Take a child, just a young boy, and put him on an island beach. It's a fun place to be, to run and play and do all kinds of things that any kid could and would want to do in a place to themselves. Let him play and run around annd be himself for a while, until he finally tires himself out, exhausted all of his games.
Now, tell him he can never leave.
It's not to say that he was ever tricked into this life. They hadn't suddenly taken him here. He was always here, must like his parents, and THEIR parents, and so on. They weren't part of the country, not really. They didn't want to live there. Or at least, that was what his family wanted. But...a young boy wants something more. We live in a world where we don't wonder what's out there. We know. The internet tells us so, and it shares oh-so-many secrets and tales, so many things to do and be a part of...
But what if you can't go?
If the parents don't want to, and you're not old enough to go yourself, what can you do? The young boy sat on the beach, and felt his life becoming darker and grayer, lacking life and substance and feeling. Presently, he imagined the tide would be rising, only instead of how it normally does this, it would simply raise up on its own, like somebody filling a sink. It was constant, already reaching where he sat, and still going. He stood up, and it was already past his knees. He ran inland. It accelerated, engulfing the beach. Was the water raising or was the island sinking? Or worse...
Was it being eaten?
He ran harder, faster, climbed harder to make it up hill. No good. It was on his heels. There was a distant echoing groan. He HOPED it was just his father being overcome by the water. That was the tamest of all thoughts, at the moment. Higher and higher he went, until he'd reached the top of the tallest hill on the island, the lookout point of the hiking trail. The sea was everywhere. The ocean was eating everything. He had nowhere to go. The groan again, this time somehow everpresent, all around him, and then an arm stabbed out of the water and grabbed for him! Backing away, he saw himself...!
But it wasn't...was it?
The other boy had his clothes, his face, his build, but...everything was wrong. He had drowned gray-blue skin, with wrinkled hands and feet like prunes. His hair was just a ragged mess, his nails were like claws, and he looked malnourished. A savvy person would say he looked like a ghoul... Seemed to fit. His face looked like death, with rotten teeth and sunken black pits for eyes. He didn't look like a person. It was almost alien... And then, to top it all off, the apparition spoke in his voice, too. It said...
As you can imagine, the last few hours for Hakuro were not of normal sleep. He'd had a nightmare, one that he hadn't had since he was a young boy. The island dream was something he vividly remembered because it was his prime motivation to leave, to see the world. He'd had this thought that the ocean would just swallow everything up...and his young imagination conjured something pretty horrible in his sleep. That was when it started, or rather when he started it. The Hatto-san... Hatto Ken Ko-to. The refuge against severe boredom and dark thoughts. He was his own chief morale officer, a doctor with only one patient, the cure for the common rut.
For the moment, he was too tired to be particularly 'Hatto'. He'd woken up with the memory from long ago and needed to be upright. So, three hours before he was suppose to get up, he took to his swivel chair and his laptop with a blanket and absent-mindedly browsed through some of his files on the Hatto Site, smirking at all the goofy behavior there. He'd dozed, here and there, resting his head against the laptop, looking at the site again, resting again, looking at some comments... Hmmm. There was one from Sherry, of all people. Now, what did the Califoria Ninja-Girl want? He clicked on it.
...what?
"So, anybody else find this ironic? My little pupil told me he left home to get away from the isolation of living on an island, and now he's been living on a bigger island."
Sherry was the one who had transformed him from a roaming hat-boy who kinda' knew the basics of martial arts to a full-blown parkour specialist. Don't read too far into it. 'Specialist' just meant he didn't get severely injured by misjudging a jump or losing his grip at a critical moment, for the most part. It meant he was good, not godly. Anyway, she'd made this point, and...Hakuro hadn't even considered it. Was he just feeling some of home because the UK was a series of islands, separated from the rest of Europe like Okinawa from Japan? The parallel was...surprising. She might've been onto something... The difference, of course, was that London was bigger than his home. England was bigger. It was also harder to get use to, because of when they ate and some of the food and how certain things just aren't done.
Well, no matter. Since it was time to get up, may as well BE up. He put on some music from home and got to work.
Off with the blanket, whipping it around and tossing it at the bed. Bed clothes off, quick shower, dry and groom before picking out the day clo...oh right. One thing he'd liked about his time in America: The lax dress code, allowing him to wear more casual clothes instead of a uniform. Well, he got that on. It wouldn't matter, because he still had the finishing touch. Take that coat off the hook and pull it on with a flourish! Put that hat on with style! Hatto-san powers activate. He stepped on out and headed for the courtyard area. Let's see if there were any early bloomers out right now.
Yeah, some people here and there. I'd have a better look if I could get up high.
He looked at a promising tree to climb.
I wish I had a grappling hook...
Not actually aware of Laurence on the other side of said tree, Hakuro took a running jump - "Hatto-leap!" - and began scaling the thing, making good use of any of the knots and folds in the bark with his momentum and sure grip. It would have to be sheer smooth to defeat him, and that wasn't likely. He was gonna start making the squirrels jealous, a thought that made him laugh, suddenly.
