Application

[dokyuu]

APPLICANT INFO.
NAME: Andy
CONTACT: PM dokyuu.dreamwidth.org
CURRENT CHARACTERS: N/A

CHARACTER INFO.
NAME: Motochika Chosokabe
CANON: Sengoku Basara
AGE: 20s (22 at first appearance, but canon is unclear as to just how much time has passed)
APPEARANCE: Here
CANON POINT: Sengoku Basara 3/Heroes, End of Green route

BACKGROUND: Here and here. He's a secondary character in both the anime series and the games, and thus doesn't have much solid backstory beyond his appearances there. And while the series is 'historical,' its timeline in no way resembles historical fact.

PERSONALITY: Motochika is one of the more laid back characters in the series. While other generals are vying with each other for power, Motochika's primary desire is to cruise around the inland sea of Japan with his crew, and build mechanical weapons. He comes across as both loud and intimidating (he's often referred to as the Ogre of the Western Sea) but he is actually a very kind leader. In the anime he is shown treating enemy spies quite well, and when faced with a show of force from visiting warriors, he chooses to discuss the situation rather than engage in violence. He also takes in refugees displaced by the fighting elsewhere in the country, declining their offer to fight with him in order to insure they will be able to survive and eventually go home.

Motochika has a deep devotion to his crew, and indeed, all of his friends. While he rules over the vast majority of Shikoku, making him a formidable ruler, he treats everyone casually. His men call him 'aniki' as a sign of both affection and respect, and he takes an informal approach with other warlords.

For all his geniality, though, he can have a short fuse. While personal affronts are largely shrugged off, attacks on the innocent and those he cares about are met with his wrath, and he has a habit of going off half-cocked, accepting whatever immediate explanation is at hand as the truth without necessarily taking the time to fully examine the situation. This is most easily seen when Shikoku is attacked in his absence. The slaughter of his men is met with profound grief on Motochika's part, and then profound anger. In both the game and the anime, he is initially lead to believe that Tokugawa Ieyasu is to blame for the carnage. This creates a great deal of conflict for him--Ieyasu is a friend, which makes the attack on his men even more gut-wrenching. In one route, he does not take the time to examine the situation, instead charging ahead, which leads to the tragedy of killing his friend despite the fact that Ieyasu has not actually committed the crime. In the green route, and in the anime, he is prompted to investigate further. He then discovers he's been used as a pawn, and begs Ieyasu's forgiveness for having let himself be fooled in such a way, despite the understandable nature of his anger. This, too, illustrates the emotional nature of Motochika's personality. While others might choose to come off as stalwart warriors, he's not afraid of wearing his heart on his sleeve. He breaks down in grief over his fallen men in front of others, unafraid of their judgement, and he treats those around him with kindness, even in situations where one might expect him to maintain a more intimidating facade. He's honorable, despite being a self-proclaimed pirate, and takes a dim view of betrayal.

He is also, despite his somewhat rough manners, an intelligent man and capable decision-maker when he's not letting his feelings get the better of him. While he's more than capable in a fight, he also knows diplomacy has a place, and his immediate response is not always a violent one. His greatest weakness is the fact that he sometimes lets his emotions get the better of him, something other characters in the series exploit for their own gains, and something he recognizes as a weakness in himself. In these instances, feelings override better judgment, sometimes leading to regrettable outcomes.

ABILITIES: The Sengoku Basara canon consists of a series of fighting games, and anime seasons based off those games. As such, most of the characters are fighters of extra-human capability, although because it applies to pretty much everyone in the canon, it's not particularly remarked upon, other than occasional observations about how strong such-and-such character is. Ridiculous feats and abilities are normalized to a great extent, but the characters are still human, and thus, Motochika is is as susceptible to injury and death as any other human, although it may take more force than usual to do so.

Motochika's primary weapon is an anchor/staff that he wields primarily one-handed. Like other characters in the series, he is associated with an element, in this case fire. This primarily manifests as attacks where the end of the anchor is aflame. The anchor portion of the weapon can also detach and work as a ranged weapon (something like an oversized grappling hook) which can then be reeled back in using the attached chain. In some instances, he uses the weapon as a means of transportation by standing on the staff portion of it, but how exactly it propels itself is not made clear.

In addition to his weapon, Motochika and his men are known to tinker around with building large mechanized weapons (including a large floating fortress, and some boats adapted to run around on mechanized legs). He has a certain amount of engineering skill, but only as it applies to the sort of technology available in his time period (mechanized, with no access to electricity) and without a skilled crew, he would be limited in what he could actually build. Being the commander of a fleet of ships, he has a great deal of practical nautical knowledge as well.

INVENTORY: Just his clothing and his anchor.

WRITING SAMPLES.
NETWORK SAMPLE: So the whole 'welcome home, everything's on fire' bit was a test to see how we'd do, huh? Putting aside the nasty memories seeing all that pulled up, I gotta say, that's not the best way to encourage teamwork. In fact, it's kinda the opposite. You want people to work for you, they gotta trust you, and playing games with folks to see how they'll handle it isn't a great way of doing that.

I don't got a problem working for someone else, even if it's not really my speed, but I sure as hell got a problem with someone jerkin' my chain around to see how I'll react. Reminds me a bit too much of someone I knew back home, and that guy… That guy, you don't trust, not ever. I learned that the hard way.

Shrugging it off with a pat on the back and 'don't take it personally' isn't exactly much of an apology, either. Don't know what I expected, exactly, but I'm going to be a lot more wary from now on.


LOG SAMPLE: Here.