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[inspirethefire]

Out-of-Character Information

Name: Sarah
Are you over 15?: yar
Time Zone: Pacific
Personal Journal: unij
Reliable Method of Contact: yunisverse
Other characters in the game: I don't got nothin
Link to slot request if 6th, 7th slot: nopppppe

Tegaki: nnnnnnope
Anything Else?: Guess who has a reliable schedule NOT A GRAD STUDENT

In-Character Information

Name: Hajime Tanaka
Game/Series: Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan
Teacher/Student/Other: Student
Canon Point: Post Game 1
Age: 16
Grade Level/Class Taught/Job: High School Junior
Dorm or Living Arrangement: Dorms thank you!

Personality: From a purely evolutionary perspective, it is natural for an individual in their adolescence to begin striving for a purpose in their actions. In order to prove themselves worthy of entering adulthood and establishing their role as they move forward, the adolescent pushes to unlock their own talents and prove themselves. They want to distinguish themselves as unique and important to have around, as a special cornerstone of society who has separated from the idle, consumptive state of childhood. However, these desires within themselves can cause undue pressure upon the individual, stress and a failing of certainty as their thoughts of grandeur and maturity don't fall into place as they intended. Thusly, this can lead to—

Uh

What I mean to say is

No matter how hard the adversity is, a person is sure to overcome it! With faith in oneself, anything is possible! It takes guts, tenacity, and above all, a burning spirit! These are things that live within all people, the only problem is the difficulty finding it! That's what he's here for—to help you cast aside the weight of doubt and fear, to find your own burning passion that makes it possible! He'll support you through whatever comes, no matter the struggle or the adversity! He believes in you! YES, YOU!

So that, right up there, is Hajime's problem: a constant struggle between his natural way of thinking, and the way he wants to be thinking. Put another way, he's ruled by his head, but he's trying to force himself to be ruled by his heart.

On his own, he's a naturally intelligent and endlessly analytical young man, but his understanding of concepts and theories get in the way of him relating things from a more human angle. Don't worry, he's painfully aware of the issue, as the discussion of the human psyche from a psychological angle tends toward making the experience feel separate and alienating, while in an interpersonal environment others might strive for oh goddamn it there he goes again.

In an effort to combat his tendency to overthink, now Hajime has decided to go in the direct opposite direction, plunging into actions based on pure instinct and ignoring the logical process—the way he thinks his teammates and mentors live their own lives. The mind will slow him down, it's the heart that will lead the way to the truest and most pure way to connect with others! No doubts, no second guessing, just plow straight ahead, with utmost confidence and pride in what he believes! Done with muttering and debating, he'll boldly yell out his first thoughts for all to hear—the confidence and faith in himself will inspire the same in others!

That was… the idea, at least. Mostly the only thing accomplished was people him avoiding him and making fun of him behind his back. What's he doing wrong, damn it? He understands the psyche, he gets the theories, he tries to lay his emotions bare to connect with others, but it only results in scorn and rejection. People are just so damned fickle!

When (if) he stops being so tightly wound, Hajime's a bit of a sarcastic and dry personality. A bit blunt and harsh, yes, but he harbors truly genuine in his desire to assist others in whatever way he can. The louder and more vocal personality he puts on may be a mask over his more subdued nature, but he genuinely believes the philosophy behind it: there's absolutely nothing a person can't do with enough determination to win, faith in themselves, and support from others. Therefore, since his desire is to help others, he takes any mistakes made by others as a personal failing. He did not have the determination and faith worthy of inspiring trust, and so he's let down someone who could have everything they wanted, if not for his ineptitude. There's no excuse.

Still, he won't let himself wallow in his own uselessness! Better to leave that bottled up, since all it'll do will get in the way of further attempts to help people out. Yup, just cover up all that self loathing with more bravado and screaming in all caps, that's the MANLY way to do things!

