Sha Gojyo (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
inthecenterfold) wrote2013-01-07 12:44 am
inthecenterfold) wrote2013-01-07 12:44 am
Entry tags:
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» PLAYER INFORMATION
Player NAME: Frudence
Current AGE: 26
Player TIME ZONE: EST
Personal JOURNAL:frudence
IM & SERVICE: frudence (AIM)
Player PLURK: frudence
Current CHARACTERS: n/a
» CHARACTER INFORMATION
Character NAME: Sha Gojyo
Canon & MEDIUM: Manga/Anime - Saiyuki (Gensomaden Saiyuki/Saiyuki Reload/Saiyuki Reload Gunlock) by Minekura Kazuya
Canon PULL-POINT: Between acts 33 & 34 aka The Even A Worm arc parts 20 & 21 (Saiyuki Reload Gunlock book #7); Sanzo has abandoned his three traveling companions (recovering from the Seiten Taisei versus Youkai-Hakkai battle) to travel with Hazel and Gato. It's completely Manga-verse -- no Homura arc or Movie, as they were anime-only. :( Gojyo is not physically injured, but suffered emotional damage detailed below.
Character AGE: 23
Character ABILITIES:
-- Some enhanced strength, speed, and stamina, including jumping agility. This is of an 'extraordinary' level, i.e. better than humans but not up to "super" status. He'll never beat speedsters in a foot race, he'll never jump tall buildings in a single bound, and he'll never bench-press a bus. This is just a bit watered down from "shounen series physics" like you see pulled in Bleach or Naruto and entirely due to his Hanyou heritage.
Character HISTORY:
Sha Gojyo was born to a human mother and a youkai* father, but his mother wasn't his father's wife. Both blood parents committed suicide and tried to take Gojyo with them but obviously failed. After that Gojyo somehow found himself in the "care" of the woman he came to call Mom - his father's legal wife, a youkai, and mother to his older half-brother. Even though she beat him, yelled at him, and could only be comforted by his older brother, Jien, he wanted to make her happy. One day, Mom tried to kill Gojyo, and Jien made the desperate decision to stop her by killing her instead. To the present day, Gojyo carries two scars on his left cheek from where his mother scratched him. The brothers parted ways and didn't see each other for approximately 15 years.
*Youkai live longer than humans, tend to have elemental powers, and are marked physically by a small tattoo somewhere on their body, elongated ears, and fangs. In Gojyo's case, the element is water because he is a "kappa", or water demon.
This next interim period of the series - after Gojyo lost his mother but before the Ikkou (traveling party) begin their journey in the main series - is known as the "Burial arc". The only part of this detailed in the first series (Gensomaden Saiyuki) is how the four met, explained later. Anyway, in the Burial arc we learn that Gojyo wandered the streets and learned, probably with the help of a youkai named Banri, how to play cards, rack up a beer tab, and become quite the lady's man. Gojyo was already very capable of street-fighting, but Banri taught Gojyo how to live off that and cards. Gojyo himself is a "taboo child** ", but most humans don't realize this while most demons do. Thus, Gojyo has lived among humans for most of his life and feels more comfortable in their culture.
**Taboo children are half-youkai and so-called because it is a social taboo for the two races to fornicate. They are marked physically by blood-red hair and eyes; apparently possess no elemental powers; and yet they do have some measure of extraordinary strength, speed, and life expectancy.
Gojyo is particularly close to one of his companions, Hakkai, because they met each other a few months before meeting the other two. Hakkai was "Cho Gonou" then and nearly dead, lying face down in the rain when Gojyo took Gonou back to his house and had a doctor look at the turned-youkai. Eventually Gonou recovered and was just about to leave Gojyo's company when a buddhist priest (Genjyo-sanzo) showed up at his door with a monkey-like boy (Son Goku) and demanded the "mass murderer" be turned over. Long story short, Gonou was not sentenced to death and took on the new name Hakkai to begin his penitence, but he and Gojyo are still best friends to this day as a result of the mess.
Gojyo wields a staff-like weapon with a crescent blade at the top and a chained spade at the bottom, summoning it with his youki -- the magical powers youkai possess and use in a variety of ways. In the show, it is called a 'shakujou', but is closer to the "cresecent-moon-toothed spade" (yueyachan) that Chinese Buddhist priests used as both a traveling staff (with clanging rings) and a shovel to dig graves. The story of how he acquired his weapon is this: Gojyo and Goku knocked over two urns where sacred weapons were being contained, and when the urns cracked open, the weapons claimed new owners. The "staff" claimed Gojyo and the only way to separate them would have been for Gojyo to die - an option, it's worth noting, Sanzo was openly in favor of.
