Howard Link (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
inspector_link) wrote2013-11-14 01:46 am
inspector_link) wrote2013-11-14 01:46 am
The Box APPLICATION
Player Information
Player name: Ningi
Contact:
EMAIL: amandaleewilliams@gmail.com
AIM: Sanguine Ningi
PLURK:![[plurk.com profile]](https://plurk.com/favicon.ico)
areyouokaypanda
Are you over 18: YEP
Characters in The Box Already: Yukio Okumura
Character Information
Character Name: Howard Link
Canon: D.Gray-man
Canon Point: Chapter 217
Is your character Dead, Undead or Alive: Alive
History: Check out that there wiki.
Personality:
Link is a very serious individual with a tendency to impose strict regulations upon himself and those around him. Not surprising considering his upbringing. An orphan taken off the street and raised by the Vatican to be a ninja assassin? Yeah, that’s gonna cause some issues with spontaneity and free-thinking. Rules are rules and aren’t meant to be broken... except sometimes when they are. He has been known to bend the rules on occasion when the situation merits it, like allowing Allen use of the Ark during the Level Four’s attack on Headquarters even though the exorcist had been forbidden to use his abilities without higher authorization. These exceptions usually only happen during pretty extreme circumstances, but they prove that he has the ability to make his own rational judgements outside the guidelines of his job, especially in situations where innocent lives are on the line.
As a member of CROW, his purpose is not to defeat the enemy (akuma, to be specific), but to protect others from them, and Link is perfectly willing to perform his duty to the end, even if it should prove to be his own. That sort of unthinking devotion to his duty can be blamed mostly on that super fun upbringing of his, but he exhibits a passive sort of concern for others that only grows as he spends more time with Allen. While acting as an inspector for Central, his original assignment was to shadow Allen Walker as a mere observer, but that silly boy has a way of changing people, and Link? Not immune. He watched Allen overcome challenges and suffer so much, and eventually keeping that detached view of him became impossible. Somewhere along the line, without Link even realizing it at first, "stalking" became "caretaking".
We’re treated to a new facet of Link’s personality when canon reveals the fate of the other members of CROW that he grew up with. Knowing the monstrosities that they’d become because of the orders he had followed when delivering a piece of akuma egg to Central was devastating. The Thirds were his support system through childhood and one of his very few bonds, and to know that he had a hand in the experiments they underwent (and, by extension, their eventual corruption by the millenium earl), however unknowing, forced him to reexamine his place in the Order and in the world in a way he had never thought to before. That new point of view is what ultimately leads to several extreme decisions that change the course of his life, the most notable of which is the sacrifice that allows Allen Walker to escape from prison after the battle at the North American branch. Link’s memories of his confrontation with Apocryphos and his decision to allow Allen to escape were wiped, but that doesn’t change the fact that he was willing to die not for the good of the Order or Central, but specifically for Allen Walker, a heretic and host of the enemy. When he wakes up twenty days later, his death faked and his mission altered, that concern is still apparent, along with much confusion over the true intentions of the Order and his place within it.
Link depends on rules and paperwork and limitations to frame his world, but he’s capable of adapting to new situations. He’s very intelligent (smart enough to defeat a chess champion) and usually very calm and collected (calm enough to defeat the aforementioned chess champion while surrounded by battling akuma and exorcists). He also enjoys sweets and is ansurdly loyal, especially to his immediate superior, Malcolm C. Lvellie. It’s not entirely clear whether this loyalty is inspired by his own personal sense of duty or something more complex in their shared past that we’re not yet privy to. All in all, Link can be a major pain in the ass, but he’s not nearly as harsh as you might expect someone in his position to be. He’is very much a Lawful Good Paladin, but current canon is quickly forcing him to reexamine just what laws he should be relying on.
