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littleoldmeOOC INFORMATION;
Player: Leca
Age: 34
Personal Journal:leca
Contact Info: lecanis @ plurk, gmail
Other Characters: none
IC INFORMATION;
Characters Name: Akabayashi
Age: mid/late 30’s
Canon: Durarara!!
Canon Point: Light novel 9, during his conversation with Izaya about a job
Species: Human
Gender: male
Orientation: Unspecified, could be straight or bi. Canon unrequited love affair with a woman years ago, casually references rumors that he’s gay while putting down one that he likes young girls. There isn’t much difference in the way he teases men and flirts with women, but he has no real interest in a romantic relationship with either. For game purposes, a wife or a husband would be equally fine.
History: The wiki covers this pretty well.
Appearance: Akabayashi is described as being not young, but not quite in middle age either, and looking somewhat as if he escaped from an old movie. He is tall and slim, and dresses gaudily, usually in black patterned suits, a red shirt, sunglasses, and his intricately carved cane. He walks somewhat stooped over, making it look like he might need that cane, despite not actually needing it. His other main feature is the scar on his eye, and the right eye itself is fake.
Early anime visual for Durarara!!’s next season gives him a blue shirt for some weird reason, but it’s a good example anyway.
Personality: In Ikebukuro, Akabayashi is one of several people who is as much legend as man. He’s the Awakusu-kai’s feared “Red Demon”, and it’s a reputation he thoroughly earned through years of violence. His status as an executive in the yakuza group is well-known, and the public opinion of him within the Tokyo underworld is revealed when during a fight with some drug dealers, a young man he is fighting realizes who his opponent is and freaks out. His dangerous nature is also noted by other individuals from a variety of different sides, from Shiki (also of Awakusu-kai) to the information broker Izaya. This violent nature is not a fabrication, nor has it disappeared with age; it simply requires the right circumstances now.
His everyday demeanor, however, could easily hide that violence from anyone who didn’t know his name and reputation. Akabayashi is shown performing a variety of very mundane light-hearted acts, such as playing around on his cell phone during meetings, adopting very casual postures, hanging out in an online chat room under the username “Gaki” (which can mean “hungry ghost” but also means “brat” or “kid”) and making repeated comments about his status as an old man. His dress code is similarly ridiculous, consisting of a suit often referred to as gaudy, colored sunglasses, and a cane that he doesn’t actually need (but often uses as a weapon).
He addresses certain individuals with great respect (particularly Shiki) but when speaking to younger people, he often doesn’t use their names, referring to Izaya as “Mr Information Broker” and “lad”, as well as often talking about the behavior (or expected behavior of “kids these days” or “young people”. His speech is also characterized by his use of “Oi-chan” as a personal pronoun, a form of “Oji-chan” (uncle or old man) which is specifically considered yakuza talk. At least one of his colleagues finds this annoying and tells him to cut out that gross talk when he answers his phone that way. Basically, he never seems to be taking himself seriously in his speech, even when he’s fighting or talking about violence or important issues. He is sometimes flirtatious, teasing Vorona about her beauty even after they fight as part of Awakusu-kai business, and in fact seems to enjoy teasing in general.
This particular persona isn’t entirely a falsehood either; the new laid-back nature came into being after the encounter with Saika (the demon sword) as wielded by Sonohara Sayaka, a meeting which for Akabayashi led to the loss of an eye and a new (unrequited) love. His overcoming of Saika’s abilities to control those it cuts was a testament to his self-control and strong will, but also led to a new chapter in his life. Upon the understanding that Sayaka’s - and her family’s - hardships were the result of drugs, Akabayahi’s own actions from that point onward are colored by an intense loathing of such substances, as well as a soft spot for those who are harmed by them.