Three years after the four men met, Gojyo's destiny caught up with him. He was summoned to journey with Genjyo-sanzo - among the highest ranking of Buddhist priests but without the shaved head or abstinence from killing, drinking, or smoking - to India to stop a "Minus Wave" from turning all youkai into ravenous, mindless beasts. His other traveling companions include the legendary Son Goku - the Sage Equaling Heaven - and Cho Hakkai, a human cursed for killing 1000 youkai by being himself changed into a youkai. This is the rag-tag group that Gojyo travels with for a year and a half at the time he is pulled from.
In Gensomaden Saiyuki (the first series published), the Sanzo Party fought against a youkai prince, Kougaiji, and his team (Jien among them, now called Dokugakuji) to keep Sanzo's sutra in his possession. It was during this time that the team first caught a glimpse of Goku's berserk "Seiten Taisei" form - the "Great Sage Equaling Heaven". Only through the intervention of Kanzeon Bosatsu (Merciful Goddess) was Goku calmed. What drove Goku berserk was seeing Sanzo nearly die of blood loss from a gaping hole in his stomach. Kanzeon Bosatsu replaced Sanzo's lost blood with some of Gojyo's - she acquired it through a kiss - but it left Gojyo so weak he fell to his knees. It should be noted that Kanzeon Bosatsu thought it would actually knock him unconscious.
In Saiyuki Reload, they continued their journey westward, fighting a variety of youkai along the way and finally going up against Kami-sama - a man who called himself "God" and stole Sanzo's sutra. During the struggle, all four Ikkou (traveling party) members nearly died, but it also forced them to learn more about each other's fighting styles and unite them more as a team as well as friends. All of this happened over a game of mahjongg, a game they played often during the trip because it requires 3-4 people.
Most recently, they encountered a man by the name of Hazel and his attendant called Gato. This whole portion is the 'Even a Worm' arc, but appears in Saiyuki Reload: Gunlock in the anime versus Saiyuki Reload in the manga. Hazel is a Christian (?) bishop with the power to trap youkai souls in his pendant (with the Star of David on it), then release them into the dead bodies of humans, seemingly bringing the dead back to life. But they've changed - the biggest difference is that their eyes become yellow and they despise youkai, going crazy at the sight of them and chanting "Kill Youkai" while attempting to do just that with their own hands. Hazel 'revives' humans who fall in youkai attacks, because he desires to kill all youkai and make a world exclusively for humans. He thinks that he and Sanzo have identical goals and therefore seriously questions why Sanzo travels with "monsters". Naturally, this does not sit well with Hakkai, Goku, and Gojyo. The way that Gojyo deals with it is by mocking Hazel's accent, which is translated as a southern accent.
In the last battle, Gojyo was reminded of how powerless he was in comparison to his fellow travelers. Goku was ambushed with a nearly fatal attack that left Sanzo so distraught he ran off to confront who he supposed to be Goku's ambusher. This left Hakkai and Gojyo to deal with the problem, which they did by choosing to remove Goku's limiter***, thereby transforming Goku into his insanely powerful form - Seiten Taisei, The "Great Sage Equalling Heaven" - that could heal himself and survive the attack. The bad thing about that is that Goku's STTS form is completely berserk - he doesn't distinguish between friend & foe and lives only for himself; Gojyo and Hakkai knew that when they removed Goku's limiter, but it was the only way to keep Goku alive. To stop Goku from going on a killing spree, Hakkai removed his limiters as well to combat Goku. Hakkai's Youkai form is not much better than Goku's STTS form, but Hakkai has a stronger personal will, so he has a greater chance of coming back to his senses while still transformed. Unfortunately, Gojyo had to actually stop Youkai-Hakkai from killing Goku, and Gojyo nearly got his head chopped off by Hakkai in the process. Goku was finally knocked unconscious after a cooperative effort by Hakkai with Gato to elotrocute Goku, after which Gojyo placed the limiter back on Goku's head. However, he still had to help tend to Hakkai's wounds and stopped Hazel from stealing his best friend's soul, screaming, "He's not dead, damnit!" Bearing the weight of both Goku and Hakkai - Goku under his right arm and Hakkai leaning on his left shoulder - Gojyo left the town to find Hakuryu**** and take them to a safe place where they could rest and recover. On his way out, he scorned Sanzo for abandoning Goku when Goku needed Sanzo the most. "Sorry, dick. I've got my hands full. So I can't beat you senseless right now."
