Kodama 'Koda' Tsuki

[Kodama 'Koda' Tsuki]

... the mask

Your Name: Arthur
Where did you find us?: Lancast Boncero ‘Chi’ directed me toward the site after I informed her of my role playing hobby.
How long have you been role playing?: 4 years.
Password: [admin edit!]

...basic character information

Birth Name: Kodama Tsuki
Nickname: Koda
Gender: Male
Age: 15
Grade: 10
Birth date: September 7
Program: Bachelor of Science
Major: Zoology
Major Explanation: Kodama is entirely blind in both eyes, and he has been since birth. Normally spending his time alone and secluded from normal children, animals were often his only companions. Chiroptology (study of bats and flying foxes) specifically is something he enjoys for various reasons aside from the fact that he can shift into a bat. It not only provides him with a way to study the creature he shifts into, but it also administers a chance for him to proceed further in his study of how to cure blindness.
Animal Identity: Rousettus Bat (Egyptian Fruit Bat)

...personality

Likes:(at least 10)

• Literature – This mostly pertains to reading, albeit Koda does enjoy journaling as well. He is a known book worm, though he is forced to read in braille due to his blindness. One of his trademark’s is positioning a book directly in front of his face so that people get the illusion that he is reading with his eyes, and not his fingers. He enjoys reading faerie tales often, because he likes to imagine himself as the heroes of the stories.
• Zoology - His major and stress reliever, Koda will often find himself babbling in a rare moment of confidence if a topic having to do with animals is brought up.
• Caving – Any cave, known or unknown, strikes a soft spot within Koda. He also enjoys rock climbing aside from crawling and exploring caves.
• Singing – It is a little known fact that Koda enjoys singing, though it’s in an unusual high pitched manor (at least for a boy, in reference to the shrill echo-location Rousettus utilize to find their way around. They are also the only megachiroptera to use echolocation). He often does this when he is upset.
• Moon – Though he cannot visualize it, he often claims that the moon is the soul object that he can sense, no matter it’s location. This often creates curiosity in Kodama. His last name is also “Tsuki” which translates to “moon” in Japanese. This can also be a reference to the way bats use the Coriolis effect to sense the direction they are flying)
• Dates - These fruits are some of Koda's favorite snacks as a human and as a bat.
• Independence - He enjoys being alone most of the time, in contrast to being in a group and risk getting hurt, though when being threatened he uses big groups to his advantage, easily disappearing into crowds like a bat will disappear into a colony.
• Outdoors - Besides rock climbing and caving, Koda enjoys being outside and bonding with nature in general.
• Cooking - On behalf of his mother's terrible cooking, he had to teach himself to cook as a child, and has become quite skilled at it.
• Trees - One of his odd quirks, Koda often climbs trees and finds a sturdy branch to hang upside down from. He claims this helps him think, in very rare moments when he cannot.

Dislikes: (at least 10)

• Meat - Kodama is a bona fide vegetarian. His love for all sciences, zoology included, is his reasoning for this.
• Visible eyes - When he does rarely associate with others, often times he ducks his head when speaking, because of his extreme detestation for anyone to see his eyes.
• Video Games - Koda finds these to be excessively pointless, noisy, and incessantly frustrating if he ever gets the chance to try them.
• Owls - Though he makes an attempt to accept all creatures, owls are a rather large fear for Koda. This is most likely because of the owl's appetite for small bats.
• Bullies - He is terrified of being made fun of, and bullied which is the reason for most of his time spent alone.
• Littering - A prominent neat freak, he also loathes anything that disturbs the environment. Even when he hasn't made the mess, Koda will voluntarily pick up any trash he notices.
• Blaring Noises - Noises that block out others pester him since he utilizes sound to be aware of his surroundings.
• Coffee - This is something that his mother forced him into trying once, though she has a passion for it, he despises the stuff, and does not do well on caffeine.
• Being Woken Up Early - For an over-achiever, Koda still resents being woken up early, most likely because bats struggle to live properly if they are woken up from their slumber, early.
• Speeches - He shows much repugnance when forced into giving speeches, because he is afraid to speak up or speak freely about his opinions.

Fears: (At least 3)

• Being Cornered - Kodama loathes being cornered both literally because of his lack of fighting ability, and figuratively due to his aggravation in not being able to acquire a logical solution.
• Alarm Clocks - These irritate his sensitive ears, and interfere with sonar.
• Being Rejected - The reason Koda is somewhat socially awkward is because he subjects himself to loneliness voluntarily, which in his mindset, is better than being lonely by force.

