O-Ren (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
dielikeasamurai) wrote2011-03-27 08:29 am
dielikeasamurai) wrote2011-03-27 08:29 am
baedal application
Out of Character Information
Name: Jillian
Username: (if applicable)![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
dayofjudah
Are you over the age of eighteen? y
Current characters in Baedal: Rodolphus, St. John, Balthazar
In Character Information
Basics
Character Name: O-Ren Ishii
Username:dielikeasamurai
Fandom: Kill Bill
Played By: Lucy Liu
Icon: http://l-userpic.livejournal.com/106891919/33097540
Canon Character Section
Physical Description: A petite woman of mixed Asian ethnicity, O-Ren typically dresses in a formal fashion, either in a single color yukata, or business professional Western garb. It may be inferred from her features that she is not fully Japanese. Her demeanor is most often calm and pleasant, even affable, but this can change quickly.
Sexuality: O-Ren is, in practice, asexual. It is really difficult to reach her in a romantic way. That said, she has no aversion to either gender, and could possibly participate in sexual activity if she thought there were gain in it. The closest relationships of her life have been that of mentor and confidant (Ashio and Sofie respectively); she has never had any time or use for romance. I am open to this changing, but it is pretty unlikely.
History: Like the movie that inspired Kill Bill, Lady Snowblood, O-Ren Ishii's life begins in tragedy. Born on an American military base in Tokyo to a Japanese father and a Chinese mother, she was only nine when she witnessed the death of her parents. As she lay hidden under the bed, her father was stabbed to death, and then her mother was thrown on the bed and also stabbed. The blood leaked through the mattress and dripped on her face. The man responsible for their deaths was an infamous Yakuza boss, Matsumoto. When he and his men left, they set the house on fire. At her age, O-Ren didn't understood why any of this had happened, but in the end, it didn't matter: her parents were dead, and so she swore revenge.
No canon exists for the next two years, so the following is headcanon only. There aren't many things a nine year old girl can do to survive in 1980s Japan, especially if her only drive in life is to kill an extremely powerful man. She did not stay at the military base, whose guards and security measures had not saved her parents. Instead, she took the longest walk of her young life to the last person she could think of who could possibly be able to help her — a man called Ashio. Though she had often been told to refer to him as "uncle", he was not of any biological relation to her or her parents. Her father had been loosely acquainted with him, as their circle of friends overlapped. Ashio had, on occasion, given O-Ren candy or generally been nice to her when they encountered one another at parties, though he never made any special effort to see her. (I.e. he wasn't a perv. That comes later. Sob.) She had noticed that he was good at making people smile and calm down, that he always seemed to know everyone, and that whatever she saw him doing, he seemed to be good at it. On one memorable incident, she managed to catch a few moments of him fighting with another man before her mother took her away from the window. He had been winning overwhelmingly. Strangely, she had always received the impression that her father didn't approve of Ashio. It had something to do with all the people he was always talking to.
With these vague memories in mind, she went to him to ask for help. Though he was shocked to hear of the murders, and sympathetic toward O-Ren, it was worth a man's life to oppose Boss Matsumoto — Ashio had Yakuza ties, himself. He reluctantly decided, however, that Matsumoto wouldn't give a crap about the kid, and took O-Ren to stay with his sister. Over the next two years, she persuaded Ashio to train her, to allow her to accompany him to certain places so she could overhear gossip and learn things about the Yakuza and Matsumoto in general. It was Ashio who helped her exchange places with the young girl sent to Matsumoto's room — because, as it turned out, the Yakuza boss was a pedophile.
O-Ren stabbed him several times, gutting him and ultimately killing him. She also killed two underlings with a gun.
She stayed with Ashio for three more years before setting out for more training. She did him the favor of never returning or contacting him again; her presence in his life had always proved disruptive and dangerous. By the age of twenty she was one of the top female assassins in the world. Soon after that, she was recruited by Bill into the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad and given the codename Cottonmouth. This was where she met and became friends with Beatrix Kiddo, as well as Sofie Fatale. At some point in the next five years, she was sent to Pai Mei to receive training, as all of Bill's proteges were. At twenty-five, she took part with the other Vipers in killing Beatrix and the other people at the wedding rehearsal. About a year after that, O-ren took over the Tokyo underworld with Bill's support. With her best friend and lawyer/translator Sofie, her bodyguard Gogo, and her personal army, the Crazy 88, she ruled the Yakuza clans with the obligatory iron fist.
