Application

[meanandgreen]

Player Information:
Name: Ash
Age: 25
Contact: willowslament
Game Cast: N/A

Character Information:
Name: Hamato Raphael
Canon: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2k3)
Canon Point: Beginning of Season 5, episode 1, right after getting knocked out by the wooden ninja.
Age: 18
Reference:
Wikipedia page, and, if you’re really curious, A ridiculously long application from his stint at Damned.

Setting:
More than anything, the world of the TMNT is a parody of life in the early twenty-first century. Though the laws of nature mostly still apply, the rules can be bent in the most ridiculous ways. Laser beams can be easily deflected by metal weapons or glass, magic and time travel is possible, and glowing alien goo can mutate animals into sentient humanoid creatures that know ninjitsu. To put it lightly, this version of Earth can get a little strange.

Though geography and geopolitical borders seem to be mostly intact, Earth's population is a giant caricature of itself. Politicians range from apathetic to fanatical to completely incompetent. The police force is full of lazy, doughnut-eating skeptics, and even news anchors are mostly poorly-informed clichés. Gang bangers wear garish outfits and strut around like high school bullies on steroids, the mob seems to be a joke straight out of The Godfather movies, and the supply of mad scientists is seemingly endless. As a whole, humans are depicted as ignorant, greedy, and narrow-minded.

Unfortunately the senselessness of the masses makes humanity an easy target to be exploited and controlled by greater minds with disastrous outcomes. Though there are many examples of this throughout canon, the most prevalent offender is Oroku Saki, also known as the Shredder. Because of his cool, calculating nature, he is able to pull the wool over even the mayor’s eyes and gain control of New York City politically, socially, economically, and criminally. Nothing within his realm of control is out of his reach. And though he is one of the biggest crime lords in history, he has the masses fooled into thinking he’s nothing but a generous humanitarian. No one ever thinks twice.

Along with Saki’s reign of power, there are also lesser villains roaming around New York, most of which Saki either directly or indirectly controls. Those include:

• Foot Clan—An evil clan of ninja led by the Shredder, Oroku Saki. The legions of the Foot are seemingly endless. These ninja are sworn to their master the Shredder to do his bidding in complete secrecy. This is how Saki is able to operate in the crime rings of the city without tainting his noble public façade. Due to a blood feud between Saki and Splinter’s master, Yoshi, the Shredder and his Foot Clan are the turtles’ sworn enemies.

• Purple Dragons—New York’s most powerful gang thanks to its leader, Hun, who is also a servant of the Shredder. The Purple Dragons consist mainly of second-rate thugs that spend most of their time committing petty crimes.

• The Mob—A less prevalent member of New York’s crime ring, the mob mostly keeps to itself, working the more subtle end of the art of villainy. They tend to keep most of their criminal acts within the “family”, but sometimes pull stunts big enough to cause a blip on the radar.

• Baxter Stockman—Though there are many examples of mad scientists on the show, Baxter Stockamn is the mad scientist. Doomed to be a servant of the Shredder, his inventions are often highly-advanced weapons of destruction, pillaging, and chaos.

• Agent Bishop—A crooked, high-ranking government agent with an undying hatred for nonhuman sapient creatures. He sees their existence as a direct threat to humanity, and will stop at nothing to eliminate them.

But luckily, not all of the few competent people on Earth are villains. It’s just unfortunate that in a world that harshly persecutes anyone remotely different, these people are usually considered social outcasts. In fact most of them aren’t even human. This often leaves a small number of clear-minded do-gooders pinned up against many very powerful villains with entire populations of people brainwashed into supporting them. And though these people may be competent, that doesn’t mean the canon’s twisted sense of humor ends there. Even heroes are fair game for parodying. In fact, the TMNT themselves are merely a wild spin off on the Daredevil’s origins, supposedly originating from the same goo that gives him is power. (Daredevil himself, however, is not present in the TMNT universe.) Raphael, with his bad attitude and three-pronged sai, is a nod to the X-Men’s Wolverine. And then there’s the TMNT universe’s resident superheroes, like Nobody and the Justice Force, whose character designs both worship and mock DC’s most prominent heroes.

Though the tone of the show is obviously joking, constantly poking and prodding at society, human nature, and pop culture, that doesn’t mean things don’t get serious. In fact the joking around is probably the only thing that keeps the mood from getting too heavy in an otherwise harsh, violent, and gritty world. Though the villains are often a little cheesy, that doesn’t make them any less dangerous. And though the stars of the show are giant, talking teenage turtles, it doesn’t mean they aren’t extremely lethal warriors. No, though this version of Earth can often be a little campy, it isn’t afraid to venture into darker territory. Bad things still happen. People suffer and die. The heroes aren’t immortal. Not every battle is won. And when it’s time for the hard issues to be addressed, no one turns a blind eye.