Strengths: (At least 3)

• Extensive Thinking - Koda is a bright individual, thanks to most of his free time spent studying. When he's not able to use brawn in a situation, he can more often than not, think his way out of it.
• Running - More often than not, Koda is able to sprint away from a problem before any real damage is done. Spending a lifetime running from bullies has benefited him more than the average person would think.
• Self Reliance - Most time is spent alone, and as a result Koda is highly independent and can care for himself without any outside help.

Weaknesses: (At least 3)

• Garlic - This is an allergy that Kodama shares with his father. Often teased about it, he refutes the argument that he is a vampire. When fed garlic however, he breaks into dark red hives, and his throat begins to close.
• Cacophonous Noises - Blaring noises that dull other noises around him, are not only irritating to Koda, but hazardous, due to hearing being used as his main sense.
• Nets - Whether it be when he is in flight, or if he were to be restrained as a human, Koda is not able to maneuver his way out of knots exceptionally well.

Personality:
Overall: [400 words minimum]

Koda is precarious and precise in nearly everything he does. He lacks a frivolous and boisterous nature, preferring to stay indoors and read, or complete homework than associate with others and be surrounded in a large group. He has a tendency to mumble when he does rarely speak, as well as a habit of ducking his head and gawking at the ground. He abhors anyone catching a glimpse of his eyes and catching onto his disability (blindness) and is prone to sensitivity and irritation if the subject is brought up. As long as he isn’t restrained, and his surroundings are audible he has a surprising ability to defend himself to a short extent when in a fight.
As said before, Koda favors a reticent lifestyle, and often resorts to being a hermit in his free time. His decision to remain lonely by choice, and not by rejection also has something to do with this. When he does read, which is often, he prefers nonfictional science books, or faerie tales, because he enjoys imagining himself as the hero. In the mean time, while he isn’t assiduously studying or reading, he’s usually caught religiously working on his chiroptology-optometry research; trying to discover a cure for blindness. When someone inquires on his work, or on something having to do with his major he speaks endlessly in a rare moment of confidence as a tribute to his interest in the matter.
In times of terror, Kodama would rather take flight (sometimes, quite literally) from the dilemma than stand and face it. As it was previously implied, he has the ability to defend himself, albeit he cannot do much opposing damage to whomever, or whatever is attacking him. If he does manage to harm or fend off the offending force, it is either by sheer luck, or by absolute necessity, because aside from Koda not having very high stats in fighting back, it’s not something he’s particularly partial to. In fact, it’s more likely that he would sooner voluntarily take a beating than even attempt to fight back.
Overall, Kodama Tsuki’s withdrawn nature may cause others to see him as an easy target, depressed, or perhaps just odd. Though he does have issues with self esteem, and outward confidence, Koda is rather happy in the right environment, and is normally an optimistic boy in most situations he’s thrown in. He tries his best to take his hardships as learning opportunities instead of setbacks, and is quite bright for his age.

...appearance

Celebrity Play by: Alex Evans
xx

Appearance: [400 words minimum]
Glasses removed, Koda has viridian hued eyes, of course, hazy from the usual film covering those who are plagued by blindness, as he is. He refuses to be anywhere without his beloved prescription glasses, despite the fact that they serve him almost no benefit, aside from giving the illusion that he can see a little. His glasses are plain, and squarely framed, glinting a fair amount in the sunlight in order to block what lies behind them. Koda has dark brown, shaggy cut hair that is also utilized to cover his eyes when it’s needed. It often hangs in his face, or sticks up in odd places. Appearance is not something of value to Koda, at all, and as a result his clothing is often wrinkled or far too big for him. One of his trademark traits are the enormous hooded jackets he shamelessly wears to any occasion.
Koda’s species of bat is of the megachiroptera variety, meaning he is a fruit bat, and not insect eating. Specifically, he is a Rousette Bat (otherwise known as an Egyptian Fruit Bat), which are one of the only species of fruit bat to use echolocation. Koda's wing span fits in about the middle of normal Rousette wing span lengths, at around 54 centimeters, as he's rather small as a human. These bats normally weigh into be about one hundred and sixty grams, making them around medium sized. However, Koda weighs in at one hundred and fifty, and has a body length of fourteen. The reasoning for his unusual petite measurements as a bat are because of his small size as a human. The species gained their name, the Egyptian fruit bat, from the area in which they were found, and the area that they still reside in today. Their species are derived from the caves situated in Africa, forested areas and jungles. Like nearly all bats, they are nocturnal, and dwell in colonies, though Koda prefers to be alone because of personal issues not having to do with his shift. They have long pointed ears, dark brown fur, and darker brown, or pitch black wings. One of their key features is their dog-like muzzle, which is the reasoning behind people referring to them as flying foxes every once in a while. Rousette bats are also known for the small screeches, or grunts that emanate from their throats. It is said a number of times, that the sounds are akin to mumbles, though Koda's noises almost sound akin to whispers in his shift.
The aforementioned ridiculously baggy jackets that Koda chooses to wear often earn him more bullying and more laughter because of their obscene appearance on his lanky body, and average height of five foot nine. Besides the hoodies, Koda’s normal attire usually consists of whatever he can dig out of his drawers which mostly consists of dark jeans and neutrally colored t-shirts. He is content to wear the same converse sneakers, (he has had for two year) every day in result to his slow growing trait. He is nearly as awkward looking as he acts.

