application for ryslig

[viewtifuls]

OOC INFORMATION
Name: Aisu
Contact: PMs to journal; aim: goldxlll
Other Characters: Garrett (themasterthief)

CHARACTER INFORMATION
Character Name: Joe
Age: early 20s
Canon: Viewtiful Joe
Canon Point: anime, season 1, mid episode 25; specifically after Alastor rescues him from Fire Leo and Joe takes off in Six Machine
Character Information:

Personality:

"Sure Joe's flakey and he's impulsive, but he's definitely not a quitter.
He's goofy and stupid and aggravating,
and sometimes I think he wishes Silvia were a cheeseburger
so he wouldn't have to split his focus all the time,
but no matter what happens he always picks himself up.
He never looses faith." -Blue Jr.

Joe is not your typical protagonist. He's not the shining star of heroism and righteousness. He's not even on the cornier side of old golden age comic book heroics. He's the hero that Movieland needs but definitely not what anyone expects him to be. His predecessor was the very epitome of those things listed before; sometimes even riding onto scene as a literal knight in shining armor on his noble steed. Captain Blue stood for righteousness, justice and honor, and all things a hero from the golden ages represented. Joe, however, took up the mantel without managing to appear as any of these things.

Before becoming Viewtiful Joe, Joe was the very epitome of the average joe off the random street in any old city. Possibly even below average to be brutally honest. He comes off as the stereotypical skater dude, ridiculous lingo and constant abuse of silly hand signs and all. He's very self-absorbed and has a penchant for ignoring the wants and needs of others around him, even carelessly ignoring the gentle insistences of his girlfriend for attention. Which is saying a lot when he's in an empty theater with possibly the prettiest girl in town trying to give him blatant hints that they're all alone, winkwink, nudgenudge, you get my drift where she was going with that, right? Right. And if that wasn't enough to point it out, he's not really all that bright. It's a feature of his that even in canon he openly admits is true; he's not all that smart and thinking things through is not his strong point. It almost literally pains him to think too much. He's more of an act now, think never sort of guy. Which, surprisingly, serves him rather well but more on that later. So he's impulsive and easily distracted by just about anything he thinks is cool, and especially by food of the cheeseburger variety. He's constantly hungry and the mere mention of food will get his stomach to growling. When his stomach is full though he's full of vibrant energy and unholy amounts of ridiculousness. But he's still prone to be forgetful and less than considerate.

So what makes Joe the hero that's needed for this story? Sure, his idol gave him a V-watch but what makes him the guy for the job? Certainly it's not any of his usual traits of personality. He should be the last person anyone would pick to become the next VFX wielding hero of Movieland based on these merits or lack thereof. However, there are some things that make Joe surprisingly adapt at the role.

For starters, Joe has the tenacity to be too stupidly stubborn to give in at any point when the going gets tough. Right from the start of his unexpected trip to Movieland he demonstrates this; despite not having the first clue what's going on or who he's up against, Joe jumps right into the role of hero by determining that he will save Silvia from her unusual kidnappers. He's out-gunned and out-numbered from his very first fight, with a distinct lack of superhero powers to boot, but he doesn't give in and surrender. Joe fights even without any powers despite the unusual talents of his attackers. Once he's chosen to carry the V-watch and the powers of the Henshin into Viewtiful Joe he adapts quickly and truly begins his role as hero. He constantly reminds himself to be persistent and to carry through, to never give up or quit, and that's exactly what he does. Even the times when his Henshin is taken from him Joe continues to fight for what's right and to save Silvia. Such as when his V-watch is taken by a shapeshifter that takes on Silvia's appearance. He chases after the doppleganger and battles her despite his lack of powers at the time. And though she had to have damaged him quite badly with a few of those strong hits he took, Joe stubbornly got back up on his feet each time to continue the fight. He won in the end, of course, with help from Silvia and Junior getting his V-watch back to him but it never would have gotten that far had he simply given up from the start.

