Akuma Shogun ♢ Goldman (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
luciferine) wrote2015-02-15 09:04 pm
luciferine) wrote2015-02-15 09:04 pm
{ooc} midnight syndicate application
PLAYER INFORMATION
NAME: Rachel
ARE YOU 18 OR OLDER?: Yep!
CONTACT:![[plurk.com profile]](https://plurk.com/favicon.ico)
crescendoll
CURRENT CHARACTERS: N/A
CHARACTER INFORMATION
NAME: Akuma Shogun (real name Goldman)
CANON: Kinnikuman
CANON POINT: Just as he enters the gateway to the Choujin Graveyard after defeating Mirageman
CHARACTER AGE: Unknown- since he's more or less a god, he's thousands of years old and physically in his prime.
HISTORY:
His wiki's canon is a little rough around the edges so I'm just going to write up a summary here!
Hundreds of millions of years ago, almost all choujin on earth were wiped out in the "Great Capillaria Disaster", where the gods used a deadly kind of ray to exterminate them. However, thanks to the interference of one of the gods, known as the Merciful God and, later, Choujin Enma, ten choujin were saved- two of whom were Goldman ("Perfect First") and his brother Silverman ("Perfect Second"). These ten men, the Perfect Origin (the first Perfect choujin) spent years training together under Enma's guidance and eventually grew so powerful that they became virtual gods.
But this didn't last long; as time when on, choujin began to not only reappear and spread but speak out against the Perfect choujin, provoking Enma to become increasingly strict. Eventually, he moved the Origin underground to the Choujin Graveyard to avoid being tainted by them. At the same time, however, Goldman was starting to lose faith in the Perfect ideology; not only was he dubious about Enma's desire to become "new" gods but he longed to be able to truly feel and sought a new kind of power. To fulfil those two ambitions, both Goldman and Silverman left the Origin to live amongst Katou choujin above ground.
The two settled in modern day Kyoto and built two bases for themselves, the Gold and Silver Palaces, where they trained Katou choujin according to their own beliefs. Times were peaceful and their skills led to them becoming rulers. Supposedly, Goldman's students were the origins of Devil choujin and his love of battle meant that he was known as the "God of War". In this time, he also set up another base in the Makai, the demon realm, and helped the Ashura family to flourish.
But one fateful day, a child asked which of the two brothers was stronger. Goldman immediately declared himself to be the strongest but the usually reserved Silverman argued, leading to a fight that would throw the world into chaos. Finally, the Perfect choujin intervened and one of the Origin, Justiceman, judged that the only way to end it would be for them to fight to the death and behead each other- which is exactly what happened.
Legend states that the two heads became the Gold and Silver masks, which fell into the hands of the Kinniku clan and were seen as sacred relics and guardians of the family. However, Goldman still seethed with anger and bitterness at his younger brother for defying him- an anger that grew so strong that it drew Satan to him. Satan offered him the power- namely the Six Devil Knights and a body- to take his revenge and he seized the opportunity, causing the events of the Golden Mask arc. He staged his own theft/kidnapping, sent his Devil Knights to try and fight Kinnikuman and his friends and then finally appeared in person, reborn as "Akuma Shogun". After a long battle, he was finally defeated but, having realised the true strength of Friendship Power and ashamed of his actions, he asked to be destroyed. However, Silverman stepped in and the two masks joined together to form the "Perfect Mask", using their combined powers to revive everyone who was killed in that arc.
Finally, in the current arc, he was revealed to be behind the Devil choujin coming to help the Justice choujin fight off a Perfect choujin invasion led by Enma himself. Having taken it upon himself to make things right, even at the cost of his own life, Goldman split from Silverman, took the mantle of "Akuma Shogun" up again and descended back into the Graveyard to take on the Origin and get rid of them for good.
PERSONALITY:
A man who has probably identified with more branches of choujin than anyone else in the series, Akuma Shogun- formerly the Golden Mask and, before even that, "Perfect First" Goldman- can be largely defined by his ever changing identity and ambitions.
Change being the key word. Shogun is chaotic by his very nature, favouring instability and movement over a regulated world; this fascination with change goes hand in hand with a deep disdain for stagnation. Upon visiting Mont Saint-Parfait for the first time in thousands of years, he has nothing but contempt for how little anything has changed, and this extends to those who try and maintain a set "order". To him, traditionally lawful values that necessitate control and beings to "watch over it" are not just narrow-minded and meaningless but boring. Shogun has never wanted to be an arbiter or god- he wants something more than that and specifically says that one of the deciding factors in leaving the Origin was his desire to become a being that "surpasses" their idea of a "god".