He shows this particular trait in a very spectacular fight with some drug dealers in the bathroom of a club, but more importantly by the way he treats some young girls who were trying to buy drugs off those dealers. While Akabayashi lists all the ways he could screw the girls over - up to and including sex and pornography trades - he goes on to say that he’ll be making sure their parents find out what they are doing and their families are allowed to deal with the matter. Thus, without being particularly pleasant or sugarcoating the issue, he ultimately attempts to create a situation in which the girls can get help rather than being drawn into the underworld further. Likewise, at other points he addresses the activities of various young people who seem not to know whether they want to be ‘in the dark or in the light’ and expresses a distaste for that situation, wanting to protect innocents from the world that he himself lives in.
That doesn’t make him some kind of full-on idealist; Akabayashi himself admits that should the young people he cares about choose to involve themselves in the underworld, there’s nothing he can do to stop them. Still, he tries to help out Sonohara Anri - Sayaka’s daughter - after the deaths of her parents, and when the Awakusu-kai boss’s ten-year-old granddaughter comes to him about help in learning how to kill people, he tries to steer her in the direction of self-defense instead.
Akabayashi is also shown to be very adaptable, despite the fact that he refers to himself as an old man. His use of technology and information networks both in his work for the Awakusu-kai and in his personal dealings is nothing short of brilliant. He has joined the “colorless” gang Dollars whose activities started online and rely highly on an online bulletin board, and uses information gained through their information network for his work with Awakusu-kai.
When both the organization whose drug trade he interrupted and the group he himself used to be part of when he was younger (another organization highly involved with drugs) come after him at the same time, a warning from an associate leads Akabayashi to set up a trap for both groups. Utilizing the Dollars network to put out information about his own location, he creates a situation where both his old colleagues and the drug dealing organization will come after him at the same time, then simply takes his leave, conveniently having also set up a police call so that his enemies would all find themselves caught. This shows creativity and a strong tactical mind as well as an ability to use technology to his benefit.
Another important thing to remember about Akabayashi is that he is suspected by his own colleagues as being a possible traitor. Since he did outright allow his former boss to be murdered - a murder than many suspect Akabayashi himself of committing - he’s not exactly got the perfect track record for loyalty. While it is revealed that his actions at that time relate to his hatred of drugs, the act does still make it clear that Akabayashi’s personal ideals can come above loyalty for him. His continued work with Awakusu-kai is dependant on the fact that his personal feelings on such matters are tolerated and he’s allowed to act in capacities that allow him to stay true to them, and it might very well change if that were compromised.
Abilities: Despite being called the “red demon”, Akabayashi is fully human and has no supernatural powers to gain back. He is a pretty impressive human, though. He is a very skilled fighter, and is one of the most feared men in Awakusu-kai. He is shown taking down multiple enemies with his cane, without even really trying very hard. He’s also quite perceptive and intelligent, and can read people quite well. During his conversation with Izaya in volume 9, the smallest change of expression on the information broker’s face prompts Akabayashi to point out the change and ask if he knows the person he’s being asked to find information on.
Akabayashi’s other main talent - according to another member of Awakusu-kai - is his ability to conceal his thoughts from people. His casual attitude and tendency to tease others hides both his quick mind and constant readiness to respond to danger, not to mention his ability to scheme with the best of the underworld. He’s good at adapting to new technology and methods, and his use of the internet specifically surprises both his contemporaries within Awakusu-kai and his enemies, catching them off guard.
Of course, he isn’t all-knowing, and his ability to use parties who were after him against each other was aided by a tip-off that they were after him in the first place. He’s also at least somewhat limited in his range of vision by the loss of his right eye, though he’s shown to compensate quite well for that in a fight. His other main weakness would probably be his compassion: he has gotten softer since the meeting with Sayaka and the demon sword Saika. Using his caring for others against him might very well backfire though, because unless someone could take him out completely, there would be hell to pay. Other:
SAMPLES;
First Person: [The video opens on a man in his thirties, wearing sunglasses and smiling into the camera. The scar on his right eye isn’t quite obscured by the glasses. The collar of his suit jacket and the red shirt beneath can just be seen in the image. He cocks his head as if curious.]
