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Snowblind Application
Player Information
Name: Elise
Age: 24
Contact Info:![[plurk.com profile]](https://plurk.com/favicon.ico)
fromgilbo
Other Characters: n/a
Character Information
Name: Hijikata Toshirou
Canon: Gintama
Age: ≈20 [headcanon: 24]
Gender: Male
Canon Point: Somewhere between the Otsu Arc and the Baragaki Arc
Background Link: A long letter home.
Inventory: Hijikata will be wearing his typical Shinsengumi uniform, which is very basic black ankle boots and slacks with a white collared shirt, ascot and vest all worn under a semi-ornate officer's coat. While this provides him with layers, it's not particularly suited to winter weather. He will also have his wallet, though it's contents are almost impressively unimpressive for someone so high ranking. More importantly, Hijikata will be bringing along one pack of cigarettes, with two already smoked. He will also have his small, mayonnaise bottle shaped lighter. Neither will be long for this world, since he's a chain smoker. The lighter may outlast the cigarettes, but not by much. Finally, he has a useless brick of a flip phone.
Personality:
"You're the ideal samurai model for everyone. Everyone models himself after you. "
Hijikata Toshirou is the sort of man who gives off the impression that he's cool. He will always be found with either a cigarette or a sword in his hand. If it's the latter, then the cigarette is in his mouth. To be sure, he is widely respected and feared by his subordinates and the citizens of Edo. The former due to his dedication and strict rules, and the latter because they don't know he subsists on mayonnaise and anguishes if he misses his evening TV drama rerun.
The demon vice-chief of the Shinsengumi certainly has an image. He may seem like he's not all that concerned with it, given his habit of eating 'food' comprised of 80% mayonnaise and flailing his sword around in the street yelling death threats, but Hijikata is incredibly prideful.
A man defined by his pride, Hijikata holds himself to the same standards that he does others, if not higher. While this deep sense of pride does keep him on track, accomplishing a wide breadth of tasks both menial (directing traffic) and large scale (busting terrorist HQs), it also serves to make him incredibly stubborn when it comes to just about everything.
"He's lying through his teeth just because he doesn't want to lose."
Losing is not an option for Hijikata. He will fight until he can no longer physically move, lie through his teeth, or get weird surgical implants from a shady dentist before he'll admit defeat. The man's stubbornness, disguised behind a veil of brusque masculine spirit and samurai honor, typically gets him into both dangerous and absurd situations. More seriously, he is not the sort of person who will ever ask for help, preferring to shoulder every hardship himself instead of burdening others or showing vulnerability.
"Every other word you utter is 'kill'."
As a busy police officer with many important things to do, Hijikata is not a friendly man. Hijikata's demeanor may seem cool, but that is only to those giving him a passing glance. He has an incredibly short temper - or what he would consider a low tolerance for bullshit - and flings threats freely. They're not usually the most creative, instead getting straight to the point where he kills whoever is being a shit. The man takes his anger out physically, often beating up a certain coworker who, for all his bumbling, does not screw up as often as Hijikata abuses him for. Thank you for your brave sacrifice, Yamazaki. The demon-vice chief's temper is so strong that when he was possessed by a demon otaku sword, he broke free only to slam Gintoki's head into the dashboard of his cop car in anger.
Living the long suffering life of the straight man to many of the other character's jokes and outlandish personalities, Hijikata has a very no nonsense aura, and does his best to keep others on track. Every task, no matter how menial, is taken seriously - perhaps too much so. He performs by the book, and is very insistent on not only practical procedure but paperwork being completed properly. In his years as the vice-chief of the Shinsengumi, he's become very adept at writing follow-up reports for all of the idiotically botched assignments his subordinates (and himself, but don' t mention those) have inflicted on the citizens of Edo.
As the enforcer of order within the Shinsengumi, Hijikata is strict. Ruthless, even, as he cuts down foes with a smirk and yells abuse at his subordinates when they break one of the 45 regulations he's set out. The threat of 'commit seppuku' hangs over everyone in the force, with Hijikata bearing down on anyone who strays from their creed. He takes his work incredibly seriously, and is frequently shown making the mistake of trying to get something done.
"I don't care if I lose an arm or a leg, as long as I am still breathing I'll keep fighting."
