don't give up

PLAYER INFO
Name: Stark
Contact Information: Plurk @ starkxravingxmad
Time Zone: EST
Characters Played: Waver Velvet untalented

CHARACTER INFO
Character Name: Naoto Shirogane
Character Canon: Persona 4

History: Link to her info on the SMT Wiki

AU History: Echoing canon, Naoto is heir to a long line of detectives that have been working in Caldera for several generations. They have long maintained close ties with the Rock Legion and have aided them on a number of occassions when an outside, unbiased set of eyes was needed to provide a fresh perspective on a difficult case.

After her parents passed away due to an incident in the field when she was young, Naoto spent the majority of her youth being raised by her grandfather. Although he is an aging gentleman, he has shown no sign of retiring any time soon, and still works on cases both on contract with the Rock Legion and privately on a frequent basis. Lacking in a true caretaker for Naoto in her younger years, recognizing her potential genius, and taking into consideration the fact that she had come into understanding of her powers at a very early age, her grandfather quickly took to taking Naoto along with him on simpler cases. As she grew older and more mature, her role steadily moved into that of an assistant, and her early exposure to the viciousness that can happen on the streets from an outsider's perspective has left her desensitized to many things that would shock another person of a similar age. By the time she was a teenager, she was taking cases on her own.

Due to her relative age, size, and physical capabilities in a field that has long been dominated by strong, tough figures, both Naoto and her grandfather decided that travelling and working in the guise of a boy would work out better for her professional reputation. People would question exposing a young girl to some of these trials, no matter her intellect and maturity; the same would not necessarily be said for a young boy. As time moved forward, she took further ownership of that identity, going so far as to bind her chest and, after the cultural shift following Union's intervention in the conflict with Gigas, even adopting the styles that were fashionable in the South. While she never explicitely introduces herself as either gender, despite identifying as female personally, she makes no moves to correct others if they make that mistake. It was part of her intent and, due to her small stature even in comparison with other teenage girls, is a guise that still suits her.

Unfortunately, her astonishing maturity and emotional distance has complicated her life in several areas. Though brilliant, she is so cerebral and so detached from normal life that she has had trouble making friendships and forming bonds outside of her family since her parents passed away. And, she is unfortunately worldly enough to understand that the novelty of being a genius lasts only for as long as you are young. Approaching adulthood-- and womanhood-- quickly, she knows that her days of keeping up with her work to her normal standards are limited. Furthermore, the lack of respect and dignity she keeps receiving amongst the professionals is becoming more and more frustrating for her. Additionally, with crime rates dropping due to Gigas no longer being a threat and opportunity for something more on the minds of everyone, she is finding herself with fewer and fewer cases...

And thus Naoto, tired of being seen as little more than a child, turned to Union for all of the possibilities that it offered. If criminal investigations were to be shunted to the wayside in favor of other affairs, Naoto needed to find a way to redefine herself.

Where better to do that, than in Union?

Canon Personality: Ever cool and professional, it's often hard to remember that, for all of her public notoriety and experience working in the field, Naoto Shirogane is still very much a young woman underneath her distant, boyish cover. She has all of the same insecurities that any young woman would have, with the addition of several extra layers laid on top because of her choice in career and lifestyle. As a young person working amongst adults and the sole heir of a long line of famous detectives, Naoto has needed to be firmer and tougher than many of her peers just to be respected and treated on equal terms while working out in the field. With her passion for the career and her love of the mystery and action media genres in mind, concsciously or not, Naoto started to model herself after the archetypal cool, hardboiled detective in order to achieve this.

In effect, she was trying to play a man's role in a male-dominanted career-- and succeeded. Though she earned the title 'Detective Prince' from the media, she never once tried to correct them or deny it. She had her respect, and she could practice her trade on equal terms with everyone else. There were few problems...until her respect for the truth and her drive to find it became involved.