Well, this is certainly an interesting surprise. About time for retiring, is it? Oi-chan has to admit he didn’t quite expect to survive to retirement, but this landlord fellow seems to think otherwise.
What does a retired fella do around here, then? I already got married, I guess, though funny enough I don’t seem to remember the ceremony. Should I take up knitting, or golf? Maybe catch up on a little of my reading first… anyone read a good book recently? Nothing too exciting, mind you, an old man’s heart might give out trying to keep up with those steamy things you kids read now-a-days.
Third Person: Walking the streets of this small town isn’t quite the same as wandering about Ikebukuro. There’s just not as much going on, or at least, that’s what he thinks at first. Akabayashi is used to being somewhat on guard even when he’s not actively working, and despite his stooped posture and his slow walk, he’s got a sharp eye out for what’s going on around him.
It only takes a few moments for him to start picking up on things as he walks, seeing the patterns of everyday life in this strange idyllic neighborhood. This person having a fight with their assigned husband or wife, those kids performing some non-human feat casually. He watches with more interest than he shows as people from all different places mingle, and skips over a slight break in the sidewalk quite nimbly for his appearance.
He waves back to anyone who bothers to make a gesture in his direction, offers a smile when it seems called for, but doesn’t go out of his way to approach anyone until someone approaches him. The certain someone who does so is a pint-sized little fellow, and seems to have the mischievous intention of swiping Akabayashi’s cane out from under him to make him fall.
“Now, now, don’t go getting yourself into more trouble than you can handle, lad,” he chides casually, swiftly lifting the cane and popping it over the boy’s head, only to use it to gently rap at his butt instead. “Old men like me have a few tricks up our sleeves still, if you want to play, find someone your own age to indulge you.”
Despite having said so, he watches with amusement as the little boy - mortified at being caught out - makes his way up toward a house, and keeps an eye on him long enough to make sure he gets inside all right. “Kids these days…” he mutters, as he starts to walk again, the cane back against the ground just as if he actually needs it.
OTHER;
Housing Request?: Nope.
Did you read the rules and FAQ?: I swear to God I did! (Again.)
Player: Leca
Age: 34
Personal Journal:
lecaContact Info: lecanis @ plurk, gmail
Other Characters: none
IC INFORMATION;
Characters Name: Akabayashi
Age: mid/late 30’s
Canon: Durarara!!
Canon Point: Light novel 9, during his conversation with Izaya about a job
Species: Human
Gender: male
Orientation: Unspecified, could be straight or bi. Canon unrequited love affair with a woman years ago, casually references rumors that he’s gay while putting down one that he likes young girls. There isn’t much difference in the way he teases men and flirts with women, but he has no real interest in a romantic relationship with either. For game purposes, a wife or a husband would be equally fine.
History: The wiki covers this pretty well.
Appearance: Akabayashi is described as being not young, but not quite in middle age either, and looking somewhat as if he escaped from an old movie. He is tall and slim, and dresses gaudily, usually in black patterned suits, a red shirt, sunglasses, and his intricately carved cane. He walks somewhat stooped over, making it look like he might need that cane, despite not actually needing it. His other main feature is the scar on his eye, and the right eye itself is fake.
Early anime visual for Durarara!!’s next season gives him a blue shirt for some weird reason, but it’s a good example anyway.
Personality: In Ikebukuro, Akabayashi is one of several people who is as much legend as man. He’s the Awakusu-kai’s feared “Red Demon”, and it’s a reputation he thoroughly earned through years of violence. His status as an executive in the yakuza group is well-known, and the public opinion of him within the Tokyo underworld is revealed when during a fight with some drug dealers, a young man he is fighting realizes who his opponent is and freaks out. His dangerous nature is also noted by other individuals from a variety of different sides, from Shiki (also of Awakusu-kai) to the information broker Izaya. This violent nature is not a fabrication, nor has it disappeared with age; it simply requires the right circumstances now.