When it comes to a fight, Hijikata will never back down. Clashing blades with an enemy is the foundation of Hijikata's being. He is incredibly dedicated to his training, though he does not advertise how often or how intensely he practices. Some may think this subtlety is a result of a humble streak. While humble wouldn't be the worst thing anyone's ever called him, Hijikata is more likely keeping focus from his dedication for the effect of making himself look that much tougher. A guy who doesn't need to practice to be fearsome, to cut down all of his enemies, is stronger. When Kondo confronts him on practicing in their country dojo, Hijikata argues that he simply got his hand stuck in a convenience store door. Which is apparently somehow cooler and less embarrassing than admitting he'd gotten blisters practicing.
It has been said that all Hijikata cares about is fighting, and this is not entirely untrue. While the man certainly holds the members of the Shinsengumi, and a handful of others, close to his heart, it is because of his desire to be strong enough for their sake that he fights. Becoming stronger is always one of Hijikata's main goals. The more powerful he is, the more he can do to keep others safe. Bloodlust, however, is not completely absent from Hijikata's fighting, and he does enjoy himself when he's crossing blades with an enemy.
Despite all of his angry outbursts, Hijikata is nicer than he lets on. He prefers to let people live their lives to the best of their abilities, and will interfere with attempted interference if necessary. Protecting is an incredibly important aspect of Hijikata's drive in life, but damn if he'll let it show. He wants no credit, and will often play off any helpful acts he commits with irritation or annoyance.
"He never expresses his feelings to anyone. And he never shows it on his face. The only thing he cares about is sword fighting. No one trains harder than him."
Engaging in self-sacrificing acts of violence is Hijikata's typical method of problem solving. The man is not looking to die, but he does not fear death and typically has little regard for his life when it comes to charging bazookas blazing into a dangerous situation. Hijikata fights both out of a sense of loyalty and an unyielding need to become stronger. These two things are intertwined, as his strength is used to uphold his dedication to the Shinsengumi. Though the man is seemingly callous, he is hardly incapable of empathy. Hijikata will veil any kindness he displays with agitation or manly bravado, but he is frequently motivated by the desire to protect another.
"Love and romance is nothing but an illusion."
Hijikata has a very set and narrow idea of manliness. By that same token, he has a stupidly vague idea of womanhood, and absolutely functions with a mental divide between the two. For a man who boasts that he cares for little other than strength, he is quickly thrown off if faced with a female opponent. When fighting Kyubei, upon finding out she was female, his attacks declined in ferocity and he was defeated. Those damn convenience store doors struck again, apparently. It isn't that Hijikata expects women to be subservient to him, he's simply grown up surrounded by men, so his idea of femininity is fairly limited.
When it comes to love, Hijikata has stated that it is both an illusion and for other people. The first conclusion arose from the fact that he is generally popular with women - whom he treats casually if not a bit coldly - until they observe his strange eating habits. Their subsequent appalled reaction has hardened him against believing that affection so readily expressed is genuine.
As for considering love to be out of his domain, Hijikata would not consider himself an eligible man. His career and dedication to fighting, throwing himself into any dangerous situation that arises, all could rob him of his life at any moment. When faced with his budding dangerous position and his love interest, he pushed the girl away intentionally. He was convinced that his lifestyle could never afford a partner happiness.
"I won't call you a bastard. I'm no better. I've done more than my share of bad things. I just wanted the girl I love to be happy"
When Hijikata cares for someone, he will readily sacrifice himself as the bad guy to protect them. He will get his hands dirty so that another can live a clean life, and he will always be the first to leap into a morally-grey task to spare another the complications. When he found out that the girl he loved's fiance was dealing in illegal smuggling, he went after the man's life alone. While he was aware that she could have lived a happy life not knowing of the man's crimes, the risk of her finding out or being mistreated was too great and he was willing to be marked as a heartless killer for preventing that heartache. He will sacrifice his personal relationship with someone to win their peace of mind or physical safety without hesitation, even if his comradery was something they strongly desired.
"THERE'S NOT ENOUGH MAYONNAISE!"
