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KARAKURA NEWS - REPORTER APPLICATION
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OOC Information:
What is your In-Game-Name?:
Bouryoku - My main is Tsuryoku, so for any activity checks, etc. Please check that.
Do you have Discord and a microphone? If so, what is your username?:
I have both, however I prefer to stay muted while I’m in voice channels.
Discord - bouryoku
List your time zone and country:
BST - United Kingdom
Describe your activity:
I like to keep a fair balance when it comes to my activity. I’ll often take time off, either when I’m feeling sorta’ burnt out, un-motivated, or if I just don’t really feel like coming on. I’m always able to see Discord, and am mostly able to get on if I’m ever needed, though I understand the importance of maintaining a consistent presence online when it comes to this role, and am prepared to make the necessary improvements to my activity in order to provide thorough, interesting and overall well-written reports.
I’m also currently serving my final year in College. Although I’m currently on summer break (meaning increased activity!!), I imagine this may slightly affect my activity later on in the year, due to final exams and overall just social things that take priority over SRP. Again, this will most likely only be a small hindrance! I just thought it was worth mentioning.
Do you have any previous bans? If so, list them below:
N/A
Link any significant applications (e.g., Roles/Teams, exclude languages):
Accepted:
Shinto Priest - https://schoolrp.net/threads/tsuryoku-shrine-staff-application.50879/
Denied:
Shinto Maiden - https://schoolrp.net/threads/shrine-maiden-shrine-staff-application.44164/
Shop Keeper - https://schoolrp.net/threads/tsuryoku-motako-application.60275/
What is your motivation to apply for reporter?:
One of my favorite things about SRP is the consistent narrative surrounding the world/locations the characters occupy. From religion lore, to city histories, it tells a story of compelling and immense world-building, which has clearly had an incredibly impressive amount of care and detail put into it. The idea of contributing to this in the form of In-Character documents is one I’m heavily into, as I’ve always preferred to keep things ICly, rather than OOCly.
Writing has always been something I’ve been decently good at, and I have many times used it as a tool in SRP to further the quality of my story-telling. For example, my main character was out of Karakura for a while, and as a way to make it seem like he was actually in mainland japan, I published posts on the forums, documenting his activities as Tokyo News-papers. This can be read here. Because of this, along my passion for creating meaningful and important pieces of lore, I’ve always had the urge to apply for reporter, but have always put it off. I can’t even begin to think about the amount of scrapped applications I’ve written, many of which dating so far as back to this time last year, but seeing the recent expansion, and my lack of responsibility in the server itself (which makes playing very boring!), I think now would be the perfect time for me to finally apply.
Do you have any experience with writing? What is your relationship with writing?:
I’d never really considered writing as something I’d be into. I’d always really enjoyed writing small stories and what-not, but it was nothing I’d ever considered as something I’d actually want to go into as a potential career path. I’m still not entirely sure if I want to do writing as a job, but it’s starting to definitely appeal to me. Recently however, I’ve enjoyed writing screen-plays, as a way to document important events that happen to my characters, then treating them as a sort of on-going backstory to them. Events that have/are happening to them, just with my own set of characters, locations, etc. For example, one of my characters often leaves Karakura for business, and I like to write screen-plays on what happens during their time away. It’s a cool, fun, and unique way to provide further depth to my character’s, while improving my world-building and writing skills in the process.
Are you aware of - and will follow - the set of rules provided to you?:
Absolutely. I’m both aware of and prepared to follow the rules provided.
Why should we accept you over others?:
Although writing is something that’s pretty new to me, and I may lack the experience other applicants have, it sure as hell is something I’m passionate about. As I said before, I really do like the idea of being able to provide the SRP world/community with unique and funny (albeit sometimes weird) reports that are both fun for me to write, and entertaining for you to read. If I am accepted, I promise to deliver on that, in my own unique way.
Do you understand you have to stay completely neutral with all reports? (Your report can't have any OOC or IC bias towards a specific group):
Of-course.
Do you trust that you will be able to stay active and complete the monthly quota?:
Absolutely. I feel that both my creativity, and love for writing, will allow me to come up with topics to report on each month, without my reports getting repetitive.
