Ginko

Player Information
Name: Maggie
Age: 20
Contact: omixgirl10 and Maggie#9624 on discord
Current characters: none

Character Information
Name: Ginko
Series: Mushi-Shi
Appearance: here
Age: 36
Canon Point: Post-canon
Transferring From: Ryslig, after putting Ed through Detox Hell
Canon History: Character Info: Okay I’ll try to make this brief since the wiki is not very useful. Ginko comes from a world containing ethereal life-forms called mushi, which are invisible to most humans and which exist in a state somewhat removed from most other life. In fact, among mushi masters - individuals who make their living studying mushi and helping others deal with their effects - there is some controversy over whether certain types of mushi can even be considered truly alive. They typically don’t have true physical bodies, almost never leave remains, and often seem to function in ways that many would consider wholly unbelievable.

For his entire life, Ginko has had a condition that draws mushi toward him, making it unsafe for him to stay in any one place for too long. On top of that, a childhood encounter with a particularly dangerous mushi left him with no memories of his own past; his earliest memory is of wandering around in a forest, late at night, with no idea of where he was or how he got there. From there, he ended up acting as apprentice to one mushi master after another - practically all of whom saw fit to use his mushi attracting condition as an opportunity to get more work for themselves by keeping him in one place for far longer than was actually safe. Of course, that plan kept going wrong one time after another, and each time Ginko ended up being abandoned or used as a scapegoat, left to try and survive on his own until the next mushi master found him.

For a time, Ginko was left thoroughly convinced that his existence was unneeded and probably unwanted in the world as a whole. Over time, though, he came to accept his place in the world as a wanderer, and surviving became less of a struggle as he learned the trade well enough to make a living. Since then, Ginko has spent his life wandering the countryside, helping those he comes across with whatever mushi-caused afflictions they may be dealing with.

Canon Personality: Ginko is a soft-spoken, often somewhat emotionally distant man, always ready to provide assistance with problems that seems to be within his field - and some that don’t. In fact, his eagerness to help often has little or nothing to do with whether said help was asked for or wanted; there’s a chance he may back off if specifically told to, but even then he may insist on sticking around. Fortunately, he’s intelligent and competent, and can usually (not always, but usually) handle the stuff he gets involved in. Unfortunately, he’s also extremely stubborn; once he’s made his mind up about something, it tends to be difficult to dissuade him. He has good enough judgement that he doesn’t usually make too bad of decisions, but when he does, he sticks to them.

Despite his detached demeanor, Ginko actually has a tendency to form emotional connections rather quickly. He’s reluctant to admit to this, and will in most cases try to ignore that it’s even happening as much as he can, but it’s kind of undeniable. He has a soft spot for children, and will be particularly protective and caring toward even those who he finds difficult or frustrating to deal with. Honestly, he tends to care about people way too much for his own good, even if he doesn’t think he’s supposed to be this personally invested, which he absolutely doesn’t most of the time. Much of Ginko’s refusal to admit to emotional attachment is rooted in his belief that he’s not meant to have strong interpersonal connections; he doesn’t belong anywhere, so he can’t belong with anyone. He has admitted in the past to being somewhat envious of those who do have a solid place among other people, but he mostly channels that into trying to protect that place for those who have it, whatever that may mean for his own well-being.

Really, years of emotional abuse followed by a lifetime spent mostly by himself have left Ginko sort of a mess as far as his self-image. He sees himself as pretty unimportant overall, and it shows; if it’s a question between putting himself in danger (or even sacrificing his own life entirely) or letting someone else be hurt or killed, he’ll risk himself without hesitation. He’d rather not die or get hurt if it can be avoided, but Ginko’s definition of what’s an avoidable risk excludes just about anything where it’s a choice between his own well-being and someone else’s. As far as he’s concerned, he is ultimately disposable, like it or not - and he knows most people, especially those who he’s at all close to, won’t like it. So he just doesn’t talk about it, or himself, if he can avoid the subject at all. As far as he’s concerned, it’s not relevant to much of anything, and it’s just going to upset people if it gets brought up.