His everyday demeanor, however, could easily hide that violence from anyone who didn’t know his name and reputation. Akabayashi is shown performing a variety of very mundane light-hearted acts, such as playing around on his cell phone during meetings, adopting very casual postures, hanging out in an online chat room under the username “Gaki” (which can mean “hungry ghost” but also means “brat” or “kid”) and making repeated comments about his status as an old man. His dress code is similarly ridiculous, consisting of a suit often referred to as gaudy, colored sunglasses, and a cane that he doesn’t actually need (but often uses as a weapon).
He addresses certain individuals with great respect (particularly Shiki) but when speaking to younger people, he often doesn’t use their names, referring to Izaya as “Mr Information Broker” and “lad”, as well as often talking about the behavior (or expected behavior of “kids these days” or “young people”. His speech is also characterized by his use of “Oi-chan” as a personal pronoun, a form of “Oji-chan” (uncle or old man) which is specifically considered yakuza talk. At least one of his colleagues finds this annoying and tells him to cut out that gross talk when he answers his phone that way. Basically, he never seems to be taking himself seriously in his speech, even when he’s fighting or talking about violence or important issues. He is sometimes flirtatious, teasing Vorona about her beauty even after they fight as part of Awakusu-kai business, and in fact seems to enjoy teasing in general.
This particular persona isn’t entirely a falsehood either; the new laid-back nature came into being after the encounter with Saika (the demon sword) as wielded by Sonohara Sayaka, a meeting which for Akabayashi led to the loss of an eye and a new (unrequited) love. His overcoming of Saika’s abilities to control those it cuts was a testament to his self-control and strong will, but also led to a new chapter in his life. Upon the understanding that Sayaka’s - and her family’s - hardships were the result of drugs, Akabayahi’s own actions from that point onward are colored by an intense loathing of such substances, as well as a soft spot for those who are harmed by them.
He shows this particular trait in a very spectacular fight with some drug dealers in the bathroom of a club, but more importantly by the way he treats some young girls who were trying to buy drugs off those dealers. While Akabayashi lists all the ways he could screw the girls over - up to and including sex and pornography trades - he goes on to say that he’ll be making sure their parents find out what they are doing and their families are allowed to deal with the matter. Thus, without being particularly pleasant or sugarcoating the issue, he ultimately attempts to create a situation in which the girls can get help rather than being drawn into the underworld further. Likewise, at other points he addresses the activities of various young people who seem not to know whether they want to be ‘in the dark or in the light’ and expresses a distaste for that situation, wanting to protect innocents from the world that he himself lives in.
That doesn’t make him some kind of full-on idealist; Akabayashi himself admits that should the young people he cares about choose to involve themselves in the underworld, there’s nothing he can do to stop them. Still, he tries to help out Sonohara Anri - Sayaka’s daughter - after the deaths of her parents, and when the Awakusu-kai boss’s ten-year-old granddaughter comes to him about help in learning how to kill people, he tries to steer her in the direction of self-defense instead.
Akabayashi is also shown to be very adaptable, despite the fact that he refers to himself as an old man. His use of technology and information networks both in his work for the Awakusu-kai and in his personal dealings is nothing short of brilliant. He has joined the “colorless” gang Dollars whose activities started online and rely highly on an online bulletin board, and uses information gained through their information network for his work with Awakusu-kai.
When both the organization whose drug trade he interrupted and the group he himself used to be part of when he was younger (another organization highly involved with drugs) come after him at the same time, a warning from an associate leads Akabayashi to set up a trap for both groups. Utilizing the Dollars network to put out information about his own location, he creates a situation where both his old colleagues and the drug dealing organization will come after him at the same time, then simply takes his leave, conveniently having also set up a police call so that his enemies would all find themselves caught. This shows creativity and a strong tactical mind as well as an ability to use technology to his benefit.
Another important thing to remember about Akabayashi is that he is suspected by his own colleagues as being a possible traitor. Since he did outright allow his former boss to be murdered - a murder than many suspect Akabayashi himself of committing - he’s not exactly got the perfect track record for loyalty. While it is revealed that his actions at that time relate to his hatred of drugs, the act does still make it clear that Akabayashi’s personal ideals can come above loyalty for him. His continued work with Awakusu-kai is dependant on the fact that his personal feelings on such matters are tolerated and he’s allowed to act in capacities that allow him to stay true to them, and it might very well change if that were compromised.