For a kid’s show that operates under the guise of being light-hearted, there are many instances in the show where things can get downright heavy. Morality is very often under the looking glass throughout the course of the show. Everything from the follies of war to the mistreatment of America’s homeless is explored. But above all, questions toward the need for violence are constantly asked. This is reflected primarily in the TMNT universe’s interpretation of ninja.

Above all, the TMNT are warriors; trained from their youth to injure, maim, and kill opponents for their own protection. And though most of this is done off-screen, or had to be worked around thanks to network censorship, it’s very obvious that the guys do indeed kill when it needs to be done. But unlike the cold-blooded assassins of history, the ninja in this universe operate more like samurai, closely observing the moral code of warriors known as Bushido. They are extremely concerned with the concept of honor, and allow it to dictate the way they fight and live. It is this warped interpretation of honor that sets the blood feud between the Foot and the TMNT in motion, and before most battles there’s always the question of what the “honorable thing” to do is in any given situation.

Another reoccurring moral issue is humanity’s treatment of social outcasts and fear of anything that diverges too far away from the norm. This is the reason why the TMNT and their sensei have spent a life living deep in the sewers below New York, hidden from the eyes of man, at first believing that they were the only non-humans walking the planet. But over the course of the show, it becomes increasingly obvious that humanity is in far less control of their world than they are led to believe. In fact, the entire planet is overrun by mutants, aliens, monsters, and creatures from other dimensions that have existed below the radar for centuries. These groups of organisms include:

• Utroms – Pink, brain-like, tentacled race of aliens who have lived mostly undetected amongst humans since prehistory. They are a highly advanced species that relies on bio-organic technology to survive. They are able to disguise themselves as humans via the use of flawlessly engineered exosuits. The Utroms play a huge role in the lives of the TMNT and their master, the waste from the manufacturing of their tech being the ooze that mutated them into what they are today. Their leader, Mortu, becomes a powerful ally of the TMNT, and it is later revealed that Oroku Saki, aka the Shredder, is actually a disguised Utrom war criminal by the name of Ch’rell.

• Y’Lyntians—A highly advanced humanoid race that existed on Earth before the time of humans. Human knowledge of their existence only lives on in legends of the fallen city of Y’Lyntis, or “Atlantis”, that supposedly sunk to the bottom of the sea sometime before recorded history. The lost city of Y’Lyntis, along with a few surviving Y’Lyntians, is discovered to still exist in a massive cavern hundreds of miles below New York City. The Y’Lyntians were also known to have kept many varieties of genetically-altered human slaves, who broke free and pieced together their own small civilizations, which still secretly exist on Earth.

• Triceratons—Triceratops-like humanoid aliens with a passion for violence and war who wander through space on ship-like shards of their broken planet. There are many instances of Triceretons making their way onto Earth, including an instance when they managed to take the entire city of Beijing hostage.

• Dimension Hoppers—Through the use of spiritual magic, the barriers between different dimensions are often crossed, and non-human creatures are able to traverse back and forth into the realm of man. The TMNT often find themselves dimension hopping and coming face-to-face with alien-like creatures, or other humanoid animals much like themselves. This is how the TMNT universe is affiliated with the world of Usagi Yojimb--o, and how Usagi himself becomes a valuable ally.

• Mutants—In TMNT canon, the term "mutant" is coined very loosely. Whenever something is physically and genetically altered far enough from the norm by some (usually chemical) means, it is known to be a mutation, but otherwise there is no set standard for what can be classified as a mutant. The effects the mutation has on the subject is dependent largely on the chemical that caused it. For the TMNT, their sensei Splinter and friend Leatherhead, the alien goo responsible for their mutation caused them to grow larger, gave them humanoid features, and made them capable of sentient thought. Then there's the mutations resulting from the Outbreak Virus, which turned its subjects into violent, drooling monstrosities. There are also the three mutants the guys discover in the tunnels below New York's sewer system, who turned out to be genetically altered humans with monsterous appearances who were mutated to help the Shredder explore the lower regions of the Underground.

When associating the word "mutant" with, say, the Marvel canon, the mutants from the TMNT canon are largely a result of some outside chemical altering their genetics versus some latent genetic ability. And while some of these mutations result in some type of superpower (spitting rock-melting acid, super strength, flight, etc), the victims of the goo that changed the TMNT did not grant them any abilities beyond becoming something very close to human.