This was unexpectedly nice, like something you wouldn't think feel the way it does, but it becomes an ultimately pleasant experience, regardless. Leaning against Sara like this was calming, focusing. With her largely taking in the other girl's words, it seemed like Kate could put aside all of her personal concerns, effectively fencing them off for a while. Not so much a wall, but the things disturbing her mind - the life she was having to come to terms with - felt farther away and quieter, kept at bay in this newfound peace. Nothing was happening to them, right now. The monsters were at bay, right now. This was simply a moment in time where - and Kate was surprised at how hard it must've been for her to even do this - they could relax.
Because...what DID Katherine Bellows do when things go to hell? What is it that always happens? She gets worked up inside, her mind races faster than a herd of stallions, and then she takes action. And that's what it's been like the past few years, hasn't it? The Titans go on the rampage, so she has been moving and working like hell towards survival, but never stopping for one second to live. Here and now, however, Kate realized that she hadn't had much in the way of human contact in any friendly manner for a long time. She use to enjoy those more innocent times alongside her friends in Shigenshina, her mind closed off from the evils of the world. Now that she was combating it with her brain and her own two hands, she'd stopped being a person and stifled her own growth, but just this moment...sara's words took on new dimensions.
This wasn't merely talk of survival, in living, but of growing as a person and having something TO live for. Even if this was not entirely the direction the Lieutenant had meant here, it took that meaning along with her own in Kate's mind. Sara was reminding her that she was not simply beholden to the life that was her mother's expertise. She was living this life herself and it was hers to lead, though she had much to be proud of for being her mother's child. For Kate, it also became a statement of how to proceed, what to do, what her direction was and how she could expand her horizons, even in this bleak Titan-filled world. It actually made Kate smile, feeling much better about herself.
"It's as much my legacy as hers, but I understand."
Afterwhich, she straightened up, and stood with a stretch. Funny how she seemed to be that fit, like she'd exercised all her life, yet she wasn't the powerhouse that Mikasa was. Must be that brain, always figuring out the easy way. Well, no matter. She looked at Sara now, clearly much calmer now.
"And we can't get to it without a little rest. Tomorrow and everything is gonna be busy. We both have work to do."
She offered Sara a hand up before they headed down. Incredible how she looked in the moonlight...
Some people rested better than others, and it seemed like Kate had managed, because she was clearly in high spirits when they set out, that day. They were - by horses and wagons - bound for the abandoned castle which had previously been a Scout Regiment base of operations. It would be so again, and had - up until now - been the subject of testing on the most advanced scientific research regarding Titans known to man. This is what Hange Zoe was up to, anyway. That woman's attention to detail, ever since she started observations of all things Titan in the field, had been a large boon to the survival of mankind. Another such boon was riding in a wagon with Commander Levi watching him for signs of being a monster, but we know that Eren is about as anti-monster as you can get. An additional boon was on a wagon of its own. And we're not referring to Kate's presence there. We mean that she was sitting with the tarp-concealed new weapon, the one that seemed to involve gunpowder, but isn't a cannon. In their quest to take on Titans, they had the cutter blades, the ODM Gears, the high-tension wires, the heavy-piercing spears, and indeed the cannons. This was something long, and there was evidence of a pointy bit, but the way things were stored and wrapped up...it was hardly normal.
They would be upon the castle soon. Kate looked focused, even anxious. Too bad the place was a mess.
(A full profile HAS been written, but details are unavailable until the character is revealed in the RP.)
RAVEN
Gender
Female
Age
CAW!
Sexuality
CAW!
Nationality
CAW!
Appearance
Raven appears as...well...a raven, a reasonably-sized black bird similar to a crow. She has glaring red eyes that are alive with intelligence, so you know that this is no ordinary bird. It is not known by what means she actually speaks, because the beak doesn't move along with the dialogue. And naturally, she just sounds like a bird to everyone who doesn't go Metaverse-hopping. One thing of importance, though: Raven is not as fragile as any other bird. She will not break as easily, though her strength is limited.
Personality
Despite her situation, Raven is generally upbeat and optimistic about things. Maybe it's a cautious optimism, but when it comes to believing in something like the people around her, she has that certain unbreakable will. She is determined, despite all of her setbacks, to see things through. Many times, this could put her right in the line of fire, but it isn't something that can be so easily helped. It's in Raven's nature, regardless of how the bird might think, to be there for others and help them achieve their goals, and in turn have others around for when she is in need, as well. She knows that she will manage her own issues, somehow.
Her knowledge of the Metaverse and its mechanics is extensive, and she has a driving force to put things to rights here.
Okinawan/Japan (Fun Fact: Many of Okinawa do not consider themselves Japanese.)