***Limiters in Saiyuki canon are the name of small metal objects, usually a kind of jewelry because we've seen earrings, a bracelet, and a headband among others. A limiter does two things for youkai: 1) dampens their power levels by varying amounts and 2) magically creates a facade that makes the youkai appear human. Goku and Hakkai both require limiters to not only stay sane but protect them from the Minus Wave; Gojyo, being only half-youkai, doesn't require a limiter and can slip into most human settlements with ease.
****Hakuryu is the name of the small white dragon that travels with the party, usually in the capacity of their transportation because Hakuryu can transform into a jeep. Since, "Jeep" or "Jiipu" was copyrighted, they had to change the name for the anime, but it's a lot easier to distinguish between Hakuryu's forms by using both names - Hakuryu for his dragon form, and Jeep for his vehicle form. Hakuryu is essentially Hakkai's pet and thus I did not request Hakuryu coming to the game along with Gojyo.
Character PERSONALITY:
Gojyo is best described as a playboy with a heart of gold. His favorite things in life are cigarettes, booze, and sex. While on his own, he used booze & games with strangers to get through the day and love with strangers to get through the night. All the while, feeling like his hanyou status (half human, half youkai) would not allow him to enjoy life because neither human nor youkai wanted him. By remaining with the humans, Gojyo stood a chance at hiding the nature of his birth. To earn money, he became an excellent gambler - playing cards and mah-jongg - and something like a petty thief along with Banri. In his low moments, he retreats to these familiar pursuits.
After meeting Hakkai, Sanzo, and Goku, Gojyo was confronted with the idea that "there are other things in the world that are red". Basically, that he can enjoy life in spite of his "taboo" birth. He becomes a raucous brother-figure to Goku, a best friend to Hakkai, and a pain in Sanzo's side, regularly stopping the journey to do "good deeds" that Sanzo would have otherwise looked over. For example, two brothers were being deceived by a man called "Kami-sama" and Gojyo in fact left his companions (who at first continued on their journey without him) to try to help the brothers, nearly dying in the process. Hakkai also says to Gojyo at one point, "you make a terrible villain". While Sanzo and Goku both accuse Gojyo of being "lecherous", it is nearly always harmless flirting. In fact, the girls he hits on will often indulge his advances and it is only then that Gojyo "gets in trouble" -- being smacked with a paper fan by Sanzo and teased verbally by Goku. In essence, while he enjoys sex, he can actually restrain himself, and is more interested in love, which he has never experienced and has said before that he'd "like to experience it at least once".
While his companions accuse Gojyo of being "lecherous," what gets him in trouble is nearly always harmless flirting. In fact, the girls he hits on will often indulge his advances and it is only then that Gojyo gets reprimanded -- being smacked with a paper fan by Sanzo and teased verbally by Goku. In essence, while he enjoys sex, he can restrain himself, and is actually more interested in love, which he has never experienced and has said before that he'd "like to experience it at least once." This also goes back to his history: he's the only child of a married man and his mistress, who both decided to commit suicide & tried to take Gojyo with them. Afterwards, he ended up in the care of his father's legal wife and her son Jien (Gojyo's half-brother and a full youkai), but his "mother" was so distraught by what happened that she often abused Gojyo physically & mentally. To stop her, Jien engaged in intercourse with his own mother. She still cried all the time and that was why Gojyo (approx. age 12*) was wiling to die if it stopped his mother's tears. As a result, Gojyo doesn't think he's ever experienced love in his whole life.
*At first, canonically this occurred when he was 8. Later in canon it was retconned to age 12.
That's why "there are other things in the world that are red" is so important. Aside from the slight trauma that affects Gojyo every time he sees a haunting visage of his mother, for the most part he's gotten over himself and his hanyou issues - at least, a lot more than his three traveling companions have. He's the only one unaffected by the rain, for instance. He regularly keeps Hakkai's depressing moods in check, reassures Goku when he doesn't understand something (because chances are good Gojyo doesn't either), and is many times the only one bull-headed enough to stand up to Sanzo and his emotional constipation. Even while the four of them are stuck in a cramped vehicle on an incredibly long journey, Gojyo's main desire is really just to have a good time - laughing with his buds, smoking & boozing it up, chasing a little tail here & there, make a little money gambling to buy nicer stuff... So long as he's with those three, it's fine. That goes back to the desires of his past life's self: Kenren promised Goku they'd be together forever, but Goku's three heavenly friends died & were reborn as mortals. Subconsciously, Gojyo is carrying out Kenren's wish, since Gojyo is his reincarnation. That dream is in the process of shattering when Gojyo is being pulled, hence his brief relapse. He'll get over it in a day or two. (Note that this is a very different reason to be upset than his heritage and Mom traumas.)