Abilities: Despite being called the “red demon”, Akabayashi is fully human and has no supernatural powers to gain back. He is a pretty impressive human, though. He is a very skilled fighter, and is one of the most feared men in Awakusu-kai. He is shown taking down multiple enemies with his cane, without even really trying very hard. He’s also quite perceptive and intelligent, and can read people quite well. During his conversation with Izaya in volume 9, the smallest change of expression on the information broker’s face prompts Akabayashi to point out the change and ask if he knows the person he’s being asked to find information on.
Akabayashi’s other main talent - according to another member of Awakusu-kai - is his ability to conceal his thoughts from people. His casual attitude and tendency to tease others hides both his quick mind and constant readiness to respond to danger, not to mention his ability to scheme with the best of the underworld. He’s good at adapting to new technology and methods, and his use of the internet specifically surprises both his contemporaries within Awakusu-kai and his enemies, catching them off guard.
Of course, he isn’t all-knowing, and his ability to use parties who were after him against each other was aided by a tip-off that they were after him in the first place. He’s also at least somewhat limited in his range of vision by the loss of his right eye, though he’s shown to compensate quite well for that in a fight. His other main weakness would probably be his compassion: he has gotten softer since the meeting with Sayaka and the demon sword Saika. Using his caring for others against him might very well backfire though, because unless someone could take him out completely, there would be hell to pay. Other:
SAMPLES;
First Person: [The video opens on a man in his thirties, wearing sunglasses and smiling into the camera. The scar on his right eye isn’t quite obscured by the glasses. The collar of his suit jacket and the red shirt beneath can just be seen in the image. He cocks his head as if curious.]
Well, this is certainly an interesting surprise. About time for retiring, is it? Oi-chan has to admit he didn’t quite expect to survive to retirement, but this landlord fellow seems to think otherwise.
What does a retired fella do around here, then? I already got married, I guess, though funny enough I don’t seem to remember the ceremony. Should I take up knitting, or golf? Maybe catch up on a little of my reading first… anyone read a good book recently? Nothing too exciting, mind you, an old man’s heart might give out trying to keep up with those steamy things you kids read now-a-days.
Third Person: Walking the streets of this small town isn’t quite the same as wandering about Ikebukuro. There’s just not as much going on, or at least, that’s what he thinks at first. Akabayashi is used to being somewhat on guard even when he’s not actively working, and despite his stooped posture and his slow walk, he’s got a sharp eye out for what’s going on around him.
It only takes a few moments for him to start picking up on things as he walks, seeing the patterns of everyday life in this strange idyllic neighborhood. This person having a fight with their assigned husband or wife, those kids performing some non-human feat casually. He watches with more interest than he shows as people from all different places mingle, and skips over a slight break in the sidewalk quite nimbly for his appearance.
He waves back to anyone who bothers to make a gesture in his direction, offers a smile when it seems called for, but doesn’t go out of his way to approach anyone until someone approaches him. The certain someone who does so is a pint-sized little fellow, and seems to have the mischievous intention of swiping Akabayashi’s cane out from under him to make him fall.
“Now, now, don’t go getting yourself into more trouble than you can handle, lad,” he chides casually, swiftly lifting the cane and popping it over the boy’s head, only to use it to gently rap at his butt instead. “Old men like me have a few tricks up our sleeves still, if you want to play, find someone your own age to indulge you.”
Despite having said so, he watches with amusement as the little boy - mortified at being caught out - makes his way up toward a house, and keeps an eye on him long enough to make sure he gets inside all right. “Kids these days…” he mutters, as he starts to walk again, the cane back against the ground just as if he actually needs it.
OTHER;
Housing Request?: Nope.
Did you read the rules and FAQ?: I swear to God I did! (Again.)
