Application: Mask or Menace.

[waywarddreams]

〈 PLAYER INFO 〉
NAME: Kou.
AGE: 23.
JOURNAL: I do not have one.
IM / EMAIL: (Redacted)
PLURK: None.
RETURNING: Nope.

〈 CHARACTER INFO 〉
CHARACTER NAME: Genji Shimada.
CHARACTER AGE: Approximately… 35.
SERIES: Overwatch.
CHRONOLOGY: Up to current canon!
CLASS: Hero.
HOUSING: Would like to be housed alone please.

BACKGROUND:


[ 'Genji... what have you become?' ]

The world of Overwatch is an alternate world set in a future timeline; there are incredible advancements in technology all around the globe, weaponry has never been so deadly, AI’s have never been so smart and everything is sort of well and good until a company called Omnica corporation began spreading word of their great new invention. That invention is called the ‘Omnic’; a self aware robot that could solve things that humans couldn’t, answer things they couldn’t, work where no man would dare to tread and ultimately bring an ’economic golden age’ to the world. They didn’t fulfill on what they promised. Some of the robots started malfunctioning severely, so much so that the company, out of bad press and failure, was shut down. In turn, many of the Omnics they had built for specific purposes (warfare especially) had to also be shut down.

The problem however with making sentient things and trying to shut them down forever was that, like any sentient thing, they didn’t want that. Many years after being shut down suddenly, Omnics began to wake up- and they were mad. They were being awoken by a 'God program' (AI) that was too powerful for the people who created it to control. The coming of the human-Omnic war was known as the ‘Omnic crisis’, where the intelligent AI of some of the models decided to lash out against their creators and, by default, the entire human race. So smart were the Omnics that humanity couldn’t keep up with strategies and maneuvers that would work against them and soon the war became worldwide.

Then enter Overwatch.

Overwatch was a team of highly advanced combat operatives that were brought together from all over the world to fight in the war against the Omnics. Together as one they hit the Omnic strongholds and took them by surprise, ending the world wide conflict with devastating results. Genji was part of this team.

His family were the Shimada clan, who birthed him into a legacy of crime and tradition. His older brother was to take over the workforce first and fore-mostly and because of this, Genji got to live a free childhood without the worries his brother, Hanzo, faced. Work? Nah. He only listened when it came to training to be a cutting edge assassin, which, he was very, very good at. It came naturally to him, as it should. Though, some of the other clan members were starting to wonder… when one brother was so focused and fitting for his growing role as head of their family, should the other be so… carefree?

The Shimada clan had always prided itself on honor. When they were younger the stories their father told them related to dragons; compared them to broodlings that would rise up and rule the world. One of the stories Hanzo and Genji were told as children was one of the Dragon of the North winds and the dragon of the South winds- how they ruled the world as one. This was a driving force behind the clan’s murmurings of Hanzo needing Genji if the family was going to continue to rule. In the story, the dragon of the South winds struck down his brother, claiming the world as his own. But without his brother… the world, burning with life, turned to ash, and in his sadness the southern dragon began to weep. In the story, a peasant tells the dragon to walk among the Earth and find humility, there, his wounds would heal and he would be at peace. To his surprise, the man who had boldly addressed the dragon so… happened to be the northern dragon, alive and well and forgiving, only now in mortal form. Reunited the southern dragon joined his brothers side and together, the two maintained peace as people among their people.

They didn’t know the story was almost prophecy of sorts for their family.

With the death of the family head-- Genji and his brothers father-- the time came for Hanzo to be the leader. His first act as leader, his thoughts clouded by the worries of the family, was to challenge Genji- learn how to be a leader of a criminal empire like him or suffer the ultimate punishment; death. It was extreme, yes, but so were the Shimada's ideals. That was what the clan had proposed. They had called him a liability, a danger, a weak point- and Genji, naturally, said no.

Like the dragons in the story, the first brother struck the second down to the ground to claim the criminal world on his own.

The fight with his brother left Genji in critical condition, his brother believing him to be flat out dead. Instead of perishing however, Overwatch, who had been following the Shimada’s criminal movements, saw potential in both the older and younger brother to work for them. Genji’s 'death' however had plagued Hanzo so heavily however that he disappeared, leaving his clan behind, and Genji wounded beyond repair with murmurings fluttering around that his life had ended. Like the story, one brother couldn’t rule without the other. The two could barely exist without each other, and now, in their minds, the names of the other only brought back overwhelming feelings of sadness and regret.

That's when Dr Angela Ziegler stepped in. As head doctor in Overwatch’s medical branch, she and the other scientists bought Genji back from the brink of extinction by remaking his body to be a hybrid of cybernetics and machinery on one condition- he join Overwatch. Naturally not wanting to die, he accepted, and from there a new Genji was born, one that could perform feats that no human ever could. He was hungry for revenge… and this new body could help him. It took eleven grueling years, but after the pain... he could finally walk the Earth again.