Of course, that’s not to say Ginko’s reluctance to talk about his own self-esteem problems or past is going to stop him from making ill-timed ‘jokes’ about the likelihood of his own death, which could have something to do with the fact that his sense of humor is just generally terrible. While Ginko isn’t exceptionally prone to joking around, he does occasionally make an effort at humor - which, in his case, usually means sarcasm and morbidity. Honestly, though there are some topics Ginko knows to avoid if he doesn’t want to upset people, he’s not really the best at predicting it with others. Much of the time, he’s not actually very good at putting himself into other people’s shoes and determining what things that he’s accustomed or even numb to might be strange or upsetting to others.

Though Ginko may pretend to be more detached than he really is, he is genuinely a pretty mellow guy. He rarely displays any particularly strong emotion, and is practically never truly angry - frustrated or disapproving, yes, but true rage is effectively unheard of from him. While he’s not totally immune to things being strange or disturbing, his experiences have left him somewhat harder to shake up than most, which can be enormously beneficial in situations where he needs to focus and can’t afford to be disturbed by what’s happening around him (even if, as mentioned before, it also leaves him with a somewhat skewed idea of what may and may not be disturbing to those around him). It also helped his ability to stay unperturbed by his work back home that he honestly just has a lot of feelings about mushi and the way they interact with the world - and, for that matter, about the relationships between different types of organisms in general. Though he is somewhat disillusioned with the Balance of Nature as an entity (which it is, it’s literally a force with a will of its own in his world), that hasn’t done much to dampen his investment in the natural order in the more figurative sense, and he still finds comfort in the connections between living things; even if he doesn’t and can’t quite fit into human society, he still has a place in the ‘web’ of nature.

Personality Shifts: Though Ginko was initially fascinated (if unnerved) by the first physical changes he underwent in Ryslig, the more extensively he changed, the more it shook him up. In addition to the disconnect between his body and how he thought of himself (i.e, as a human, if a strange one), the mental changes that began to take effect were even harder to adapt to.

As a troll, he found himself becoming more aggressive, more willing to resort to violence, in a way he never had been before - and, on top of that, the need to eat human flesh to keep himself from losing his mind and attacking everything in sight required him to take measures he never would have considered before, digging up fresh graves in order to get meat. Over time, Ginko stopped seeing himself as a human so much as someone who used to be human, which caused another dive in his self-esteem.

The one bright side of his time on the peninsula was that, as connecting with others quickly became necessary for survival, he gradually became more willing to open up to those close to him, and trying to protect them gave him something to focus on. In addition, ending up with Henry Townshend as an adopted brother gave him the first experience with having a family he’d ever had, though he couldn’t shake the feeling that he wasn’t a very good brother.

Largely by coincidence, Ginko ended up particularly close to several more plant-like monsters called nymphs, most notably Henry, Steven Universe, and the former robot Epsilon. Unfortunately, nymphs ended up being, by and large, a fairly insular group, and Ginko found himself jealous of and uncomfortable with the seemingly unbridgeable gap that their community and ability to communicate with plants left between him and his closest friends. At the same time that he was getting better at opening up to others, he was left feeling separated from them at the same time, which reinforced his sense that, no matter what he did, he’d always be an outsider to some degree or another.

In the end, Ginko maintained his efforts at nonviolence the best he could through graverobbing to fulfill his ‘specialized diet’ and learning to remove himself from situations that risked turning violent thanks to his newly-developed aggression. He became even more determined to focus his energy on helping others, and the necessity of community made him more willing to open up to those around him. However, the inherent violence of the peninsula and the damage to all that he had considered good about himself left him with a worse view of himself, and even more willingness to sacrifice himself, than ever.