Abilities, Strengths and Weaknesses:
ABILITIES:
While Link is an impressive specimen where strength and speed are concerned, almost everything about him is still within normal human limitations. During battle he defaults to the use of two spring loaded switchblades he keeps strapped to his forearms and normally hidden beneath his sleeves. He can hold his own while fighting unarmed and has also been seen wielding dual side-handle batons. His only initial supernatural abilities come from magic spells specific to the members of CROW. Using paper strips with specific symbols inscribed on them (referred to as "talismans" or "ofuda"), he’s capable of using a range of techniques. Most involve binding targets or forming protective barriers around them, but a few are capable of delivering explosive fire damage.
Destructive Spells:
Secret Art - Black-winged Flame Spirit: That’s a fancy name for "punch it in the face with fire". The user clutches an explosive spell strip in one hand, empowering their arm with explosive energy... and then punches targets in the face with fire.
Flame Wings: Targets are covered in a layer of destructive spell strips which, when activated, explode. With fire.
Defensive/Restrictive Spells:
Secret Spell - Binding Wings: Spell strips are used to form a ring around the target that causes them to feel heavy. Piss off the user and they can lash out further, turning "feeling heavy" into "HELP, GRAVITY IS STANDING ON MY WHOLE BODY". Off the battlefield it can be used more precisely and on a smaller scale (i.e. binding an exorcist’s Innocence).
Protection Wing: Binding Wings in reverse. Defensive strips form a protective ring around a person/group of people. No person/thing can get in or out of the circle until it’s deactivated. Strips can also be attached to walls so the user doesn’t have to play constant babysitter.
Restriction Wings: Put it in a box and punch it with electricity.Restraining strips form multi-tiered barriers around a target. Pretty easy to break out of before it’s activated, but activation brings with it a nasty surge of electricity. Enough to knock out a magically regenerating super child, so I’m going to assume that it’d hit a normal person pretty hard.
As a result of his near death at the hands of Apocryphos and his rescue by Zu Mei Chang, Link has recently acquired Atuuda, a golem that can be summoned as a powerful healing tool. Atuuda relies on the energy it its user to heal the wounds of others, so the amount of times it can be used directly correlates to the physical condition of the user. It has been shown to heal broken bones instantly, and even pulled Link back from the brink of death after he’d been impaled and left to bleed out, but the strain on its previous user (the elderly Zu Mei Chang) was very great, eventually leading to his death. If the user is very old or already close to death, their final summoning of Atuuda will transfer the golem and its powers to the person they are healing, allowing the line of users to continue. Link is still young and in excellent physical condition, but his use of Atuuda will likely be limited within the Box. He doesn’t have much experience in actually using Atuuda just yet, and so does not know just how the drain will affect him. Even beyond that, Link is a man of physical action. He’s much more comfortable in the role of the soldier rather than in that of the medic.
STRENGTHS/WEAKNESSES:
Link is a normal guy among a cast of demonic monsters and overpowered shounen heroes. Okay, he’s mostly normal. Or was. My point is that while he can thrash the hell out of any average person, compared to the people he’s used to hanging around? He’s pretty crap and he knows it. This self awareness can be both a good thing, though, as he knows when it’s time to grab civilians and head for the hills. Unfortunately, that same self awareness means that Link doesn’t think terribly highly of himself. He was raised as a pawn of a large organization, intended to be used until he could no longer perform, as which time he would either die in battle or be otherwise discarded. He does not fear death and has no illusions as to his importance in the grand scheme of things, and so will willingly sacrifice himself if it’ll see his mission completed.
His world is a very black and white place, which again leaves him in a somewhat precarious place between strength and weakness. That lawful point of view makes certain decisions very easy. Oh, is that nun collaborating with the enemy? WELP, someone needs their throat slit. Unfortunately for Link, most decisions in life aren’t so ruthlessly black and white, so things can get very confusing very quickly when a little gray is introduced. Loyalty plays a big part in his actions, so that gray can be especially detrimental.