His first objective was to destroy the Shimada clan under Overwatch’s supervision- and single-handedly he dismantled the family piece by piece. He took apart the scattered criminal empire till it was nothing more than runaways clinging to old traditions the world had since left behind. With that over he was tasked with helping in the Omnic war, stationed at a baron watchpoint Gibraltar at the edge of Spain. He was still under conditions to help the company that had saved him, after all.

When the war was over however, Genji was a different-- and free-- man. He struggled to come to terms with what he had become, part machine, which his own company had been warring against, and part human who was deemed to be not only dead but a traitor to his own family. He left Overwatch before the organisation even disbanded and set about wandering the world to discover his true self. In his bitterness and loneliness he stumbled across the paths of a monk in Nepal- an Omnic one at that. Taking brief refuge he refuses at first to accept the Omnic’s wisdom… eventually giving in and taking a listen. And he likes what he hears because he has no choice; without philosophy his soul was torn, and with his damaged soul came the deterioration of his mind. To save himself, he needed to learn how to be at peace.

Accepting the placement as student under the monk’s teachings he became a better man- accepting who he was. He would no longer be able to live the life of a playboy in the heart of Japan, but rather, the life of a warrior with blood on his hands that lived with a foot in both the Omnic realm and the human one. He had no choice. It was who he was now, and to lie to himself would create more conflict than he had already dealt with in his unfortunate life. His soul was still human, he reasoned, and as long as he had that he would find peace with himself. He was more free than he ever had been. He wasn’t a tool under Overwatches eye and he was not a piece to be controlled by his family. Finally, Genji could live as himself.


[ The rematch between the brothers. ]

On the anniversary of his ‘death’ he knew he’d find his brother there at the temple they had grown up in. It was common knowledge among anyone who knew anything about the Shimada and though bodyguards had been set up, Hanzo had forced his way in to pray for his fallen brother. He naturally does not expect Genji to appear there in the near flesh. The older brother mistakes Genji as an assassin at first- many had been sent to kill him since he had abandoned the clan and for a while they fight until the younger brother reveals who he is. Hanzo is shocked and stunned at his brother's body beyond the fact that hes even alive and asks him what he has become… and Genji tells him its fine; this is who he was and he had accepted himself. Genji disappears in an instant leaving his brother troubled and returns back to Nepal to return to his master- Overwatch had sent out messages to recall his members while he was in Japan… and he wished to be at his master's side.

PERSONALITY:

Genji is a rather funny character.

He doesn’t live a life where he ‘gets out’ any more. Rather, he seems to sort of endlessly roam empty lands and when he isn’t roaming he is settled in Nepal with the monks; the modern and outside world is rather foreign to him even if it once wasn’t. In his youth he was very much against the traditional ways of his family, which is what led to him being half machine in the first place. He had reveled in a life without responsibility, enjoying fighting, learning, and the freedom to do as he wished (which included becoming a playboy of sorts).

He doesn’t appreciate any attention drawn to his appearance (even though it’s impossible NOT to be in awe of him) yet maintains a level headed and fair attitude, sometimes revealing tidbits of his former life, being playful and gentle. His gentleness is supported by the way he deters those who would not trust him (as half machine) in his world with the utmost care; he wants people to trust him. Though he is a ninja and an assassin he is no longer actively such, and wishes to be treated like a normal man. He has been shown to be very caring towards those who have cared for him and is a strong believer in the idea that anyone, no matter their sins, could change for the better.


[ Emerging from the dark. ]

There are many jokes about people not being sure whether he’s dead or alive. Not in the way of machinery but because he sometimes spends a lot of time sitting very still. Somewhere along the way he began to act like an Omnic, too. He doesn’t really speak too much but just by observation its clear that he has patience for most things in life. The mans even fine with answering even the most stupidest questions about himself to even the most abrasive person (as long as they weren't about his past or too personal). There’s a limit to that, but he is known for being the calmest stream in the heart of a storm. When there's a panic, you can be sure he will be as level headed as if he was going grocery shopping on a summers afternoon.

He is also shown to have retained some sense of humor; he’s revealed to have the capacity to joke about himself (even canonically referring to himself as ‘green cyborg ninja dude’ in a jokey way), has canonically showed great interest in arcade games (remarking he used to spend most of his time as a kid there) and though he is an adult still retains some childlike qualities about him. Mocking opponents is not above him, but it’s done as a joke; it doesn’t have too much malice to it. It could be said that Genji himself can’t be malicious… he has a soul tamed by monks and desires peace as much as his master does. He revels in kindness and love.