The case of the bizarre murders taking place in Inaba during the main storyline brought this into the foreground, as it threw Naoto into a professional conflict with the local police departments. While she was called in as an advisor, it was clear that the locals were unnerved by the Detective Prince and everything she represented. Furthermore, she preferred taking measures to act on her own, without any assistance or collaboration with them. Her only desire was to find the truth, no matter what it took. While acting on her own, she deduced the involvement of the game's protagonist and the other characters independently. However, without any evidence to properly investigate them, Naoto found-- to her frustration-- that her hands were tied. When the investigation took a turn and a student from the local high school was arrested as a suspect, Naoto refused to just leave the case alone. The facts, as they were at that point in time, didn't add up-- her frustrations mounted and, with the threat of being removed from the case entirely because her role was done, she acted on a carefully crafted hypothesis.

She was just fortunate that her hunch was right.

Her encounter with her Shadow inside of the television threw many of Naoto's flaws into the foreground. Her passion, her cool professionalism, and her drive had effectively left her disconnected from society and without any close relationship outside of her family. Her ploy to be a cool detective was a shield for her own insecurities...and, her problem with herself was never one about her gender, but about how her dream of being herself and being a cool detective conflicted with the reality. She never truly wanted to be a man, even though she portrayed herself as male in the workplace.

She was just afraid of being rejected by the very thing that she dreamed of becoming.

However, accepting herself as she is didn't change everything. She is still very stubborn and linear minded, preferring to focus on the facts of the matter rather than how another person's emotions and wellbeing can be affected by it. And, when people are hurt, Naoto then internalizes her shame and blames herself for not being able to prevent it from happening. It's a childish reaction coming from one of the more mature members of the Investigation Team, but its important to note that Naoto isn't one to just throw things away-- be it mementos of her childhood or her own mistakes.

Also, despite her apparent maturity, it should be noted that Naoto does shy away from attention in certain respects. Having the truth of her gender outed to the rest of the high school embarrasses her, as does the attention she recieves from both the male and female student population. And, although she is noted for her potential to be quite attractive underneath all of her layers, she is so embarrassed by the thought of being seein in a bikini that she drops out of the school's beauty pageant....which, by grace of her popularity, she still wins.

She is also not as skilled or 'cool' as she tries to be in a few regards: ghost stories unnerve her enough to throw off her cool, she is easily flustered when her gender and age are brought up, and she is barely able to stay upright on her skis without assistance.

AU Deviation: Naoto differs from canon in several subtle aspects, simply because of the nature of the universe and the difference in morals and current affairs. Growing up in Caldera rather than in the cities of Japan, Naoto may come across as a tad rougher than she would in canon in regards to her understanding of the world. While she has always been exposed to criminal elements, they were always with the promise of actual justice being delivered at some point in the future. Caldera, by contrast, is a wilder place both in climate, location, and culture-- as such, her understanding of the world may be more Marlowe-esque rather than Holmes-esque, although she maintains her cool, unruffled demeanor.

Furthermore, her reasons to hide her gender are less about her internal turmoil about the contrast between her own wants and desires and how they conflict with the gender norms of modern Japan-- and how being a detective is for more rugged, manly figures. While the obvious gender differences are still there simply because of the physical difference in strength between men and women, it is more about maintaining a degree of respect in a professional capacity and not being questioned. Such fields are still dominated by tough, strong figures and, a young woman with a distinctive weakness against Fighting types would be less likely to be taken seriously.

The reasons are less childish in nature, although she still wants to be the best detective that she feels she can be. As such, although she presents herself as male in manner and dress, she doesn't go and openly introduce herself as one. Name and demeanor is enough-- and, if people learn of her subterfuge, she is more likely to just roll with it so long as they don't treat her any differently than they would otherwise. That said, if she is directly confronted about it, whether she tells the truth or not is entirely based upon context. She will also not correct people if they refer to her as male, although she very plainly identifies as a woman.

