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Shoka Sakurane | The World Ends with You | Reserved
NAME: Kibi
CONTACT: kibibarel @ Discord |
OVER 18? Yes
CURRENT CHARACTERS: N/A
CHARACTER
NAME: Shoka Sakurane
CANON: The World Ends with You
CANON POINT: after meeting Joshua
BACKGROUND: Character Wiki
SUITABILITY:
At the point in canon I'll be taking Shoka from, she is about to be erased as punishment for choosing to side with the protagonists and fully ready to accept that she'll disappear for good. Enter Composer-and-basically-god Joshua, who is about to offer her another option... only for Shoka to get dropped into Bottlecap Bay instead.
Apathy has characterized much of both Shoka's life and afterlife, and she's spent much of her time being just going along with whatever happened. It's only after she gains an attachment to Shibuya and the protagonists that she's finally compelled to make decisions and take action for what she really believes in, even when it pits her against others she also cares about (the Shinjuku Reapers who took her in after her death, in this case). Because of this—and because she was fully ready to be erased—the themes of Bottlecap Bay will challenge her in ways that I think will be fun to explore. Shoka is still in the process of figuring herself out and having the will to fight for anything is still pretty new to her after so long spent uncaring about life in general. I would like her to find more things worth fighting for. As she's faced with more situations that test her moral code and force her to define herself more fully, she'll also be forced to look inward and reach out to others more than she thinks she's comfortable with, and that's as much enrichment for me as it is for her as a character.
Though it won't be her first time being forced to work in a team, the guilds of PMD function very differently from the teams of TWEWY's Reaper's Game, and the quest and reputation systems encourage active participation in the community of Pokémon. Shoka sees little value in her own life and has spent much of it just coasting by, so having another chance to forge friendships, find herself a support system, and work with others to do some good for the world (even if it isn't really her own) despite the circumstances might be exactly what she needs.
QUESTIONNAIRE:
Assuming the injured Pokémon is a stranger to her, Shoka would be reluctant to help, especially if she's on this quest with teammates she does know and is close to. She doesn't feel great about just leaving it there, but why should she risk the mission and her teammates' safety for a total stranger? Sucks to be that guy, but we've got things to do!
However, as a Reaper, she had no interest in earning points or climbing high in the Reaper hierarchy, and she is likely to feel similarly about guild rankings to a certain extent (read: she probably won't be gunning for the top spot); if she's not there with teammates and it's just a lower-stakes mission and her own safety on the line, she may try to lend a hand if she's able to think of more practical options (such as leaving supplies or asking a more medically-inclined Pokémon to check out the location with her later; she's no doctor and has the sense to know that trying too hard to help out has a fairly high chance of only making things worse).
She could also be convinced to lend a hand if her trusted teammates feel they should help. Though she won't admit it, she can be peer pressured by those she trusts into making kinder choices (and has been on at least a few occasions in the past). Despite her rude and sometimes cold outward demeanor, she's not without empathy, and sometimes all it takes is a little encouragement from those she trusts to spur her into action.
Ugh, fine, she might say. But let's just toss the guy some supplies and get the hell outta here before we're the ones who need a doctor, all right?
With a hearty, "Hell no!" ... At least, in most cases.
If it's an extremely important quest and she sees no other options (if no one else is able to work with her and she absolutely needs someone else there), Shoka might be convinced to work with them. Might. Hell, she's done crappy things herself, too, right? Maybe she should give them a chance...
... But she'd really rather give them that chance some other way that doesn't leave quite so much up to chance. If there's no trust between teammates, there's too many ways the quest can go south. She'd much rather just go it alone and not have to worry about finding a knife in her back.
Shoka would sense the shadiness of the offer and be immediately skeptical, tempting though it is. Some easy reputation points sounds pretty sweet and extra supplies would take some stress off of her and her teammates for a while—but it's still just extra supplies, not things she absolutely needs, and she won't agree to doing a favor before she knows what it even is, even if it's being asked of her by her own guild leader. In another time, she had complete allegiance to another group (the Shinjuku Reapers) and did things for their benefit that she now regrets; she doesn't want to make the same mistake again.
This would be especially true if she has friends in the other guilds at this point who might be endangered by the deal. She can get the supplies and reputation points she needs her own way, and defending the people and places she cares about is more important to her than resolving her own personal issues (or even keeping herself alive, really).
Ultimately, she would demand to know what the favor is and turn the offer down if her guild leader refuses to answer. If her guildmates don't understand her decision, she'll just have to deal with them being pissed off with her. That's fine; she's used to that.
Shoka's choice would depend on her level of attachment with the ailing patients. If she knows and cares about even just one of them, this would lead her to be paralyzed with indecision and in the end insist everyone wait it out and hope the teams that have already been sent out are able to return with food in time.