By the point at which I have pulled him from, Gojyo has discovered a streak of intense loyalty to his traveling companions - the people he considers to be truly friends - and occasionally steps up to a fierce battle for nothing more than to keep the group together. Each time, Gojyo becomes quite frustrated because he actually has very little in the way of extraordinary abilities. He has some increased strength, a great deal more endurance, and some improved speed and dexterity, allowing him to jump and swing his bladed staff. Despite all that, his fighting style remains crude - mainly tavern-brawling, including punches and kicks - and his only "magical" ability is his power to summon his weapon, which comes from the weapon itself. Some extraordinary talents - ability to hold his breath for long periods of time, impressive charisma, as well as elevated strength/endurance/speed/dexterity - are often ascribed to his heritage as a half-water-youkai, only vaguely reminiscent of the kappa of Japanese myth that he is often called as a nickname.
» EXSILIUM INFORMATION
Chosen WEAPON: We'll start with his canon weapon of choice, the "staff," as it appears in canon for his base weapon. Over time, he'll be able to extend the shaft of the weapon so that the static "spade" end can be extended if he's more focused on offense. He can gain more telekinetic control of the chain if he's more focused on interrupting the enemy's attack flow, as in a support role during combat. If he's more focused on defense, he'll get special gloves (extensions of the wraps that were on his arms) that are thin enough to maintain dexterity, but made from a material that allows him a better grip on the weapon - and less pain when gripping the chains. A more severe upgrade from any of those would be the crescent blade getting bigger temporarily -- not nearly this big -- then reducing in size again when the chains recoil back into place.
Character INVENTORY: Just the clothes on his back, man. And a pack of cigarettes.
» SAMPLES
First PERSON:
[Video]
[His hands tremble slightly as he puffs.] Great. Just great. As if I didn't have enough shit to deal with right now, I get some nightmare with the Bastard's accent telling me I'm fucking useless and need to bone up my skills. Gotta make sure the verbal ass-kicking is from a pretty lady too, 'course, 'course, or it wouldn't be a complete nightmare, would it?
[He taps out the stick and breathes in again, finally calming.] … Hn. Better not have gotten ambushed by some youkai while they were out or I'll never forgive myself.
Third PERSON:
Gojyo stared at the tablet computer, holding it up like a wet rag. "The hell is this thing, anyway?" His mind was completely reeling. He was given maps, motivations, money, names, technology, his own weapon examined -- everything but the kitchen sink and, truthfully, none of it was really sinking in. It was all too foreign, too much of a heel-turn from what he'd just been dealing with.
So he did what he did best -- he trawled the streets for a place to hang, slipping into a raucous crowd so that he didn't have to deal with everything until the morning in the hopes that he'd just wake up. He'd wake up, none of this would matter, Goku would be bouncing around asking about his next meal, Hakkai would be doing laundry, and-- and things would be just fine. It took a bit, but he found himself in the Cascade Lounge.
He smirked. "Just like home. Hey! Anyone got a deck of cards? Mah-jongg? Anything?"
Well, they weren't exactly a friendly crowd, so small wonder no one took him up on his offer. The only reason he got away with that on his own turf was because he was always there - he was usually the one being approached for a game, not the other way around. He was a local; everyone knew who played and who didn't. Still, he stuck around long enough for a drink and to get the bartender's name, just in case he came back.
Up next, The Crown and the Lion. What a stuffy name that sounds like- His hair practically curled when he entered. He didn't even try hiding his sour expression. "Guess I was right." It said less about the pub and more about the kinds of places Gojyo was used to frequenting. He tentatively sat down at the bar and tried the beer. Maybe this place isn't so bad. He had a few more before he left.
Feeling the buzz, he made his way to The Moon Cafe. "This place-" He snickered. "Didn't think I was that smashed yet." He kept laughing as he walked in, disappointed to find there wasn't a bar. Just regular tables to order food at along with some drinks. "Well that's a letdown," he grumbled to whoever would listen. He ordered one drink that sounded decent, but was absolutely disgusted by how fruity it ended up being. "Ugh, nevermind anything else. I'm done."
He didn't stumble back; it took a lot more drink in him than that to get him wasted. He was definitely warm, though, and longing for company. The problem was he was exhausted from that combat and not drunk enough to stop worrying about his two friends who'd beaten each other nearly to death. So, he threw his cigarette on the ground outside of the building he'd been assigned to and made his way to bed. Whatever came tomorrow would come, with or without the 'strength' that lady seemed to think he possessed.
» ADDITIONAL NOTES
He's not politically correct, once referring to a male youkai in female dress as a "tranny." He really does swear that casually, it's not just a translation of guy-speak. I'll give him a special permissions post if you feel it necessary, or put warnings for very explicit rants like the one above, since even without cursing he can get pretty crass in conversational content and imagery.