Toward the end of the series, after several alien invasions and a plague (the previously mentioned Outbreak Virus) that turned infected people and animals into rabid mutants, knowledge of these creatures’ existence moves people beyond fear and misunderstanding, becoming a source of fanatical xenophobia amongst the general population. Angry mobs roam the streets hunting down anything that might look like an alien. Terrorist organizations plot to bomb the entirety of New York to rid humanity of the threat. And while mutants like the TMNT have always had to worry about being captured, experimented on, or killed by terrified humans who didn’t understand, it’s obvious that things will never get better. They will always be banished to a life of hiding and darkness, but it’s the only life they’ve ever known.

Though the world of the first four seasons of the 2003 TMNT cartoon may be a parody of life and the world as a whole, it still manages to take itself pretty seriously. For what is meant to be a kid’s show, its portrayal of the world and human nature is extremely dark, gritty and violent. But above all else, it has heart. It isn’t afraid to look the hard issues in the eye and teach both the characters and the viewers a thing or two in the process. It’s goofy, but by no means petty like many other incarnations of canon. More than anything, 2k3 is a nod to the TMNT’s roots in their first incarnation in the Mirage comics, where it draws most of its characterization and storylines, and has one of the most “adult” versions of the turtles out there. This is the world that has shaped Raphael into the character he is, and it’s the only world he’s ever known.

…Until another giant turtle came into his life and it all went to Hell in a freakin’ hand basket.

Personality:
In Raph’s eyes, it’s a dog-eat-dog world out there, and he’s one of the big dogs. He talks tough, acts tough, and tries his damndest never to show fear. He makes it his personal duty to protect his friends and family no matter what the cost. And though he may be cynical, you’ll never see him sitting on his sorry butt, whining about how things should be. You’ll see him take action and try to change things the best he can, no matter who stands in his way. It may make him somewhat of a rebel, but he wouldn’t have it any other way.

Raph’s happiest when he’s fighting, whether it’s just sparring with his bros or battling for the sake of the greater good. Though his perception of “the greater good” is often pretty warped, and things can turn around to bite him in the ass, especially when he’s acting out of selfish reasons.

Though Raphael always seems to have the best of intentions, his sense of reason is extremely skewed by his emotional instability, inexperience, and ignorance. He’s been through a lot for an eighteen-year-old kid, and sometimes that makes him feel as though he knows everything there is to know about the world. But living most of his life in the shadows, alienated from most of human society, has left him with only a vague understanding of how the human world actually works.

Raphael has the tendency to speak and act before he thinks, and that constantly gets him into a whopping heap of trouble. He lets his emotions dictate his reasoning, often leading him to make some very poor decisions based on raw impulse.

It isn’t until after everything’s been said and done that he allows himself to think about his actions and their consequences, causing him to dwell on things he can’t change, leaving him frustrated, bitter, and angry. It’s times like these he feels like a victim of his own emotional turbulence, allowing himself to drown in guilt and self-loathing. It’s a ruthless cycle that he’s yet to learn how to escape from.

Raph knows he’s got a lot to improve, but sometimes, he just doesn’t know how. And you sure as hell won’t see him asking for help. That’d only tarnish his tough guy exterior. But under all that armor and aggression, he really is a decent guy. He can be gentle, compassionate, fiercely loyal to those he trusts, and cares a lot about what other people think of him (though he’d never admit it).

Raph’s blunt and brutal attitude means that people often have to read between the lines to know his true feelings. He tends to deflect, finding faults in others to counterbalance his own insecurities and release pent-up frustration. But it doesn’t necessarily mean he doesn’t like you. Raph just has a hard time trusting people. He would rather you fear him from a distance than know every detail and expose his weaknesses.

He also has the tendency toward wise-cracking, and has a very sardonic sense of humor. He’s often shown provoking people with insults during a fight in hopes of knocking them off their edge. With family and friends he can be a big tease of the unnecessarily scathing kind. He knows how to get under people’s skin, and only seems to be half-joking most of the time. For people who know him well, they may recognize this as his gruff way of showing affection. Others might see it as downright offensive.

Raph’s a very emotional person. Everything affects him strongly and deeply, and he can’t help reacting passionately when something rocks his core. Oftentimes, Raph loses complete control of his emotions, letting something that might be an admirable quality become his greatest flaw. This can cause him to become violent and impulsive. Raph has a lot of frustration toward his inability to keep himself in check, leaving him to constantly question his mental health and keep fortifying the walls of false bravado he builds around himself. But at the same time, Raph embraces his instability. It’s what lends him his berserker strength during battle, and he gets an incredible adrenaline rush from losing himself to rage.

Strength of body and character is what Raph values most about himself, and he will sacrifice almost everything to maintain that image. Sadness, fear, uncertainty, insecurity, even love and affection are often buried under walls of aggression. And while Raph may sometimes drop the act in front of those he cares about, it can make him incredibly hard to relate to.