If it's at all a possibility in this scenario, she would also volunteer to scout for food herself. Risky move or not, she would think this to be the most sensible option and preferable to sitting around doing nothing. Assuming this isn't a possibility, and she doesn't know any of the patients, she would then choose to send out an extra team in the hopes of minimizing the amount of loss. She might uncharitably justify this by telling herself that the patients were already on their way out anyway, and starving to death is probably an even slower and rougher way to go.
She would not feel good about making either of these choices but would outwardly act confident in her decision. Any pushback would be coldly shut down or ignored, even if inwardly she understands and feels deeply guilty. This would be the time to compartmentalize, try not think about things too much, and fall back on her old, apathetic ways to deal with it. It definitely wouldn't be the first time she's gotten people killed, after all.
POKEMON: Shoka and Mimikyu are both lonely ghosts with "scary vibes" who wear outfits based on their respective series' mascots (for Mimikyu, its disguise rag is based on the iconic and beloved Pikachu; for Shoka, her hoodie is based on popular Gatto Nero brand mascot Mr. Mew). Untrusting toward most others, Shoka tends to keep her softer emotions masked and her true intentions concealed, much in the same way Mimikyu literally hides its true self under its disguise—and she even has a habit of physically hiding her face under her hood when embarrassed or upset. The hoodie is extremely important to her (it was the first purchase she made after arriving in Shibuya, and she marks that purchase as the moment she "found her niche" and started to forge an identity for herself), and she'll find that same sentimentality and protectiveness mirrored—and ramped up to eleven—with her new Pikachu rag.
I'd like to explore how she deals with Mimikyu's instinctual fear of being seen and how it conflicts with the confident façade she likes to put on, yet at the same time parallels her own reticence and self-disregard. Despite her attitude problem, inwardly she yearns to be understood and accepted, warts and all, and it's difficult for her to admit that even to herself. I'd also like her to eventually start accessorizing and altering her disguise rag into something that feels more her and maybe someday find someone who won't immediately expire at the sight of her true form.
(I'll also be using Mimikyu's shiny coloration for her, as her preferred fashions tend toward a more monochrome palette and the gray tone matches that of the dress she first died in.)
GUILD OPT-OUT: Lum Berries
SAMPLES:
SAMPLE 1
SAMPLE 2
ACCEPTED
Welcome to Bottlecap Bay, Mimikyu✨.
It's been a couple of hours since the announcement in the city center that guilds will be accepting new members into their ranks. Things have been bustling more than usual, with even non-guild members chatting about who they might see where, and how this might change the guild ratings. But for Shoka, who could be anywhere in the city at this time, a rather comical scene awaits.
Two Pokemon are practically wrestling on their way towards her. A Ribombee and a Mightyena, arguing in words that are only partially captured. Comments like "She's mine!" or "I saw her first!" come from Mightyena and Ribombee respectively, and their forms collide and crash into each other in a number of exchanged collisions.
At the very last minute, Mightyena ducks her head just enough to ram it up and into Ribombee's body, sending him flying away in an angry trail of powder that must have been his next move. His wings are buzzing so intensely that he sounds like a motor soaring into the distance, and though the words of his yelling can't be made out, it's clear he's pissed.
Mightyena flicks her tail in one great swish as she slides to a halt in front of Shoka, proud of herself and relieved. The way she lifts her head, with a grin that shows so many pointed teeth, is almost intimidating— but the eyes she turns on Shoka are gentle, despite that.
"Sorry about that," she breathes out, like it was a fun little workout. "That little guy wanted you for his own guild, but trust me: you don't want in on that. He'd run you into the ground without looking back."
She hesitates for just a moment before clarifying that she's not trying to trash talk him, or even discourage her from making her own decision. But she says openly that the values of the Cheri Berries are something she can't agree with. She says that while she agrees that Shoka could likely fit into either guild, if she wanted, that Mightyena personally wanted to see her thrive in hers.
She mentions that she'd be glad to personally train her, on occasion, in combat, and believes there's an overwhelming strength in her. Not just physically, but mentally, too. She says the Oran Berries need that, and that there are a bunch of Pokemon who need others to look up to. That there's always someone else to look up to, as well. That they all rely on each other, and help each other through these tough times.
But with a little scuff of her paw against the cobblestone, she says she's rambling too much, and it's up to Shoka. Join the Oran Berries? She has to go work on some more things, but if she wants to accept, she knows where the guild is. In the future, Mightyena will be available for Shoka to talk to if she so desires.
Your application has been accepted! Now that you’re in, please reply to this comment with the journal you’ll be using within 72 hours, or we'll assume your interest has passed. Once you've replied, please complete the following:
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Thank you for applying, and we're excited to have you!
no subject
This is the journal I'll be using!
Also perfectly fine with my app being unscreened, I'm so glad you liked it!! 🥺