➥ APPLICATION.

[masque]

PLAYER
NAME: kaia
CONTACT: cavil | astro#5855
ARE YOU 18 OR OLDER: yes

CHARACTER
NAME: Akira Kurusu
CANON: Persona 5
AGE: 17
CANON POINT: 12/24, prior to final boss fight
HISTORY: link. his canon point is around "final heist"... i'm sorry...
PERSONALITY:

Word through the school says a new criminal just transferred in. Don't judge him by his harmless appearance; it's all a ruse to keep low because he doesn't want anyone to know he smokes or gambles or... carries a knife around, or whatever his classmates like to make up for the week.

This is what Akira is surrounded with on the day-to-day. Whether it bothers him or not, he doesn't show it, and when someone has the courage to go up and ask while insulting him in the same breath, he doesn't show much there either. He knows it's unfair, that he was arrested for doing what anyone should, that his chance to live a quiet life during probation was destroyed by adult authority, but he can't bring it in himself to be resentful to people who are resentful towards him. It doesn't feel worth it. He just does not care. Akira's not about to put in the effort for validation when he's sure about what he's done and who he is, and he knows full well there's others out there in the same boat who need help. That's exactly why when he saw his chance, he took it and never looked back.

First and foremost, Akira is a trickster. Igor and the twin wardens use the term to describe "those who oppose fate and desire change", and Akira takes these principles to the core. Akira's main drive in what he does is a need to aid the people who have no voice, punish those who are corrupt and manipulate others, and reform society into something that reveals wrongdoing and accepts the outcasted. If him and his team do enough, then maybe people will pull strength from their anonymous existence and find the strength to stand up for themselves. Ryuji comments that when Akira makes up his mind, he won't take no for an answer.

The code name he uses in the Metaverse is Joker, dubbed by Morgana, and it fits him a little too well. Akira leads a group of vigilantes as a rebellious thrill-seeker, confident and quick, and he gets a rush out of pushing his own limits. There's a cocky and flashy air to Akira once he has power at his fingers, and his sense of humor blends perfectly with a more daring personality. He's often shown to be calm and adaptable while on the job, taunting his enemies and forcing negotiations by gunpoint. Akira volunteers himself for one-man missions often, from fighting a tournament by himself to playing the distraction. While everything he does as a thief is for his own sense of what's right and punishing those in the wrong, he also just likes to have fun. It's pretty cool to throw yourself into enemy claws and see what happens, and despite the responsibility he feels as the leader of his team, Akira's always self-assured enough that he'll succeed. He is so confident that when he makes errors, mistakes, or something goes wrong outside of his plans, it takes him a second to even comprehend it. If it weren't for Makoto's aid for the majority of the game, the group probably wouldn't have gotten as far as they did— Akira's leadership expertise lies in battle, infiltration, and budgeting.

However... this is what he's like in the Metaverse. In the real world, Akira knows a little better.

A normal person wouldn't give Akira a second glance on the street. He wears his uniform properly, wears (useless) fashion glasses, and it's a debate on whether his hair is painstakingly styled that way or if he just rolls out of bed and decides it looks okay enough. Akira lives a quiet school life, often zoning out in class and skipping the need to join a club to work on whatever he deems more important. He's shown to prefer a rather active life: taking on jobs, going fishing, playing video games, exploring Tokyo, and trying anything new. He acts like any normal student would, and judging by the fact that his knowledge stat takes the longest to max out compared to other Persona protagonists, he's perfectly fine with being an average student. While most of his behavior is a mix of downtime and being a ruse, his appearance both surprises newcomers and also see how his looks fit perfectly in more ways than one. On the average, other characters in the game note Akira typically wears a deadpan or "serious" expression, half hidden behind his hair and glasses. Akira's got a dry, quirky sense of humor to anyone who's willing to have a civil conversation with him, and people will find him to be more casual and friendly than the rumors let on. The most expressive part of his face is his eyes, however, and since Akira is fully aware of his appearance and knowing exactly what will have effect when he communicates, he wears glasses to help hide what he's feeling.

There's not a complete 180, though. His "rebellious" personality bleeds into his everyday life. When it comes to people he deems his enemies, Akira's condescending to people who have condescended him. While he's not afraid to joke around and get cheeky with people who threaten him, it's his real life version of a Joker's taunt, He's commented on by one of his confidants to have a gambler's spirit, insulted by Kamoshida who calls him defiant, and is often seen by others as someone who walks down his own path despite pressure and what others think of him. Akira always feel the necessity to help, running after a crying Ann who wanted space from him, giving advice to confused people who pay money for fortunes from Chihaya, and quietly listening to whatever problems people feel the need to speak out for. Akira's sense of justice is so strong that he can comes off as pushy when he feels the need to protect, something Ann tells him down the line, but she understands he's only like that because he wants to do something.

