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[shadow_spread]

Player Info

Name: Orlando
Age: 25
Contact: agreylady[at]gmail[dot]com, ElspethVimes on plurk
Characters Already in Teleios: none
Reserve: here

Character Basics:

Character Name: Masamori Sumimura
Journal: shadow_spread
Age: 23
Fandom: Kekkaishi
Canon Point: Post-canon
Debt:

Class A: 378 (counting the extermination of sentient demons as a class A crime)
Class B: 52
Class C: 23

Making deals with demons

GRAND TOTAL: 405 years and 11 months

Canon Character Section:

History: You can get a general overview of most of the series from here. Notable events from after the summaries stop:

The Shadow Organization headquarters is finally broken by Oumi Nichinaga's mind control techniques and his followers- Masamori is the only one to make it out. This seemingly confirms all of Masamori's inferiority and guilt issues, but out of lack of anything else to do he pushes himself to try to convince the remaining members of the Council of Twelve (who had not been present at the attack) to help restore the Organization. He makes little progress until he receives some help from the ghost of Tokimori Hazama. Masamori then makes his way into a group of Organization members determined to defeat the Nichinaga brothers and re-establish the Shadow Organization. Masamori and some of his Night Troops play an important role in the reclamation of the Shadow Organization Headquarters, with Masamori being instrumental in the death of Oumi Nichinaga (though it was basically suicide by cop). In the aftermath, Masamori is one of the leading forces in the reconstruction of the Shadow Organization, and seems to be the de-facto number three power on the Council of Twelve.

Personality:

On the surface, Masamori is everything you could want in an older brother figure. He's friendly and easygoing, usually seen with a smile on his face. He takes an interest in people, in their interests, and in how they're doing both individually and in relation to others. He's observant, and tries to give people appropriate attention. If someone's a loner, he'll try to put them with people who will be able to form a connection with them, as he does with Gen. He can be teasing, but it's good-natured teasing, and only to people he knows can handle it. He's encouraging, recognizing potential strengths and trying to foster them, and giving people the chance to do what they want (he allows Sen to be in more combat-oriented groups for a while because Sen wanted to be a fighter and was driven, even though Sen's natural abilities are more suited to intelligence). He frequently give people second and third chances, believing that they will pay off (and often, it does), and even if it doesn't quite work as planned valuable lessons will be gained. He is apparently very forgiving. He frequently doesn't punish people for mistakes (after all, mistakes happen when you're working with superpowered teenagers) and moves past some betrayals.

He's been accused of being "soft," on account of his willingness to let mistakes go and even to accept known traitors back into the fold for a second chance. Masamori is not soft, he's just willing to take risks (especially when he can minimize the threat by making it extremely clear that betraying him again would not go well). People fall into three categories with him. There the people who are "his," his family or the family he has made with the Yagyou. He cares about these people and will protect them in any way he can. There are the people he can use, the ones he doesn't trust but knows he can manipulate, threaten or otherwise benefit from. And then there are his enemies, the ones who threaten or harm "his" people without having something to offer in return, those who go against his codes of conduct (abusing their own people being the most important one). While he can be cocky, Masamori doesn't really make enemies lightly- he's repeatedly shown to try compromise or negotiation before falling into a serious conflict. But when he does make enemies, he is out to destroy them completely, targeting their goals and support as well as the enemy themselves.

Masamori is intelligent and methodical. He's curious, he likes to understand everything that's going on. He pursues information consistently and thoroughly, sending agents to places of interest multiple times or for long periods. He's creative in his use of his powers- he's the first one we see to use the technique of layering kekkai for greater effect. As previously stated, he's observant, and has a good memory for what he observes. He tends towards long-term thinking. If something or someone may be useful to him in the future, he'll hold onto it or them for years- he holds onto what's left of Kouya for months before resurrecting the ayakashi. Anger can be a powerful motivating force for him (arguably his most powerful motivating force), but overall he controls it. He waits for his time, for the best opportunity to act (though he'll be seriously pissed when he acts). Even in his fight with Ogi, after Ogi causes the death of several members of the Yagyou, Masamori first seeks a truce, realizing that at that moment he is at a disadvantage and would be better served by gaining more time to discover a proper method to destroy Ogi. He is also unflinchingly pragmatic. If the only way to gain an important ally for the Yagou is to give away some information about his family, he'll do it (though not without some feelings of guilt). It's a question of who is more likely to be truly hurt- that is his first priority.

