Cerealia app
Applicant Info
◎ Name: Lorie
◎ Journal: reserved with![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
tsunverde
◎ Contact: Prefer PM or![[plurk.com profile]](https://plurk.com/favicon.ico)
nolno
Character Info
◎ Character's Name: Shintarou Midorima (western order)
◎ Character's Canon: Kuroko no Basket manga
◎ Character's Age: 16
◎ Canon Point: end of the original manga
◎ Background/History: Profile on the fandom wiki
◎ Is the character a hacker and/or do they have a sixth-sense? no
◎ Personality:
In the world of manga and anime, if you've seen one guy who coldly pushes up his glasses while treating the rest of the characters on-screen to a "better than you" stare, you've seen them all. Yet in Midorima's first appearance in the series there is just as much ridiculousness as icy glare. He's riding in the back of a rickshaw pedaled by Takao, saying it's the lucky day for his sign, and winning games of rock, paper, scissors at every stop light to secure his right to a free ride. Moments like this make it easy to see why other characters outright call Midorima a weirdo.
That isn't to say that he doesn't have a cold demeanor. He is quiet and doesn't go out of his way to interact with others. When he does interact with them, he is likely to be calling someone an idiot and looking down on him. His quickness to get frustrated with others shows that cold doesn't always mean calm, though. In the scene where members of various teams gather at an okonomiyaki restaurant, when Takao flips his food onto Midorima's head, he immediately drags him outside to beat him up. At the same time, he isn't completely unsocial. Flashbacks to their middle school days show Midorima playing shogi with Akashi and conversing normally with him. He's just never going to be the life of the party.
If he isn't getting frustrated with them and letting them know how stupid they are, his interest in the zodiac is one of the first things others might notice about him, simply because it causes him to carry around his lucky item each day, regardless of how crazy he may look carrying a tanuki statue or a cactus in daily life. Or maybe they notice it when he informs them of their horoscope for the day and whether they are fated to have good fortune or if he's the only lucky one. Although he doesn't give it as much focus as daily horoscopes, he also believes in blood type personality profiles, mentioning that he's not compatible with Kuroko because they're blood type B and A.
This is only likely to be someone's first impression if he's met off the court. As a member of the Generation of Miracles, a group of five players (plus a "phantom" sixth member) who rose to prominence in middle school with a level of skill that can only be found once a generation, Midorima is a genius-level basketball player. Long-range shots are his specialty. Despite being a first-year student, he is the star of the Shuutoku High basketball team. Because of this, his captain and teammates allow him three selfish requests each day, such as being the only one who gets the ball during a quarter. That he is someone who would make these kinds of requests to the point that a limit would be imposed reveals other facets of his personality beyond selfishness: Midorima is confident and proud enough to believe that things should be done his way.
This pride comes with high standards and further confidence in upholding them. In a flashback, he tells Murasakibara not to walk while eating because it's bad manners, and it comes up that they clash a lot because Midorima wants everything done properly and Murasakibara is too casual. It's likely no surprise that he sets the bar highest in matters of basketball. He doesn't like Hanamiya Makoto and his dirty style of play. He disapproves of their middle school bets to see who could score the most points in a game. He's dismissive of the practice match between Kaijou and Seirin because he feels that kind of dunking match doesn't leave anything to fate; in his opinion, a shot scored from farther away is more worthy. He recognizes Kuroko's strength but thinks less of him for going to Seirin because it isn't a school with a top team. During the height of their Teiko Middle School power, he keeps practicing, even after Akashi tells them they don't need to come to practice if they don't want to. He also expresses displeasure with Murasakibara and Aomine for not showing up. The downside to these standards is that they can result in a haughty attitude as if he is above the lowly people who don't meet them.
Then again, most anyone will seem lowly compared to the higher power on which he relies. His motto is "Man proposes, God disposes." He believes in fate, but nothing is left to chance. Midorima is meticulous and exacting to the point of compulsion. Before the first game with Seirin, he goes over everything he's done to ensure his success. This includes not missing a shot in the previous game, practicing hard during training, taking care of his nails, noting that Cancer's daily horoscope is the best, having the day's lucky item in his possession, and lacing his shoes starting from the right. Another ritual he engages in is taping the fingers of his left hand to keep them in perfect condition for his left-handed shots. He believes that he must do everything possible to prepare and do his best and then fate will take care of the rest. In games, the end result is making seemingly impossible three-point shots from great distances and walking away without watching the ball go in; he's that secure in his preparation and abilities.