Appearance
The strange hatted youth is a young man of Asian descent, specifically from one of the southern islands belonging to Japan that make up Okinawa. He is a fairly-swift fellow, athletically built for running, jumping, and climbing instead of strength or heavy stamina. Hakuro is an odd sort of a person who, for his own country, actually seems pretty normal. He's a black-haired young man, nothing more stand-out-ish about him physically EXCEPT for two very important points. First, he has gray eyes. He's not blind or color-blind. He was just born with a strange lack or low level of eye pigmentation, thus gray in color. To some, it's a little off-putting, but only if you're looking at 'im. The way he is around people, you might not even notice.
The other thing about him is how he dresses. No, not the everyday casuals. His normal clothing could be a normal pair of pants and shirt (Black, blue, white, red, green, gray, and a host of other regular colors and nothing gaudy like pink, orange, or yellow) or somethng with highlights in it (like black or some other dark color with a lighter color highlighting it), but never any outright weird pattern, only sometimes an article with a logo, and nothing too outlandish. No, what you have to understand is that Hakuro often-adopts the use of a fedora and trenchcoat similar to that of the classic Japanese investigator. These articles are his own style, and perhaps his own lifestyle.
More on that later.
His Evergreen uniform... He wouldn't really be up for altering it. He'd be more inclined to wear the hat and coat OVER it, because it's as much who he is as the way he acts. The extra attire sort of became part of him. Some people even have strange theories, but no proof exists!
Hakuro's attire as a Phantom Thief is akin to the style of Lamont Cranston, AKA The Shadow! It's a stark contrast to his lighter hat and coat in the real world without casting aside who he is. Besides, in his heart of hearts, is he not to be following in the footsteps of the classic Mystery Man? He investigates, he sneaks around, he's fleet of foot, and he's just a bit lucky.
Height
5'9"
Personality
Hakuro is...not a normal guy.
He is a young man whom many would consider lucky: He was basically set for life, and yet he wanted more. How and why will be explained later, but he is - at heart - a seeker, a sneaker, and a traveler. Too many years of being in one place left him wanting to get out, so he asked for both the permission and the support to start seeing the world, to get out there and just absorb everything he could. THAT was the kind of guy Hakuro was. He was looking to break out of boredom and have an adventure. To that end, Hakuro is inquisitive and investigative, joking and witty, and very active in his life. When he was young, he took upon the role of the Hatto Ken Ko-to, or Hat-And-Coat, to allow an overactive imagination to soar to great heights and run wild on his island. He's adopted this, made it part of who he is.
The role of the Hatto-san is to be someone looking to understand and see the world, to explore it and influence the people found all over in a positive way. You could call it a hobby or a game or just weird. He doesn't care. Hakuro believes in the ideal that everything you do can be decided on a coinflip, especially if you have a hard time deciding what to do. He embraces this. So, unless it's vitally important, out comes the coin, for better or for worse. Why? Because it's fun and you never know what's going to happen. This kind of thing makes him unreadable, unpredictable, and perhaps unstoppable in his own funny little way. This makes him an offbeat sort of person, but he prefers to be that way. It was his choice, one made freely to escape a drab alternative.
Hakuro is generally outgoing and engaging with other people, not afraid to ask questions, be they hard or even embarrassing. He treats others with respect, if they're deserving of such, and will act against those who are NOT worthy of that from him. It makes him someone who acts very extreme, in a way, one supposes. He generally wants the best for people, though, so he can be a helper, at times.
When in the Metaverse, or indeed during ANY serious moment, the jokes come off. Maybe not the gloves or the hat or the coat, but certainly he adopts a more focused temperment, all in order to accomplish whatever was important to the situation at hand. He's a very driven sort of person, this way, and might let out more of the cynic or the deadpan snarker, rather than the lively funny guy. It's just a matter of knowing when to laugh and when to hush up and get down to work. And no, just because he can do a pretty evil laugh doesn't mean that he's unhinged and turning into a maniac or villain. It's just really good acting. One thing of importance: Because Hakuro is the kind of person to influence alot of people, he tends to make a fair few contacts. Because of this, he tends to prefer being able to organize them, since they're at his fingertips. It's not so much a call to leadership, so much as 'I have this, so I may as well use it'. Once again, this is basically trying to be useful in a situation that needs all the help it can get.
Persona
- FORTUNE - Flying Spaghetti Monster
You might be asking yourself 'Why the Flying Spaghetti Monster?'. Ah, who are we kidding? You wanna know. This strange creature was brought into existence by a world which felt it needed a severe refuge in something very out there and silly when faced with something silly that seemed to be taken too seriously. To wit, the FSM and all Pastafarians alike are the antithesis to Scientology. They play this funny little game straight-faced and taking none of it seriously while the opposition means business, but that they are all ridiculous. Hakuro is not a Pastafarian, but he and the FSM share a very important commonality: They are anachronistic beings, and they KNOW it. Hell, they OWN that shit! These two have their own following. Not a serious following, but a following nonetheless, and that holds power.