Summarize what you imagine work as a reporter is:
Work as a reporter, simply put, is to essentially bring truth to the people. Although, that is definitely easier said than done. Writing a meaningful report is a very lengthy process, and takes a lot of preparation and consideration. You must find a topic, do extensive research, gather public opinions, gather not-so-public opinions, and all in all just show a sense of passion behind your process. It’s also important to maintain a consistent sort of fan-base to your reports. You need to grab the reader's attention with interesting and unique topics, and then maintain it. Considering all of this, I am prepared (and very excited) to carry out this kind of work.
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IC Information:
I wrote this section as if my character had recorded his answers! I figured it showed more personality.
Full Name:
"Nobunara, Miura"
Preferred Name/Nickname and Title:
"Mr. Nobunara"
Current Age (25+):
"36"
Past job/work experience:
Patrol Officer - Tokyo Police Department, Saitama District, Division 4
Investigative Assignments:
CASE #1: "A little after I started showing promise, I was assigned my first Investigative Assignment.
My first one was a simple drug-related crime including a couple Juveniles. Nothing major."
CASE #2: "This one was still small-time, but much better than the last. A traffic dispute turned homicide.
Caught the perpetrator a couple days after the crime was committed."
CASE#3: "The case that got me recognition. Some real estate broker was committing tax fraud,
embezzling company funds from under the bosses nose for over 20 years. It took a lotta' sleepless, stress-filled nights,
but in the end, we got him behind bars. This was also where I was offered my first bribe..."
SR. Patrol Officer - Tokyo Police Department, Shinjuku District, Division 4
Investigative Officer - Tokyo Police Department, Shinjuku District, Division 3
SR Investigative Officer - Tokyo Police Department, Shinjuku District, Division 2
Detective - Tokyo Police Department, Shinjuku District, Division 2
Degree/qualifications:
"Let’s see here…"
Student Council - Shinjuku National High-School
Journalism Club - Shinjuku National College
Debate Club - Shinjuku National College
Master’s Degree in Criminal Justice
Bachelor’s Degree in Law
Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism
"Suppose with those qualifications, I coulda’ been a lawyer, instead of a cop.
But like hell I was gonna’ sit around and wait for the crimes to happen."
Nationality and born location:
Japanese - Born n’ raised in Tokyo, Shinjuku.
"Yeah. I’m a city boy through n’ through."
Phone Number:
(+81) (030)-155-1331
How would you describe yourself in under 150 words?:
"Describe myself? Hmm. Well, my key feature would be my sense of justice. Does that make me special? No, not at all. I think every man has a sense of justice within him… Some are just… miss-guided. But not me. My goals and aspirations are clear as day. N’ I’m ready to do whatever it takes to achieve them. You see a lot of bad shit, serving under the law in Tokyo, but I can proudly say that my experiences on the force made me a stronger, better version of myself than I was when I initially joined up."
What are you interested in writing about? How will you achieve this, and would you consider going out of your comfort zone?:
"Truthfully, writing’s not what I’m here for. What I want is the duty that comes with the job. The ability to bring justice and light to situations that, if not for me, would never be revealed to the people. Scandals, Politics, Crimes. There’s nothing I won’t look into. If I gotta’ do some writing to do that, then I will, but my resolve for this goes deeper than just jotting words onto paper, or speaking into a camera. You’ll see that soon enough."
What are your expectations for the job?:
"Expectations… I think the most important thing about a job like this is to always remain truthful, no matter how clouded your judgment gets. If you start lying to your audience, then you’ve already failed as a reporter. I also know… First hand… that this linea’ work aint’ exactly the safest around. It’s easy to piss a lotta’ dangerous folk off, just with one wrong report. But that aint’ nothin’ new to me, n’ I’ve accepted the risks."
Do you have a criminal record? If so, list the crimes below:
"No criminal record. I was tried up in Tokyo under suspicion of Bribery and Abuse of power, back when I was a badge, but I beat the allegations. Other than that, never’ had any run-ins with the law."