The characters who watch each match from the sidelines and comment on the action serve a narrative purpose, but Midorima's powers of observation go beyond that. He is able to read a situation or a person and come to correct conclusions about a potential problem. When their teams end up at the same inn for training camp, in challenging Kagami to a one-on-one, he helps him figure out that he needs to work on other aerial skills besides just jumping high. Talking with Takao afterwards, it's clear that he had a good sense of Kagami's weakness. During the second Shuutoku/Seirin game, while other Shuutoku players are saying that Kuroko's misdirection won't work anymore when he comes out late in the game, Midorima instantly knows that he must have something planned. In a middle school flashback, he recognizes when Aomine has become so strong that it's affecting his enjoyment of the game. However, his ability to read a person doesn't just apply to basketball. Watching Akashi's eyes suddenly go cold during a few conversations, he's the first person to realize the dual nature of their middle school team captain. Of course, while he has a knack for knowing exactly what advice or assistance to offer to a fellow basketball player, he rarely offers it in a straightforward manner.
Even in other situations, Midorima goes to great lengths to hide that he cares. He tells his teammates he isn't coming to the Seirin/Touou game but shows up anyway wearing sunglasses as a disguise and when the game is over makes a point of saying he can't believe he was so bored he watched the entire match. The fact remains that he does care, though. Following this same match, he expresses concern over Kuroko's state of mind after the loss.
His begrudging concern isn't perfect. The more bright and cheerful a person is, the more reluctant he appears to be to engage. After Shuutoku first loses to Seirin, he won't talk to Momoi on the phone, but he does respond to Aomine. Kise sends him a message wishing him good luck before a game, and he responds, "Die". Takao seems to be an exception. They're always together, regardless of Midorima's frustration with his light-hearted attitude and his insistence on calling him Shin-chan.
During the Seirin/Shuutoku rematch, Takao offers a straightforward assessment of how others see Midorima. He says the team members don't particularly like him and "he's always floating alone" while he practices his shots without speaking. Despite the fact that he's an "irritating bastard", they "can't bring [themselves] to hate him." Most importantly, he notices that he's started smiling when they play basketball together.
That isn't all there is to be said about how Midorima relates to Takao, though, and their strange companionship is arguably his most important relationship outside of the Generation of Miracles. A flashback chapter reveals that they both stay after for extra practice, and Takao admits that he started doing it because he lost to him in middle school. However, his thoughts of beating him for revenge have changed to getting him to notice him. That work ethic and determination may be what help him win Midorima over.
Over the course of the series, the largest shift in Midorima's personality and how he relates to others occurs in his attitude toward teamwork. During the flashback chapters to their days at Teiko Middle School, the more skilled and powerful the Generation of Miracles become, the more they fall apart as a team. The end result is a team of super-skilled players with an "every man for himself" attitude. When they step out on to the court, they're only doing what they can to score points by themselves.
In the first game against Seirin, Midorima moves beyond his old attitude and passes the ball instead of taking a shot himself, showing a willingness to rely on his teammates. Another turning point comes in the game against Razukan, when he takes offense at Mibuchi saying that he's the only player who isn't a hindrance. He thinks back to how hard he's worked with Takao and how much the older teammates have put into the game, and he's inspired to keep going in a disheartening situation by his teammates. He and Takao employ a play that relies on Takao's skill at passing and his shooting. It's such an impressive combined effort that it earns them the title of Shuutoku's light and shadow, the ultimate sign of his willingness to rely on someone besides himself during a game.
Takao isn't the only person to notice the change in Midorima. While watching the game together, Momoi comments on it, and Kise says that "he made us change", referring to Kuroko. He is yet another person who finally understands Kuroko's style of basketball and realizes it's not weak to rely on others.
Unfortunately, the shift isn't enough to keep him from one more negative change. Losing is a new experience that is far from enjoyable. After the first loss, Aomine says he sounds depressed. After the second loss, Midorima cries and says it's frustrating. But there are no signs that he intends to give up or regress back to old ways. Between the first and second games, his teamwork increases, and one of the final panels of the series shows a photograph of the Generation of Miracles gathered for what appears to be a social game of basketball. It seems likely that he will only grow to new heights of playing cooperatively and enjoying basketball – an approach Kuroko would appreciate.
◎ Powers/Abilities: Midorima falls into the "playing basketball with questionable abuses to the law of physics" category mentioned in the app breakdown. His specialty is three-point shots. This is not a skill that will be very useful in daily life.
◎ Weapons & Other Special Inventory: His gym bag with a change of clothes (his school uniform), a roll of athletic tape for his fingers, and his lucky item from his last day at home (which I will say was a stuffed rabbit)
CEREALIA-Specific
◎ Element: Water
◎ Sense: Touch - This sense is both carefully honed and important to him because the way he holds a basketball is the foundation of his ridiculous three-point shots. He keeps the fingers of his left hand taped when he's not playing so as not to affect their sense of touch.
◎ Seven Character Traits:
[ + ] hard-working, dedicated, observant
[ - ] critical, cold, superstitious
[ + / - ] proud
Samples
◎ First-Person Sample: Previous game network post
◎ Third-Person Sample: This is a re-working of a meme scenario, but I think the general context of the game they're playing comes through in the narrative.