Abilities:

Monster Abilities

Night vision/infrared vision - Ginko can see in the dark far better than the average human, and his left eye can be used to see heat signatures from living things.

Enhanced strength - Basically all monsters are physically stronger than humans; as a troll, Ginko is a few times stronger than he used to be - which is considerable, given that he already climbed mountains with a box of supplies on his back for a living. He also has better endurance.

Stoneshaping - Trolls are theoretically capable of controlling stone to the point of being able to move massive boulders with little effort. Ginko is actually very bad at this, but he can kind of shove rocks around.

Size-changing - Ginko can grow up to twenty feet tall at will, though it’s an uncomfortable process that becomes outright painful if he’s injured. He can only do this once a day and maintain it for up to an hour.

Mimicry - Ginko can disguise himself as anyone he’s seen, once a day, for up to an hour. The disguise is illusory in nature, so he won’t gain or lose any abilities depending on who he’s disguised as.

Berserker state - As a troll, Ginko can willingly enter a berserker state, in which he will attack basically anything he sees, but will be much stronger than usual and unable to tire or feel pain. He doesn’t generally do this, for obvious reasons, but it’s an option he has.

Fog Form - As the Fog God was the one who cursed him to begin with, particularly thick fog changes Ginko even further, turning him into something more bestial and monstrous than before. He’s stronger in this form, but his monstrous instincts also become stronger, making him more volatile and prone to aggression.

Monster Weaknesses

Sun sickness - Ginko is very sensitive to sunlight; in addition to hurting his eyes, direct exposure severely weakens him, inflicting symptoms similar to heat exhaustion, or, in extreme cases, heat stroke.

Monster diet - As a Ryslig monster, Ginko has to eat roughly one adult human’s worth of human flesh each month. Otherwise, his prey drive will become gradually stronger until he snaps and just tries to eat whoever is nearby.

Aggression - Though a naturally easygoing and non-violent person, Ginko’s change into a troll has left him suddenly more inclined toward physical aggression than he has ever had to deal with. Given his basic personality, it comes out to him being not much more aggressive than the average human, but since he’s not used to aggressive impulses, he’s not very good at controlling them when they happen.

Other Abilities/Skills

Medical/Botanical Knowledge - Ginko’s work in his own world, as well as in Ryslig, required him to have a degree of medical skill, as well as a knowledge of plants and their effects. As such, he’s also in the habit of learning about local wildlife, plant or otherwise, as quickly as he can when he finds himself in a new place.

Wilderness survival - Ginko has spent most of his life living alone in the mountains. So, surviving this long has required him to learn a good bit about constructing shelters, finding food, and so on.

Inventory: Literally just his pants. That’s it.

Sample

Q&A:

What’s more important: the way others see you, or the way you see yourself?

Well, it’s… hard to say. I suppose… when it comes down to it, how others see you is more likely to have an impact on your life, and may show how you’ve affected theirs… so that’s more important, in that way. Not to discount the possibility that people could be wrong about you, of course.

Do you consider yourself to be special in any way? If so, how?

Ah-- no, not really. Strange or unlucky, maybe, but I’m not sure if those are quite the same thing.

Is it difficult for you to get along with people? Why or why not?

I’d like to think it isn’t, usually… I try to listen to people, as much as I can, and I think I can usually get my thoughts through to them in turn. But I’m not always the best at predicting… how they’ll feel about things, what will be the right thing to say. I guess it all depends.

Do you have any spiritual or religious beliefs? If so, what are they?

I don’t know if it counts, but I feel that… there are certain, inevitable ways in which parts of the world connect. Those ways are best found in nature, but when it comes down to it, they’re everywhere - connecting people, places, everything. It’s all part of a whole. I guess that might count as a spiritual belief, right?

Would you rather hurt someone physically to spare them emotional pain, or hurt them emotionally to spare them physical pain?

I… probably the former, I’d say. Don’t know how well I’ve done at sticking to that.