Link’s an intelligent man, but he’s not naturally gifted. His smarts come from books, dedicated study, and a very logical viewpoint. To be perfectly honest? He’s pretty boring before you get to know him, and getting to know him is not an easy task. Sure, he’ll die to protect you, but you want him to open up about his life or his feelings? Get the hell out of here.
Also? He makes a freakin’ fantastic apple pie.
Samples
Network/Action Spam Sample: Link
Prose Log Sample:
No weapons. No talismans. No radio. It was a trifecta of unacceptable, and that wasn’t even taking the former inspector’s new location into account. He’d searched every corner of the room he’d woken up in, disgust growing as his searching yielded nothing more useful than a few extra pairs of pants. It hadn’t taken him long to figure out how very vulnerable he was, and from there he was only tormented with further questions aside from the initial "Where am I?" A better question would be "How did I get here?" or "How long have I been sleeping?", but he kept returning to one option in particular.
Who?
Who was responsible for his sudden relocation? The removal of his weapons suggested an enemy, but what enemy would leave him with the rest of his gear? What enemy would allow him to roam free through what looked to be a large inn? Not Noah or an akuma, to be sure. The Cardinal? Definitely not. Whatever he really was, Link knew better than to think he was merciful. An operative of Central, then? No, he’d been very careful, and even if someone had managed to uncover the truth behind his "death", a move from Central would be decisive and very final. To be alive now would make him a traitor to the Church. He was as much a man on the run as Allen Walker, and as such he would just have to keep moving, because wherever he was, however he’d gotten there, and whoever was responsible? It did not change one important thing.
Allen Walker was not here. That simple fact easily took precedence over the aforementioned trifecta. Link could be without his weapons, but Allen could not be allowed to slip away, especially not now. Not with Kanda defeated and the Cardinal so close...
One more quick scan of the room was all that Link had needed before heading out into the halls. At first he discreetly checked the other doors he came across, quietly examining those he found unlocked, but there were so many. It wasn’t long before the need to find an exit and an outside perspective gripped him, and when Link spotted the stairs he didn’t hesitate in taking them. He would head down, find the door out, and make his next move from there.
Player name: Ningi
Contact:
EMAIL: amandaleewilliams@gmail.com
AIM: Sanguine Ningi
PLURK:
Are you over 18: YEP
Characters in The Box Already: Yukio Okumura
Character Information
Character Name: Howard Link
Canon: D.Gray-man
Canon Point: Chapter 217
Is your character Dead, Undead or Alive: Alive
History: Check out that there wiki.
Personality:
Link is a very serious individual with a tendency to impose strict regulations upon himself and those around him. Not surprising considering his upbringing. An orphan taken off the street and raised by the Vatican to be a ninja assassin? Yeah, that’s gonna cause some issues with spontaneity and free-thinking. Rules are rules and aren’t meant to be broken... except sometimes when they are. He has been known to bend the rules on occasion when the situation merits it, like allowing Allen use of the Ark during the Level Four’s attack on Headquarters even though the exorcist had been forbidden to use his abilities without higher authorization. These exceptions usually only happen during pretty extreme circumstances, but they prove that he has the ability to make his own rational judgements outside the guidelines of his job, especially in situations where innocent lives are on the line.
As a member of CROW, his purpose is not to defeat the enemy (akuma, to be specific), but to protect others from them, and Link is perfectly willing to perform his duty to the end, even if it should prove to be his own. That sort of unthinking devotion to his duty can be blamed mostly on that super fun upbringing of his, but he exhibits a passive sort of concern for others that only grows as he spends more time with Allen. While acting as an inspector for Central, his original assignment was to shadow Allen Walker as a mere observer, but that silly boy has a way of changing people, and Link? Not immune. He watched Allen overcome challenges and suffer so much, and eventually keeping that detached view of him became impossible. Somewhere along the line, without Link even realizing it at first, "stalking" became "caretaking".