However, in this new setting, with the gazes of people he is susceptible to change. He is very polite but his sense of honor is strong… the old ways still run in his blood. There will be points you can wind him up to before he resorts to violence for the sake of preserving his dignity (at the extreme end) and there will be times where he misunderstands teasing and jokes for being mean (at the light end). This world is far behind the times he is used to, and some things will be lost on him. Overall I feel like he’s going to spend a lot of time confused in this setting, and may contest with some other members if they are dedicated on seeing what he’s capable of.

It would be interesting if his mindset devolved with the freedom into one more carefree like it used to be. The man spent ten, eleven years recovering with the process described canonically as 'extreme' and it would be natural for anyone to be a little hard-wired after such a long time of recovery. This too, would be the first place where he can actually move around freely without being watched by Overwatch and its staff... might be interesting to see how he manifests his time now without his master to obey, Overwatch to work for and the presence of his bother grating upon him.

POWER:

Genji has two main abilities I’d like to talk about. Because they are pretty major in their own ways, I’ll try to be descriptive!

‘Cyber agility’ is the name Overwatch gave Geni’s main skill. Cyber agility basically stands as an overall name for his physical feats; namely being insanely fast, stupidly flexible, stupidly strong and able to perform work without tiring. He has canonically been seen to move faster than the human eye can see (therefore becoming some kind of weird blur), be able to deflect bullets from multiple guns (noting a kind of gatling gun as the one that shoots projectiles the fastest) and can scale buildings, outmaneuver enemies and generally just be an invisible nuisance. But one that can kill very efficiently, naturally.

He uses two swords to attack; the first one is called a Wakizashi, and this is a short blade that is somewhat akin to the Katana. This is the one that he uses to deflect and perform short-handed assassination work, with the sword being easy to miss at first (it remains hidden upon his back) and easy to use in tight spaces. The second is a very special blade, called the Dragon blade, and is based after the real-world sword, the Ōdachi.


[ Genji and his dragon. ]

’Dragon blade’ is his second ability and is utilized via the Ōdachi. As Shimada’s, him and his brother have the powers of dragons within them, exactly like the stories- and occasionally, they can be released. Its magic, essentially. With great emotional response comes the dragons, visually spiritual-like entities-- in Genji’s case, they not only make him hyper fast but also hyper strong, the dragon itself driving his arms and blade. It has been canonically shown to turn magic against its user. In this state, he is almost unstoppable. It’s a good thing there are not many things that warrant the dragon being unleashed, because there isn’t much that can stop it once its out. The only thing that works in favor for his oppressors is that he cannot use this ability for long. It takes less than ten seconds for the dragon to disappear.


〈 CHARACTER SAMPLES 〉
COMMUNITY POST (VOICE) SAMPLE:

[ <sub>Genji doesn't realize the video was on. It was at a weird tilt upon the ground pointing up where you see something you probably would never see again your life; a cyborg ninja barely able to move his arms because his clothes would rip so hard they'd probably flutter to Earth as scraps. Every inch of the fabric was pulled taught against the metallic curves of his muscle armor, dipping and jutting where points were, scarcely covering his midsection. He felt naked. As naked as he could be. Which wasn't too naked.

Even with his back to the camera it was easy to note he had a pair of jeans sort of hanging around his thighs that he couldn't pull up-- yanking them didn't work. You see him trying different poses (very carefully and slowly, because of his shirt situation) to see if they could slip on-- including having one leg curved and the other straight-- and nope. He flips onto his bed gracefully and presses his back square against it, making bicycle riding motions with his legs... nope. A flurry of muffled Japanese before the softest whine,</sub> ]

Come on... there's no way I'm going to find tailored clothes here.

[ <sub>A weird foreign city couldn't possibly tailor its needs to something so far flung from the future, could it? He ponders, yeah, its not terrible here, but his world was still vastly beyond even this 'futuristic world'. If he needed repairs where would he go-- Wait, scratch that, there were bigger things to worry about like the fact he couldn't wander around in his ninja armor constantly. The aim of the game was to try and blend in as much as he could as a walking weapon. Normal clothes weren't required at home, but here...

He purposefully flung himself off of the bed to crash against the floor in a painless motion that throws the camera fully sideways. You don't get a job if you can't dress well. He had been promised a job like everyone else but he didn't know what that was and he wasn't exactly suited to most roles physically. You can't earn a living as an assassin when work was always inconsistent and the government was watching everyone. Assassination was a still a crime, after all.

He raises an arm slightly just for the harsh sshzzzzz of his shirt ripping to pierce the air.

God damn it.</sub> ]


LOGS POST (PROSE) SAMPLE:

This was definitely an Earth of some kind.

