo~ Nice to meet whoever you are. Now where the fuck am I, what the shit is this place, and how the hell do I get back?!
Third Person Sample With some effort, and one near-accident when Gojyo nearly fell over from the blood loss (and Hakkai got him back on his feet again, arm steady around his waist and helping him into Jeep), they all managed to get to the next town over. None of them had died yet, though that was more out of spite than anything at this point; and without Jeep's help, there was no doubt that they would never have made it this far. Camping out when they were injured always sucked, and Gojyo could almost admit to being grateful for the flying reptile slash automobile.
At least to himself. He'd never say anything like that out loud.
Thankfully, few questions were asked as they arrived at the inn. Travelling was dangerous these days after all, and the innkeeper simply handed them clean bandages and promised to heat up some leftovers from dinner. And then they were all too busy washing off blood to talk much, helping each other wrap up the wounds ("shit, not that fucking tight, you useless monkey. You're supposed to stop the bleeding, not cut off all bloodflow!") and generally just being relieved that yeah, they made it. This time, too.
Satisfied that he was no longer gushing red everywhere, Gojyo dumped his torn clothes in a corner and headed for the bathroom. It was fucking weird: They'd just been fighting the biggest asshole they'd run into so far, and the first thing his body wanted once he got to safety was to take a goddamn piss. Not that he minded. He heard Sanzo hit Goku over the head, and it all felt so normal, he'd be grinning if walking didn't hurt so much. Nothing had changed (or, not much anyway), and they finally had the monk back.
Not that he'd missed him.
Gojyo sighed, closing his eyes as he stepped in front of the toilet, relieving himself. Just some food and some sleep now, and maybe find a hot woman tomorrow. Yeah, that'd be nice. And as hurt as they were, Sanzo couldn't insist that they move on right away. He'd have time, and it'd been too fucking long. He couldn't even remember. The Sha Gojyo couldn't remember the last time he'd gotten some. He'd definitely earned it by now.
Maybe he should wait a little while though, because the blood loss was still making him feel dizzy. He had to squeeze his eyes tighter shut for a moment until the feeling passed, and then goosebumps started appearing all over his skin. It shouldn't be that cold inside. Maybe he should sit down. He reached forward to flush the toilet, fumbling around a little, and then opened his eyes when his hand only hit air.
Then he stopped. He looked around slowly. And stared.
Where the fuck had the bathroom gone.
It was several more moments before Gojyo realised he was gaping. At least that explained the cold, he thought. If only it explained anything else. An illusion? Had that shitty youkai appeared and trapped him in his world again? Yeah, that had to be it. Except, didn't he have to look into your eyes for that or something? And if he was trapped there, then where the fuck was that bastard?
He was staring directly at a heavily graffitied wall, and turning around only revealed a large and empty arena: no youkai, no monks, no foreign priests, no one who could have done this to him. And worst of all, there was still no bathroom, and Hakkai, Goku and Sanzo were nowhere in sight.
Gojyo didn't move for several minutes, until the sound of running footsteps reached him, and he noticed someone hurrying in his direction. Feeling more than a little pissed off, Gojyo let his shakujo appear in his hand. He didn't know who that person was, but if this was an illusion, then the first person who appeared would be the culprit.
It was time to get some goddamn answers.