(The FSM may or may not do battle with the Big Bang Burger Empire on a regular basis, as well.)
Skill
Light/Bless/Expel (Essentially all part of the same skill area.)
A-Level English Language A-Level Philosophy BTEC Physical Education (or PE)
Biography
Hakuro was born on an island of the region/prefecture of Okinawa, lived there, and - if he hadn't done anything about it - would die there without ever having seen or experienced another part of the world with his own eyes. You see, he had been born into a successful sort of life, one that he needed only wait patiently to grow into, and then his life would effectively play out with rarely a hardship. Why? Because his family owned a very nice little resort with everything you could want on an island vacation to get away from it all. His life would be one of peace, contentment, and plenty. However...a young boy sometimes craves more. Actually, it happens alot of the times. Because he could not LEAVE and he was destined to live out his days there, it seemed, this led not only to some foreboding feelings, growing up, but also a great deal of BOREDOM. Imagine having to try and amuse yourself when you couldn't rely on much to divert you.
This is where the Hatto-san comes in.
You see, Hakuro was just a nice young boy, nothing special, but when you badly need to step out of everyday life, you'll resort to alot of things. He ended up adopting a new monniker, the Hatto Ken Ko-to (Hat-And-Coat), a stranger who will go anywhere and do all kinds of different activities and projects to divert from the norm. Need some challenges? Want to explore a place that should contain nothing, but that...what if it contained killer crabs? Want to live completely at the random flip of a coin? That's your man. And that's how the fedora-and-trenchcoat-wearing person came to be. It wasn't an alternate personality. It was an enhancement, a desire to be and live the life of a more interesting person. Because when things got dull and drab...it led to events strangely dark and ominous in conception. Such a feeling, one day, led him to the very definite idea that he needed to get out.
That moment had struck him so profoundly, and yet...he didn't even know how much so. One day, Hakuro was walking along the beach...when a thought hit him, one that would begin to haunt him every time he came back to the water: 'The ocean may one day swallow me and this entire island up, leaving nothing behind'. When he got this feeling, things were...wrong. The water seemed as though it wasn't teeming with life, but would really reach out, as though alive itself. The color ran out of the world, and there was an ever-present feeling of being watched, stalked, and even hungered for. That was when he knew he had to leave, to escape...
So, when he was considered old enough to be able to look after himself away from home, age fifteen, his parents decided to indulge him and allowed him legal and monetary resources to travel and see the world...and boy did he! All across Japan, for starters. He met quite a few people, here and there, though none perhaps influenced him as much as the family, Fuyunaito. What an assortment of people! An accountant who loved to dance, a spiritualist who voiced anime, and a pair of siblings (brother and sister) who were skilled in martial arts from a young age! The meeting was actually strange. Hakuro first met a Shiro Kunekawa, a friend of their family, who had been taking Anri Fuyunaito out to a park...because she was traumatized to regressive silence after Shiro's father had actually set fire to the Fuyunaito household and...Anri pushed him into the flames as punishment. Shiro was effectively adopted INTO the family and spent his life working to be a private investigator to stop things like this from ever happening again.
The girl was completely withdrawn into herself, locked in trauma. Not her parents nor her big brother, Max, could snap her out of it, or Shiro... It was later suspected that part of it was due to being unable to face her family or Shiro again, so a strict moral code effectively broke her. Hakuro took up the challenge to try and break her out. He deliberately started behaving very oddly, leaping around and impersonating DBZ characters. No...DBZ Abridged characters, and telling jokes, and laughing off when he fell and got hurt. It took DAYS...but eventually...Anri laughed, and then she cried, and then she spent the next few moments apologizing for her actions, because Rikdo Kunekawa had claimed that he'd burned her whole family to death and that she had nothing left. Hakuro made friends for life, that day, and was invited to stay with the Fuyunaitos a while, learning a little about the skills each one - and Shiro - honed in their lives. Max was trying to open a dojo. Anri was...actually more skilled than HE was, and wanted to join the police! Saiga had taught them BOTH! Hito wasn't a fighter, but...he had a gun license, which was difficult to get in Japan.
He left them, more fulfilled there than even in the times leading up to that moment. This was where he started recording his adventures and putting them online...and eventually gained a modest internet following. The Hatto-san would touch the hearts and minds of the world, one day at a time! He did this for a while, and then he took his travels internation, making his way East...to the West! That is...to the US! Now, it should be noted that in all of these travels, Hakuro's travels were properly financed because he was taking all the responsibilities that followed in its wake. He had to feed, clothe, and continue to educate himself, for instance. He was to take care of these things, or he would be in alot of trouble. The first two were easy, of course. You see something, you buy something. School, though... Aye, that's the kicker. He had to work out a combination of transferring and corrospondance in a way that those involved would find somehow acceptable. For instance, in Japan, he moved around alot, but he was able to return to where he was taking classes. A bit harder in some places, though, and so sometimes it was 'Take it where you can get it'.