We’re treated to a new facet of Link’s personality when canon reveals the fate of the other members of CROW that he grew up with. Knowing the monstrosities that they’d become because of the orders he had followed when delivering a piece of akuma egg to Central was devastating. The Thirds were his support system through childhood and one of his very few bonds, and to know that he had a hand in the experiments they underwent (and, by extension, their eventual corruption by the millenium earl), however unknowing, forced him to reexamine his place in the Order and in the world in a way he had never thought to before. That new point of view is what ultimately leads to several extreme decisions that change the course of his life, the most notable of which is the sacrifice that allows Allen Walker to escape from prison after the battle at the North American branch. Link’s memories of his confrontation with Apocryphos and his decision to allow Allen to escape were wiped, but that doesn’t change the fact that he was willing to die not for the good of the Order or Central, but specifically for Allen Walker, a heretic and host of the enemy. When he wakes up twenty days later, his death faked and his mission altered, that concern is still apparent, along with much confusion over the true intentions of the Order and his place within it.
Link depends on rules and paperwork and limitations to frame his world, but he’s capable of adapting to new situations. He’s very intelligent (smart enough to defeat a chess champion) and usually very calm and collected (calm enough to defeat the aforementioned chess champion while surrounded by battling akuma and exorcists). He also enjoys sweets and is ansurdly loyal, especially to his immediate superior, Malcolm C. Lvellie. It’s not entirely clear whether this loyalty is inspired by his own personal sense of duty or something more complex in their shared past that we’re not yet privy to. All in all, Link can be a major pain in the ass, but he’s not nearly as harsh as you might expect someone in his position to be. He’is very much a Lawful Good Paladin, but current canon is quickly forcing him to reexamine just what laws he should be relying on.
Abilities, Strengths and Weaknesses:
ABILITIES:
While Link is an impressive specimen where strength and speed are concerned, almost everything about him is still within normal human limitations. During battle he defaults to the use of two spring loaded switchblades he keeps strapped to his forearms and normally hidden beneath his sleeves. He can hold his own while fighting unarmed and has also been seen wielding dual side-handle batons. His only initial supernatural abilities come from magic spells specific to the members of CROW. Using paper strips with specific symbols inscribed on them (referred to as "talismans" or "ofuda"), he’s capable of using a range of techniques. Most involve binding targets or forming protective barriers around them, but a few are capable of delivering explosive fire damage.
Destructive Spells:
Secret Art - Black-winged Flame Spirit: That’s a fancy name for "punch it in the face with fire". The user clutches an explosive spell strip in one hand, empowering their arm with explosive energy... and then punches targets in the face with fire.
Flame Wings: Targets are covered in a layer of destructive spell strips which, when activated, explode. With fire.
Defensive/Restrictive Spells:
Secret Spell - Binding Wings: Spell strips are used to form a ring around the target that causes them to feel heavy. Piss off the user and they can lash out further, turning "feeling heavy" into "HELP, GRAVITY IS STANDING ON MY WHOLE BODY". Off the battlefield it can be used more precisely and on a smaller scale (i.e. binding an exorcist’s Innocence).
Protection Wing: Binding Wings in reverse. Defensive strips form a protective ring around a person/group of people. No person/thing can get in or out of the circle until it’s deactivated. Strips can also be attached to walls so the user doesn’t have to play constant babysitter.
Restriction Wings: Put it in a box and punch it with electricity.Restraining strips form multi-tiered barriers around a target. Pretty easy to break out of before it’s activated, but activation brings with it a nasty surge of electricity. Enough to knock out a magically regenerating super child, so I’m going to assume that it’d hit a normal person pretty hard.
