Shadows in my Mind [Mako Meta]

Who's the edgy punk? —
Mako is probably one of my most depressing character's I've made, which says something really. Suffering from multiple disorders and phobia's due to his screwed up past mixed with his youth, he is incredibly young by soul standards- quite literally, just a child. His core emotion- is fear. Fear of everything, bordering on a level of insanity- this could, in a way, be used as a powerful weapon in that by being afraid of everything- but not letting it rule him, he could become the character archetype obsessed with having a solution to any problem that may arise. Thinking about things going so far south that no one else would even consider, very Batman or Urahara-esc in a way. However, as he is just a child; instead the fear rules him, and for good reason taking a glance back into his history, having suffered from physical and sexual abuse, without any real light or love in his life, causing Borderline Schizophrenia, Insomnia, Immense General Anxiety, Severe Haphephobia, the list goes on. 

At the moment, he has no notable powers or abilities- in fact, most of his skills are "None" with only Hakuda and Zanjutsu having the Beginner ranking, purely because he's a slum kid that's never been taught anything. I only gave him those rankings because I feel like pretty much anyone has a basic understanding of how to fight- especially if you've been forced to survive in the Rukongai slums all your life (even if he isn't much of a fighter).

What's your plan for him? —
When it comes to goals for him, the biggest one is quite simply: to help him grow some form of reason to really live. He has no passions, no drive, no goals, no friends- I want to change that. Starting with a slow reason to live, even if it's simply "I want to see them tomorrow" or something else simple. There will be little no way for him to instantly become friends with anyone since he's socially and emotionally inept. However, it would be slow, but steady increase in his character to realize that not everything and everyone is as dark and pointless as he thinks. Obviously, the goal is to help him become a stronger character: Honestly, I don't mind which way that goes- be it through a thought process that if he can't have happiness, no one can- or a more positive concept that helps him fall into the light a bit more. I don't want him to have any vast character alterations and suddenly become this bright, cheerful person- because he isn't one.

Even if he'd had a normal(ish) childhood, Mako isn't an upbeat, positive person. He's naturally sadistic, pessimistic, cynical, and introverted. He's meant to be what happens when someone who is already quiet, and dark- is forced into a situation or lifestyle that's even worse for them atop their natural traits. As such, what I would like to see- is the first "product" of his development being a slow return to his "true self". Sarcastic, Cynical, Smartass, etc- the depression and fear will always be a massive part of his character. But I want him to learn to not let it rule his existence.

What do you want from us? —
Well- there's a couple things, first off I'd like to make it clear: Mako is 13 in his current "timeline" but I intend fully to perform multiple time skips that span over multiple years- to the point where he's roughly 80-100 eventually in "modern time" for the forum. I want to keep the timelines coherent as well, and this means that any threads with Mako would be, for most characters, 80+ years in their pasts, making the threads TBTP for any character that isn't Mako. The other option, of course, is that your character also ages with Mako, which if you're fine with that, by all means- but I'm fully aware that's immensely unlikely due to how many complications with others it could cause.

Now, with that out of the way- there's a few options for threading when it comes to relationships I'd like for him to have. Obviously none of these are limited, by all means, feel free to combine/mix and match.

• Acquaintances: As is, Mako literally knows no one. They don't have to be friends, just meeting people, even if it's just short threads that are light and social, are welcome. Little things to help him explore social situations and expand on his communications skills that he lacks so extensively. This is my least-wanted, as I prefer in-depth plots, but I'm aware some people prefer light social meetings before that, so the option is there for those that wish. On the other hand, if you want to start with this, and let the thread evolve into a deep plotline- that's far more up my alley and would likely give far more chances for development and relationships on both sides.


• Friends: This is obviously something that's important- however becoming "friends" with someone like Mako isn't really an easy process. I, by all means, welcome the attempt and would love for him to have some real allies and friendships- as it would obviously help his growth tremendously. But I don't expect anyone to force the issue with such a stubborn, depressed little edgelord. That said if the idea piques your interest, by all means, try it- likely following the same idea as the above "acquaintances" but with a deep plot right off the bat and a general idea of what we want to do to really introduce them both in a way that would increase the likelihood of a friendship forming.


• Teachers: This is another biggie, seeing as how Mako needs a parental figure in his life that hasn't tried to abuse him in literally every way- having an adult in his life, even if it's just as someone who helps him learn to read and write, would be a massive first step for him as a character. Obviously, him learning Kido, Combat skills, and so forth is nice too- but due to his emotional and mental complications getting him to dedicate any real effort at any of those things is unlikely. Baby steps and all that.


• Enemies: Not exactly something I'm looking for, just yet. Seeing as how he's so unstable and depressed at the moment he may very well let some enemy kill him. Though some odd combination of enemy and friend, could certainly work- perhaps someone incredibly competitive, that hates how unmotivated he is and wants to try to fix it int heir own way? Dunno, some options there I'm sure with enough creativity.

Anyone that's interested feel free to post here, PM me on-site, or PM me on Discord (Heart0fLight#9786).