Player NAME: Frudence
Current AGE: 26
Player TIME ZONE: EST
Personal JOURNAL:
frudenceIM & SERVICE: frudence (AIM)
Player PLURK: frudence
Current CHARACTERS: n/a
» CHARACTER INFORMATION
Character NAME: Sha Gojyo
Canon & MEDIUM: Manga/Anime - Saiyuki (Gensomaden Saiyuki/Saiyuki Reload/Saiyuki Reload Gunlock) by Minekura Kazuya
Canon PULL-POINT: Between acts 33 & 34 aka The Even A Worm arc parts 20 & 21 (Saiyuki Reload Gunlock book #7); Sanzo has abandoned his three traveling companions (recovering from the Seiten Taisei versus Youkai-Hakkai battle) to travel with Hazel and Gato. It's completely Manga-verse -- no Homura arc or Movie, as they were anime-only. :( Gojyo is not physically injured, but suffered emotional damage detailed below.
Character AGE: 23
Character ABILITIES:
-- Some enhanced strength, speed, and stamina, including jumping agility. This is of an 'extraordinary' level, i.e. better than humans but not up to "super" status. He'll never beat speedsters in a foot race, he'll never jump tall buildings in a single bound, and he'll never bench-press a bus. This is just a bit watered down from "shounen series physics" like you see pulled in Bleach or Naruto and entirely due to his Hanyou heritage.
Character HISTORY:
Sha Gojyo was born to a human mother and a youkai* father, but his mother wasn't his father's wife. Both blood parents committed suicide and tried to take Gojyo with them but obviously failed. After that Gojyo somehow found himself in the "care" of the woman he came to call Mom - his father's legal wife, a youkai, and mother to his older half-brother. Even though she beat him, yelled at him, and could only be comforted by his older brother, Jien, he wanted to make her happy. One day, Mom tried to kill Gojyo, and Jien made the desperate decision to stop her by killing her instead. To the present day, Gojyo carries two scars on his left cheek from where his mother scratched him. The brothers parted ways and didn't see each other for approximately 15 years.
*Youkai live longer than humans, tend to have elemental powers, and are marked physically by a small tattoo somewhere on their body, elongated ears, and fangs. In Gojyo's case, the element is water because he is a "kappa", or water demon.
This next interim period of the series - after Gojyo lost his mother but before the Ikkou (traveling party) begin their journey in the main series - is known as the "Burial arc". The only part of this detailed in the first series (Gensomaden Saiyuki) is how the four met, explained later. Anyway, in the Burial arc we learn that Gojyo wandered the streets and learned, probably with the help of a youkai named Banri, how to play cards, rack up a beer tab, and become quite the lady's man. Gojyo was already very capable of street-fighting, but Banri taught Gojyo how to live off that and cards. Gojyo himself is a "taboo child** ", but most humans don't realize this while most demons do. Thus, Gojyo has lived among humans for most of his life and feels more comfortable in their culture.
**Taboo children are half-youkai and so-called because it is a social taboo for the two races to fornicate. They are marked physically by blood-red hair and eyes; apparently possess no elemental powers; and yet they do have some measure of extraordinary strength, speed, and life expectancy.
Gojyo is particularly close to one of his companions, Hakkai, because they met each other a few months before meeting the other two. Hakkai was "Cho Gonou" then and nearly dead, lying face down in the rain when Gojyo took Gonou back to his house and had a doctor look at the turned-youkai. Eventually Gonou recovered and was just about to leave Gojyo's company when a buddhist priest (Genjyo-sanzo) showed up at his door with a monkey-like boy (Son Goku) and demanded the "mass murderer" be turned over. Long story short, Gonou was not sentenced to death and took on the new name Hakkai to begin his penitence, but he and Gojyo are still best friends to this day as a result of the mess.
Gojyo wields a staff-like weapon with a crescent blade at the top and a chained spade at the bottom, summoning it with his youki -- the magical powers youkai possess and use in a variety of ways. In the show, it is called a 'shakujou', but is closer to the "cresecent-moon-toothed spade" (yueyachan) that Chinese Buddhist priests used as both a traveling staff (with clanging rings) and a shovel to dig graves. The story of how he acquired his weapon is this: Gojyo and Goku knocked over two urns where sacred weapons were being contained, and when the urns cracked open, the weapons claimed new owners. The "staff" claimed Gojyo and the only way to separate them would have been for Gojyo to die - an option, it's worth noting, Sanzo was openly in favor of.