Fluent Languages (Underline your native):
Japanese
Chinese - Mandarin
Spanish
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Mock Prompts:
#1 - General report:
The dark-side of Karakura | The Powerplant
[!] The usual audio attachment. Seems all you can do is click, and wait for that monotonous, gruff voice to play... [!]
Hey folks. It's me, Mr. Nobunara. It's been a while since the last report... Things have been busy! As always, we'll start off todays report with our usual text message segment.
[!] Nobunara clears his throat, shifting in his chair. [!]
Today's lucky reader isss...
Akimochi! Akimochi says: "Hey Nobunara. Big fan of your reports. Regular listener." Thanks, Akimochi. Hello to you too. "Have you ever considered getting married?" Woah. Goin' straight for the jugular with that one, huh Akimochi. "P.S. Do you ever feel ashamed to be a man?" Marriage, huh? I think I'm too busy for marriage... But, maybe that special lady is out there somewhere. Who knows, Akimochi.
[!] He ignores the closing question... briskly moving on... [!]
Remember viewers, for a chance to get your message mentioned in one of my reports, text your wildest stories and questions to the number below.
[!] A phone number was attached. In... Cursive? [!]
(+81) (030)-155-1331
Well! Now that that business is done with... Let's move onto today's topic. Have you, dear listener... Yeah, you... Ever seen that eye-sore of a ruin down in North-West Karakura? You know the one I mean... That big old powerplant! To most, it's a simple point of interest you see driving down Karakura Avenue on the way to get some grub. But to some... It is a criminal hot-spot! How damn' scary!
You can't help but wonder, how the hell that place got the way it did? Well, fear not, cause' today, I'll be tellin' ya' all about the history of that cess-pit of crime! It all began, when a fearsome Yakuza clan... No, I won't mention which one... (Though, I'm sure you can all guess...) Went head-to-toe against a rival street gang, after months of back n' forth torment from each side. Exciting, right? WRONG! CRIME IS BAD! DON'T DO CRIME!
[!] He coughs, seemingly shifting from the abrupt aggression, back to his regular, dull, self. [!]
Anyway... The two fought. But suddenly... After hours of fighting, an alarm rang out. What was this alarm? What sort of impending doom was it signaling? No-body knew. Until...
[!] He pauses dramatically... And sorta' comedically, by accident. He leans in. [!]
Until they did.
[!] He fixes his posture. [!]
Basically, the place was gonna' blow up. So, both the Yakuza, and the street-gang, hauled ass outta' there, through the under-ground sewer system? In vehicles? On foot!? Who the hell knows! Not me, that's for damn' sure!
Either way... I hope they all got out! That woulda' been one hell of a fiery end.
So, you ask. "Mr. Nobunara, Is that how the buildings got to the condition they did?". And I answer: NO!
[!] He slams a fist on the table. [!]
Not even close! All the building had to show for it, was a couple of blood splatters, and a buncha' grilled' walls! It weren't till months.., YEARS.., later... That Nature took it's course... Swallowing up the remaining buildings! Vines, moss, and mud covered the whatever surfaces it could, and battles for total domination of the area grew rampant.
Other than a smaller gang war on the out-skirts, that was it for a good while... However, It would all once again change, when that SAME Yakuza Clan (Still not saying which one.) took to the field once more, where they fought against ANOTHER Yakuza Clan! Now luckily, our very own Karakura Police Department stopped the part early, with a swift breach of the vehicle defences. We can only assume that from that point on, many arrests were made... However... Many gunshots were heard that night... And ONCE AGAIN, the building BLEW UP!
[!] He gets really intense, again, slamming his fist on his desk! [!]
How many times can a building friggin' blow up!? It's crazy there's even any damn building left! Either way... I hope no one was turned to crispy chicken in that explosion...
[!] He clasps his hands together, smiling. [!]
Well. There's your history lesson of the week, or whatever. I've been your man, Mr. Nobunara. Remember to keep those texts coming, for a chance to have YOUR story featured in my next report! So long!
#2 - Interview:
Business in Karakura | The SHADY Shop-keeper
[!] A video clip, with nothing but the title attatched... Once again, all you can do is click play, and hope for the best... [!]