But Beatrix hadn't died. She had only gone into a coma, and when she woke up, she was understandably a little upset. O-Ren was first on her death list because she was the easiest to find. At the House of Blue Leaves, where she and a small group of her army were hanging out, Beatrix captured Sofie Fatale and cut off her arm. She then fought and killed Gogo, and killed every member of the Crazy 88 (there weren't actually 88 of them) except one, who was very young. Only then did she and O-Ren fight. Beatrix killed O-Ren outside in the snow.
Powers: While she has no superpowers, O-Ren is an outstanding martial artist, specializing in Japanese sword fighting. She also received training from Pai Mei, though she was neither as successful as Beatrix nor as much of a failure as Elle. As one of the "top female assassins" of her day, she is familiar with many kinds of weapons, including guns.
Personality: Uncompromising and ruthless, O-Ren's strength of will comes from that terrible night when her parents were murdered. She stayed quiet the entire time they were killed, and when she left the house, she watched it burn in silence. For the next two years, she would live, eat, breathe, and fight only for the chance to kill Matsumoto. Her focus was extraordinary. When the time came, she taunted the Yakuza boss as she twisted the blade inside him, showing that while she was not necessarily sadistic, killing brought her satisfaction, and would forever after hold a sense of security and accomplishment for her. Though she would come to rule over the Yakuza bosses herself, she never hesitated to dispatch one if he were troublesome in any way.
With her first goal in life completed, O-Ren decided that she should stick to what she was good at. Her life had, in essence, been ripped away from her when her parents were murdered, and now she was a new person who didn't have to follow society's rules. She remade herself: determination, control, discipline, hard-heartedness, strong situational awareness, poise, and an authoritative bearing are qualities that helped her rise to power. But that wasn't the sum of who she was. O-Ren was still able to interact with people on a normal level, probably because of Ashio's influence. She didn't have a lot of friends, but Beatrix and Sofie were close to her. Both were Bill's proteges, and while that meant they all shared a common background, it didn't mean they had to be friends — Beatrix and Elle pretty much hated each other. But O-Ren and Beatrix bonded over their love of bushido.
However, the side of O-Ren that was cold and hard and business-like took precedence over their friendship when Bill told the Vipers that Beatrix had betrayed ("betrayed") them. She participated in the massacre at Two Pines, not without some regret; but those kinds of feelings, she carefully sealed away into the part of her that was still a young girl hiding under the bed.
Reason for playing: O-Ren is aesthetically a fascinating character, but I'm really interested in exploring her emotional side, only hints of which were given in the movie. She is also great for plots, a character with potential to be a big player due to her drive for power and her ruthlessness in trying to attain it. There's just so much I can do with her.
Writing Samples
First-Person Network Post:
First-Person Journal Post:
Third-Person Arrival Post:
Third-Person Action Post: It really wasn't fair, O-Ren decided, turning the corner precisely into the aisle that split the movie theater seating in half. The lights were out. The reel was showing nothing but white noise, jumping and shivering in the cool air of the booth.
Somewhere in the dark, someone tried to hold in their harsh breathing and low whimpers.
Not fair at all.
Bill had one, of course, and he'd commissioned one for Bud. But for Beatrix of all people to show up like four years and a daughter lost were like nothing at all with the Hattori Hanzo sword that he had sworn he wouldn't make — well. Not fair.
Who had worked harder? O-Ren moved silently down the incline floor, with its tacky patterned carpet rich with the crushed kernels of stale popcorn and the sticky persistence of spilled soda. Who had, with Bill's backing of course, successfully eliminated her competition with ruthless efficiency?
The silence was split by the drawing of her sword. Static danced along the silver blade. Someone crammed their hands over their mouth.
All her life, people had taken and taken from her. And she had learned to take back.
Friends were good — how could she get by without Sofie? — but power was better. Sofie understood that. And Beatrix had been so stupid. Running off, betraying Bill for a video store clerk. She'd been a little young for a mid-life crisis, but people did have quarter life crises these days, and they said pregnancy could make you crazy. Not that O-Ren ever planned to find out.
There were four exits in the theater, but two were barred shut, and the static-covered screen cast nauseating illumination over the area one would need to cross to reach the others. What was it like to sink your body into a trembling ball, your heart hammering adrenaline-laced blood through arteries and veins over and over, your throat working but no sound coming out, your mind clinging desperately to what you knew were you last moments?
O-Ren knew.
(The uneven lightness of her head, her hair falling forward, the snow turning dark against her eye—)
It wasn't fair.