Backstory: Hajime's destiny seemed clear from birth. In his hometown of Yuuhi, his parents had were known as young geniuses, having come together to start a successful and lucrative business. It seemed only natural that their eldest son would follow in their footsteps to be just as bright, just as savvy, and perfectly set to take over the company. They did their best to raise him properly, set him on the right track and encourage the right sort of study and behavior to be expected of him. Naturally, though, both of them kept quite busy with their rising business, so interaction with their son became limited to conversations had over the dinner table and short snippets of free time. Luckily enough, Hajime's temperament proved much the same as his parents'. With their son so studious, reserved, and perfectly inclined towards what they had hoped, the Tanakas were relieved they didn't need to put too much extra time into taking care of him.

Meanwhile Hajime, at a young age, decided not to tell his parents that he could sort of kind of see peoples' souls. The whole thing did seem a little bit odd, and he suspected that this would cause some concern and put a lot of strain on their few moments that they had together. It wasn't like it was causing any problems, it was just a little bit weird and distracting. So he left the whole thing alone.

Over the years, with the business growing and their wealth padding out, the Tanakas were afforded slightly more leisure time, and as they had more children, raised them with a tad more of a personal touch. Their other sons might have been a little bit less mature, a little wilder, but that was fine, because Hajime already had all the qualities needed in an heir. Well-spoken, polite, intelligent, diligent, they couldn't ask for anything more.

It made Hajime himself feel like a complete jackass for feeling dissatisfied with the whole arrangement. He knew full well that he had it pretty good, so why did he feel cheated? He looked at his brothers, all the world of choices before them, and felt truly bitter about his impending destiny behind a desk. As a child he'd accepted his strange soul visions as facts of how the world was, but entering his teens he knew for a fact it was something unique, something that signaled he had an ability others didn't. It was selfish, he told himself, not to mention the sort of thing that came from a deranged individual with delusions of grandeur, but no matter what he couldn't shake off the certainty that he was wasting his life on books.

Finally, he confronted his parents, preparing himself for their disappointment and anger. He laid it bare to them, that he didn't want to inherit the family business, that he wanted to do something beyond what they had planned for him. Whether they scolded him or shamed him or cast him out of the family altogether, at least he'd get his feelings out in the open.

They responded that they were perfectly okay with that, and what was it he wanted to do, then?

Neither of those were expected responses. He hadn't thought much about what it was he wanted to do, just that it was something aside from studying all day. However, he wasn't much good at sports, or art, or making friends, or really much of anything aside from studying all day. Aside from that one bit, with the uh, the souls, and that. But that… well, it couldn't really be used for anything, could it? Best to just… continue not bringing that up. So, with no answer ready for them, his parents assured that he should think on it, and in the meantime, go back to studying, because he really was quite good at that, and maybe they could talk about this again if he ever had an idea for what he wanted to do.

And so it went. Wealthy, intelligent, set for a job, and even had parents who understood and encouraged him, and still he still had the gall to feel unfulfilled. Truly, he had to be the brattiest, most impertinent asshole the world had ever seen. So, he sucked it up, and went back to reading and attending cram school and then things went back to normal, he supposed.

One day, on his way home from cram school, he caught sight of a baby stroller rolling away from its distracted mother. The baby started screaming, and Hajime ran to catch it, but then, uh. Well, then, er.

Then three very large men jumped out of a nearby manhole, and started dancing.

And then the baby started driving the stroller as if it were a racecar, weaving in and out of traffic to safety.

It sure was… a thing. The most astounding part, though, was what no one else had seen—how, when the men had been dancing, their souls had directly reached out and connected to the infant's. For how surreal the whole thing had been, that detail stuck out to him as something terrifyingly intimate, and he needed to know more.

Upon approaching the men, he met Kai Doumeki, the leader of the Yuuhi Ouendan. In a trio of massive, scary men, he was the largest and most intimidating, and he told Hajime that they were a group dedicated to inspiring hope and love wherever they could. By seeking out people in desperate need of help, members of their squad would bolster faith and willpower, allowing people to find the strength within themselves.