That was how he ended up in Los Angeles and met Sherry. Now, there's a reason for why this person also stood out, and more-so than potentially dozens to hundreds of people: Sherry Ultia was something of a kindred spirit. Some people stand out more than others, and for some of the most unexpected reasons. She was a shorter girl, not going to develop any great height, silver-haired, wild-eyed and wild in action, and she was a fricking ninja. Not literally, but by god, the way she could move... It was all due to a skill that Hakuro picked up VERY WELL on, mostly because she wouldn't let him leave this town without him learning: Parkour. It's an intense urban landscape acrobatics practice, the training of which tends to leave the recipient accuring many injuries. Hakuro spent a long time bruised, cut, and hurt for this...but eventually Sherry let him go, accepting him as a successful pupil. He uhh...wasn't sticking around for her crazy wire act. Gotta know your limits, right? Yeah.
Still, this was an exceptional milestone, enhancing his physical abilities in a way the Fuyunaitos hadn't managed, though they certainly sharpened his mind and made him extremely moral about the needs of others. The Hatto-san started to symbolize a traveling idealist, or a mysterious helpful stranger. It also led him across the US, and eventually migrating all the way to the next viable stop: England! The heart of the United Kingdom... Here, at a completely different kind of culture, even from the melting pot of American civilization, Hakuro decided he needed some time. He'd spent a fair amount in the states. Now, he'd be taking some time to complete a good portion of his education here in London, at Evergreen Academy.
The Hatkuro Conspiracy continues...
Affiliations
Toshiro Kuroda (Father) Ari Kuroda (Mother) Hito Fuyunaito (Friend/Accountant/Dancer) Saiga Munashii-Fuyunaito (Friend/Spiritualist) Max and Anri Fuyunaito (Friends/Martial-Artists) Shiro Kunekawa (Friend/Fellow-Investigator) Sherry Ultia (Friend/Parkour-Master) Hatto-Fans (Internet Followers)
Okinawan/Japan (Fun Fact: Many of Okinawa do not consider themselves Japanese.)
Appearance
The strange hatted youth is a young man of Asian descent, specifically from one of the southern islands belonging to Japan that make up Okinawa. He is a fairly-swift fellow, athletically built for running, jumping, and climbing instead of strength or heavy stamina. Hakuro is an odd sort of a person who, for his own country, actually seems pretty normal. He's a black-haired young man, nothing more stand-out-ish about him physically EXCEPT for two very important points. First, he has gray eyes. He's not blind or color-blind. He was just born with a strange lack or low level of eye pigmentation, thus gray in color. To some, it's a little off-putting, but only if you're looking at 'im. The way he is around people, you might not even notice.
The other thing about him is how he dresses. No, not the everyday casuals. His normal clothing could be a normal pair of pants and shirt (Black, blue, white, red, green, gray, and a host of other regular colors and nothing gaudy like pink, orange, or yellow) or somethng with highlights in it (like black or some other dark color with a lighter color highlighting it), but never any outright weird pattern, only sometimes an article with a logo, and nothing too outlandish. No, what you have to understand is that Hakuro often-adopts the use of a fedora and trenchcoat similar to that of the classic Japanese investigator. These articles are his own style, and perhaps his own lifestyle.
More on that later.
His Evergreen uniform... He wouldn't really be up for altering it. He'd be more inclined to wear the hat and coat OVER it, because it's as much who he is as the way he acts. The extra attire sort of became part of him. Some people even have strange theories, but no proof exists!
Hakuro's attire as a Phantom Thief is akin to the style of Lamont Cranston, AKA The Shadow! It's a stark contrast to his lighter hat and coat in the real world without casting aside who he is. Besides, in his heart of hearts, is he not to be following in the footsteps of the classic Mystery Man? He investigates, he sneaks around, he's fleet of foot, and he's just a bit lucky.
Height
5'9"
Personality
Hakuro is...not a normal guy.
He is a young man whom many would consider lucky: He was basically set for life, and yet he wanted more. How and why will be explained later, but he is - at heart - a seeker, a sneaker, and a traveler. Too many years of being in one place left him wanting to get out, so he asked for both the permission and the support to start seeing the world, to get out there and just absorb everything he could. THAT was the kind of guy Hakuro was. He was looking to break out of boredom and have an adventure. To that end, Hakuro is inquisitive and investigative, joking and witty, and very active in his life. When he was young, he took upon the role of the Hatto Ken Ko-to, or Hat-And-Coat, to allow an overactive imagination soar to great heights and run wild on his island. He's adopted this, made it part of who he is.