Intro; Mr. Nobunara is no-where to be seen... Instead... A man with a cloth bag over his head sits on an un-comfortable looking metal chair! What the hell! Suddenly, he speaks!
Man w/ bag over his head: "M..- Mr. Nobunara... Is this really neccessary..?"
He's cut off by an aggressive hush, followed by that familiar, masculine voice.
Mr. Nobunara: "Be quiet!!! It adds a sensa' drama, you fool!"
Man w/ bag over his head: "If- If you insist..."
Mr. Nobunara tries to tug the bag off the mans head, but it catches his neck, and instead jolts his entire head upwards, not moving the bag at all! Ouch! Mr. Nobunara, after a bleeped out cuss, swiftly removes the bag.
Mr. Nobunara: "M..- My bad, man... Anyway... Tell me about yourself!"
What the HELL?! He was talking like that whole intro segment didn't even happen! Addressing this mysterious man as if he was asking him out to dinner! On that note... The man who previously had the bag on his head looked incredibly sketchy... The kinda' guy you'd see on the street, and think "Oh, yeah. He's definitely affiliated". He rubs his neck.
Un-masked man: "That.. That's Alright, Mr. Nobunara. Well... I'm a store owner, here in Karakura. I run a quaint' little general store up north, right beside the airport!"
Mr. Nobunara: "A 'general' store, aye? I think I'm catchin' your drift, buddy."
He winks, smiling towards the man.
Un-masked man: "I..- I'm sorry?"
Mr. Nobunara: "You sly dog... The kinda' 'general' store I'd visit if I was in the mood for a 'piece', right?"
Piece - A word commonly associated with a firearm, in the under-ground world. Mr. Nobunara winks, leaning forward, hands on his thighs.
Un-masked man: "A piece? Oh! You must mean our world famous selection of mush-rooms!"
M. Nobunara: "Ah-hah! BINGO! Shrooms, is it?! What kinda' shrooms are you peddlin'!?"
Un-masked man: "They're top-quality! We sell Shiitake, Maitake, all the take's, really! If you're looking for one to go in a nice hot-pot, I'd recommend our Enoki shrooms!"
Mr. Nobunara: "H..- Hot-pot...? You mean.. They aint' THOSE kinda' mush-rooms?"
Un-masked man: "Hm..? What do you mean, Mr. Nobunara?"
Mr. Nobunara dead-pans... A grimace forming on his face.
Mr. Nobunara: "I.. It seems I may have been mistaken. Moving on. Your business is self-proclaimed, correct?"
Was he really trying to play that off...?
Un-masked man: "Correct! We started our store with nothing but a dingy old office!"
Mr. Nobunara: "Suspicious... And.., Was it tricky? Starting up with nothing?"
Un-masked: "Of-course it was! I'll admit, I had my doubts... But as soon as we got that side-business going, business was booming!"
Mr. Nobunara's eyes light up. He'd hit the jack-pot.
Mr. Nobunara: "Side Business?! What was it?! Poker? A little under-ground massage parlor?! Spill the beans!"
A dazed look appears on the man's face...
Un-masked man: "Poker..? Massages....? I'm talking about our sister store, located mainland."
Mr. Nobunara: "O- Oh..."
Un-masked man: "Yeah! Having a store out in Tokyo promoting out store back home really had business moving fast! It was like a miracle!"
Mr. Nobunara seems defeated. He slouches. The un-masked man seems bewildered... Before he reveals a plastic bag. He reaches in, pulling out a bowl of fresh mushrooms, handing them to Mr. Nobunara. Mr. Nobunara smiles, gracefully taking the mushrooms. A smile appears on his face.
Mr. Nobunara: "Well. Today I learnt to never judge a book by it's cover."
He turns to the camera.
Mr. Nobunara: "I suppose that's all we have time for today. If you'd like to advertise anything... And I mean... Anything. Go right ahead!"
Un-masked man: "If you're ever in North Karakura, please stop by! Come try our world-famous mush-rooms!"
Recording; End.
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