In his view, power is eternally changing and evolving, stemming from a multitude of sources, and to try and limit it is to decapitate it. Where Perfect choujin flinch away from the Justice choujin's "Friendship Power", seeing it as "Irregular" and a sign of an imbalance in the world, Shogun is eventually won over by its potential. In his match against Kinnikuman, the presence of a power possibly greater than that granted to him by Satan was enough to make him doubt evil and arguably set up his defeat.
More than that, he's something of a thrill-seeker and rebel to boot. As such, he also doesn't see why he should follow "arbitrary" rules; he openly plays dirty and feels very little shame in doing so. Another of his reasons for throwing away his near-godhood with the Origin was the desire to truly feel. Rejecting an ideology that praises impassivity and condemns emotional responses meant that he could finally allow himself to really enjoy the buzz he gets out of fighting. In spite of this, he's still largely a very calm and reserved man, making use of the imposing figure hat he cuts in place of wasting words.
When he does feel talkative, however, he has a tendency to leave a trail of hurt feelings and anger in his wake. Shogun can be antagonistic, stubborn and actively hostile, not only provoking conflict with his naturally argumentative nature but even seeking it out in some cases. Even when he isn't at the centre of a fight, he's bold, outspoken and rarely holds back. It's probably for this reason that one of his few close friends in the Origin, Karasuman, commented that he wasn't very good at getting on with people.
At the same time, however, he's also said to be highly charismatic and intelligent. Though people often have Silverman down as the more intellectual brother, they're more evenly matched than that; were he not as smart as he is, he wouldn't have been able to control the Devil Knights. On top of this, he's also incredibly sharp and quick thinking, able to mastermind his own kidnapping and nearly carry out a plan that would have destroyed the choujin world. Whilst intimidating and difficult to read, Shogun has a magnetic personality that draws likeminded individuals to him with his passion and energy. When he talks, people listen, and he's an excellent leader who knows exactly how to utilise his team's skills- even if it means sacrificing them. For the right people, his harshness, directness and intensity can hold a certain appeal.
But though his energy means that he always has the drive to see things through, his spontaneity can be a handicap too. Shogun often overlooks things, misses obvious warning signs- for example, he completely fails to pre-empt Buffaloman's betrayal- and acts without concrete plans. After entering the Choujin Graveyard, he admits that he's just going to take out the Origin as he sees them rather than adhering to any specific order. This flexibility can be useful- but also dangerous given the scale of his schemes.
And they're pretty lofty ambitions. As previously mentioned, he aspires to become a being than can surpass all gods and men and is forever seeking the power that will allow him to do that. He gravitates towards numerous ideals and philosophies and even starts his own (the origins of the Devil choujin) to try and obtain it. As a result, he's highly opportunistic and surprisingly nebulous in his loyalties without any real concern for the consequences, characteristics indicative of how selfish and heartless he can be. It's really no wonder that the Origin consider him a traitor- he turned his back on a man who saved his life for his personal pursuit of power.
Shogun is also a deeply proud man and takes slights to his pride very seriously. When Silverman argued with him over who of the two of them was strongest, he fought not only to prove his power but because he was furious at his younger brother for defying him. The humiliation of subsequently "tying" with him was so great that it fostered a grudge that lasted literally thousands of years, leading to Satan himself appearing before him. Though this is a highly uncharacteristic thing for him to have been angry about (given his indifference to "set" hierarchies and tradition), it can be seen to be a leftover of his Perfect background. When angry, he's petty, self-centred, destructive and incredibly single-minded in his quest to get his revenge. In other words, he isn't the kind of man you want to anger. This pride also manifests in the need to be self-reliant; not wanting to use a strength that isn't his own, he rejects the devil's offer of power in favour of a body.
That isn't to say that he hasn't been humbled by his experiences. On top of acknowledging the strength of Friendship Power, Shogun gained a new sense of responsibility through his defeat. Nowadays, he's far more aware of the ramifications of his actions and the weight of them seems to rest far more heavily on his shoulders. He asks to be destroyed after the Golden Mask arc to atone for his crimes, and his war against the Perfect choujin is waged partly because he feels responsible for Enma. In his opinion, in spite of all of his own sins, Enma is far worse for his belief in the absolute and, as his old comrade, it is nothing less than his duty to end him, even if it means his own death.