A similar occurrence happened when Joe faced the Monochromataloids. The two robots sucked the color right out of Junior and took Joe's Henshin right along with it! Injured, Joe "escaped" by falling off the side of a cliff and into a river below. A friend found him unconscious by the side of the river and took him somewhere safe to recuperate. But when he woke he knew he needed to go save Junior and despite his weakened state tried to get up even as his wounded body protested. The friend insisted Joe heal first but this conflicted with Joe's demeanor and he couldn't sit still no matter how hard he tried to think of another solution. In the end, Joe's passionate spirit won out. When he finally went to confront the Monochromataloids he refused their offer to hand over his V-watch in exchange for Junior and instead fought them. Turned out, with his passion and spirited nature Joe managed to overcome his weakness and resume his Henshin despite the Monochromataloids' efforts to suck it's power right back out. So not only is Joe insanely stubborn but he has the spirited passion to overcome any odds when he sets out to accomplish his goals!

Speaking of Junior, Joe has a unique relationship with the younger boy. Captain Blue Junior is quite possibly Joe's best friend and without a doubt the perfect partner for Viewtiful Joe. Where Joe stumbles around attempting to accomplish goals without thought Junior puts consideration into their movements and plans into their haphazard battles against Jadow. The opposite dynamics of the two work out well. And what they end up having is complete trust in one another. But sometimes Joe's trusting nature can prove too much and get him into trouble. If a trap isn't entirely obvious (and most of the time even when it is) Joe's gullible nature will lead him right into trouble. He always trusts signs to point him in the right direction (typically to a cheeseburger joint) even when they've been obviously put there to lure him into a trap. And he trusts first appearances to be true to their nature as when he's duped by the fake Silvia even despite her appearance being fishy and some of her mannerisms to be a little off. It could be debated that Joe is simply just so dumb and unobservant that he constantly falls for the simplest of traps but there's also the fact that he tends to trust new people he meets automatically and even a few reoccurring dudes that have a tendency to cause him more trouble than worth their advice. So maybe he really does trust most people to be full of kindness and caring at their deepest levels even if they don't always show it.

One of the best observances of this trust is his relationship with Alastor. Blademaster Alastor is the self-proclaimed rival of Viewtiful Joe yet despite this role throughout the entire series, Joe always talks, acts, and treats Alastor like his best friend. When they first meet Alastor warns Joe of his arrival with a dramatic entrance and from then on out Joe seems to trust Alastor as a fair opponent and an overall decent dude. Joe clearly knows that Alastor works alongside Jadow to prevent him from reaching Silvia and defeat him as the new hero of Movieland, but Joe doesn't seem convinced that Alastor truly means anyone any harm. He readily puts aside their rivalry to work with Alastor whenever he gets the chance and genuinely apologizes to the blademaster whenever he accidentally harms him more than intended in their more playful fights. That's not to say that the two don't argue or genuinely give it their all in their real battles against one another. They bicker readily with one another even when they're holding true to a truce to work together towards a goal and when they're under no such agreement they each give it their all whenever fighting. But they do so in a manner that reads closer to a healthy competitive streak between two long-standing friends rather than actual enemies out for each other's blood. (At least, for the most part. A few issues that eventually get worked out later in the series aside.) But it's a good relationship to find Joe's trust and expectation of honor within those he sees as genuinely good fellows no matter their role in the movies life.

As for the whole reason Joe fights the villainous organization known as Jadow? Joe genuinely cares for his girlfriend Silvia and plans to rescue her from her captives as soon as possible. Despite his short attention span and self-centered attitude, Joe actually cares deeply for Silvia and always has a good word for her or a thought to spare for her rescue. Whenever she comes up in conversation or he gets a chance to talk about her he gushes over how she's "cute as a button." There are a few times throughout the series where he gets to see Silvia before her genuine rescue, usually during plots of Jadow's to trick Joe into one battle or another. Each time he is just as happy as she is to see his girlfriend (heck, there are shojo bubbles included every time they run to each other and as he twirls her happily around when they embrace). During one plot Silvia is planned to marry Alastor to lure Joe to try and rescue her before it can happen. Unfortunately for Jadow, Joe never actually shows. He's too busy fighting Jadow's bianky army and protecting the citizens of Black Jadowland. But Silvia runs off right in the middle of the wedding and finds Joe out in the town streets where she proceeds to chide him for not rescuing her. Joe admits to Silvia that he couldn't believe it was really something that would happen, that he knew and trusted that she would never abandon him like that and there was no way that it wouldn't be him there on that aisle with her one day. He admits it in such a quiet, serious way that even Silvia is happy with the answer and they reconcile readily. Despite his goofy manner, he does genuinely care for her and has his odd way of showing his faith in her.