Akira is more lively and playful when he gets comfortable with someone, be it a long term acquaintance or a friend. Judging from how standoffish he is at first with his adult confidants compared to the ones his age, Akira's generally more easy-going with teenagers and opens up to them much more quickly. He's not above teasing them, using flirting as a joke, and also having a lighter air around them and letting loose in their prescence considering they're the ones who see all the facets of his personality. Akira's a serious and deep listener on the flip side, even moreso to his teammates, being present for everything that helps them grow as a person. With adults, however, he's radically different— he uses them just like they use him and starts off guarded. Akira's not above making deals if it benefits his team's cause, willing to scrape the law, and this is more obvious when he interacts with authority. He's proven to get along with anyone despite their different walks of life; the confidants that start off shallow and mutually beneficial become something more and Akira feels the need to protect them regardless. Akira will change the hearts of people who threaten the friends he cares about, which might translate to "overprotective" depending on the person.

Akira Kurusu is a very complex teenager. There's no telling if either Joker or the schoolboy is more real, but maybe he's right there in between with a love for the extremes. His motives can be difficult to understand at points, but there's always a clear goal for what he's able to do. He is, after all, just a kid with a future ahead of him. The possibilities are endless right now.

POWERS:

THIRD EYE
  ‣ Pinpoints items of interest with a yellow glow
  ‣ Scopes out areas for Akira to jump up on or climb through
  ‣ Gives Akira insight to an enemy's strength
      — Weaker enemies glow blue
      — Equal enemies glow yellow
      — Stronger enemies glow red
  ‣ The ability also works outside of sleuth
      — Helps aid Akira in his daily activies such as baseball or fishing
      — Shows a confidant's arcana

WILD CARD
 ‣ Akira has the ability to switch Personas, but he'll only have six in Agoge
 ‣ "Curse" magic is the equivalent of dark magic, while "bless" is the equivalent to light
 ‣ The stats and moves are pretty much straight from the game, with only one or two things switched aside from Arsene
 ‣ Feel free to change.... any of it
 ‣ ^ I cannot stress this enough

Base Stats: 200HP / 50SP

— ARSENE
(weak to ice and bless, resists curse)
   ‣ EIGAON: Deal heavy Curse damage to a single foe. (12 SP)
   ‣ MAEIGAON: Deal heavy Curse damage to all nearby foes. (22 SP)
   ‣ ADVERSE RESOLVE: Increases attack when being ambushed/cornered. (PASSIVE)
   ‣ DREAM NEEDLE: Deal medium physical damage and inflict Sleep (medium odds) to a single foe. (16 HP)

— TRUMPETER
(absorbs ice to convert into health, repels electric and bless, nullifies curse)
   ‣ ABYSMAL SURGE: A medium chance of inflicting a feeling of despair to all nearby foes. (12 SP)
   ‣ BRAIN BUSTER: Deal heavy Physical damage and inflict Brainwash (low odds) to all nearby foes. (42 HP)
   ‣ MAFREIDYNE: Deal heavy nuclear damage to all nearby foes. (22 SP)
   ‣ FORTIFY SPIRIT: Reduce susceptibillities to all ailments. Basically means any chance of mental or physical infection from a foe lessens. (PASSIVE)
   ‣ CRIPPLE: Strengthen Gun attacks. (PASSIVE)
   ‣ LIFE AID: Recover a little more health and SP after a successful battle. (PASSIVE)
   ‣ DEBILITATE: Decreases a single foe's Attack power, Defenses and Agility temporarily. (30 SP)

— SETH
(repels fire, nullifies wind, resists curse, weak to bless)
   ‣ AGIDYNE: Deal heavy Fire damage to a single foe. (12 SP)
   ‣ MASUKUKAJA: Increase party's Agility temporarily. (24 SP)
   ‣ ONE-SHOT KILL: Deal severe Gun damage to a single foe. High chance of landing stronger hits. (34 HP)
   ‣ CRIPPLE: Strengthen Gun attacks. (PASSIVE)
   ‣ FIRE BREAK: Negate resistances of all nearby foes that might be fire based. (15 SP)
   ‣ FORTIFY SPIRIT: Reduce susceptibilities to any infections from an enemy. (PASSIVE)

— BLACK FROST
(aborbs ice, repels fire and curse, nullifies nuclear)
   ‣ MABUFUDYNE: Deal heavy Ice damage to all nearby foes. (22 SP)
   ‣ MIRACLE PUNCH: Deal medium Physical damage to a single foe. High chance of landing stronger hits. (16 HP)
   ‣ ICE AMP: Strengthen Ice attacks. (PASSIVE)
   ‣ DIAMOND DUST: Deal severe Ice damage to a single foe. (48 SP)
   ‣ BUFUDYNE: Deal heavy Ice damage to a single foe. (12 SP)

— ISHTAR
(nullifies electric, weak to wind)
   ‣ MEDIARAHAN: Fully restore party's health. (30 SP)
   ‣ DIARAHAN: Fully restore 1 ally's health. (18 SP)
   ‣ INSTA-HEAL: Recover from an infliction in quicker than usual. (PASSIVE)
   ‣ MAZIODYINE: Deal heavy Electric damage to all nearby foes. (22 SP)
   ‣ SPELL MASTER: Half SP cost for magic skills. (PASSIVE)
   ‣ SALVATION: Fully restore health and cure all ailments of party. (48 SP)