...history

Parents: Kojikamaru Tsuki and Komori Tsuki
Siblings: None
[400 words minimum]
Despite his disabilities, Koda grew up rather normally with his mother and father who are both purely Japanese. Koda’s father, Kojikamaru “Kojika” Tsuki is most likely the source for his love of science. Though Kojika admires problem solving, statistics, and other math subjects as opposed to science, they both still have a love for the subject and bond over it often, though the two are not quite as close as Kodama and his mother. Never the less, Kojika is ironically an insomniac, and has passed some of this onto Koda, though Koda chooses to take medication for it (in reference to bat’s nocturnal nature) while his father chooses to simply live with it. Kojika has dark hair pulled into a ponytail, and matching green eyes to Koda. He is also the origin of Koda’s gene to shift, though Kojika himself shifts into a buck (male deer).
Komori Tsuki is Koda’s mother, and comfort source. The two get along better than Koda and his father because of their similar temperament. While Kojika is more expressive and flamboyant, Komori shares Koda’s reserved and soft nature, as well as his sight impairment. Komori is not fully blind, like her son, but she does require strongly prescribed lenses. She is known to have an odd caffeine addiction, and swears that she requires at least eight cups of coffee a day. Komori is notoriously on the short side, in contrast to her husband who is six foot two. He often teases her about this, all in good humor. Komori also lacks cooking skill, causing Koda and Kojika to be skilled in the culinary arts. Another one of her dominant traits is her different colored eyes; the left eye is blue, while the right is green. Kodama, is Kojika’s and Komori’s only child.
Koda had always been an odd child. He was born into a dark world, to parents unknowing of how to cope with someone that could visualize his own parents. Instead of speaking, he began to make odd chirping and grunting noises as a toddler, before he had actually spoken his first words. Never the less, his parents treated him as a normal child, the best they could.
Growing up, Koda had frequent moments running into walls, tripping over things, and of course the bullying would never stop no matter how many schools his parents switched him into. The frustration often times caused Koda to sob endlessly alone in his room, or on the kitchen counter as his brokenhearted mother patched up a split lip, or a black eye. Eventually though, through carefully learned patience he learned to read through braille, and cope in school well enough to not come home beaten everyday. He could sense people and things, using his ears to help him escape usual threats. Generally, Koda became content with his life, learning that the hardships around him would only build him up, and that they weren't going away; he would just have to make the best of it.
In middle school right when Koda had thought he had been getting the hang of things, he began to notice odd shifts in behavior; change of diet, temperament, and activities. Koda remembered snacking everyday after school, usually on mangoes or watermelon, which wasn't really a change of anything since fruit had always been something he enjoyed. It wasn't until his mother returned home to find him scarfing down nearly three bowls of mangoes, dates, and grapefruit for dinner, that he realized his veracious appetite for fruit was becoming unnatural. His temperament had drastic changes as well. The other kids in his school who normally jeered at him in the hallways or at lunch were becoming a drastic problem for Koda, and not because of how they were feeling. Always a benevolent child, Koda's insatiable need to hurt the bullies was a desire slowly developed over time, whether the purpose was for himself, or for another. The drastic increase in those thoughts lead to another odd habit he had been resorting to; hanging upside down from trees. He had noticed that hanging upside down would always clear his head, when trying to solve a difficult homework problem before bed. It wasn't necessarily a new habit either, Koda had only noticed that the moments that he had been doing it had increased. Never the less, he convinced himself it was just the hormonal changes his father lectured him on just before his twelfth birthday. It wasn't as if his personality was changing at all anyways, it was only certain prospects of himself increasing. He managed to tell himself that it was all a part of realizing what things he was more interested in.
The first day Koda shifted was when he was fourteen years of age. He had been inspecting a pup, whose mother had been tragically lost, from a cause that Koda didn't know. Koda found himself fascinated with bats, and he read every book he could about them. It was only natural to be delighted when he realized he was able to help the poor neglected pup. He had grown attached to the baby bat, as he nursed it every day, becoming its surrogate parent. However, when he came home to find the makeshift nest raided and his pup lifeless on the ground, his eagerness immediately transformed into some sick and twisted feeling swelling within his gut, and he was instantly met with the feeling of his bat's dead body.
Two boys stood proudly a few feet away, their arrogant grins begging to be wiped off their smug faces. Koda knew the boys well in fact. They had bullied him whenever he was outside; pushing him into puddles of mud, beating him unconscious (when they could catch him), tearing his books up, and even now they had stolen something precious from him.
Koda felt his eyes burn, body shake and a surge of pain flash through his body. He let out a blood curdling scream, falling over onto his side and tearing at his hair as he listened to the sounds of his bones break, twist, and condense, and watched in terror as his already large clothes, became puddles of fabric around him. Wretched screeching noises soon replaced his own voice, and when it ceased, his vision was red. He was baffled, to say the least, and though his brain screamed to get help, his instinct told him to kill.
Flitting quickly through the air to catch up with the boys who had already began to sprint away from the horrifyingly perplexing scene, Koda glided smoothly towards one of the boys catching the vein on the child's neck with his teeth. Screams and blood were the last things Koda remembered before he awoke in his bed, his parents surrounding him with sorrowful expressions. They explained to him what he really was, and why. At first he felt panicked and definitely regretful (that feeling stayed), however his parents reassured him that they would handle it, sending him off to Shifter academy not a few months later after his 9th grade graduation.