Do you see yourself as more logical or emotional?
Ha. I’d like to say I’m more logical, but I guess that probably isn’t accurate. I try to be, at least, so that’s got to count for something, right?

Do you consider yourself easily swayed by others?

No. That’s probably a better thing some times than others.

Basically Family
reluctantreceiver henry townshendsilent hill 4 Little brother. Sometimes sort of obnoxious, but apparently that's just how this works.	foolishwren heather masonsilent hill 3 Adopted daughter pretty much. Sometimes worryingly headstrong.	blueblaze rin okumurablue exorcist Cat son. Possibly too stubborn for his own good.
gokuri yukio okumurablue exorcist Bird son. One of the few halfway reasonable people in this place.	tigermillionaire steven universesteven universe Baby nymph. Seriously, someone get this kid out of this hellhole.	thriven nuimushi-shi Found Ginko as a child, took him in and took care of him - until she was turned into Tokoyami and he lost all his memories. Doesn't know that he bought his memories of her back and now knows exactly what happened.
Friends
aboyandhiscar mike chiltonmotorcity Did nobody ever teach this kid the meaning of "slow down". Or "stop". Or "seriously, you're going to get yourself killed". He seems like a good guy, despite all that.	daddytexas texasmotorcity Is it really any wonder that he and Mike know each other? Could afford to think a little more (at all) before acting.	songoftimeandtimeagain linklegend of zelda:oot/mm Willing to do whatever it takes to do the right thing, even if his methods leave... something to be desired. Like less violence.
skyentologist ema skyeace attorney A friendship that starts with one of you almost bleeding out and the other ACTUALLY bleeding out is bound to be pretty strong. As in, enough to survive multiple maulings and near-drownings.	machitobaye machi tobayeace attorney Sort of a strange kid.	journal nameseries Suspendisse potenti. Suspendisse potenti. Etiam nec urna et nisi facilisis hendrerit eu nec quam. In hac habitasse platea dictumst. Aenean tincidunt felis sed justo tincidunt a lacinia purus interdum. Praesent tellus est, elementum non facilisis ac, placerat non velit. Nam ut tristique ipsum. Phasellus a turpis lacus.
?????
kolus stan pinesgravity falls Manipulative, greedy, and dishonest, but he doesn't seem to be completely horrible?	gogeta mugensamurai champloo Really seems to be just an obnoxious kid with a sword, but honestly, he's sort of terrifying.	imfine1111one apollo justice*ace attorney Evidently a lawyer, which, apparently, gives him some kind of automatic moral high ground (according to him). Rude, nosy, and presumptuous, but he doesn't seem to actually be malicious.
code by pastries

(extremely in-progress, code can be found here)

OOC INFORMATION
Name: Maggie
Contact: Plurk (omixgirl10)
Other Characters: n/a

CHARACTER INFORMATION
Character Name: Ginko
Age: somewhere in his thirties probably
Canon: Mushi-shi
Canon Point: post-series
Character Information: here

Personality:

Ginko is naturally an easygoing, kind of calmly friendly person, though he has a habit of trying to subtley avoid becoming too close to anyone, due to both the dangerous nature of his occupation and his wandering lifestyle. Specifically, Ginko is a mushi-shi, an individual who specializes in the study, handling, and, if necessary, extermination of strange, ethereal creatures called mushi; he has been a mushi-shi for as long as he can remember (quite literally - he has no memories of his childhood from before he was around ten years old, thanks to a mushi encounter that also cost him his left eye), partly out of necessity - something about Ginko draws mushi to him, a quality which can become outright dangerous if he stays in one area for too long (hence his near-constant movement from one location to the next).