So they had to be taught. One by one, if necessary.
Starting now.
Misc
Other:
Name: Jillian
Username: (if applicable)
dayofjudahAre you over the age of eighteen? y
Current characters in Baedal: Rodolphus, St. John, Balthazar
In Character Information
Basics
Character Name: O-Ren Ishii
Username:
dielikeasamuraiFandom: Kill Bill
Played By: Lucy Liu
Icon: http://l-userpic.livejournal.com/106891919/33097540
Canon Character Section
Physical Description: A petite woman of mixed Asian ethnicity, O-Ren typically dresses in a formal fashion, either in a single color yukata, or business professional Western garb. It may be inferred from her features that she is not fully Japanese. Her demeanor is most often calm and pleasant, even affable, but this can change quickly.
Sexuality: O-Ren is, in practice, asexual. It is really difficult to reach her in a romantic way. That said, she has no aversion to either gender, and could possibly participate in sexual activity if she thought there were gain in it. The closest relationships of her life have been that of mentor and confidant (Ashio and Sofie respectively); she has never had any time or use for romance. I am open to this changing, but it is pretty unlikely.
History: Like the movie that inspired Kill Bill, Lady Snowblood, O-Ren Ishii's life begins in tragedy. Born on an American military base in Tokyo to a Japanese father and a Chinese mother, she was only nine when she witnessed the death of her parents. As she lay hidden under the bed, her father was stabbed to death, and then her mother was thrown on the bed and also stabbed. The blood leaked through the mattress and dripped on her face. The man responsible for their deaths was an infamous Yakuza boss, Matsumoto. When he and his men left, they set the house on fire. At her age, O-Ren didn't understood why any of this had happened, but in the end, it didn't matter: her parents were dead, and so she swore revenge.
No canon exists for the next two years, so the following is headcanon only. There aren't many things a nine year old girl can do to survive in 1980s Japan, especially if her only drive in life is to kill an extremely powerful man. She did not stay at the military base, whose guards and security measures had not saved her parents. Instead, she took the longest walk of her young life to the last person she could think of who could possibly be able to help her — a man called Ashio. Though she had often been told to refer to him as "uncle", he was not of any biological relation to her or her parents. Her father had been loosely acquainted with him, as their circle of friends overlapped. Ashio had, on occasion, given O-Ren candy or generally been nice to her when they encountered one another at parties, though he never made any special effort to see her. (I.e. he wasn't a perv. That comes later. Sob.) She had noticed that he was good at making people smile and calm down, that he always seemed to know everyone, and that whatever she saw him doing, he seemed to be good at it. On one memorable incident, she managed to catch a few moments of him fighting with another man before her mother took her away from the window. He had been winning overwhelmingly. Strangely, she had always received the impression that her father didn't approve of Ashio. It had something to do with all the people he was always talking to.
With these vague memories in mind, she went to him to ask for help. Though he was shocked to hear of the murders, and sympathetic toward O-Ren, it was worth a man's life to oppose Boss Matsumoto — Ashio had Yakuza ties, himself. He reluctantly decided, however, that Matsumoto wouldn't give a crap about the kid, and took O-Ren to stay with his sister. Over the next two years, she persuaded Ashio to train her, to allow her to accompany him to certain places so she could overhear gossip and learn things about the Yakuza and Matsumoto in general. It was Ashio who helped her exchange places with the young girl sent to Matsumoto's room — because, as it turned out, the Yakuza boss was a pedophile.
O-Ren stabbed him several times, gutting him and ultimately killing him. She also killed two underlings with a gun.
She stayed with Ashio for three more years before setting out for more training. She did him the favor of never returning or contacting him again; her presence in his life had always proved disruptive and dangerous. By the age of twenty she was one of the top female assassins in the world. Soon after that, she was recruited by Bill into the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad and given the codename Cottonmouth. This was where she met and became friends with Beatrix Kiddo, as well as Sofie Fatale. At some point in the next five years, she was sent to Pai Mei to receive training, as all of Bill's proteges were. At twenty-five, she took part with the other Vipers in killing Beatrix and the other people at the wedding rehearsal. About a year after that, O-ren took over the Tokyo underworld with Bill's support. With her best friend and lawyer/translator Sofie, her bodyguard Gogo, and her personal army, the Crazy 88, she ruled the Yakuza clans with the obligatory iron fist.