Canon Abilities: Naoto is an ordinary human with the same skills of an ordinary human, albeit skills that have undergone an extensive amount of study and training that is surprising for one so young. A child genius, her analytical skills and prowess at finding the root cause behind criminal cases are among the most respective in Japan-- the same skills are what pointed her in the direction of the Investigation Team at Yasogami High, despite there being very little evidence pointing in their direction save for the fact that three would-be victims of the killer ended up joining their ranks. Furthermore, she is agile and trained in the use of a gun-- a rare weapon in modern Japan outside of the ranks of the police departments.

Like the rest of the Investigation Team, Naoto eventually gains access to her Persona and is able to fight alongside of them in the TV World. Per Jungian psychology, a Persona is the outward mask that people present themselves as in every day interactions to protect themselves and hide their vulnerabilities and uncertainties. In context with Persona as an overarching canon, the term also is used to represent the inner manifestations of each individual that are then subsequently used to fight Shadows-- both based on the Jungian idea of a person's negative aspects that are, in context of gameplay, given form as monsterous entities. In this iteration of the Persona franchise, the player characters must make peace with themselves and accept both their strengths and their flaws in order to use their Personas.

Naoto's Persona, Sukuna-Hikona (which later evolves into Yamato-Takeru at the end of her Social Link), is representative of the Fortune Arcana. Specializing in attacks based on the elemental aspects of Darkness and Light, with techniques that had the potential to produce an instant-kill if the odds worked in the party's favor and some moderate stat buffs for the elements that she specialized in.

As a physical fighter, she is classified as mid-to-long range, although she can switch to close range as needed. However, her overall health and strength are low, leaving her suceptible particularly fierce opponents.

Enlightened Abilities: Naoto elemental typing will be both the Steel and Dark typings, and her perk will be Mastery of Battle.

In her initial stage, Naoto's techniques center around her marksmanship, with an immediate technique of Lock-On to aid in her aim and Metal Sound to lower defenses. She will learn Iron Defense as a means of protecting herself if someone enters inside of her range, as well as the attacking move Magnet Bomb. Finally, her Dark-typing will come into play with the stat-boost ability, Nasty Plot.

Her first evolution is met with both more enhancement of her Dark-typing and some physical attack capabilities, notably in the move Pursuit and a variant of Feint Attack-- wherein she would use her gun to pistol-whip a particularly troubling opponent. Further abilities include Sonic Boom and the bug-typed move, Signal Beam.

Her final stage brings out more of the powerful Dark and Steel typed moves, notably Foul Play to turn the tides of battle in their favor, Flash Canon, a variant of Night Slash, Recover and, finally, Dark Pulse.

Starter Pokémon: Ralts, called Ichiro.

Notes/Special Considerations: I just wanted to note that Naoto is a detective of some notoriety in canon. For the sake of narrative purposes in BNW, we can restrict her notoriety to being isolated largely around Caldera, although anyone who has spent extensive time hanging around the investigative officials may have heard the name 'Naoto Shirogane'-- and identify that individual as being a young man of particular genius. Her grandfather is likely to be one with connections among the higher ranks, and is noted to still be active in the field.

Furthermore, I'd like her to have a Steel-typed gun that fires Mirror Shot. It can start with low PP, but with work I'd like for it to be expanded to more.

SAMPLES
(NOTE: You may link a previous entry or thread, including testrun or musebox threads (but NOT Dear Mun), for one or both samples. However, we want to see the character in the setting of Brave New World and specifically in their AU for at least one sample.)

First-Person: TDM thread + Rise + Yosuke + Lucca

Third-Person:

It was a slow transition, like all change. The thoughts and fashions that had followed the travellers from Union when they came to aid Caldera's forces in their defense against Gigas still lingered after the dust from battle had settled into the buildings, into their skin. It was strange at first, like all change, but it steadily became more and more comfortable to mull over, accept, and incorporate into daily life.