Beneath the big brother act, and driving the intelligence, is a proud, angry individual. Masamori wants to be the best. He wants to have control. He doesn't take slights to himself well, and takes threats to "his" people even more badly. Even after distancing himself from his family, he's quick to defend their abilities and right to protect Karasumori to the Council of Twelve. He may not act impulsively on his anger, but man, can he ever hold a grudge (Ogi). He doesn't trust easily, preferring to handle everything he can by himself (a tendency which leads to Questionable Life Choices like entering into deals with ayakashi which could potentially result in his death). A lot of people (mostly members of the Yagyou like Gen, but also Tokine and possibly others) would cite Masamori as a supportive and helpful person in their lives. But it's very rare that he lets people support him. In his semi-regular meetings with Yomi over the second half of the series, she remarks on how he's steadily loosing weight- the physical result of pushing himself too hard to do everything.

But he is, in his way, a good guy. The Yagyou he formed is a home for outcasts. He genuinely cares about "his" people and wants them to lead relatively safe, happy lives. He'll fight for that. He'll fight dirty and lie to them if he thinks that's the best way to make sure they're protected. He expresses horror at leaders who use their underlings as canon fodder or test subjects- that's not how the relationship should work. He'll even avoid hurting his opponents' underlings whenever possible. He tries to conduct or move fights to empty places where no bystanders could be harmed. If he hurts someone innocent, or comes to believe someone deserves a chance to be saved, he'll expend all his available resources in that effort, even at the cost of some of his ambitions.

For all his seeming control, he can act rather illogically at times. He has a strong sense of both responsibility and guilt. He is the one who has to protect the Yagyou, he is the one who has to stop an old friend who has become an ayakashi. He blames himself if something wrong, even if there was no reason for him to predict it, and he'll take it upon himself to fix things. This contributes to further Questionable Life Choices like taking on possibly suicidal missions by himself.

Masamori has a serious inferiority complex, courtesy of Yoshimori and other powerful figures (including his mother). He is not good enough or strong enough. He hates being ineffective or powerless, but also feels that he's fated to be that way. It's why he fights hard for and clings to the power he has, why he keeps a proud attitude (especially in the face of his presumed superiors), and why he works himself to the absolute limit of his abilities. He's not "special," even though he's been surrounded by people who are. He wants that kind of recognition desperately, and harbors rather bitter feelings towards those who make it through life because they're "chosen" or just possess more natural talent (and even when someone's not really doing that, Masamori can be inclined to see them that way).

Compared to the "chosen" Yoshimori, Masamori is the angry one, the ambitious one, the overly proud one, the bitter one. And Masamori knows it. "My pride, my immaturity...it's all detestable," he thinks at one point. But for all that he realizes this and wishes he could be as good as Yoshimori, Masamori doesn't really see how he can change. He feels that he has been exiled to the shadows (even if, in truth, he's the one who put and keeps himself there) and that all he can do is use that fact to protect the people who are closer to the light.

After the final story arc of canon, Masamori has actually begun to move beyond this. While he still sees himself as "lesser" in some ways, he's come to be happy with his distinct place in the world, and his ambition is more controlled. He's also come to realize that he really does have people who respect and care for him, and that's something he shouldn't try to distance himself from. Whether he continues on this path or backslides...well, we'll see.

Powers/Abilities:

Kekkai-jutsu: Masamori is well-trained in the ability to create barriers. These are usually cube shaped, but can be in pretty much any rectangular form. The barriers can be affixed to an object (like the ground) or not. The barrier can not only be used to protect, but can also be collapsed in a way that destroys whatever is inside it. Since they can be placed anywhere, they can be used for such things as leaping from barrier to barrier across the sky. They can be layered for greater effect, made so that some things pass through them while others remain trapped, or made so thin that if lengthened they can act as projectile weapons. Masamori is well-trained in keeping up multiple barriers at once. In terms of size, Masamori can fairly easily make and maintain barriers up to the size of a normal living room, but something larger than that is going to be a lot of strain (and likely to fail) if it lasts for more than a few moments. The power can also be concentrated to form strings, called nenshi, that can attach to a target and be used to bind or pull them.