But Beatrix hadn't died. She had only gone into a coma, and when she woke up, she was understandably a little upset. O-Ren was first on her death list because she was the easiest to find. At the House of Blue Leaves, where she and a small group of her army were hanging out, Beatrix captured Sofie Fatale and cut off her arm. She then fought and killed Gogo, and killed every member of the Crazy 88 (there weren't actually 88 of them) except one, who was very young. Only then did she and O-Ren fight. Beatrix killed O-Ren outside in the snow.
Powers: While she has no superpowers, O-Ren is an outstanding martial artist, specializing in Japanese sword fighting. She also received training from Pai Mei, though she was neither as successful as Beatrix nor as much of a failure as Elle. As one of the "top female assassins" of her day, she is familiar with many kinds of weapons, including guns.
Personality: Uncompromising and ruthless, O-Ren's strength of will comes from that terrible night when her parents were murdered. She stayed quiet the entire time they were killed, and when she left the house, she watched it burn in silence. For the next two years, she would live, eat, breathe, and fight only for the chance to kill Matsumoto. Her focus was extraordinary. When the time came, she taunted the Yakuza boss as she twisted the blade inside him, showing that while she was not necessarily sadistic, killing brought her satisfaction, and would forever after hold a sense of security and accomplishment for her. Though she would come to rule over the Yakuza bosses herself, she never hesitated to dispatch one if he were troublesome in any way.
With her first goal in life completed, O-Ren decided that she should stick to what she was good at. Her life had, in essence, been ripped away from her when her parents were murdered, and now she was a new person who didn't have to follow society's rules. She remade herself: determination, control, discipline, hard-heartedness, strong situational awareness, poise, and an authoritative bearing are qualities that helped her rise to power. But that wasn't the sum of who she was. O-Ren was still able to interact with people on a normal level, probably because of Ashio's influence. She didn't have a lot of friends, but Beatrix and Sofie were close to her. Both were Bill's proteges, and while that meant they all shared a common background, it didn't mean they had to be friends — Beatrix and Elle pretty much hated each other. But O-Ren and Beatrix bonded over their love of bushido.
However, the side of O-Ren that was cold and hard and business-like took precedence over their friendship when Bill told the Vipers that Beatrix had betrayed ("betrayed") them. She participated in the massacre at Two Pines, not without some regret; but those kinds of feelings, she carefully sealed away into the part of her that was still a young girl hiding under the bed.
Reason for playing: O-Ren is aesthetically a fascinating character, but I'm really interested in exploring her emotional side, only hints of which were given in the movie. She is also great for plots, a character with potential to be a big player due to her drive for power and her ruthlessness in trying to attain it. There's just so much I can do with her.
Writing Samples
First-Person Network Post:
First-Person Journal Post:
Third-Person Arrival Post:
Third-Person Action Post: It really wasn't fair, O-Ren decided, turning the corner precisely into the aisle that split the movie theater seating in half. The lights were out. The reel was showing nothing but white noise, jumping and shivering in the cool air of the booth.
Somewhere in the dark, someone tried to hold in their harsh breathing and low whimpers.
Not fair at all.
Bill had one, of course, and he'd commissioned one for Bud. But for Beatrix of all people to show up like four years and a daughter lost were like nothing at all with the Hattori Hanzo sword that he had sworn he wouldn't make — well. Not fair.
Who had worked harder? O-Ren moved silently down the incline floor, with its tacky patterned carpet rich with the crushed kernels of stale popcorn and the sticky persistence of spilled soda. Who had, with Bill's backing of course, successfully eliminated her competition with ruthless efficiency?
The silence was split by the drawing of her sword. Static danced along the silver blade. Someone crammed their hands over their mouth.
All her life, people had taken and taken from her. And she had learned to take back.
Friends were good — how could she get by without Sofie? — but power was better. Sofie understood that. And Beatrix had been so stupid. Running off, betraying Bill for a video store clerk. She'd been a little young for a mid-life crisis, but people did have quarter life crises these days, and they said pregnancy could make you crazy. Not that O-Ren ever planned to find out.
There were four exits in the theater, but two were barred shut, and the static-covered screen cast nauseating illumination over the area one would need to cross to reach the others. What was it like to sink your body into a trembling ball, your heart hammering adrenaline-laced blood through arteries and veins over and over, your throat working but no sound coming out, your mind clinging desperately to what you knew were you last moments?
O-Ren knew.
(The uneven lightness of her head, her hair falling forward, the snow turning dark against her eye—)
It wasn't fair.
So they had to be taught. One by one, if necessary.
Starting now.
Misc
Other: