app/info

[sidewind]

OOC INFORMATION;
Player: Gideon
Age: 22
Personal Journal:praetempto
Contact Info: arthasmenethil
Other Characters: N/A

IC INFORMATION;
Character's Name: Norifumi Kawakami
Age: 17
Canon: Diamond no Ace
Canon Point: Fall tournament finals.
Species: Human
Gender: Male
Orientation: It doesn't really matter since he's underage, but I get some not-straight vibes based on various character interactions.

History: Sports are cruel, because there are walls that cannot be overcome with effort alone.
Appearance:

Nori is, at first glance, rather average where appearances are concerned-- a second glance gives you a good look at some cute, round cheeks (not at all like a squirrel, Sawamura) and a good idea of the strength in his shoulders and legs especially. Standing at 173cm (approximately 5'8"), he's not the tallest guy on the team, but he's lately been learning to carry himself just a little bit taller. He's got brown hair (and a questionable hairstyle), brown eyes, and the cutest button nose you've ever seen.

Personality: 

A little quiet and on the anxious side, Nori is easily the least "interesting" member of Seidou's pitching lineup. Self-described as a "has-not," he's spent the majority of his baseball career trying not only to measure up to but also distinguish himself from the first-year monsters and those born with a natural knack for baseball. Finding himself frequently overlooked (or, at least, feeling like he's being overlooked), Nori found some measure of distinction in a pitching style unique among hist teammates as well as extraordinary control over low pitches-- something his fellow pitchers are generally shown to lack. His ball control makes him a natural choice for a reliever and a closer, and he has plenty of successful relief experience under his belt; but ace closer isn't ace of the team, and sometimes it seems that there's no walking out from the shadows of those born with the talent he works tirelessly to mimic. 

High on the list of traits that Nori possesses is a tendency to second-guess himself; this frequently manifests in errors at critical moments, such as pitching overly cautiously, with the result of failing to hold down a batter or lineup. Related to this is a blatant lack of self-esteem, and this shows itself most commonly in somewhat avoidant behavior-- opting not to pitch in the bullpen because he feels like he can't perform well, leaving a room when the subject of the ace number comes up, and, at worst, losing confidence in his abilities to the point where he is no longer able to perform at all, even losing his usually-reliable sense of control.

Despite this, he's always continued working in some capacity, whether it's running, pitching on his own, or taking notes on how he can improve, and any downturns in his morale are always followed by renewed effort and motivation. He's the only member of the core pitcher lineup who participates completely voluntarily in critique sessions with the catchers, eager to improve himself as a pitcher and learn how he can exceed his own current abilities. He responds well to criticism, and it's usually pretty easy to motivate him verbally-- straightforward direction works best. Go out and attack. Pitch to contact. Make them swing. Despite any and all obstacles, no matter how far away from his goal he seems to be, he, too, is hungry to compete for the title of ace.

Off the field, Nori can often be found listening to music on his own, finding it a pleasant and cathartic reprieve from being surrounded by a hundred other teenage boys and the stresses that come with being on the first string. Music-- from a listener's standpoint-- is a major interest of his, and he makes a point to buy music magazines a couple of times a month. He spends a good amount of time with Shirasu, who's unquestionably his closest friend at Seidou, but he's seen being friendly with most other team members in his year, as well as with several of the other first-string players, though he keeps to himself a little more often than not.


Abilities: Nori is a skilled sidearm pitcher, with excellent ball control and a good knack for painting the corners. Outside of that, he's fairly average in most respects. 

Other:
 
He's very agreeable.

SAMPLES;
First Person: test drive meme

Third Person:
Getting time to himself is something of a challenge when living in a dorm, but Nori manages it from time to time-- maybe his roommates at Seidou know that he needs it and clear out every so often, or maybe he just gets lucky, but either way, he always makes the most of it. Headphones on with a playlist of his favorite songs, not too loud and not too soft, and then he can relax, quiet and calm on his own. Sometimes he'll flick through a magazine or waste some time with a puzzle game on his phone, but more often than not (and more and more often, he finds) he just lies on his bed with his eyes closed, simply existing.

The main problem with simply existing is that a naturally anxious mind is prone to wandering; and before he knows it he's dwelling on his latest failure or the potential for another in the future. 

He's not a monster, a genius, or a natural talent, and nobody knows it better than he does. But he's worked so, so hard to get where he is, and perhaps that makes it worse, like any lack of success could ruin him because all he has is his hands and his head and the ability he's scraped together between them, no born-with-it to fall back on-- not like Miyuki, who's getting eyed for a professional draft; or Kuramochi, who could probably make a living with his legs; or even Sawamura and Furuya, who, for all their instabilities and missteps, have been able to showcase their power from the beginning.

His hands tighten on themselves. 

What does he have? On any of them?

He's heard it before-- Seidou has three strong pitchers, when there were four; Seidou has two interesting pitchers, when there are three. Being a good closer is nothing to scoff at, he knows that. Ace closer should be something to be proud of, but it's not what he wants, not when it means getting passed over in favor of the real ace and the contender hot on the ace's heels, the pair of them leaving him behind and bickering the whole way. He's worked hard, right? Hard work is supposed to pay off, right?

Even when he takes the starter position, he gets shown up in the end-- he's good, he's solid, he's reliable (so he's been told, and that, at least, he can feel in his bones), but he's not interesting. He's not flashy or loud, or really much of a showman at all, so if he wants to get noticed, he has to play harder, smarter, better in every way.

But... he forces himself to stop that line of thinking and recall the times he's held down a difficult lineup, the times he's gotten the final out to close the game in Seidou's favor and the fielders rush the mound, shouting-- Miyuki always gets there first from home plate, arms open, and the basemen and shortstop pile on after that, and the outfielders after that, and then the boys from the dugout are there too, and he's the one being celebrated, he did something good, something that makes everyone happy, including himself.

He feels better then, a little, even if he knows he'll never really be able to quell sharp pangs of jealousy or resentment, but maybe he can grow past the need for them, if he keeps on like he has been. Maybe he'll eventually find himself in a place where he can blossom further, or at least learn to stop holding himself back. He's worked too hard to lose himself to worry. He hums along with his music a little, shy even though he's alone, and sits back up to find a hardball somewhere in his bag, the weight of it comforting in his hand.

He joined this team to play baseball. He's surrounded by a hundred other guys who want to play, who would take his spot in a heartbeat if given the chance.

He holds the ball a little tighter, turns it over with his fingers. 

They won't get that chance.

"I'm here too," he says, out loud, to the empty room. "I'm here too."

OTHER;
Housing Request?: None!
Did you read the rules and FAQ?: Sure did!