...connecting human to animal

[One Paragraph Minimum (Can be point form)]
Koda himself, is still attempting to come up with a logical explanation for his shift. Likely possibilities are the appearance similarities between the two, as well as some of Koda's habits. Such habits include eating fruit (Specifically dates and mangoes are Koda's absolute favorites), and fleeing from harm. He sports darkened hair, around the same color that his shift has, and has a scraggly looking appearance due to his apathetic nature towards vanity and how he looks. Likewise, bats have an awkward look in general, like a dog with wings. If given a new situation, Koda is often uncertain and precarious on how to act, though curious none the less. This is not unlike the bat's nature to warm up to situations in which it is unfamiliar, before it knows the correct response to the scenario.

...literacy

RP Sample
A lanky figure strode across the field as it advanced towards the rotting wood of a birch. The late summer breeze whistled it’s genuine tune, filling the air with sweet music and pungent smells of grass, and the promise of winter. Koda ceased his steps a few inches away from the magnificent tree. He had no need to extend his arm out in his usual manor of exploration to compensate for his lack of sight; the young shifter knew these lands by memory. Foot forward, hands clawing at the gnarled roots that rose at an impressive stature, out of the soil, he began clambering his way up the large dead tree.
Once he had managed to breech the underbrush of surrounding saplings he crawled onto a crooked branch that protested with sounds of splitting wood and threats of sending Koda plummeting to the earth below. He knew these threats were, of course, benign and empty. His tree was sturdy, and he was light enough. Reaching the midsection of the branch, Koda proceeded to hook both knees over a bend in the wood and free fall backwards, until he could feel the muscles in his legs catch him. As soon as he had been able to flip himself upside down, his legs not bothered a bit by the impressive gravitational force, he gazed out into the ever present darkness, and began to listen. Crickets conducted a high strung chorus nearby, and Lillie Pads rippled in the bond as frogs bounded off of them. The world around Koda swelled with a symphony all its own, and he was the soul audience member.
What was it he journeyed hear, to think about? “Chemistry.” He mumbled to no one in particular. That’s right, it had been that chemistry equation. Feeling his beloved glasses threaten to slip from his nose, he pushed the lenses back up and let his arms sway freely, suspended in air. The answer he had racked his brain for a few minutes ago seemed all too clear to him now, oddly. He pondered for a few minutes , what it would be like without the extensive forest region his parents had purchased to accompany their small home near the woods. The shifter gave a shudder before he dismissed the subject from his thoughts and inhaled the dense scent of pine and nature surrounding him. Swiftly, he shifted into his winged creature, arms transforming into short crooked arms, and body into a minute furry mammalian body. He flitted into the darkness towards home, thanking the forest for its assistance in clearing his head.