恙神 涯 (Tsutsugami Gai)

This post can be used to thread with or get in contact with Gai at any point when he doesn't have a post up! Just comment here (please use the format [Action, June 24th], [Voice, March 5th], etc. to make it clear when the thread is taking place and what type of thread it is) for a thread with him; if it's a continuation of another thread or post, please link that so I remember the context of the thread.

[The journal pops open as it hits the ground, the camera pointed straight upwards into the trees. There's nothing to be seen other than branches and leaves, and at first it may seem like just an accident... but the sounds that it picks up make it very clear this isn't just someone being careless and letting their journal fall out of a bag. In fact, the very first thing that anyone will hear is the sharp report of a gunshot, followed immediately by yelling.]

Law! Behind you!

On it. Room. [There’s a flash and the branches and leaves are now washed out by a blue glow. There’s the sound of a growl, the snap of electricity, and then an explosion.] Watch out! They’re swarming!

[Two more gunshots echo over the journals.]

Damn it... how many of them are there?

Can’t tell yet, Gai. [More explosions, and the crack of wood being torn apart. Then the groan and thud of trees crashing down.] They’re still coming out of the woodwork.

[Another shot.]

Guess we should be honored they felt we needed this much of a welcoming committee.

Goodness knows I’m flattered. [Metal clanging.] Perhaps this is what they think consists of therapy. [A crack.] Ugh. Well, if they’re offering, who am I to refuse? I’ve got a few issues to work out…

Too bad I prefer my therapy to be one on one.

[Another clang, then a thud. There's another wash of light, this time silver rather than blue-- a light that should be very familiar to a certain Shu Ouma if he happens to be looking into the journal while all of this is going down.

The sounds of combat continue for a while longer, at last dwindling down to an almost painful silence. This silence lingers for a long moment, heavy, until Gai's voice finally breaks it, exhausted yet triumphant.]

... they'd better not charge us for that session.

[Anyone who happens by the Battle Dome after this little spectacle will be treated to the sight of a battered and exhausted Gai and Law surrounded by droid fragments and damaged trees. They're in surprisingly good spirits considering what just happened, though some healing would be very much appreciated right about now.]

Residents of Luceti: my name is Gai Tsutsugami. In light of our current situation, I'm doing an inventory of the ammunition and firearms in our enclosure. If you have either of those in your possession, report the type and amount to me. The less ammunition we use, the better, as we aren't likely to get much more until things clear up. Hunting should be carried out through other means whenever possible as a result. Use traps or a bow and arrow if necessary, just don't waste ammunition.

Additionally, if you're capable of fighting without being hindered by the power cap, report to me as well. Your skills may be needed before this is over.

IC Information;
Character Name; Gai Tsutsugami
Canon; Guilty Crown, wiki links are http://guiltycrown.wikia.com/wiki/Gai_Tsutsugami and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guilty_Crown
Canon Point; Post-episode 12, after his death
Age; 17

House; Heimdall
Power; Damage Drain

Personality;

To most of those who see him, Gai Tsutsugami is the perfect leader: fearless, intelligent, charismatic, and confident, bordering almost on arrogant at times. This is a man who thinks nothing of addressing a group of thugs with "greetings, my deceased fellows" by way of a greeting, then going on to explain that they're all dead because the current situation doesn't allow for their survival before promptly taking several of them out single-handedly without even so much as a weapon at his disposal. There is never a doubt in his mind that he is going to win against them, and this confidence both inspires his men and fills his enemies with fear.

This confidence goes hand-in-hand with Gai's intelligence as well, and in fact is likely partially derived from it. Gai is nothing short of a tactical genius, able to come up with and execute complex plans for things such as breaking into a facility and destroying a satellite control system that cannot be touched physically without shutting down. While part of this comes from his extensive advance planning (he thinks nothing of coming up with 140+ possible scenarios for an event and memorizing the proper course of action for every single one), the fact that he's able to change his plans on the fly when things don't go the way he's expecting is indicative of an extremely high level of intelligence even without said planning.

Of course,

But what only Inori and Shu know are that his confident and at times cold personality is a deliberately constructed facade to allow him to remain an effective leader-- his "leader face," as he himself refers to it. As he tells Shu, he doesn't want to be this way, saying, "Do you think I can shoulder everyone's lives and not feel any of the weight? I don't want to be indifferent. I want to be worthy of everyone's feelings." What Gai truly wants is to be a person who is worthy of the sacrifices that so many people have made for the sake of his goals. When things don't go well, he doubts himself and even wonders aloud just what he is doing everything for.

Not that he would ever give up, however-- he's nothing if not determined and stubborn as hell. But what drives him is not what most people immediately assume it is-- that is, the liberation of Japan from the GHQ. Yes, that's a part of what he wants, but at its heart what he desires most is to find and save Mana Ouma, the girl he loves, whose soul is being kept as a prisoner of sorts by the GHQ as she was the originator of the Apocalypse Virus that very nearly wiped out Japan ten years prior. Ultimately everything he is doing is for her sake, the cross he wears at all times (which formerly belonged to her) a constant reminder of his goal.

It's also worth noting that Gai's personality has changed drastically from when he was a child. It was Shu who was the bold one while Gai (then "Triton") was quieter and more timid; Gai admired Shu and wanted to be more like him. That combined with his desperate desire to become stronger in order to make up for being unable to help Mana during the first Lost Christmas is what shaped Gai into the person he is today.

Samples;
Network Sample; http://bakerstreet.dreamwidth.org/89033.html?thread=65959881#cmt65959881

Log Sample;

The first thing Gai noticed when he opened his eyes was that it no longer hurt to move. Or, more precisely, it still hurt, but the pain had settled down into a dull ache rather than the outright agony that had been his final moments. Had those really been his final moments? He'd spent enough time contemplating the subject of death that he was fairly certain that things weren't supposed to still hurt after one was dead.

Still, he also found he couldn't be bothered to care about that fact either. For perhaps the first time in years, Gai Tsutsugami felt... content. At ease. He'd finally accomplished what he'd dedicated the last ten years of his life to, and Mana could rest at last. She'd even had enough consciousness of her former self at the end to address him by his old name. It may not have been a typical happy ending, but it was the happy ending he'd been striving for, and for him, that was enough.

A soft smile found its way to his lips as he considered his one slight regret-- that he hadn't had more time to spend with Shu after his childhood best friend had finally remembered everything. Knowing Shu, the other would be beating himself up over that right about now. But with those regained memories had come a new strength that Gai had borne witness to there deep beneath Roppongi Fort, and that was enough to reassure him that his friend would be all right. He had Inori there with him, after all. In the end, she too had chosen Shu, and perhaps that was for the best.

For a life cut so short, Gai didn't really have many complaints. And if this... whatever this was happened to be what awaited him, then he'd deal with it too the same way he'd faced everything that life had thrown at him: head-on and without backing down. He never was very good at following other peoples' orders.

This is Gai Tsutsugami. I can't answer right now; leave a message and I'll get back to you later.

*beep*