Change happened, and Naoto Shirogane saw opportunity in it.

The first shift happened in style. The loose cuts and light fabrics of Calderan styles did much to help the citizens be more comfortable in the dry, lingering heat that emanated down from the volcano and lit upon the dusty desert wind, but there was something left to be desired for Naoto's case. It was the heat itself, Naoto explained. She wanted more protection, and no one faulted her for her reasoning, as the common steel-type weakness was known to everyone in the city. With a smart little hat and a crisp-looking jacket of nice linen, Naoto admittedly cut a nice looking figure-- and, no one dared ask the young detective why he didn't join in the shirtless revelry in the weeks leading up to the Day of Fire.

The second shift came in thought. Union's sudden appearance on the grand scene startled everyone, and the lands that explorers from the formerly isolationist city had discovered unlocked clues to something bigger at every turn. Though criminal investigations were a perennially needed field, it was pointless to deny that people were starting to wonder about the young detective of the Shirogane family. Naoto pretended not to hear the whispered questions or notice the peculiar looks from the senior members of the Rock Legion. With the overarching conflicts done, there was no doubting that the streets were becoming more and more peaceful by the day. A kid could just be a kid-- and the unspoken question about why this one still persisted lingered on everyone's lips. Such needs weren't unwelcome, but were certainly an oddity-- and, what about the last child genius they had worked with? She had become a mad woman! Would the young Shirogane, who's parents had been lost at such a young age and had been literally raised in the field, turn out the same?

Naoto was growing tired of pretending not to notice.

The third and final shift was Ichiro. A Ralts, his species was all but unknown to the wilds of Caldera. With his little arms and his funny hair, he was nothing short of an oddity in the desert-- if not for that his brilliantly green hair and bright red horns, Naoto would have sworn the young pokemon to be lost to the desert half a dozen times during their short acquaintance. Naoto, on visiting the towering city of Union one time to satiate a lingering curiosity, hadn't expected to befriend a pokemon during that trip. But the Ralts, recently hatched and looking for a friend, had noticed someone equally intelligent and equally lost, traversing the halls of the Habitat with a brisk pace and business-like demeanor.

"Not now, this isn't a smart move for you," Naoto had tried to protest when the Ralts, who had somehow managed to find the young detective and took to being an innocent shadow during the tour around the facility. "I'm not even from here-- there's someone better for you."

And Naoto would have brushed the pokemon off right then and there, if not for the look of knowing and understanding that was in the Ralts' eyes. Kneeling down now, so that the two of them were closer to eachother's level, Naoto eyed the pokemon uncertainly. "You...don't care, do you?"

Shaking his head, the Ralts stepped forward and tugged at Naoto's hand, insistent now.

With burning cheeks, Naoto looked away.

"I've got some business I need to finish up in Caldera first. But, if you don't mind being patient..."

There was no need to finish the sentence before the Ralts jumped toward Naoto for a hug. Startled, Naoto squeaked and fell backward, hat tumbling to the floor beside the two of them.

And, bracing the pokemon's delicate figure against her chest, Naoto knew that the jig was up.

Smiling in wry amusement, Naoto laughed softly to herself and, upon retrieving her hat, got back onto her feet.

"Looks like the rumors are right; Ralts really are special pokemon, and there really is no better partner than someone who already understands you."

PLAYER
Name: Stark
Age: 26
Personal Journal: starkxravingxmad
E-mail: caster023@gmail.com
AIM/MSN/etc:
AIM: caster023@gmail.com
Plurk: starkxravingxmad

CHARACTER
Name: Naoto Shirogane (Western order)
Canon: Persona 4
Age: 15
Timeline: October, after the School Festival and all of the silliness, but before the plot picks up again.
If playing another character from the same canon, how will you deal with this?: N/A

Personality: Ever cool and professional, it's often hard to remember that, for all of her public notoriety and experience working in the field, Naoto Shirogane is still very much a young woman underneath her distant, boyish cover. She has all of the same insecurities that any young woman would have, with the addition of several extra layers laid on top because of her choice in career and lifestyle. As a young person working amongst adults and the sole heir of a long line of famous detectives, Naoto has needed to be firmer and tougher than many of her peers just to be respected and treated on equal terms while working out in the field. With her passion for the career and her love of the mystery and action media genres in mind, concsciously or not, Naoto started to model herself after the archetypal cool, hardboiled detective in order to achieve this.

