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[triggerhappytraitor]

Player Name: Fran
Player Contact: Frandenut @ AIM, Frannyan @ gmail, or FranNyan @ plurk The plurk is private, so AIM is prefered.
Characters you have in the game: None yet!

Character Name: Sakuya Tachibana / Kamen Rider Garren

Character Canon: Kamen Rider Blade

Canon Background: http://kamenrider.wikia.com/wiki/Sakuya_Tachibana

In short, Tachibana is a researcher turned hero, turned traitor, turned hero again, turned traitor again, turned hero again. He walks through a rotating door of alliances, each time believing he is doing the right thing.

The first of the four Kamen Riders in the series, Tachibana’s role in the series shifts back and forth, first the seeming antagonist as his actions in the start of the series are painted as being what destroyed BOARD -- the organization researching the Undead and creating the Rider system that allowed the creation of Kamen Riders. Later, it’s revealed that his only hand in the destruction was not being able to destroy all the Undead that trashed the lab, and that his kidnapping of the head of BOARD was to find answers to his mysterious failing health that seemed to be connected to the Rider system.

The truth behind his health turns out that Tachibana’s underlying fears being given power by the Rider System are what’s causing him to feel as if he’s falling apart. After first trying to rid himself of his fears and failing, Tachibana attempts to give up being a Rider and live a normal life, an attempt that is short lived as an Undead shows up where he and his girlfriend, Sayoko are on a date. Sayoko asks him to elope with her and leave everything behind, but Tachibana says that it’s not possible, as both of them are far too tangled in their own lives to leave them behind. Soon after, he goes to fight against the Peacock Undead, who offers him a cure for his fears. Tachibana refuses, and is defeated, leading to the Undead applying the cure to to the unconscious Rider.

But as if often the way, there is a heavy cost and heavy strings attached to this miracle cure. The “fix” is an ancient seaweed that enhances aggression, and the repeated uses slowly twist Tachibana into an aggressive man who lives only to fight, much like the Undead themselves. In addition, the Peacock Undead uses the plant and it’s effect to get Tachibana to work for him, fighting against Kenzaki -- the other Kamen Rider that Tachibana mentored. In addition, Sayoko finds out that the plant was causing damage to Tachibana’s nervous system, and attempts to get him to stop using it. Tachibana rebuffs her attempts and breaks up with her, telling her that their worlds are too different. However, Sayoko continues trying to get him to stop, for which the Peacock Undead kills her.

Finding Sayoko dead snaps Tachibana back to his senses and he goes after the Undead, fighting and defeating him even after the effect of the plant have faded. However, he finds that he no longer needs it. His fears are gone, result of losing the person he loved. However, so is his motivation to be a Kamen Rider, and he returns the transform belt to the chief and walks off.

Yet the plot doesn't let him stay away too long. He spots Mutsuki finding the 4th belt and works with the rest of the group to figure out more about the boy and the cursed belt, but resists taking his own back until encountering Kiryu, the first person who had used Garren’s belt, but hadn’t been compatible with it. Kiryu has become a vigilante, killing those he deems wicked in the name of justice, something that horrifies Tachibana who used to look up to the man. After Kiryu gets hold of the 4th belt, Tachibana finally takes back his own, going to fight as Kiryu keeps telling him to. Kiryu is defeated, and then killed by Undead being manipulated by Mutsuki as possessed by the 4th belt.

Because Mutsuki is being manipulated by the Undead in the belt, Tachibana feels a kinship with him, and decides to mentor him, to teach him to take control of the belt’s power and not be a puppet to it.

Yet, being a puppet seems to also be Tachibana’s fate, as his willingness to believe in those around him leads him to being manipulated again, this time by Hirose’s father, who was a high ranking member of BOARD before he had supposedly died. Fed one sided information, Tachibana works with Mr. Hirose against Kenzaki, thinking he’s doing the right thing, trusting in the man who was his superior in BOARD. But the administration of BOARD turns out to be the true enemy, working to create the ultimate Undead to win the Battle Fight and control of the world, and Mr. Hirose turns out to be an artificial construct with only the memories of the man he has the form of.

It’s only after the repeated betrayal of his trust that Tachibana finally decides where his true trust should lie. When in his final battle with the second to last remaining Undead, he’s told that if the Undead is sealed, leaving only Joker, the world would be reset, destroying all he knows. Finally steadfast in his belief, Tachibana tells the Undead that everyone he knows is already gone, all he has left are his friends, and he wants to trust in them. With his last strength, he seals the Undead, knowing that he’ll likely die in the process.