As a result of his near death at the hands of Apocryphos and his rescue by Zu Mei Chang, Link has recently acquired Atuuda, a golem that can be summoned as a powerful healing tool. Atuuda relies on the energy it its user to heal the wounds of others, so the amount of times it can be used directly correlates to the physical condition of the user. It has been shown to heal broken bones instantly, and even pulled Link back from the brink of death after he’d been impaled and left to bleed out, but the strain on its previous user (the elderly Zu Mei Chang) was very great, eventually leading to his death. If the user is very old or already close to death, their final summoning of Atuuda will transfer the golem and its powers to the person they are healing, allowing the line of users to continue. Link is still young and in excellent physical condition, but his use of Atuuda will likely be limited within the Box. He doesn’t have much experience in actually using Atuuda just yet, and so does not know just how the drain will affect him. Even beyond that, Link is a man of physical action. He’s much more comfortable in the role of the soldier rather than in that of the medic.
STRENGTHS/WEAKNESSES:
Link is a normal guy among a cast of demonic monsters and overpowered shounen heroes. Okay, he’s mostly normal. Or was. My point is that while he can thrash the hell out of any average person, compared to the people he’s used to hanging around? He’s pretty crap and he knows it. This self awareness can be both a good thing, though, as he knows when it’s time to grab civilians and head for the hills. Unfortunately, that same self awareness means that Link doesn’t think terribly highly of himself. He was raised as a pawn of a large organization, intended to be used until he could no longer perform, as which time he would either die in battle or be otherwise discarded. He does not fear death and has no illusions as to his importance in the grand scheme of things, and so will willingly sacrifice himself if it’ll see his mission completed.
His world is a very black and white place, which again leaves him in a somewhat precarious place between strength and weakness. That lawful point of view makes certain decisions very easy. Oh, is that nun collaborating with the enemy? WELP, someone needs their throat slit. Unfortunately for Link, most decisions in life aren’t so ruthlessly black and white, so things can get very confusing very quickly when a little gray is introduced. Loyalty plays a big part in his actions, so that gray can be especially detrimental.
Link’s an intelligent man, but he’s not naturally gifted. His smarts come from books, dedicated study, and a very logical viewpoint. To be perfectly honest? He’s pretty boring before you get to know him, and getting to know him is not an easy task. Sure, he’ll die to protect you, but you want him to open up about his life or his feelings? Get the hell out of here.
Also? He makes a freakin’ fantastic apple pie.
Samples
Network/Action Spam Sample: Link
Prose Log Sample:
No weapons. No talismans. No radio. It was a trifecta of unacceptable, and that wasn’t even taking the former inspector’s new location into account. He’d searched every corner of the room he’d woken up in, disgust growing as his searching yielded nothing more useful than a few extra pairs of pants. It hadn’t taken him long to figure out how very vulnerable he was, and from there he was only tormented with further questions aside from the initial "Where am I?" A better question would be "How did I get here?" or "How long have I been sleeping?", but he kept returning to one option in particular.
Who?
Who was responsible for his sudden relocation? The removal of his weapons suggested an enemy, but what enemy would leave him with the rest of his gear? What enemy would allow him to roam free through what looked to be a large inn? Not Noah or an akuma, to be sure. The Cardinal? Definitely not. Whatever he really was, Link knew better than to think he was merciful. An operative of Central, then? No, he’d been very careful, and even if someone had managed to uncover the truth behind his "death", a move from Central would be decisive and very final. To be alive now would make him a traitor to the Church. He was as much a man on the run as Allen Walker, and as such he would just have to keep moving, because wherever he was, however he’d gotten there, and whoever was responsible? It did not change one important thing.
Allen Walker was not here. That simple fact easily took precedence over the aforementioned trifecta. Link could be without his weapons, but Allen could not be allowed to slip away, especially not now. Not with Kanda defeated and the Cardinal so close...
One more quick scan of the room was all that Link had needed before heading out into the halls. At first he discreetly checked the other doors he came across, quietly examining those he found unlocked, but there were so many. It wasn’t long before the need to find an exit and an outside perspective gripped him, and when Link spotted the stairs he didn’t hesitate in taking them. He would head down, find the door out, and make his next move from there.