The role of the Hatto-san is to be someone looking to understand and see the world, to explore it and influence the people found all over in a positive way. You could call it a hobby or a game or just weird. He doesn't care. Hakuro believes in the ideal that everything you do can be decided on a coinflip, especially if you have a hard time deciding what to do. He embraces this. So, unless it's vitally important, out comes the coin, for better or for worse. Why? Because it's fun and you never know what's going to happen. This kind of thing makes him unreadable, unpredictable, and perhaps unstoppable in his own funny little way. This makes him an offbeat sort of person, but he prefers to be that way. It was his choice, one made freely to escape a drab alternative.
Hakuro is generally outgoing and engaging with other people, not afraid to ask questions, be they hard or even embarrassing. He treats others with respect, if they're deserving of such, and will act against those who are NOT worthy of that from him. It makes him someone who acts very extreme, in a way, one supposes. He generally wants the best for people, though, so he can be a helper, at times.
When in the Metaverse, or indeed during ANY serious moment, the jokes come off. Maybe not the gloves or the hat or the coat, but certainly he adopts a more focused temperment, all in order to accomplish whatever was important to the situation at hand. He's a very driven sort of person, this way, and might let out more of the cynic or the deadpan snarker, rather than the lively funny guy. It's just a matter of knowing when to laugh and when to hush up and get down to work. And no, just because he can do a pretty evil laugh doesn't mean that he's unhinged and turning into a maniac or villain. It's just really good acting. One thing of importance: Because Hakuro is the kind of person to influence alot of people, he tends to make a fair few contacts. Because of this, he tends to prefer being able to organize them, since they're at his fingertips. It's not so much a call to leadership, so much as 'I have this at my fingertips, so I may as well use it'. Once again, this is basically trying to be useful in a situation that needs all the help it can get.
Persona
- FORTUNE - Flying Spaghetti Monster
You might be asking yourself 'Why the Flying Spaghetti Monster?'. Ah, who are we kidding? You wanna know. This strange creature was brought into existence by a world which felt it needed a severe refuge in something very out there and silly when faced with something silly that seemed to be taken too seriously. To wit, the FSM and all Pastafarians alike are the antithesis to Scientology. They play this funny little game straight-faced and taking none of it seriously while the opposition means business, but that they are all ridiculous. Hakuro is not a Pastafarian, but he and the FSM share a very important commonality: They are anachronistic beings, and they KNOW it. Hell, they OWN that shit! These two have their own following. Not a serious following, but a following nonetheless, and that holds power.
(The FSM may or may not do battle with the Big Bang Burger Empire on a regular basis, as well.)
Skill
Light/Bless/Expel (Essentially all part of the same skill area.)
A-Level English Language A-Level Philosophy BTEC Physical Education (or PE)
Biography
Hakuro was born on an island of the region/prefecture of Okinawa, lived there, and - if he hadn't done anything about it - would die there without ever having seen or experienced another part of the world with his own eyes. You see, he had been born into a successful sort of life, one that he needed only wait patiently to grow into, and then his life would effectively play out with rarely a hardship. Why? Because his family owned a very nice little resort with everything you could want on an island vacation to get away from it all. His life would be one of peace, contentment, and plenty. However...a young boy sometimes craves more. Actually, it happens alot of the times. Because he could not LEAVE and he was destined to live out his days there, it seemed, this led not only to some foreboding feelings, growing up, but also a great deal of BOREDOM. Imagine having to try and amuse yourself when you couldn't rely on much to divert you.
This is where the Hatto-san comes in.
You see, Hakuro was just a nice young boy, nothing special, but when you badly need to step out of everyday life, you'll resort to alot of things. He ended up adopting a new monniker, the Hatto Ken Ko-to (Hat-And-Coat), a stranger who will go anywhere and do all kinds of different activities and projects to divert from the norm. Need some challenges? Want to explore a place that should contain nothing, but what, what if it contained killer crabs? Want to live completely at the random flip of a coin? That's your man. And that's how the fedora-and-trenchcoat-wearing person came to be. It wasn't an alternate personality. It was an enhancement, a desire to be and live the life of a more interesting person. Because when things got dull and drab...it led to things strangely dark and ominous in conception. Such a feeling, one day, led him to the very definite feeling that he needed to get out.
That moment had struck him so profoundly, and yet...he didn't even know how much so. One day, Hakuro was walking along the beach...when a thought hit him, one that would begin to haunt him every time he came back to the water: 'The ocean may one day swallow me and this entire island up, leaving nothing behind'. When he got this feeling, things were...wrong. The water seemed as though it wasn't teeming with life, but would really reach out, as though alive itself. The color ran out of the world, and there was an ever-present feeling of being watched, stalked, and even hungered for. That was when he knew he had to leave, to escape...
So, when he was considered old enough to be able to look after himself away from home, age fifteen, his parents decided to indulge him and allowed him legal and monetary resources to travel and see the world...and boy did he! All across Japan, for starters. He met quite a few people, here and there, though none perhaps influenced him as much as the family, Fuyunaito. What an assortment of people! An accountant who loved to dance, a spiritualist who voiced anime, and a pair of siblings (brother and sister) who were skilled in martial arts from a young age! The meeting was actually strange. Hakuro first met a Shiro Kunekawa, a friend of their family, who had been taking Anri Fuyunaito out to a park...because she was traumatized to regressive silence after Shiro's father had actually set fire to the Fuyunaito household and...Anri pushed him into the flames as punishment. Shiro was effectively adopted INTO the family and spent his life working to be a private investigator to stop things like this from ever happening again.