On occasion, his intentional distancing can cause him to come across as callous or apathetic, particularly in more emotionally-charged situations in which he forces himself to think pragmatically for the sake of everyone involved (for example - some dangerous mushi are capable of disguising themselves as human children and managing to integrate themselves into a household, and some people don't like being told that their sickly children are fungi and need to be destroyed). However, despite this behavior, Ginko is a deeply empathetic person, and does do his best to understand other people's situations and feelings (and his best is pretty good). Unfortunately, he can't always use this information productively - while he's quite practiced and invested in calming nervous or even somewhat panicky people, he doesn't usually handle other people's anger or desperation well.

Ginko tends to assume that most people are at least trying to think rationally at any given time, which, in some situations, isn't a very safe assumption to make. Scared, sick people are one thing, but angry mobs (or even people who are about ready to form angry mobs) are an entirely different matter, and Ginko trying to handle the latter may just result in everyone involved becoming increasingly frustrated until someone (Ginko) gets, say, dragged off and locked in a tool shed.

As a general rule, Ginko doesn't like turning to utter destruction as the default response to a problem, for two main reasons: For one thing, he doesn't usually see any organism as inherently evil (even if he may be willing to concede that it's definitely harmful). For another, he's far too interested in the way things work, and why they do what they do, to take such an option right off the bat - usually, when dealing with a subject he's unfamiliar with, he will at least want to get a better idea of what it is before taking any final course of action. Though such an attitude has led him to greater understanding of his surroundings on occasion, it has also resulted in enormous risk to him and sometimes others at other times. Once he does decide on the best course of action to take in a given situation, particularly in situations that fit into his area of expertise, he will stick firmly to his decision right up until either it works or he's proven horribly wrong.

Despite his efforts to approach issues rationally, as well as those to avoid becoming too strongly connected to others, it is effectively inevitable that there will be times at which Ginko finds himself becoming increasingly invested in the well-being of another individual or group, at which point he will also start to take greater risks for their sake, willingly putting himself in perilous situations to protect them (going out into the mountains alone in the middle of winter to track down a possibly-dangerous mushi, going out to sea in a rowboat to try and help rescue someone from a definitely-dangerous mushi). He will endanger himself even more readily for those who he feels are more "needed" by others than he is (those with particularly strong social connections, families who depend on them, and so on), and is likely to become upset, or even oddly angry, if someone who he does feel is "needed" chooses to sacrifice themselves. It's not that he's actually eager to throw himself into the proverbial fire, exactly. It's just that, as a matter of course, Ginko tries the best he can to help those around him, whatever he may feel that entails.

5-10 Key Character Traits:
1. Distant
2. Easygoing
3. Selfless
4. Stubborn
5. Inquisitive
6. Socially unadaptable
7. Empathetic

Would you prefer a monster that FITS your character’s personality, CONFLICTS with it, or EITHER? Either is fine!
Opt-Outs: Vampire, Naga, Minotaur, Harpy, Arachne

Roleplay Sample: Ginko weaves up the now-familiar path, marked by little except for the occasional boulder or patch of somewhat sparser grass. On the bright side, the mostly flat, grassy plain makes it easier to spot the one major landmark - a small, lonely house at the peak of the tallest hill.

He's been here time and time again; it's not the only place that he revisits consistently, but it's one of the few. Of course, if he's honest with himself, it's also kind of a relief to have one place that he goes to for any reason that doesn't involve, say, making sure that clients are following the instructions he gave them to prevent re-infestation. Or, when they don't (which happens far too often for his liking), getting rid of said re-infestations.

But not here. Ginko stops in front of the door, reaching out and knocking without hesitation. He stands back, and a moment later he recognizes the tapping and creaking of crutches on the wooden floor.

A young woman slides the door open, and her face lights up as she recognizes him. "Ginko! It's been a while."

She turns to lead him inside, and he follows, kicking his shoes off outside the door. "Sorry about that, Tanyu," he replies. "I have been busy, y'know."

Tanyu glances at him over her shoulder with a smile. "I hope you at least got some more stories out of that."

"Of course." Even as he starts to think over the past few months, planning which stories to tell and how to tell them, Ginko finds himself smiling as well.