Yet he fakes the audience out a 2nd time, showing up in the very last episodes, having been saved by Karasuma.


Omegafriends Background: The major difference is that instead of being dead, Sayoko instead has lingered in a mysterious coma. The effect on Tachibana is virtually the same, only now he has a second motivation that brings him to Venture City, the hope that somehow, someone will be able to cure her so she can wake, as well a little hope that his blunders that always harm those around him can be fixed. (This gives more openings for shenanigans)


Personality:
Gullible, nostalgic and easily swayed, Tachibana is a naive, idealistic man who near desperately wants to believe in others and the goals of others to better the world. BOARD’s mission as he was told it, was to research the Undead for the advancement of mankind and the alleviation of suffering, something that he believed in wholeheartedly. Even when he doubts the individuals in the organization, he never doubts the mission behind it -- until he finds out that it was all a facade for something far more sinister.

In truth, everything Tachibana does, he puts his whole heart into. Every deviation from the group was made because he believed he was doing the right thing and when he gets an idea in his head, only the cold slap of reality -- normally in the form of something gone horribly wrong-- can shake him of the idea.

Despite his need to be part of a group or a mission higher than himself, Tachibana has a hard time accepting help. Repeatedly, he pushes Kenzaki away because he wants to do things for himself. Early in the series, he even gets angry when Kenzaki is sent in to be his backup, taking it as Karasuma thinking he can’t do the job.

Tachibana has two main emotional states: Cool, calm, collected and mature, and over emotional, angry, shouting and irrational. As much as he seems to want to be more of the first, he’s very easily swayed by situations and very easily gives in to his emotions, especially when he feels as if he’s being betrayed or tricked, as he has so many times before, and despite the mature affect he often has, being the eldest of the main group who had been with BOARD the longest, he’s still very fresh faced in so many ways and is stunned anew every time he sees someone’s true face or intentions. He often makes very rash decisions, jumping to conclusions and rushing in, ready to fight for what he thinks is the right thing.

Tachibana is also someone who cares deeply for others, again to the point of getting emotional and easily upset when people are hurt or hurt others. When encountering Kiryu, he’s at first overjoyed, then horrified and utterly upset to see Kiryu’s descent into vigilantism and murder. He had seen Kiryu, having been with BOARD longer than himself, as a mentor, someone he looked up to, and watching someone he respected fall to such depths all but physically pains him to see. He so easily looks up to others, despite so often finding out that those he respected were manipulative and only out for their own good. He doesn't really ever learn from his mistakes and repeated betrayals, remaining idealistic til the end.

Tachibana in many respects, views himself as horribly weak and blames himself for much of everything that goes wrong around him, even things he had no way of knowing about. Because of his failings as a Rider, allowing his fear to affect him and being unable to fight the way Kenzaki can, he grows angry and bitter, partly to Kenzaki and others, but mostly at himself, lashing out and often attacking Kenzaki even when Kenzaki is trying to help him. He tries, through pure force of will, to overcome his fears and fails utterly, seemingly only to have made himself more afraid in the acknowledgement of the problem. It’s not until Sayoko is attacked and, in this AU, left comatose (rather than murdered in canon) that he finally overcomes his fears, the (near) loss of his most important person trumping all other things he was afraid of.


Powers:
The majority of Tachibana’s abilities are tied into the Rider System that allows him to become Garren and the cards of the sealed Undead. The wiki has a list of all the cards he has and the forms that his transformation allows him (as well as all the bits and bobs that go with it.)

There is one addition, however: Even when not transformed, he has what could be best described as fast vision. When he was showing the skill to Mutsuki, it allowed him to see the number on a baseball fired from a machine at high speed.

For basic skills, he has working knowledge of motorcycle mechanics (he’s seen working on the Black Fang model), superior driving skills on a motorcycle, good reflexes, fighting skills and the normal TV show level ability to recover swiftly from injury.

The major weakness with the Rider system is that it is affected by the emotions and mind of the Rider using it. If the Rider is too hurt, too afraid, or too demoralized, or just when the plot calls for it, the transformation will break. (Often it can be redone not long after as long as the emotional condition is addressed. A good pep-talk or righteous anger can power the suit back up again in a flash)



Sample: http://omegafools.dreamwidth.org/3287.html?thread=969431#cmt969431

Notes: (Anything else you'd like to mention?)