— KOHRYU
(repels electric, nullifies nuclear and bless, weak to psychic)
   ‣ MAPSIODYNE: Deal heavy Psychic (mental attacks, to translate) damage to all nearby foes. (22 SP)
   ‣ PSYCHO FORCE: Deal severe Psychic damage to a single foe. (48 SP)
   ‣ LIFE AID: Recover a little magic and health after a successful battle. (PASSIVE)
   ‣ CONCENTRATE: Multiply user's next magical attack damage by over double. (15 SP)
   ‣ PSY AMP: Strengthen Physical. (PASSIVE)
   ‣ SPELL MASTER: Half SP cost for magic skills. (PASSIVE)

Akira favors melee attacks in combat, defaulting to a knife and gun when given the choice. He's got a preference for the light and repeated attacks over heavy and a singular powerful hit. He's quick on his feet, talented at parkour and sneaking through targeted areas. Given the flashy nature of summoning and using a Persona, he'll try to avoid doing it until he's able to go all out.

Unlike the rest of the team where they have static abilities and a place on the team, Akira's called Joker for a reason. His weaknesses and strengths differ depending on which Persona he equips. He changes Persona abilities with the situation; if his team needs an offense fighter or a support then he'll pick whichever will work for the team in that time.

Covering all bases: his Personas can do damage from a close to medium range. Akira wouldn't be well suited as a far range combatant, so being on the front lines is necessary. Whatever the Persona resists will injure Akira less and barely stop him from moving, but if they're weak to an element mentioned, it will injure him by much more and possibly knock him off balance and give his enemy an opening. Further, any attacks labeled with a 48 SP (or anything around that) take up the majority of his stamina. He will only use these moves as a last resort, given their immense strength. He could probably only pull these off once before he has to fully recover.

To start with Arsene, he's a good balance between curse (or dark) magic and just enough physical ability to get out of a situation. He doesn't take much of Akira's magic or health, so he's the default go-to whenever Akira chooses to go the Persona route. A special move of his is the Dream Needle, which not only injures an enemy but has a chance of putting them to sleep as well.

Trumpeter is possibly Akira's strongest. He's got a wide range of abilities, including strengthing Akira's gun whenever he has the chance to use one. Whenever Trumpeter inflicts despair on enemies, they lose the will to fight or even live. Nuclear damage is something Akira avoids at all costs considering it's nuclear, but it has a strong poisonous power that could come in handy for very specific situations (or just... never). If the enemy inflicts any type of infection or spell that affects Akira's performance, he makes it less likely for any of it to work on him. His most useful skill is temporarily decreasing a single enemy's performance (their attack power, any type of magic they have, their agility, etc) for one minute. If Akira's successful in winning a battle, Trumpeter rewards him with a little health and magic afterwards (16 HP and 4 SP, usually).

Seth and Black Frost follow Arsene's balance of power, to an extent. Seth also strengthens Akira's bullets when a gun is available, and Seth also attacks with bullet-based moves himself. He's still fire based, however, so while he has a fire based magic move, he's also able to disable any fire resistances the enemy could have. He's also a mild support, being able to strengthen a team's agility temporarily. Black Frost is ice based, on the flip side, with a little useful tool called Miracle Punch. It's a gambling type of move that'll either not hurt the enemy much, or knock them through a wall.

Ishtar is solely for when Akira's tasked to be a team's support. She's practically all about healing. Whenever Akira equips Ishtar, he's better off in the back, but she does have a vast electric attack in case further damage is needed. Ishtar has a passive ability that have her skills cost him less magic, but Salvation's such a powerful move it'll still take his full extent to use it.

Kohryu is a psychic menace. All of his abilities are mental attacks, inflicting dizziness, losing motor skills, passing out, or losing a great deal of memory. Akira opts to not use Kohryu unless he sees little options, since what they do to an enemy is a gamble and he can't control what would happen. Kohryu's psychic attacks are stronger than a normal Persona's, and they also take less of Akira's stamina, but he instead uses Kohryu's other abilities on the regular. He helps restore a little of Akira's health and stamina if he's victorious, and also gives Akira the very important skill to "concentrate". It's a brief power up that makes Akira's next magic attack immense. It's a lot of SP that can stack up if he uses it repeatedly, so he tries to keep it for crucial moments.

MISC ABILITIES
 ‣ Makes an amazing coffee and curry... and that's literally it. Anything else he makes is a one way ticket to the hospital
 ‣ Dexterously twirls and spins coins or pens or little trinkets
 ‣ Able to convince anyone his glasses are prescription
 ‣ He probably tried to tell COST that his glasses were necessary. Did he succeed though
 ‣ Flower master, except not

SAMPLES
1ST PERSON: my friends told me to use this one
3rd PERSON: TDM top level

MISC
ITEM: His Joker mask, which he needs to use for Personas
CHARACTER @ID SUGGESTIONS: Please let me keep @JUGGALO
HOW DID YOUR CHARACTER JOIN COST?

Does not remember joining. He arrived confused, but he accepted the fact that he has to fight against a bigger danger.