Yet despite Joe's new role as a superhero he still has the tendency to lose focus and forget his ultimate goal when not directly facing down Jadow or another enemy. His love for attention never wanes and several times he makes a grand entrance or introduction when meeting someone new, expecting (or at least hoping) that his name has gotten out there and makes him a celebrity. He's crushed when no one ever recognizes him and quickly reverts to showboating in an effort to gain attention and fame. This often results in silly battles where he gets stuck in awkward positions because of a powerful move that bores through the ground or hit while he's not paying attention because he wants to see if his audience saw his last fancy move. He never suffers too much for it and Junior is usually around to help him out of sticky situations but he never learns his lesson or stops putting on a show. However, that said Joe's instinctively heroic nature never fails him when the going gets tough. Though he doesn't actively think about it Joe always reacts with the best intentions for everyone else around him. This may seem counter to his self-centered demeanor but it doesn't negate it. Joe is Joe outside of serious situations and acts like the forgetful, ridiculous, self-centered imbecile that he always has been; yet when the plot thickens, even though he showboats or still carries himself with too much pride sometimes, Viewtiful Joe manages to save the day with his determination and cheerful spirit. He's sort of an odd bipolar hero in this manner: one second he'll be ridiculously goofy and the next he'll have a serious moment of heroism. It's an odd combination that works surprisingly well for Joe. He never changes from the person he's been his entire life but his kind instincts make him a perfect hero despite his very non-heroic lifestyle.

One of Joe's randomly serious moments shows why he's so good at heroing despite his nature. When Junior asks why Joe never finishes off his opponents for good, Joe replies that if he's going to be a real hero he should never stoop to the villains' level. This means that he never shows a darker nature for revenge or bloodletting for the sake of pleasure. Joe only fights a battle as long as needed and in the end he never finishes off any of his opponents permanently. Even when he's truly driven by anger he refuses to throw another punch when the battle has been clearly won, a fact that is shown towards the end of the series when he almost goes one step too far but refrains, citing his own words about how the hero never hits an enemy while he's down. It wouldn't be fair or merciful, two things Joe prides himself on being even if he never makes much note of it aloud.

But then the serious moment is over and Joe says something silly again, such as when he tells Junior why he doesn't finish off his opponents and then reveals that its actually a quote from an old comic book about superheroes from outer space. Yet, it's something that Joe truly believes in. His love for old superhero comics and movies gave him this belief and faith in goodness. Point in fact, Joe's father used to play old superhero movies at the family theater for this very reason: to show Joe what it meant to be a true hero, to induce in him that feeling of awe and reverence for what truly mattered in life, and show him honor and nobility not for the sake of novelty but for the sake of genuinely being a kind person. It was a lesson that, perhaps despite first appearances, Joe very much learned and took to heart and applies in his life.

So that's the odd dichotomy that is Viewtiful Joe. Hardly a serious fellow on average, he's impulsive and easily distracted by every tiny detail in the world. He's just as likely to be fascinated by his own echo as by the live action hero telling him he's to be next in line for being the Hero of Movieland. Yet when the going gets tough he'll always know instinctively what to do, saving the day and protecting those around him no matter the cost to himself. When a cry for help goes out he'll come running, even if it's a trap, he can't resist the duty of a hero. He'll show off and preen over compliments given to him and then leap into action the second anyone is in danger. That's Joe. The goofball extraordinaire, both self-centered and self-sacrificing, with a passionate spirit that never looses faith and always has a moment to spare to cheer up those around him with his ridiculous antics. Feed him a cheeseburger and he'll love you for life; steal his girlfriend and watch out for his grand rescue! It'll take him a while before he gets there, but he won't quit till he's saved the day.

5-10 Key Character Traits: Voracious appetite, goofy, forgetful and easily distracted, impulsive, self-centered, yet passionate, stubbornly determined, heroic (honorable & merciful), trusting, and caring

Would you prefer a monster that FITS your character’s personality, CONFLICTS with it, or EITHER? EITHER.
Opt-Outs: wendigo, minotaur, troll, kelpie, naga (+ arachne for already having one)

Roleplay Sample: At the Test Drive!