Unfortunately for Raph, these walls are all he knows and the only thing that makes him feel comfortable. He knows that someday he will need to get around them, but he’s just not ready to make himself that vulnerable.

Upon learning that he’s stuck back in Keeliai for a second time, Raph will pretty much be confused as hell. He'll have no memory of being gone, and will be really disoriented with all the changes that've happened during his absence.

As for the whole In Between life, death, and dreaming thing? He still doesn't buy it. He just thinks he's either in a different dimension or on a different planet, and everyone there has been captured to be the Emperor's little soldiers. He'll still do everything he can to find the rest of his family (if they really are there at all) and escape.

Appearance:


Abilities:
Ninjitsu. Practically since the day he could walk, his sensei put him and his brothers through hours of daily ninjitsu training. Compared to his brothers, Raphael’s fighting style is the sloppiest and slowest, focused more on results than form. He relies mostly on brute strength to get him through battles, getting in close and overpowering his enemies by sheer force. He’s the strongest of the four, and is constantly shown at his punching bag or lifting weights throughout the series.

Also, he’s a weapons expert and the most versatile of the four when it comes to variety of mastered weapons. He’s the most dexterous turtle with the best aim and the largest strength threshold, making him unrivaled in that aspect. His weapon of choice, the sai, is a testament to his impressive and well-rounded skill. It can be used for both defensive and offensive combat, with the versatility of a close-range weapon that can also be used as a throwing weapon. It’s unexpectedly heavy and requires an obscene amount of dexterity to handle, requiring the handler to constantly change his grip during combat.

Also, being a giant freakin’ mutant turtle has its advantages. His shell and tough reptilian skin is like built-in armor, allowing him to take a ridiculous amount of beating without getting too seriously injured.

Inventory: Two sai, his mask, belt, a handful of shuriken, knee and elbow pads

Suite: WA-3B

In-Character Samples:
Third Person:
Deafening silence floods his senses, and he's floating weightless, drifting numb in an unending darkness. It's better than nothing. Better than vague memories of the absence of everything that fade with the passing seconds and the strange tingling in his limbs. A sound like thunder drums from far away places, muffled voices he can't recognize. His own heartbeat pounds in his ears.

It was almost comforting, cradled in the lulling, embryonic quiet until something touches his face. Water lapping over his mouth and nose. Panic rises like a blooming fire, his eyes snapping open to a smear of color, blinding light assaulting his unadjusted eyes.

It's like stumbling from a dream and into a nightmare. He struggles to push himself to the water's surface, gasping like a fish. Anger lights a fire in his stomach, tenses his muscles, ready for a fight. But he can't push himself up, can only growl unintelligibly at the figure glaring down at him, water sloshing over the sides of the basin.

He knows that man. Evandau. Instant recognition makes the rage howl inside of him like a hungry animal. His hands latch onto the sides of the basin with a white-knuckled grip, too weak to lunge and wrap them around that piece of scum's throat.

The man only watches, his dark eyes studying him coldly as he struggles, then moves on.

He has no idea what the hell is happening. What did they do to him? The last thing he can remember is sitting out on a rooftop in the Fire Sector, then nothing. Then he was waking up here, in what he can only assume is the palace, feeling like crap under that piece of crud Evandau's watchful eye. This's almost worse than waking up strapped to a dissection table. And they must've sedated him because he feels like... he feels like the day he first got there. The day he washed up on the shore.

Mind reeling, he weakly wrenches away from the attendants' attempts to help him. When they manage to haul him up to sitting despite his struggling, they leave him there instead of fighting.

Too weak to stand, he hunches in the waist-deep water, burying his face in his hands.

"What'd you do to me?"


Network:

[Raph really has had one hell of a bad day. Waking up in the palace like that had scared the ever-living crud out of him. And when the kedan first told him he'd been brought around a second time, he didn't believe them. They had to have done something to him. There had to be a reason he didn't remember being gone.

Wherever he went, he wasn't home. That familiar sense of homesickness is just as strong as ever. But there's no questioning that things have changed. Evandau's apparently the Emperor, now. And as the ambulance rolls into the city, the landscape that passes them by is different. The people seem different. Everything feels different.

When they usher him out with directions to his new suite, it's cold, and he still just barely has the strength to walk. So the best option is to hunker down, keep out of sight, and get there as soon as he can.

But it takes too long. Even the short distance to the suite is too much in his current state, and the cold digs its teeth way sooner than he'd expected. He can't keep going and he doesn't know what to do.

His only choice is to stumble into a console cafe, turn on the feed, and pray to whatever god gives a damn.]

Leo... [He starts in a tone that matches his haggard expression, swallowing thickly around the tightness in his throat.] You better still be here.