As stringent and strict as Hijikata is determined to be, his attitude can switch on a dime if he is under enough duress. Unfortunately, he's trying to get work done in a comedy anime, so his life is frustrating. When a situation gets ridiculous, he ardently resists being dragged into absurdity or juvenile banter by his peers, but will typically crumble and deliver something dumb anyway. Hijikata has shed real, pure, manly tears over action and children's movies alike. He is not incapable of acting like a complete idiot when faced with desperate situations such as a haunted house or the lack of cigarettes. The priority of his pride and image drops severely when he needs a nicotine fix. As for experiencing fear, Hijikata will always attempt to play himself straight and even until the last moment, when a dramatic reaction of running and hiding is unavoidable. Even then, he'll attempt to explain it away with something 'cool', like looking for a mythological figure in a vase. Smooth.
Ghosts, angry spirits, and other unexplained supernatural phenomenon absolutely get under Hijikata's skin. Aliens are the exception to this rule, since they're a normalized part of his daily life. It is things that he cannot see or explain that make him jumpy.
Some people like mayonnaise, some people love mayonnaise, and some people are Hijikata. He is nothing short of obsessed with the condiment. All of his meals consist of more mayonnaise than actual food, and he is utterly serious and dedicated to his culinary taste. While his loyalty to mayo is frequently the butt of many jokes within the Shinsengumi and from outsiders both, Hijikata is completely unphased by these attacks on the perfect condiment and will argue for it's honor every time. It's difficult to quantify Hijikata's love for mayonnaise, but to put it in perspective, he once made the entire Shinsengumi - people he purportedly cares about - eat nothing but mayo for days on end so that he could win a ticket to tour the mayonnaise factory. What he thought would be a thrilling w*lly w*nka rip off experience ended up to be an absolutely normal boring factory. He collapsed on the sidewalk afterwords. It was embarrassing.
"I don't want to disappear without accomplishing anything. I want to leave proof of my existence."
Muramasha, Hijikata's blade, is terribly cursed with the soul of a vengeful otaku. This curse took root in the man's being, forcing a personality known as 'Tosshi' to develop. An avid anime fan, Tosshi was a coward and even more socially inept than Hijikata's original flavor sparkling personality. The possession led Hijikata to make a completely separate sphere of like-minded otaku friends and fling his money into the wind on anime and merchandise. Though he was eventually able to win dominance over the pathetic personality, it still forced it's way to the surface from time to time. It is only recently after the canon point from which I'm taking him that this personality has seemingly vanished for good.
Hijikata states that this was not the actual boy killed with the sword, but a subset of his own personality - thus he has the capacity to be interested in those sorts of things. More importantly, Tosshi's desire to not fade away without accomplishing anything reflects Hijikata's own lifestyle of carving his own path out to leave behind as a mark of his existence. In this way, he is ambitious, even if he does not seek to raise his position in the hierarchy of the Shinsengumi.
"I won't allow anyone disgrace our Shinsengumi, if there's anyone who would obstruct that path, then with this sword I'll cut him to shreds"
To Hijikata, Gintoki is an annoyance. While their relationship didn't start off on the worst foot they quickly deteriorated into a pair of shitty rivals. They have very similar fears, and thus typically compete with one another when it comes to who breaks and abandons their pride first. Usually, neither of them does, and they both end up in an exceedingly stupid amount of physical or emotional anguish. Hijikata considers Gintoki a hindrance most of the time, and will not hesitate to arrest him if he gets in the way of police business. However, he does know that he can rely on Gintoki, albeit always begrudgingly, if absolutely necessary. Mostly, he wants to either not hear from him or fight him. Despite all of this, they are rather similar, and synchronize well when push comes to shove.
The Shinsengumi are Hijikata's family, and the object of his protection. When he is about to fade away, succumbing to his sword's curse, he puts aside his pride and shame to ask the Yorozuya to protect them. They are absolutely his top priority, and most of what he does boils down to acting in the best interest of the organization. Hijikata is not overly concerned with what it means to be a police officer - though he does hold to the policy of doing anything he does right - but what it means to be a member of this group. Having a group to both accept all of his violent tendencies and to protect is very central to Hijikata's being.