Three years after the four men met, Gojyo's destiny caught up with him. He was summoned to journey with Genjyo-sanzo - among the highest ranking of Buddhist priests but without the shaved head or abstinence from killing, drinking, or smoking - to India to stop a "Minus Wave" from turning all youkai into ravenous, mindless beasts. His other traveling companions include the legendary Son Goku - the Sage Equaling Heaven - and Cho Hakkai, a human cursed for killing 1000 youkai by being himself changed into a youkai. This is the rag-tag group that Gojyo travels with for a year and a half at the time he is pulled from.
In Gensomaden Saiyuki (the first series published), the Sanzo Party fought against a youkai prince, Kougaiji, and his team (Jien among them, now called Dokugakuji) to keep Sanzo's sutra in his possession. It was during this time that the team first caught a glimpse of Goku's berserk "Seiten Taisei" form - the "Great Sage Equaling Heaven". Only through the intervention of Kanzeon Bosatsu (Merciful Goddess) was Goku calmed. What drove Goku berserk was seeing Sanzo nearly die of blood loss from a gaping hole in his stomach. Kanzeon Bosatsu replaced Sanzo's lost blood with some of Gojyo's - she acquired it through a kiss - but it left Gojyo so weak he fell to his knees. It should be noted that Kanzeon Bosatsu thought it would actually knock him unconscious.
In Saiyuki Reload, they continued their journey westward, fighting a variety of youkai along the way and finally going up against Kami-sama - a man who called himself "God" and stole Sanzo's sutra. During the struggle, all four Ikkou (traveling party) members nearly died, but it also forced them to learn more about each other's fighting styles and unite them more as a team as well as friends. All of this happened over a game of mahjongg, a game they played often during the trip because it requires 3-4 people.
Most recently, they encountered a man by the name of Hazel and his attendant called Gato. This whole portion is the 'Even a Worm' arc, but appears in Saiyuki Reload: Gunlock in the anime versus Saiyuki Reload in the manga. Hazel is a Christian (?) bishop with the power to trap youkai souls in his pendant (with the Star of David on it), then release them into the dead bodies of humans, seemingly bringing the dead back to life. But they've changed - the biggest difference is that their eyes become yellow and they despise youkai, going crazy at the sight of them and chanting "Kill Youkai" while attempting to do just that with their own hands. Hazel 'revives' humans who fall in youkai attacks, because he desires to kill all youkai and make a world exclusively for humans. He thinks that he and Sanzo have identical goals and therefore seriously questions why Sanzo travels with "monsters". Naturally, this does not sit well with Hakkai, Goku, and Gojyo. The way that Gojyo deals with it is by mocking Hazel's accent, which is translated as a southern accent.
In the last battle, Gojyo was reminded of how powerless he was in comparison to his fellow travelers. Goku was ambushed with a nearly fatal attack that left Sanzo so distraught he ran off to confront who he supposed to be Goku's ambusher. This left Hakkai and Gojyo to deal with the problem, which they did by choosing to remove Goku's limiter***, thereby transforming Goku into his insanely powerful form - Seiten Taisei, The "Great Sage Equalling Heaven" - that could heal himself and survive the attack. The bad thing about that is that Goku's STTS form is completely berserk - he doesn't distinguish between friend & foe and lives only for himself; Gojyo and Hakkai knew that when they removed Goku's limiter, but it was the only way to keep Goku alive. To stop Goku from going on a killing spree, Hakkai removed his limiters as well to combat Goku. Hakkai's Youkai form is not much better than Goku's STTS form, but Hakkai has a stronger personal will, so he has a greater chance of coming back to his senses while still transformed. Unfortunately, Gojyo had to actually stop Youkai-Hakkai from killing Goku, and Gojyo nearly got his head chopped off by Hakkai in the process. Goku was finally knocked unconscious after a cooperative effort by Hakkai with Gato to elotrocute Goku, after which Gojyo placed the limiter back on Goku's head. However, he still had to help tend to Hakkai's wounds and stopped Hazel from stealing his best friend's soul, screaming, "He's not dead, damnit!" Bearing the weight of both Goku and Hakkai - Goku under his right arm and Hakkai leaning on his left shoulder - Gojyo left the town to find Hakuryu**** and take them to a safe place where they could rest and recover. On his way out, he scorned Sanzo for abandoning Goku when Goku needed Sanzo the most. "Sorry, dick. I've got my hands full. So I can't beat you senseless right now."
***Limiters in Saiyuki canon are the name of small metal objects, usually a kind of jewelry because we've seen earrings, a bracelet, and a headband among others. A limiter does two things for youkai: 1) dampens their power levels by varying amounts and 2) magically creates a facade that makes the youkai appear human. Goku and Hakkai both require limiters to not only stay sane but protect them from the Minus Wave; Gojyo, being only half-youkai, doesn't require a limiter and can slip into most human settlements with ease.