Zekkai: Technically a form of kekkai-jutsu, zekkai is different enough that it deserves to be explained on its own. It's the ability of the user to form an area around themselves that completely destroys any physical or magical constructs that enter it (though it's still vulnerable to, say, wind attacks). A zekkai can be just next to the skin, or a sphere with a diameter larger than the user is tall. Masamori tends to favor the kind with a diameter a foot or two greater than his height. Zekkai takes rather more energy than normal barriers do.

Landlord summoning/spreading shadow: Again technically a form of kekkai-jutsu. Some kekkaishi, Masamori included, can summon "landlords," which are basically familiars. Masamori's is a huge black koi called Kurohime. In addition to this, Masamori is able to create a sort of field for Kurohime to move through, which enables her to find things he's looking for in that area with great speed. Masamori is able to spread the "shadow," as he calls it, over an area as large as a middle-sized town. The shadow is, however, implied to be able to be sensed by anyone who is magically sensitive as a sinister distortion or a slightly oppressive force (other kekkaishi can even be woken up by it).

Shikigami: Everyone in the Sumimura family can use shikigami, which are kind of like spiritually powered paper dolls. Once they've been activated and imbued with the appropriate amount of power, shikigami can be anything from a play-doh like manikin that can be used for drudge work to full-fledged clones of the person who made them (it's great for skipping class). The cost, of course, increases with the size and skill of the shikigami, and shikigami weaken (or die) if their creator is weakened (or killed).

It can probably also be assumed that Masamori can create paper wards and other similar charms, though he is never seen to because...he has bigger powers. (His father, however, is observed doing this.)

Appearance: you meant shirtless pic right

CR AU

Game You’re Transferring CR from: dramadramaduck - tagged entries

How has your character changed from their canon self?

Involvement in dramadramaduck accelerated Masamori's emotional development into someone more connected to others and with a more positive view of himself. (The game's nature meant that Masamori went through canon events while in contact with characters from other canons via the internet.) Masamori was able to meet people with similar interests and jobs, but whose circumstances were different enough that he seldom felt like they were competition or possibly endangered by him. This made him more comfortable with the idea of asking for help (and receiving help). For example, he traded favors a few times with a demon hunter named Rei Suzumura (with whom he also bonded with by together eating all the sweet things).

Certain circumstances and these more comfortable connections with others also led to him opening up occasionally about issues such as actions which led him to consider himself as not being a "good" person. This particularly happened with Mai Taniyama, a understanding girl who also happened to work as a ghost hunter. Thanks to his friends being sensible, patient people who pointed out the flaws in his reasoning or simply persisted in their belief in him, Masamori has become more secure in thinking of himself as a good guy. He may not be good in the same way that his brother Yoshimori is, but that doesn't negate Masamori's own efforts. This has made him more secure in himself and in his decision making. And thanks to having people who will actually regularly voice their concern over him, he's become at least a little less likely to solve a problem by simply throwing himself into a risky situation.

He also, after a long period of self-doubt and denial, started dating Mai. The two move slowly, but her support has been invaluable in making Masamori care more about himself (along with, of course, caring deeply about her).

Basically, dramadramaduck made Masamori a happier, more fulfilled, and more (internally) confident person. Teleios is likely to shake that up.

(I would like to say at this point that while Mai's player and I are apping together, we're definitely not apping just to play together. I think the premise has a lot of potential for me to do new things with Masamori, and I'd love to play with everyone in the game.)

Are they gaining any abilities from their time in game? Did the game setting take something from them?

Pretty much the only permanent things to come from dramadramaduck are relationships and memories. Masamori neither gained nor (permanently) lost any abilities.

Samples:

Actionspam Sample:
thread from dramadramaduck

Prose Sample:
thread from eachdraidh