Kondo is the man who took Hijikata in when he was beaten bloody by other country samurai. Though Hijikata does his best to respect Kondo at all times, he will frequently slip into calling him a gorilla and has been caught making pot shots at their leader just like everyone else. However, Hijikata is incredibly conscious of Kondo's public image, and will absolutely lie to protect it. While Kondo considers him the glue that holds the Shinsengumi together, Hijikata considers this position to be Kondo's - the man's attitude and kind nature binding them all together as something that could be called a family. Hijikata is fiercely protective of Kondo in every way.
The bane of Hijikata's existence lives in the form of Okita Sogo - the super sadist whose sole purpose, so far as Hijikata is concerned, is to make his vice-commander's life a living hell. Hijikata suffers an obscene amount of abuse at the younger officer's hands, and takes it with varying amounts of grace. At times, Hijikata is able to ignore Sogo's attempts on his life, but more typically he will yell and point out the fact that Okita is after him. Everyone is way too used to it to care, though, and it's sort of become a joke among the Shinsengumi, despite Hijikata's daily peril. It is possible that Hijikata lets this happen because he understands Okita's resentment towards him, as he is perceived to have taken away not only Okita's sister (his love interest) but also Kondo and the dojo family, since he was a late comer. Hijikata's tendency to let himself be the 'bad guy' strikes again, and he allows for Okita to harbor this resentment without correction. Despite all of the potential tension between them, the two do work very well together when necessary.
Every tough guy needs a punching bag, and Hijikata's comes in the form of Yamazaki. Whenever something goes awry, Hijikata is quick to blame it on Yamazaki, always pursuing him with physical violence as his temper flares. Despite his habitual abuse of the guy, Hijikata would absolutely consider him part of the Shinsengumi that he lives to protect, and so there is very little actual animosity there. He just needs to hit someone sometimes, and Yamazaki does a great job of getting kicked.
"Welcome to Norfinbury."
Snowblind's setting is not something that Hijikata has experience with. He has encountered winters typical of Japan, but is always well equipped to deal with them. While he often sequesters himself both physically in his leisure time and literally all the time emotionally, the absolute isolation of the Norfinbury is not something he's accustomed to. He's a man of action, however, and will not wait for answers or a rescue, instead attempting to do what he can to fix every problem he runs across for himself. It's likely that he'll pick up some people to protect along the way. Though Hijikata is slow to open up and attach to anyone, it absolutely happens. He will be particularly drawn to personalities that remind him of those he's left behind in the Shinsengumi.
Flavor Abilities: Hijikata is a human, every bit as killable and frost-bite susceptible as the next grumpy jerk wandering around this winter wonderland. He is, however, very adept at fighting. Typically he uses a sword, but he is not unfamiliar with firearms.
Possessing a technique that relies largely on his physical skills, reflexes and intuition, Hijikata does not enter a fight intending to come out unscathed. He has survived many close calls with death. In fact, doing so is a fundamental element of his fighting style. He barrels in with a head on attack, leaving an opening for his enemy. When the opponent attempts to strike, Hijikata's instincts kick in and he parries the blow, using that opportunity to pressure his foe. Offense is Hijikata's best defense, and he will always attack with his full force until the fight is finished - win or lose.
Suitability: While Hijikata is not the type to fret about his life, he is absolutely susceptible to more cliche horror tropes, such as ghosts and things that go bump in the night. The setting would begin to ware on him as time went on, both because of the harsh conditions and because of the imposed solitude. While Hijikata is the type of person to cut himself off from others, he's grown accustomed to being surrounded by a loud and boisterous bunch of guys, so the stark change will get under his skin.
As the main pillar of his organization, Hijikata is very well acquainted with management and finding what needs to be done and then making it so. He will absolutely want to return home, and in an effort to increase his chances of his, he's likely to attempt to coordinate the others trapped in the Norfinbury. Hijikata isn't the easiest person to work with, so I look forward to playing with his struggles as things both work out and fail to work out, both due to other characters and the nature of the setting.
I'm also excited to explore him in a setting where he is forced to live without the typical staples of his daily life. On a humorous note, he'll be pretty damn grumpy about not having any mayonnaise. More seriously, not having his cigarettes will have some severe physiological side effects that will leave him reeling. Living in harsh terrain without his sword will also unnerve him, and I'm looking forward to seeing how Hijikata makes due without a proper weapon. He's resourceful and doesn't avoid fights, so I'm sure he'll find something.