****Hakuryu is the name of the small white dragon that travels with the party, usually in the capacity of their transportation because Hakuryu can transform into a jeep. Since, "Jeep" or "Jiipu" was copyrighted, they had to change the name for the anime, but it's a lot easier to distinguish between Hakuryu's forms by using both names - Hakuryu for his dragon form, and Jeep for his vehicle form. Hakuryu is essentially Hakkai's pet and thus I did not request Hakuryu coming to the game along with Gojyo.
Character PERSONALITY:
Gojyo is best described as a playboy with a heart of gold. His favorite things in life are cigarettes, booze, and sex. While on his own, he used booze & games with strangers to get through the day and love with strangers to get through the night. All the while, feeling like his hanyou status (half human, half youkai) would not allow him to enjoy life because neither human nor youkai wanted him. By remaining with the humans, Gojyo stood a chance at hiding the nature of his birth. To earn money, he became an excellent gambler - playing cards and mah-jongg - and something like a petty thief along with Banri. In his low moments, he retreats to these familiar pursuits.
After meeting Hakkai, Sanzo, and Goku, Gojyo was confronted with the idea that "there are other things in the world that are red". Basically, that he can enjoy life in spite of his "taboo" birth. He becomes a raucous brother-figure to Goku, a best friend to Hakkai, and a pain in Sanzo's side, regularly stopping the journey to do "good deeds" that Sanzo would have otherwise looked over. For example, two brothers were being deceived by a man called "Kami-sama" and Gojyo in fact left his companions (who at first continued on their journey without him) to try to help the brothers, nearly dying in the process. Hakkai also says to Gojyo at one point, "you make a terrible villain". While Sanzo and Goku both accuse Gojyo of being "lecherous", it is nearly always harmless flirting. In fact, the girls he hits on will often indulge his advances and it is only then that Gojyo "gets in trouble" -- being smacked with a paper fan by Sanzo and teased verbally by Goku. In essence, while he enjoys sex, he can actually restrain himself, and is more interested in love, which he has never experienced and has said before that he'd "like to experience it at least once".
While his companions accuse Gojyo of being "lecherous," what gets him in trouble is nearly always harmless flirting. In fact, the girls he hits on will often indulge his advances and it is only then that Gojyo gets reprimanded -- being smacked with a paper fan by Sanzo and teased verbally by Goku. In essence, while he enjoys sex, he can restrain himself, and is actually more interested in love, which he has never experienced and has said before that he'd "like to experience it at least once." This also goes back to his history: he's the only child of a married man and his mistress, who both decided to commit suicide & tried to take Gojyo with them. Afterwards, he ended up in the care of his father's legal wife and her son Jien (Gojyo's half-brother and a full youkai), but his "mother" was so distraught by what happened that she often abused Gojyo physically & mentally. To stop her, Jien engaged in intercourse with his own mother. She still cried all the time and that was why Gojyo (approx. age 12*) was wiling to die if it stopped his mother's tears. As a result, Gojyo doesn't think he's ever experienced love in his whole life.
*At first, canonically this occurred when he was 8. Later in canon it was retconned to age 12.
That's why "there are other things in the world that are red" is so important. Aside from the slight trauma that affects Gojyo every time he sees a haunting visage of his mother, for the most part he's gotten over himself and his hanyou issues - at least, a lot more than his three traveling companions have. He's the only one unaffected by the rain, for instance. He regularly keeps Hakkai's depressing moods in check, reassures Goku when he doesn't understand something (because chances are good Gojyo doesn't either), and is many times the only one bull-headed enough to stand up to Sanzo and his emotional constipation. Even while the four of them are stuck in a cramped vehicle on an incredibly long journey, Gojyo's main desire is really just to have a good time - laughing with his buds, smoking & boozing it up, chasing a little tail here & there, make a little money gambling to buy nicer stuff... So long as he's with those three, it's fine. That goes back to the desires of his past life's self: Kenren promised Goku they'd be together forever, but Goku's three heavenly friends died & were reborn as mortals. Subconsciously, Gojyo is carrying out Kenren's wish, since Gojyo is his reincarnation. That dream is in the process of shattering when Gojyo is being pulled, hence his brief relapse. He'll get over it in a day or two. (Note that this is a very different reason to be upset than his heritage and Mom traumas.)