Perhaps it was a kinder one; perhaps it was the one that Overwatch wanted it to be. Perhaps it was a simulation and he was hunkered down somewhere with tubes attached to his fractured skull feeding him images or perhaps it was merely a dream. In a way it was rather beautiful, unscathed by a great war, peppered with all kinds of life from all kinds of places but it was also ugly in a strange manner. Where there was life there was death. They held hands as they danced to the beat of life and kissed in the pale moonlight every night like lovers lost and found.

And this place stank of cleansing.

The military presence wasn’t strictly bothering him. He knew of all places that operatives from America didn’t know how to handle some kinds of fighting arts so, even though the tattoo beneath his arm panel shines and the words say ‘REGISTERED HERO’, he would fight for the truth if necessary. His master had taught him that truth was something that one should hunt with utmost persistence if it made the soul restless. Instinct was a compass that could point one to purpose.

And he was a man that had to have purpose. Being homeless wouldn’t bother him, being jobless wouldn’t bother him, being friendless wouldn’t either. If he honed himself to hunt the truth then, like a dog on the scent of blood, he would blindly search for as long as it took him to uncover whatever was going on here. Was their a great war to be fought? Were they to be the fodder for the event?

Being a ‘superhero in the military’ sounded like something from a manga, he thought, poised atop a building with only his hud light on… to onlookers, it was merely a vibrant green strip shining midair in the young, crisp night. There were people walking around, going about their daily business but, but, was adaptation to a hopeless situation really the best course of action!? They had been kidnapped! No matter how friendly everyone seemed the word ‘cleansing’ still ringing around in his head. No society could be so pure, none could be so dreamlike, with tossing people in rehab as the sweet release from any bad apples spoiling the bunch.

For the sake of answers, there would have to be sacrifices.

The man walking down the alley hadn’t seen it coming-- the ninja didn’t breathe and his footsteps made no sound against the brickwork as he suddenly descends via a wall kick onto the unsuspecting citizen. The innocents mouth opens but before he could make any noise the sharp edge of a blade was pressed against each corner of his lips, the long, curved sword held hard against the man’s face. He uttered not a sound. There was already blood where it was cutting into his cheek.

Being pinned against the wall by a robotic figure with a sword wasn’t fun. He stuttered for words for a few moments, scared to move his lips, before the blade is retracted and he is free to lay on the floor in relative peace.

Genji says nothing for a very long time, becoming statue-like. Not a muscle was twitched. The longer he stood still, the more the person being attacked usually got psyched out. It had something to do with the fear that the ninja could move suddenly at any moment… like anticipating a jump-scare almost. Sometimes they thought he was turned off or thought he was ‘charging’ something. It worked, because before long, the trembling citizen was pressing his back hard against the wall and scrambling to try and leave, the whites of his eyes highlighted in the darkening night.

“You,” The robotic voice made the man squeak, the crack of his neck sounding as his head turned fully to what he assumed was a ‘robot’. “I’m looking for answers.”

“A-Answers?” Replied the civilian, getting hastily to his feet, and there is the movement to bolt but his legs end up almost comically running on the spot as a thrust-out hand grabs him harshly by the throat with little effort at all. His eyes turn to the too-still cyborg, motionless, daunting, expressionless. He looks deeply into the visor blazing green and finds nothing, hands clawing at the shiny, metal arm. His nails raked against it as hard as he could but nothing loosened the grip--

A rush, a blaze of emerald that sweeps through the alley like a cold wind and just like that… he’s gone. Torches at the other end of the alley sweep up the walls, to the body crumpled and wheezing on the ground, to the fringes of the roofs and back.

Upon the rooftop, poised like a flower awaiting the sun, the motionless Genji resided once more. Law enforcement was tough, people seemed clueless and the government ever powerful. There cannot be life without death. There cannot be ‘cleanness’ without there first being ‘dirtiness’. No matter the facade, no matter the promises, his heart ached for answers. He wanted home. He wanted his master.

...

... Who was he kidding.

All of this prying, pondering, scheming, pondering and working was for one reason and one reason alone; no matter how much he wanted to deny it, one single fact remained. He was bothered in a kind of paradise, where people would welcome the new world with open arms… he was dissatisfied, hunting for a truth that might not even be true. Looking to fight when there needn’t be any. It was all because he wasn’t normal.

Because he didn't know how to live a civilian life... he had to do anything but.

FINAL NOTES:

> His first language isn’t English. He knows enough to get by, but his primary language is Japanese. He has a very thick accent and pronounces words weirdly all the time. If the English being spoken to him deviates a ton from the ‘norm’ (IE, the OTHER PERSON has a heavy accent) he’ll probably misread them a lot! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_nkDqmPD1A (Just in case you were interested, heres some voice lines.)

> Please can he come in with his swords? He is distraught without them and will probably go on a manhunt till he has them back.

> He is a cyborg. He basically looks like a human wearing armor and has a human face, though he almost always wears his helmet. I'd like to remain a cyborg please, if that's at all possible? Thanks!