This was it, Hajime realized. This was what he had to be meant for, what he'd been waiting for, something he could do that would make a difference. He wanted in instantly. The short, scrawny kid in front of the burly adults didn't exactly match their look, and they tried to warn him it would be hard work: your heart had to be in it one hundred percent, complete dedication to the task to avoid disaster and with huge responsibility. They handled bed wetters, monster attacks, and everything in between, with little recognition. Most people saw the squad as a load of loud, annoying weirdos with a tendency to show up when things were going poorly.

It sounded better to Hajime all the time. Screw societal recognition, this was dedication to a cause, doing something because you cared, not because it would get you a nice respectable job with a nice respectable income to please your nice respectable parents. He wouldn't be swayed. If he didn't fit in now with the rest of the squad, then he'd just train twice as hard to make up for it.

His passion won Doumeki's confidence, and Hajime was allowed to join with the team. As a demonstration of his dedication, Hajime went home and shaved his head, symbolic of starting anew, and that day forward began to forsake his studies in favor of training at the Ouendan private gym (actually more of an old shack by the river). Truly, he didn't fit in with the misfit band of passionate, loud, gung-ho members, but what he lacked in brawn he made up for in willpower.

His new passion didn't go unnoticed—the shaved head was one thing, and his attitude became more forward and brusque. What really baffled his family, however, were his test scores slipping like six whole points. His parents expressed concern—sure, they had said they'd be fine with Hajime finding a new goal, but was he sure he wanted it to involve fully grown men in school uniforms? They'd heard rumors about the stuff the Ouendan got up to, after all: horse racing, prescription drugs, time travel… was he really sure that this was the sort of future he wanted?

Hell yeah it was, and their misgivings only encouraged him, so they stayed true to their word and backed off, keeping their disapproval to silent little frowns when they saw him rushing out to practice in his uniform. Oh well. His little brother was pretty smart too, he'd be an okay heir for the business.

For the next year, Hajime trained relentlessly, even earning his way to be trusted in a few field missions. True victory, however, came with the greatest trial anyone on the team had ever faced, in the form of a big stonkin' meteor. Scientists discovered a giant asteroid hurtling for earth, its trajectory smack dab aimed on Yuuhi. It would probably wipe out the whole planet, but the fact that it was over their city made it directly the responsibility of the Ouendan, and they needed to take this problem out the only way they could. Instead of letting people fall into panic, the entire squad got everyone they could to cheer with them—past targets first, then the whole city, then the rest of Japan, the cry for faith and determination to overcome spread across the whole planet.

Willpower can do almost anything, and with that many people focused on the same task, laws of physics will rupture against the sheer force of faith. Everyone's will not to die, across the planet, was channeled and condensed pure spirit into physical form, a beam of raw, burning passion, launched into space by everyone's cheers, annihilating their common threat.

After that, recognition jumped for the Yuuhi Ouendan, having impressed the world over with their abilities. The respect was well appreciated, of course, though they did their best to keep humble. It was still about helping people and not gaining attention, after all. Unfortunately, where they tried to keep grounded, others snapped up the opportunity. One would assume that more people trying to spread the Ouendan's ideals was a good thing, but copycat groups of talentless, selfish hacks seemed to crop up solely to capitalize on the new fervor for spirit squads. Many tried to contact the Yuuhi group to gain further credibility, but groups funded by the government, or snapping up sponsorships, or really taking any help outside of their own grit were doing it wrong by the Yuuhi squad's standards. Without any way to be certain of the sincerity of other squads' desires to help people, the Yuuhi ignored them all, becoming borderline reclusive in their defiance against lowered standards.

Now, it's around this time that news of other weird places start getting around. Things like a whole city under robot martial law, and a mob boss clone war. It spoke poorly of the state of the world: Smash City was hosting an entire generation of extremely powerful young minds with limitless potential in their grasp. The last thing anyone needed was for such a set of people to go through such hardships without anyone to give them support.