Cabin fever will absolutely be an avenue I explore thoroughly, as hallucinations and the threat of monsters can effectively touch on all of his fears. Significant death losses for him would include anything that could incapacitate him or make him reliant on another (such as his ability to walk) or stripping a core element of his personality, like pride, bravery or anger. He's encountered these changes before, via possession from his demon sword, so I have canon basis to go off of for how his character would change and it is absolutely something I would like to explore further.
RP Samples: Network + Action
Name: Elise
Age: 24
Contact Info:
Other Characters: n/a
Character Information
Name: Hijikata Toshirou
Canon: Gintama
Age: ≈20 [headcanon: 24]
Gender: Male
Canon Point: Somewhere between the Otsu Arc and the Baragaki Arc
Background Link: A long letter home.
Inventory: Hijikata will be wearing his typical Shinsengumi uniform, which is very basic black ankle boots and slacks with a white collared shirt, ascot and vest all worn under a semi-ornate officer's coat. While this provides him with layers, it's not particularly suited to winter weather. He will also have his wallet, though it's contents are almost impressively unimpressive for someone so high ranking. More importantly, Hijikata will be bringing along one pack of cigarettes, with two already smoked. He will also have his small, mayonnaise bottle shaped lighter. Neither will be long for this world, since he's a chain smoker. The lighter may outlast the cigarettes, but not by much. Finally, he has a useless brick of a flip phone.
Personality:
Hijikata Toshirou is the sort of man who gives off the impression that he's cool. He will always be found with either a cigarette or a sword in his hand. If it's the latter, then the cigarette is in his mouth. To be sure, he is widely respected and feared by his subordinates and the citizens of Edo. The former due to his dedication and strict rules, and the latter because they don't know he subsists on mayonnaise and anguishes if he misses his evening TV drama rerun.
The demon vice-chief of the Shinsengumi certainly has an image. He may seem like he's not all that concerned with it, given his habit of eating 'food' comprised of 80% mayonnaise and flailing his sword around in the street yelling death threats, but Hijikata is incredibly prideful.
A man defined by his pride, Hijikata holds himself to the same standards that he does others, if not higher. While this deep sense of pride does keep him on track, accomplishing a wide breadth of tasks both menial (directing traffic) and large scale (busting terrorist HQs), it also serves to make him incredibly stubborn when it comes to just about everything.
Losing is not an option for Hijikata. He will fight until he can no longer physically move, lie through his teeth, or get weird surgical implants from a shady dentist before he'll admit defeat. The man's stubbornness, disguised behind a veil of brusque masculine spirit and samurai honor, typically gets him into both dangerous and absurd situations. More seriously, he is not the sort of person who will ever ask for help, preferring to shoulder every hardship himself instead of burdening others or showing vulnerability.
As a busy police officer with many important things to do, Hijikata is not a friendly man. Hijikata's demeanor may seem cool, but that is only to those giving him a passing glance. He has an incredibly short temper - or what he would consider a low tolerance for bullshit - and flings threats freely. They're not usually the most creative, instead getting straight to the point where he kills whoever is being a shit. The man takes his anger out physically, often beating up a certain coworker who, for all his bumbling, does not screw up as often as Hijikata abuses him for. Thank you for your brave sacrifice, Yamazaki. The demon-vice chief's temper is so strong that when he was possessed by a demon otaku sword, he broke free only to slam Gintoki's head into the dashboard of his cop car in anger.
Living the long suffering life of the straight man to many of the other character's jokes and outlandish personalities, Hijikata has a very no nonsense aura, and does his best to keep others on track. Every task, no matter how menial, is taken seriously - perhaps too much so. He performs by the book, and is very insistent on not only practical procedure but paperwork being completed properly. In his years as the vice-chief of the Shinsengumi, he's become very adept at writing follow-up reports for all of the idiotically botched assignments his subordinates (and himself, but don' t mention those) have inflicted on the citizens of Edo.
As the enforcer of order within the Shinsengumi, Hijikata is strict. Ruthless, even, as he cuts down foes with a smirk and yells abuse at his subordinates when they break one of the 45 regulations he's set out. The threat of 'commit seppuku' hangs over everyone in the force, with Hijikata bearing down on anyone who strays from their creed. He takes his work incredibly seriously, and is frequently shown making the mistake of trying to get something done.
When it comes to a fight, Hijikata will never back down. Clashing blades with an enemy is the foundation of Hijikata's being. He is incredibly dedicated to his training, though he does not advertise how often or how intensely he practices. Some may think this subtlety is a result of a humble streak. While humble wouldn't be the worst thing anyone's ever called him, Hijikata is more likely keeping focus from his dedication for the effect of making himself look that much tougher. A guy who doesn't need to practice to be fearsome, to cut down all of his enemies, is stronger. When Kondo confronts him on practicing in their country dojo, Hijikata argues that he simply got his hand stuck in a convenience store door. Which is apparently somehow cooler and less embarrassing than admitting he'd gotten blisters practicing.
It has been said that all Hijikata cares about is fighting, and this is not entirely untrue. While the man certainly holds the members of the Shinsengumi, and a handful of others, close to his heart, it is because of his desire to be strong enough for their sake that he fights. Becoming stronger is always one of Hijikata's main goals. The more powerful he is, the more he can do to keep others safe. Bloodlust, however, is not completely absent from Hijikata's fighting, and he does enjoy himself when he's crossing blades with an enemy.
Despite all of his angry outbursts, Hijikata is nicer than he lets on. He prefers to let people live their lives to the best of their abilities, and will interfere with attempted interference if necessary. Protecting is an incredibly important aspect of Hijikata's drive in life, but damn if he'll let it show. He wants no credit, and will often play off any helpful acts he commits with irritation or annoyance.
Engaging in self-sacrificing acts of violence is Hijikata's typical method of problem solving. The man is not looking to die, but he does not fear death and typically has little regard for his life when it comes to charging bazookas blazing into a dangerous situation. Hijikata fights both out of a sense of loyalty and an unyielding need to become stronger. These two things are intertwined, as his strength is used to uphold his dedication to the Shinsengumi. Though the man is seemingly callous, he is hardly incapable of empathy. Hijikata will veil any kindness he displays with agitation or manly bravado, but he is frequently motivated by the desire to protect another.
Hijikata has a very set and narrow idea of manliness. By that same token, he has a stupidly vague idea of womanhood, and absolutely functions with a mental divide between the two. For a man who boasts that he cares for little other than strength, he is quickly thrown off if faced with a female opponent. When fighting Kyubei, upon finding out she was female, his attacks declined in ferocity and he was defeated. Those damn convenience store doors struck again, apparently. It isn't that Hijikata expects women to be subservient to him, he's simply grown up surrounded by men, so his idea of femininity is fairly limited.
When it comes to love, Hijikata has stated that it is both an illusion and for other people. The first conclusion arose from the fact that he is generally popular with women - whom he treats casually if not a bit coldly - until they observe his strange eating habits. Their subsequent appalled reaction has hardened him against believing that affection so readily expressed is genuine.
As for considering love to be out of his domain, Hijikata would not consider himself an eligible man. His career and dedication to fighting, throwing himself into any dangerous situation that arises, all could rob him of his life at any moment. When faced with his budding dangerous position and his love interest, he pushed the girl away intentionally. He was convinced that his lifestyle could never afford a partner happiness.
When Hijikata cares for someone, he will readily sacrifice himself as the bad guy to protect them. He will get his hands dirty so that another can live a clean life, and he will always be the first to leap into a morally-grey task to spare another the complications. When he found out that the girl he loved's fiance was dealing in illegal smuggling, he went after the man's life alone. While he was aware that she could have lived a happy life not knowing of the man's crimes, the risk of her finding out or being mistreated was too great and he was willing to be marked as a heartless killer for preventing that heartache. He will sacrifice his personal relationship with someone to win their peace of mind or physical safety without hesitation, even if his comradery was something they strongly desired.
As stringent and strict as Hijikata is determined to be, his attitude can switch on a dime if he is under enough duress. Unfortunately, he's trying to get work done in a comedy anime, so his life is frustrating. When a situation gets ridiculous, he ardently resists being dragged into absurdity or juvenile banter by his peers, but will typically crumble and deliver something dumb anyway. Hijikata has shed real, pure, manly tears over action and children's movies alike. He is not incapable of acting like a complete idiot when faced with desperate situations such as a haunted house or the lack of cigarettes. The priority of his pride and image drops severely when he needs a nicotine fix. As for experiencing fear, Hijikata will always attempt to play himself straight and even until the last moment, when a dramatic reaction of running and hiding is unavoidable. Even then, he'll attempt to explain it away with something 'cool', like looking for a mythological figure in a vase. Smooth.
Ghosts, angry spirits, and other unexplained supernatural phenomenon absolutely get under Hijikata's skin. Aliens are the exception to this rule, since they're a normalized part of his daily life. It is things that he cannot see or explain that make him jumpy.
Some people like mayonnaise, some people love mayonnaise, and some people are Hijikata. He is nothing short of obsessed with the condiment. All of his meals consist of more mayonnaise than actual food, and he is utterly serious and dedicated to his culinary taste. While his loyalty to mayo is frequently the butt of many jokes within the Shinsengumi and from outsiders both, Hijikata is completely unphased by these attacks on the perfect condiment and will argue for it's honor every time. It's difficult to quantify Hijikata's love for mayonnaise, but to put it in perspective, he once made the entire Shinsengumi - people he purportedly cares about - eat nothing but mayo for days on end so that he could win a ticket to tour the mayonnaise factory. What he thought would be a thrilling w*lly w*nka rip off experience ended up to be an absolutely normal boring factory. He collapsed on the sidewalk afterwords. It was embarrassing.
Muramasha, Hijikata's blade, is terribly cursed with the soul of a vengeful otaku. This curse took root in the man's being, forcing a personality known as 'Tosshi' to develop. An avid anime fan, Tosshi was a coward and even more socially inept than Hijikata's original flavor sparkling personality. The possession led Hijikata to make a completely separate sphere of like-minded otaku friends and fling his money into the wind on anime and merchandise. Though he was eventually able to win dominance over the pathetic personality, it still forced it's way to the surface from time to time. It is only recently after the canon point from which I'm taking him that this personality has seemingly vanished for good.
Hijikata states that this was not the actual boy killed with the sword, but a subset of his own personality - thus he has the capacity to be interested in those sorts of things. More importantly, Tosshi's desire to not fade away without accomplishing anything reflects Hijikata's own lifestyle of carving his own path out to leave behind as a mark of his existence. In this way, he is ambitious, even if he does not seek to raise his position in the hierarchy of the Shinsengumi.
To Hijikata, Gintoki is an annoyance. While their relationship didn't start off on the worst foot they quickly deteriorated into a pair of shitty rivals. They have very similar fears, and thus typically compete with one another when it comes to who breaks and abandons their pride first. Usually, neither of them does, and they both end up in an exceedingly stupid amount of physical or emotional anguish. Hijikata considers Gintoki a hindrance most of the time, and will not hesitate to arrest him if he gets in the way of police business. However, he does know that he can rely on Gintoki, albeit always begrudgingly, if absolutely necessary. Mostly, he wants to either not hear from him or fight him. Despite all of this, they are rather similar, and synchronize well when push comes to shove.
The Shinsengumi are Hijikata's family, and the object of his protection. When he is about to fade away, succumbing to his sword's curse, he puts aside his pride and shame to ask the Yorozuya to protect them. They are absolutely his top priority, and most of what he does boils down to acting in the best interest of the organization. Hijikata is not overly concerned with what it means to be a police officer - though he does hold to the policy of doing anything he does right - but what it means to be a member of this group. Having a group to both accept all of his violent tendencies and to protect is very central to Hijikata's being.
Kondo is the man who took Hijikata in when he was beaten bloody by other country samurai. Though Hijikata does his best to respect Kondo at all times, he will frequently slip into calling him a gorilla and has been caught making pot shots at their leader just like everyone else. However, Hijikata is incredibly conscious of Kondo's public image, and will absolutely lie to protect it. While Kondo considers him the glue that holds the Shinsengumi together, Hijikata considers this position to be Kondo's - the man's attitude and kind nature binding them all together as something that could be called a family. Hijikata is fiercely protective of Kondo in every way.
The bane of Hijikata's existence lives in the form of Okita Sogo - the super sadist whose sole purpose, so far as Hijikata is concerned, is to make his vice-commander's life a living hell. Hijikata suffers an obscene amount of abuse at the younger officer's hands, and takes it with varying amounts of grace. At times, Hijikata is able to ignore Sogo's attempts on his life, but more typically he will yell and point out the fact that Okita is after him. Everyone is way too used to it to care, though, and it's sort of become a joke among the Shinsengumi, despite Hijikata's daily peril. It is possible that Hijikata lets this happen because he understands Okita's resentment towards him, as he is perceived to have taken away not only Okita's sister (his love interest) but also Kondo and the dojo family, since he was a late comer. Hijikata's tendency to let himself be the 'bad guy' strikes again, and he allows for Okita to harbor this resentment without correction. Despite all of the potential tension between them, the two do work very well together when necessary.
Every tough guy needs a punching bag, and Hijikata's comes in the form of Yamazaki. Whenever something goes awry, Hijikata is quick to blame it on Yamazaki, always pursuing him with physical violence as his temper flares. Despite his habitual abuse of the guy, Hijikata would absolutely consider him part of the Shinsengumi that he lives to protect, and so there is very little actual animosity there. He just needs to hit someone sometimes, and Yamazaki does a great job of getting kicked.
Snowblind's setting is not something that Hijikata has experience with. He has encountered winters typical of Japan, but is always well equipped to deal with them. While he often sequesters himself both physically in his leisure time and literally all the time emotionally, the absolute isolation of the Norfinbury is not something he's accustomed to. He's a man of action, however, and will not wait for answers or a rescue, instead attempting to do what he can to fix every problem he runs across for himself. It's likely that he'll pick up some people to protect along the way. Though Hijikata is slow to open up and attach to anyone, it absolutely happens. He will be particularly drawn to personalities that remind him of those he's left behind in the Shinsengumi.
Flavor Abilities: Hijikata is a human, every bit as killable and frost-bite susceptible as the next grumpy jerk wandering around this winter wonderland. He is, however, very adept at fighting. Typically he uses a sword, but he is not unfamiliar with firearms.
Possessing a technique that relies largely on his physical skills, reflexes and intuition, Hijikata does not enter a fight intending to come out unscathed. He has survived many close calls with death. In fact, doing so is a fundamental element of his fighting style. He barrels in with a head on attack, leaving an opening for his enemy. When the opponent attempts to strike, Hijikata's instincts kick in and he parries the blow, using that opportunity to pressure his foe. Offense is Hijikata's best defense, and he will always attack with his full force until the fight is finished - win or lose.
Suitability: While Hijikata is not the type to fret about his life, he is absolutely susceptible to more cliche horror tropes, such as ghosts and things that go bump in the night. The setting would begin to ware on him as time went on, both because of the harsh conditions and because of the imposed solitude. While Hijikata is the type of person to cut himself off from others, he's grown accustomed to being surrounded by a loud and boisterous bunch of guys, so the stark change will get under his skin.
As the main pillar of his organization, Hijikata is very well acquainted with management and finding what needs to be done and then making it so. He will absolutely want to return home, and in an effort to increase his chances of his, he's likely to attempt to coordinate the others trapped in the Norfinbury. Hijikata isn't the easiest person to work with, so I look forward to playing with his struggles as things both work out and fail to work out, both due to other characters and the nature of the setting.
I'm also excited to explore him in a setting where he is forced to live without the typical staples of his daily life. On a humorous note, he'll be pretty damn grumpy about not having any mayonnaise. More seriously, not having his cigarettes will have some severe physiological side effects that will leave him reeling. Living in harsh terrain without his sword will also unnerve him, and I'm looking forward to seeing how Hijikata makes due without a proper weapon. He's resourceful and doesn't avoid fights, so I'm sure he'll find something.
Cabin fever will absolutely be an avenue I explore thoroughly, as hallucinations and the threat of monsters can effectively touch on all of his fears. Significant death losses for him would include anything that could incapacitate him or make him reliant on another (such as his ability to walk) or stripping a core element of his personality, like pride, bravery or anger. He's encountered these changes before, via possession from his demon sword, so I have canon basis to go off of for how his character would change and it is absolutely something I would like to explore further.
RP Samples: Network + Action