The girl was completely withdrawn into herself, locked in trauma. Not her parents nor her big brother, Max, could snap her out of it, or Shiro... It was later suspected that part of it was due to being unable to face her family or Shiro again, so a strict moral code effectively broke her. Hakuro took up the challenge to try and break her out. He deliberately started behaving very oddly, leaping around and impersonating DBZ characters. No...DBZ Abridged characters, and telling jokes, and laughing off when he fell and got hurt. It took DAYS...but eventually...Anri laughed, and then she cried, and then she spent the next few moments apologizing for her actions, because Rikdo Kunekawa had claimed that he'd burned her whole family to death and that she had nothing left. Hakuro made friends for life, that day, and was invited to stay with the Fuyunaitos a while, learning a little about the skills each one - and Shiro - honed in their lives. Max was trying to open a dojo. Anri was...actually more skilled than HE was, and wanted to join the police! Saiga had taught them BOTH! Hito wasn't a fighter, but...he had a gun license, which was difficult to get in Japan.
He left them, more fulfilled there than even in the times leading up to that moment. This was where he started recording his adventures and putting them online...and eventually gained a modest internet following. The Hatto-san would touch the hearts and minds of the world, one day at a time! He did this for a while, and then he took his travels internation, making his way East...to the West! That is...to the US! Now, it should be noted that in all of these travels, Hakuro's travels were properly financed because he was taking all the responsibilities that followed in its wake. He had to feed, clothe, and continue to educate himself, for instance. He was to take care of these things, or he would be in alot of trouble. The first two were easy, of course. You see something, you buy something. School, though... Aye, that's the kicker. He had to work out a combination of transferring and corrospondance in a way that those involved would find somehow acceptable. For instance, in Japan, he moved around alot, but he was able to return to where he was taking classes. A bit harder in some places, though, and so sometimes it was 'Take it where you can get it'.
That was how he ended up in Los Angeles and met Sherry. Now, there's a reason for why this person also stood out, and more-so than potentially dozens to hundreds of people: Sherry Ultia was something of a kindred spirit. Some people stand out more than others, and for some of the most unexpected reasons. She was a shorter girl, not going to develop any great height, silver-haired, wild-eyed and wild in action, and she was a fricking ninja. Not literally, but by god, the way she could move... It was all due to a skill that Hakuro picked up VERY WELL on, mostly because she wouldn't let him leave this town without him learning: Parkour. It's an intense urban landscape acrobatics practice, the training of which tends to leave the recipient accuring many injuries. Hakuro spent a long time bruised, cut, and hurt for this...but eventually Sherry let him go, accepting him as a successful pupil. He uhh...wasn't sticking around for her crazy wire act. Gotta know your limits, right? Yeah.
Still, this was an exceptional milestone, enhancing his physical abilities in a way the Fuyunaitos hadn't managed, though they certainly sharpened his mind and made him extremely moral about the needs of others. The Hatto-san started to symbolize a traveling idealist, or a mysterious helpful stranger. It also led him across the US, and eventually migrating all the way to the next viable stop: England! The heart of the United Kingdom... Here, at a completely different kind of culture, even from the melting pot of American civilization, Hakuro decided he needed some time. He'd spent a fair amount in the states. Now, he'd be taking some time to complete a good portion of his education here in London, at Evergreen Academy.
The Hatkuro Conspiracy continues...
Affiliations
Toshiro Kuroda (Father) Ari Kuroda (Mother) Hito Fuyunaito (Friend/Accountant/Dancer) Saiga Munashii-Fuyunaito (Friend/Spiritualist) Max and Anri Fuyunaito (Friends/Martial-Artists) Shiro Kunekawa (Friend/Fellow-Investigator) Sherry Ultia (Friend/Parkour-Master) Hatto-Fans (Internet Followers)
That was the general impression given unto them by Jean. Whether the Francian knew or not a reason why Michael would not know, the fact of the matter is that this wasn't a topic which Isaac was particularly knowledgeable of either. Farming lad, he was. Wolves and livestock, and go easy on the politics. Another good word for it was insidious, or disgusting, or appalling. His dad liked words like that to throw at the unacceptable. And then, if the one flung at with those words kept going, a fist would surely follow. Some people had no right to draw breath, because everything coming out of their mouth was just a waste of air. And for Thomas, apparently his people in Oceania, they were hailed a whole buncha' promises that held about as much water as a bucket with no bottom.