Doumeki made a decision: it would do no good to hole up his squad in Yuuhi. The whole world was in need of help, after all. He gave the task to Hajime, a great honor and burden, to try and support the students and facility of Smash Academy against all the crazy shit that kept happening there. It wouldn't be easy (it would REALLY not be easy), but he had faith that Hajime would persevere in getting people to persevere.

It was definitely all about helping the school and not at all about showing off to everyone else the proper way to do things. Clearly.

Anything Else?: 5'8", close-shaved hair, glasses, most usually wearing the black gakuran and red ribbon that make up his Ouendan uniform. His squad sent him here to cheer on the school, and that means to him he's on duty the entirety of his time here.

The Yuuhi Ouendan go beyond being a simple team of cheerleaders—they have a special talent, allowing them to spiritually connect with other beings during their cheer routines. This connection allows the target to drastically increase their reflexes, stamina, speed, strength, and all around motivation to complete whatever problem they have in front of them—so long as they do well. If they trip, you're doomed to screw up worse than if you did it yourself. A master Ouendan can use this skill on any living being, from animals to plants, but Hajime has only mastered connection with humans. Anything mechanical or non-organic is right out. With extreme skill and enough (i.e. like at least a hundred) people working towards the same goal, this ability can be used to pool together peoples' spirits and create a physical blast of pure energy, or it can be bound together to heal even mortal wounds. A rookie like Hajime, though, would more likely end up killing himself if he tried to organize that sort of feat himself—this kind of stuff is reserved for final level, world-threatening endgame disasters.

This skill stems from the natural talent that all squad members share: the ability to see a person's willpower. It's a sort of visual empathy, basically seeing the flames of passion flare and ebb depending on how confident a person feels. It allows for a heck of a lot of stupid fire metaphors.

So many stupid fire metaphors.

In-Character 1st person sample: [Wow, look at that, he even hung up a huge banner behind him. Did he make that himse—of course he did, look, don't stare too hard at it, please don't mention the smeared paint and ugly colors, he put his all into it, okay, and it's hanging straight which is all you can really ask for, right?]

My peers! I'm sure you must already be aware, but take this as a quick reminder: there's a football game coming up next weekend! This is our chance to truly show everyone what we've got!

[He leans in close to the camera. It's meant to be an earnest, serious gaze of encouragement, but really it looks like he's judging the shit out of you.]

Surely it goes without saying, but it is of utmost importance that we all attend to show our support to our team! Our athletes have done everything they can to assure our victory and represent our school. Now, it is up to you to put your all into cheering them on. It wouldn't do to have a team whose own school does not appreciate their efforts.

[Definitely not trying to guilt you. Just stating the obvious.]

So! Let's all stand together and show them what Flaming Hobos are made of!

In-Character 3rd person sample: Everyone was counting on him. The thought kept running through his head, each time gaining new meaning. Everyone was counting on him.

First he'd just been thinking of his team, who'd put faith in him to represent them well. More than that, though, they were counting on him to handle the momentous task they'd assigned him. This huge undertaking outpaced anything he'd faced before. He'd only handled studying-for-exam, dodgeball-tournament, running-for-mayor type missions. Dimensional warps, monsters, all around important things fell to the squad members with experience. Somehow, they trusted him with this mission.

On top of that, he had to think about everyone at this school. They were his responsibility, now. He had to look out for them, to do his best. He'd never handled a multi-target mission on his own before, and this was an entire school. An entire school full of people with magic powers. And rampant hormones.

How he aided them could go on to affect the entire world, potentially. More than the world, several worlds. Some of the most powerful people in the multiverse were being trained here—if he failed to give them support, literally everything in existence risked ruin.

A deep breath. "Shut up, " he told himself. "You have a god complex." He shut his suitcase firmly.