The Justice choujin have had more of an effect on him than he would care to admit, peeling back some of his armoured exterior to expose something more heroic- and maybe even compassionate. Taking down men that he used to fight alongside has proved far more emotionally taxing than he had anticipated, revealing that he isn't half as ruthless as he pretends to be. With the right people, he can be unexpectedly friendly and, on rare occasions, even allow himself to be vulnerable.
Whether you see him as the servant of the devil or a conflicted deity, Akuma Shogun is the epitome of the "fallen" angel- a title that he wholeheartedly accepts. More than that, however, he's a man of strong personal values, ones that hinge on the eternal search for power and change. Though he's far too restless for the life of a pure, watchful god, he still has the potential for godly heroics and sacrifice and only time will tell whether he can see it through.
ABILITIES:
On top of being a choujin, a super-human with specific abilities and strength, stamina and endurance that far surpasses a human, Shogun is basically a god. Like the rest of the Origin, he doesn't age and is incredibly hard to kill, to the point where even beheading him didn't work. Obviously this isn't going to fly in-game so he'll be significantly de-powered and reduced to the level of a very powerful but mortal choujin. Additionally, he's an incredibly skilled fighter, specialising in offensive techniques and wrestling, and flexible. Very flexible. To the point where he can bend his body basically however he wants and doing yoga allows him to heal his wounds.
One of his abilities is "Diamond Power", which allows him to turn his entire body to diamond and also means that he can sweat diamonds. He's not keeping this- or his x-ray vision- because they're stupid. He will, however, retain a less powerful form of his Nine Point Seal, which allows him seal his opponent's movements and drain their energy through the palm of his hand.
SINS & VIRTUES:
SINS
- Pride
Shogun is an intensely proud man, to the point where he cannot even accept his own younger brother disagreeing and tying with him.
- Wrath
Not only does he hold grudges but they can last for literally thousands of years- and he almost always tries to see them through.
- Lust
Power is key. Whilst not lustful in the sexual sense, he's forever seeking new forms of strength, wherever they might come from.
VIRTUES
- Diligence
Even as he swings between Perfect, Devil and Justice choujin, the constant is the steadfast personal code that he holds himself to.
SAMPLES
Thread 1 (It's not 10 comments long- I'm waiting on the other player- but 5 are from me)
Thread 2
NAME: Rachel
ARE YOU 18 OR OLDER?: Yep!
CONTACT:
CURRENT CHARACTERS: N/A
CHARACTER INFORMATION
NAME: Akuma Shogun (real name Goldman)
CANON: Kinnikuman
CANON POINT: Just as he enters the gateway to the Choujin Graveyard after defeating Mirageman
CHARACTER AGE: Unknown- since he's more or less a god, he's thousands of years old and physically in his prime.
HISTORY:
His wiki's canon is a little rough around the edges so I'm just going to write up a summary here!
Hundreds of millions of years ago, almost all choujin on earth were wiped out in the "Great Capillaria Disaster", where the gods used a deadly kind of ray to exterminate them. However, thanks to the interference of one of the gods, known as the Merciful God and, later, Choujin Enma, ten choujin were saved- two of whom were Goldman ("Perfect First") and his brother Silverman ("Perfect Second"). These ten men, the Perfect Origin (the first Perfect choujin) spent years training together under Enma's guidance and eventually grew so powerful that they became virtual gods.
But this didn't last long; as time when on, choujin began to not only reappear and spread but speak out against the Perfect choujin, provoking Enma to become increasingly strict. Eventually, he moved the Origin underground to the Choujin Graveyard to avoid being tainted by them. At the same time, however, Goldman was starting to lose faith in the Perfect ideology; not only was he dubious about Enma's desire to become "new" gods but he longed to be able to truly feel and sought a new kind of power. To fulfil those two ambitions, both Goldman and Silverman left the Origin to live amongst Katou choujin above ground.
The two settled in modern day Kyoto and built two bases for themselves, the Gold and Silver Palaces, where they trained Katou choujin according to their own beliefs. Times were peaceful and their skills led to them becoming rulers. Supposedly, Goldman's students were the origins of Devil choujin and his love of battle meant that he was known as the "God of War". In this time, he also set up another base in the Makai, the demon realm, and helped the Ashura family to flourish.