"I was never promised anything, of course, and I wasn't shamed into things either. I just got my marching orders. As in, 'Here's some convincing rifles pointed at ya. Now, march!'. Some of you already know that, and that's okay. Today, I don't feel so bad about it, because today...my sister informs me that the bastard responsible was found in abuse of his position and sent to the front lines. Turnabout is fairplay, and I hope he has loads of fun up here."
So yeah, Isaac's mood wasn't bad right now. It may have been wrong to wish bad tidings on a fellow human being, but fuck it. He's an arse. Now, before anything could continue, a young man trying to look very official and army and not-at-all like a complete greeny who didn't know that war is hell...came to deliver a message to Jean. He announced that it was for him, and then belted it out before he could even confirm that Corporal Robin-Charpentier was even here. I mean, he was...but imagine what would happen if he'd gotten the wrong table? After he left, Jean got up to go see what Baker wanted and explained to Isaac that Britta needed to know that she had cooking duty. Apparently, Thomas had voted her in.
"I didn't even know there was a voting process. Alright, I'll tell her."
He got up to go find her, buuut...Britta wasn't anywhere around. She went off on that errand of hers, and was presumably looking for stuff, as per requests. Perhaps she was already on the case. He'd have to wait around and find out, though.
Meanwhile, Britta was indeed hunting up food for tonight.
She didn't know about the vote that Thomas put forth or anything like that. No, what she decided was that, in order to help her put her mind at ease, she was going to cook. Frankly, if anybody else had been up for the task, she would have insisted otherwise, because she had struck scrounger GOLD. Oh yes, indeed... It had started...with her spotting garlic. She found some in decent condition, and from there she looked for the other necessities: Butter, bread, salt... Yes, she had no trouble, or not exactly trouble. What she found with enough poking around - sometimes literally, with her serrated blade - were a number of things that were at least passable and in enough quantity that it could be done.
She could make garlic bread, but from what she found here...she could also make something ambitious.
Her eyes lit up as she started grabbing things. Some preserved beef that was neither soft nor hard, over a dozen potatoes, tins of spam and some leftover pork, corn, carrots, spinach, a bit of cooking wine, two bottles of not-the-best rum, and some ration biscuits. This was everything Britta could get, and she had a smile on and a sparkle in her eye with ideas.
So, of course, a little later on, the silver-haired Gunner came in with a load of things over her back. It was a little heavy, but her enthusiasm carried her...plus training and experience in hauling a heavy machine gun. Isaac caught a look at her and blinked with a smirk. What was she so geared up for?
"Alright, I brought supplies. Hand these over to Michael, would you?"
She handed him some clean cloth and a better quality entrenching tool.
"Couldn't find him explosives, sorry. I looked hard before getting all this stuff."
"What is it?"
"Ingredients."
"Oh, so you knew already."
Britta stopped and looked over at the Corporal.
"That I was cooking tonight? Not until I decided it for myself a little while ago."
"Oh, I see. What was the urgent business, then?"
"...let's handle what we need to, first, okay?"
"Alright."
So, while Britta was getting a decent pot and water to fill it with, Isaac went over to present Michael with his sharper tool and the clean cloth he wanted, saying "Sorry, no explosives yet. She tried." before returning to Britta, who had a pot over a fire and was cutting things on a makeshhift cutting board - a random flat piece of wood - with her serrated blade because it was handy. She kept cutting things apart - meat and veg - and throwing them into the pot, which was getting thick now. She didn't even look up as she started giving him orders!
"Find another board, and start cutting those buns in half."
Isaac stopped, but then shrugged and went "Yes, ma'am." before pulling out his prybar for that. The prybar was a small hatchet with a fiddly bit for the prying, so it would certainly cut bread. Britta was stirring the pot with a large spoon and making sure everything was mixed up. Isaac had noticed the beef go in and some of the spam and all of the pork remnants, all cut into small pieces. He hazarded a guess.
"Making some sort of a beef stew?"
"Well, I mean it's not gonna be a perfect one, but if I've got the math right...I'm making a dumpling stew, AND garlic bread, the dumplings being any of little loaves left after the garlic butter's spent."
Oh ho ho... The good stuff. A dumpling stew - meat and vegetable stew with bread dumplings on top, absorbing some of the stew - and garlic buttered bread. Britta figured she could get a fair few - these are small handheld bread loaves - turned into toasty garlic bread with the fire here, and that six cut loaves would make up the dumplings, with the ration biscuits ground up on top as bread crumbs 'cause...there was only twelve of those and they're not great, really.
"So, do you need anymore help?"
"I've got this. Thanks, Isaac."
Okay... Isaac took the hint that Britta didn't really want to talk right now and went off to find some glasses for the rum. Still, though... That was going to be a helluva meal.
@Cleverbird Either, or more than either. My character's mech is based on Id-Weltaill from Xenogears. I used a villain whose mech was a scaled-up Fireclaw from Horizon Zero Dawn. But we've also had an actual tank-mech, I believe.
Owlriel
MegaraFoxfire
Martian
Melancholy