By the point at which I have pulled him from, Gojyo has discovered a streak of intense loyalty to his traveling companions - the people he considers to be truly friends - and occasionally steps up to a fierce battle for nothing more than to keep the group together. Each time, Gojyo becomes quite frustrated because he actually has very little in the way of extraordinary abilities. He has some increased strength, a great deal more endurance, and some improved speed and dexterity, allowing him to jump and swing his bladed staff. Despite all that, his fighting style remains crude - mainly tavern-brawling, including punches and kicks - and his only "magical" ability is his power to summon his weapon, which comes from the weapon itself. Some extraordinary talents - ability to hold his breath for long periods of time, impressive charisma, as well as elevated strength/endurance/speed/dexterity - are often ascribed to his heritage as a half-water-youkai, only vaguely reminiscent of the kappa of Japanese myth that he is often called as a nickname.
» EXSILIUM INFORMATION
Chosen WEAPON: We'll start with his canon weapon of choice, the "staff," as it appears in canon for his base weapon. Over time, he'll be able to extend the shaft of the weapon so that the static "spade" end can be extended if he's more focused on offense. He can gain more telekinetic control of the chain if he's more focused on interrupting the enemy's attack flow, as in a support role during combat. If he's more focused on defense, he'll get special gloves (extensions of the wraps that were on his arms) that are thin enough to maintain dexterity, but made from a material that allows him a better grip on the weapon - and less pain when gripping the chains. A more severe upgrade from any of those would be the crescent blade getting bigger temporarily -- not nearly this big -- then reducing in size again when the chains recoil back into place.
Character INVENTORY: Just the clothes on his back, man. And a pack of cigarettes.
» SAMPLES
First PERSON:
[Video]
[His hands tremble slightly as he puffs.] Great. Just great. As if I didn't have enough shit to deal with right now, I get some nightmare with the Bastard's accent telling me I'm fucking useless and need to bone up my skills. Gotta make sure the verbal ass-kicking is from a pretty lady too, 'course, 'course, or it wouldn't be a complete nightmare, would it?
[He taps out the stick and breathes in again, finally calming.] … Hn. Better not have gotten ambushed by some youkai while they were out or I'll never forgive myself.
Third PERSON:
Gojyo stared at the tablet computer, holding it up like a wet rag. "The hell is this thing, anyway?" His mind was completely reeling. He was given maps, motivations, money, names, technology, his own weapon examined -- everything but the kitchen sink and, truthfully, none of it was really sinking in. It was all too foreign, too much of a heel-turn from what he'd just been dealing with.
So he did what he did best -- he trawled the streets for a place to hang, slipping into a raucous crowd so that he didn't have to deal with everything until the morning in the hopes that he'd just wake up. He'd wake up, none of this would matter, Goku would be bouncing around asking about his next meal, Hakkai would be doing laundry, and-- and things would be just fine. It took a bit, but he found himself in the Cascade Lounge.
He smirked. "Just like home. Hey! Anyone got a deck of cards? Mah-jongg? Anything?"
Well, they weren't exactly a friendly crowd, so small wonder no one took him up on his offer. The only reason he got away with that on his own turf was because he was always there - he was usually the one being approached for a game, not the other way around. He was a local; everyone knew who played and who didn't. Still, he stuck around long enough for a drink and to get the bartender's name, just in case he came back.
Up next, The Crown and the Lion. What a stuffy name that sounds like- His hair practically curled when he entered. He didn't even try hiding his sour expression. "Guess I was right." It said less about the pub and more about the kinds of places Gojyo was used to frequenting. He tentatively sat down at the bar and tried the beer. Maybe this place isn't so bad. He had a few more before he left.
Feeling the buzz, he made his way to The Moon Cafe. "This place-" He snickered. "Didn't think I was that smashed yet." He kept laughing as he walked in, disappointed to find there wasn't a bar. Just regular tables to order food at along with some drinks. "Well that's a letdown," he grumbled to whoever would listen. He ordered one drink that sounded decent, but was absolutely disgusted by how fruity it ended up being. "Ugh, nevermind anything else. I'm done."
He didn't stumble back; it took a lot more drink in him than that to get him wasted. He was definitely warm, though, and longing for company. The problem was he was exhausted from that combat and not drunk enough to stop worrying about his two friends who'd beaten each other nearly to death. So, he threw his cigarette on the ground outside of the building he'd been assigned to and made his way to bed. Whatever came tomorrow would come, with or without the 'strength' that lady seemed to think he possessed.
» ADDITIONAL NOTES
He's not politically correct, once referring to a male youkai in female dress as a "tranny." He really does swear that casually, it's not just a translation of guy-speak. I'll give him a special permissions post if you feel it necessary, or put warnings for very explicit rants like the one above, since even without cursing he can get pretty crass in conversational content and imagery.