But one fateful day, a child asked which of the two brothers was stronger. Goldman immediately declared himself to be the strongest but the usually reserved Silverman argued, leading to a fight that would throw the world into chaos. Finally, the Perfect choujin intervened and one of the Origin, Justiceman, judged that the only way to end it would be for them to fight to the death and behead each other- which is exactly what happened.
Legend states that the two heads became the Gold and Silver masks, which fell into the hands of the Kinniku clan and were seen as sacred relics and guardians of the family. However, Goldman still seethed with anger and bitterness at his younger brother for defying him- an anger that grew so strong that it drew Satan to him. Satan offered him the power- namely the Six Devil Knights and a body- to take his revenge and he seized the opportunity, causing the events of the Golden Mask arc. He staged his own theft/kidnapping, sent his Devil Knights to try and fight Kinnikuman and his friends and then finally appeared in person, reborn as "Akuma Shogun". After a long battle, he was finally defeated but, having realised the true strength of Friendship Power and ashamed of his actions, he asked to be destroyed. However, Silverman stepped in and the two masks joined together to form the "Perfect Mask", using their combined powers to revive everyone who was killed in that arc.
Finally, in the current arc, he was revealed to be behind the Devil choujin coming to help the Justice choujin fight off a Perfect choujin invasion led by Enma himself. Having taken it upon himself to make things right, even at the cost of his own life, Goldman split from Silverman, took the mantle of "Akuma Shogun" up again and descended back into the Graveyard to take on the Origin and get rid of them for good.
PERSONALITY:
A man who has probably identified with more branches of choujin than anyone else in the series, Akuma Shogun- formerly the Golden Mask and, before even that, "Perfect First" Goldman- can be largely defined by his ever changing identity and ambitions.
Change being the key word. Shogun is chaotic by his very nature, favouring instability and movement over a regulated world; this fascination with change goes hand in hand with a deep disdain for stagnation. Upon visiting Mont Saint-Parfait for the first time in thousands of years, he has nothing but contempt for how little anything has changed, and this extends to those who try and maintain a set "order". To him, traditionally lawful values that necessitate control and beings to "watch over it" are not just narrow-minded and meaningless but boring. Shogun has never wanted to be an arbiter or god- he wants something more than that and specifically says that one of the deciding factors in leaving the Origin was his desire to become a being that "surpasses" their idea of a "god".
In his view, power is eternally changing and evolving, stemming from a multitude of sources, and to try and limit it is to decapitate it. Where Perfect choujin flinch away from the Justice choujin's "Friendship Power", seeing it as "Irregular" and a sign of an imbalance in the world, Shogun is eventually won over by its potential. In his match against Kinnikuman, the presence of a power possibly greater than that granted to him by Satan was enough to make him doubt evil and arguably set up his defeat.
More than that, he's something of a thrill-seeker and rebel to boot. As such, he also doesn't see why he should follow "arbitrary" rules; he openly plays dirty and feels very little shame in doing so. Another of his reasons for throwing away his near-godhood with the Origin was the desire to truly feel. Rejecting an ideology that praises impassivity and condemns emotional responses meant that he could finally allow himself to really enjoy the buzz he gets out of fighting. In spite of this, he's still largely a very calm and reserved man, making use of the imposing figure hat he cuts in place of wasting words.
When he does feel talkative, however, he has a tendency to leave a trail of hurt feelings and anger in his wake. Shogun can be antagonistic, stubborn and actively hostile, not only provoking conflict with his naturally argumentative nature but even seeking it out in some cases. Even when he isn't at the centre of a fight, he's bold, outspoken and rarely holds back. It's probably for this reason that one of his few close friends in the Origin, Karasuman, commented that he wasn't very good at getting on with people.
At the same time, however, he's also said to be highly charismatic and intelligent. Though people often have Silverman down as the more intellectual brother, they're more evenly matched than that; were he not as smart as he is, he wouldn't have been able to control the Devil Knights. On top of this, he's also incredibly sharp and quick thinking, able to mastermind his own kidnapping and nearly carry out a plan that would have destroyed the choujin world. Whilst intimidating and difficult to read, Shogun has a magnetic personality that draws likeminded individuals to him with his passion and energy. When he talks, people listen, and he's an excellent leader who knows exactly how to utilise his team's skills- even if it means sacrificing them. For the right people, his harshness, directness and intensity can hold a certain appeal.