In effect, she was trying to play a man's role in a male-dominanted career-- and succeeded. Though she earned the title 'Detective Prince' from the media, she never once tried to correct them or deny it. She had her respect, and she could practice her trade on equal terms with everyone else. There were few problems...until her respect for the truth and her drive to find it became involved.

The case of the bizarre murders taking place in Inaba during the main storyline brought this into the foreground, as it threw Naoto into a professional conflict with the local police departments. While she was called in as an advisor, it was clear that the locals were unnerved by the Detective Prince and everything she represented. Furthermore, she preferred taking measures to act on her own, without any assistance or collaboration with them. Her only desire was to find the truth, no matter what it took. While acting on her own, she deduced the involvement of the game's protagonist and the other characters independently. However, without any evidence to properly investigate them, Naoto found-- to her frustration-- that her hands were tied. When the investigation took a turn and a student from the local high school was arrested as a suspect, Naoto refused to just leave the case alone. The facts, as they were at that point in time, didn't add up-- her frustrations mounted and, with the threat of being removed from the case entirely because her role was done, she acted on a carefully crafted hypothesis.

She was just fortunate that her hunch was right.

Her encounter with her Shadow inside of the television threw many of Naoto's flaws into the foreground. Her passion, her cool professionalism, and her drive had effectively left her disconnected from society and without any close relationship outside of her family. Her ploy to be a cool detective was a shield for her own insecurities...and, her problem with herself was never one about her gender, but about how her dream of being herself and being a cool detective conflicted with the reality. She never truly wanted to be a man, even though she portrayed herself as male in the workplace.

She was just afraid of being rejected by the very thing that she dreamed of becoming.

However, accepting herself as she is didn't change everything. She is still very stubborn and linear minded, preferring to focus on the facts of the matter rather than how another person's emotions and wellbeing can be affected by it. And, when people are hurt, Naoto then internalizes her shame and blames herself for not being able to prevent it from happening. It's a childish reaction coming from one of the more mature members of the Investigation Team, but its important to note that Naoto isn't one to just throw things away-- be it mementos of her childhood or her own mistakes.

Also, despite her apparent maturity, it should be noted that Naoto does shy away from attention in certain respects. Having the truth of her gender outed to the rest of the high school embarrasses her, as does the attention she recieves from both the male and female student population. And, although she is noted for her potential to be quite attractive underneath all of her layers, she is so embarrassed by the thought of being seein in a bikini that she drops out of the school's beauty pageant....which, by grace of her popularity, she still wins.

She is also not as skilled or 'cool' as she tries to be in a few regards: ghost stories unnerve her enough to throw off her cool, she is easily flustered when her gender and age are brought up, and she is barely able to stay upright on her skis without assistance.

Background: Here is a link to her article on the SMT Wiki.

Abilities: Is your character an accomplished carpenter? Can they shoot laser beams from their eyes or travel through time? If they possess any abilities, learned or otherwise, they need to go in this section.

First Person: This is the format that will be used in rubycity_rp. Commonly known as bracket spam, it is usually third person present tense. We are expecting a well-written sample, at the MINIMUM eight sentences.

Third Person: This is the format that will be used in rubycity_logs. This sample will be in third-person past tense, at least three well-written paragraphs, 3-4 sentences per paragraph, which will show your understanding of your character, how they think, feel, react, etcetera. One should consider spelling, grammar and tense when doing all samples.