But though his energy means that he always has the drive to see things through, his spontaneity can be a handicap too. Shogun often overlooks things, misses obvious warning signs- for example, he completely fails to pre-empt Buffaloman's betrayal- and acts without concrete plans. After entering the Choujin Graveyard, he admits that he's just going to take out the Origin as he sees them rather than adhering to any specific order. This flexibility can be useful- but also dangerous given the scale of his schemes.
And they're pretty lofty ambitions. As previously mentioned, he aspires to become a being than can surpass all gods and men and is forever seeking the power that will allow him to do that. He gravitates towards numerous ideals and philosophies and even starts his own (the origins of the Devil choujin) to try and obtain it. As a result, he's highly opportunistic and surprisingly nebulous in his loyalties without any real concern for the consequences, characteristics indicative of how selfish and heartless he can be. It's really no wonder that the Origin consider him a traitor- he turned his back on a man who saved his life for his personal pursuit of power.
Shogun is also a deeply proud man and takes slights to his pride very seriously. When Silverman argued with him over who of the two of them was strongest, he fought not only to prove his power but because he was furious at his younger brother for defying him. The humiliation of subsequently "tying" with him was so great that it fostered a grudge that lasted literally thousands of years, leading to Satan himself appearing before him. Though this is a highly uncharacteristic thing for him to have been angry about (given his indifference to "set" hierarchies and tradition), it can be seen to be a leftover of his Perfect background. When angry, he's petty, self-centred, destructive and incredibly single-minded in his quest to get his revenge. In other words, he isn't the kind of man you want to anger. This pride also manifests in the need to be self-reliant; not wanting to use a strength that isn't his own, he rejects the devil's offer of power in favour of a body.
That isn't to say that he hasn't been humbled by his experiences. On top of acknowledging the strength of Friendship Power, Shogun gained a new sense of responsibility through his defeat. Nowadays, he's far more aware of the ramifications of his actions and the weight of them seems to rest far more heavily on his shoulders. He asks to be destroyed after the Golden Mask arc to atone for his crimes, and his war against the Perfect choujin is waged partly because he feels responsible for Enma. In his opinion, in spite of all of his own sins, Enma is far worse for his belief in the absolute and, as his old comrade, it is nothing less than his duty to end him, even if it means his own death.
The Justice choujin have had more of an effect on him than he would care to admit, peeling back some of his armoured exterior to expose something more heroic- and maybe even compassionate. Taking down men that he used to fight alongside has proved far more emotionally taxing than he had anticipated, revealing that he isn't half as ruthless as he pretends to be. With the right people, he can be unexpectedly friendly and, on rare occasions, even allow himself to be vulnerable.
Whether you see him as the servant of the devil or a conflicted deity, Akuma Shogun is the epitome of the "fallen" angel- a title that he wholeheartedly accepts. More than that, however, he's a man of strong personal values, ones that hinge on the eternal search for power and change. Though he's far too restless for the life of a pure, watchful god, he still has the potential for godly heroics and sacrifice and only time will tell whether he can see it through.
ABILITIES:
On top of being a choujin, a super-human with specific abilities and strength, stamina and endurance that far surpasses a human, Shogun is basically a god. Like the rest of the Origin, he doesn't age and is incredibly hard to kill, to the point where even beheading him didn't work. Obviously this isn't going to fly in-game so he'll be significantly de-powered and reduced to the level of a very powerful but mortal choujin. Additionally, he's an incredibly skilled fighter, specialising in offensive techniques and wrestling, and flexible. Very flexible. To the point where he can bend his body basically however he wants and doing yoga allows him to heal his wounds.
One of his abilities is "Diamond Power", which allows him to turn his entire body to diamond and also means that he can sweat diamonds. He's not keeping this- or his x-ray vision- because they're stupid. He will, however, retain a less powerful form of his Nine Point Seal, which allows him seal his opponent's movements and drain their energy through the palm of his hand.
SINS & VIRTUES:
SINS
- Pride
Shogun is an intensely proud man, to the point where he cannot even accept his own younger brother disagreeing and tying with him.
- Wrath
Not only does he hold grudges but they can last for literally thousands of years- and he almost always tries to see them through.
- Lust
Power is key. Whilst not lustful in the sexual sense, he's forever seeking new forms of strength, wherever they might come from.
VIRTUES
- Diligence
Even as he swings between Perfect, Devil and Justice choujin, the constant is the steadfast personal code that he holds himself to.
SAMPLES
Thread 1 (It's not 10 comments long- I'm waiting on the other player- but 5 are from me)
Thread 2