He wants to yell at Aomine to just set the duck on the water already. They know it's going to float, so he's just rubbing it in being careful when he's not. About anything. But no, reacting would let him know that he's getting to him. His eye twitches. He will name his future aneurysm Daiki.
So instead of saying anything, Midorima stares at the floating duck like it has betrayed him. (Wasn't a rubber ducky a lucky item just a month ago? Where's the gratitude?) However, he's not one to shirk his duty.
He takes a detour on the way to sitting down. On his knees, Midorima leans forward, places his hands on either side of Aomine's face and plants his lips against his forehead. A kiss worthy of a grandma.
Then he sits down. In his head, he calculates the relative density of the objects in his basket and weighs that against whether it's worse to give Aomine permission to put his lips on him or have to reveal a fantasy.
He drops a U.S. penny from a time when foreign currency was the lucky item into the bowl of water. Without even waiting for it to settle to the bottom, he offers, "My fantasy is Shuutoku winning the next Winter Cup." He's not one to shirk his duty, but can anyone blame him for trying to get by with just a regular fantasy instead of a sexual fantasy?
Aomine can blame him. The look he gives him says he isn't going to buy it. He has been placed here to torment him, so of course sliding by with a non-sexual answer is not the fated outcome.
"It's a true fantasy and a realistic fantasy." Aomine flicks his fingers against the surface of the water, and Midorima's attempt to look offended at being called out on cheating is ruined when the drops that fly toward him make him flinch. With a scowl, Midorima very carefully and precisely removes his glasses and just as carefully and precisely and stallingly begins to wipe the water away with a corner of his shirt.
He doesn't understand why he chose him for this game in the first place. Surely, when anyone thinks of which members of the Generation of Miracles care about sex, his name never comes to mind. Kise has his girlfriends, Aomine has his magazines, and Murasakibara has his snacks. Midorima doesn't have time for those kinds of relationships. He has more important things that need his attention.
Aomine is by now already choosing the next object he'll use. He can't even give the embarrassing confession he's pushing for his full attention. As obnoxious as that is, it's another layer Midorima can hide behind. Staring down at the blurry circling of his thumb against lens plus scattered attention plus an attempted air of not caring equals, "I think I would like it if someone removed the tape from my fingers before engaging in anything that required the use of those fingers."
◎ Is your character retaining any previous game memories? no
◎ Name: Lorie
◎ Journal: reserved with
tsunverde◎ Contact: Prefer PM or
Character Info
◎ Character's Name: Shintarou Midorima (western order)
◎ Character's Canon: Kuroko no Basket manga
◎ Character's Age: 16
◎ Canon Point: end of the original manga
◎ Background/History: Profile on the fandom wiki
◎ Is the character a hacker and/or do they have a sixth-sense? no
◎ Personality:
In the world of manga and anime, if you've seen one guy who coldly pushes up his glasses while treating the rest of the characters on-screen to a "better than you" stare, you've seen them all. Yet in Midorima's first appearance in the series there is just as much ridiculousness as icy glare. He's riding in the back of a rickshaw pedaled by Takao, saying it's the lucky day for his sign, and winning games of rock, paper, scissors at every stop light to secure his right to a free ride. Moments like this make it easy to see why other characters outright call Midorima a weirdo.
That isn't to say that he doesn't have a cold demeanor. He is quiet and doesn't go out of his way to interact with others. When he does interact with them, he is likely to be calling someone an idiot and looking down on him. His quickness to get frustrated with others shows that cold doesn't always mean calm, though. In the scene where members of various teams gather at an okonomiyaki restaurant, when Takao flips his food onto Midorima's head, he immediately drags him outside to beat him up. At the same time, he isn't completely unsocial. Flashbacks to their middle school days show Midorima playing shogi with Akashi and conversing normally with him. He's just never going to be the life of the party.
If he isn't getting frustrated with them and letting them know how stupid they are, his interest in the zodiac is one of the first things others might notice about him, simply because it causes him to carry around his lucky item each day, regardless of how crazy he may look carrying a tanuki statue or a cactus in daily life. Or maybe they notice it when he informs them of their horoscope for the day and whether they are fated to have good fortune or if he's the only lucky one. Although he doesn't give it as much focus as daily horoscopes, he also believes in blood type personality profiles, mentioning that he's not compatible with Kuroko because they're blood type B and A.
This is only likely to be someone's first impression if he's met off the court. As a member of the Generation of Miracles, a group of five players (plus a "phantom" sixth member) who rose to prominence in middle school with a level of skill that can only be found once a generation, Midorima is a genius-level basketball player. Long-range shots are his specialty. Despite being a first-year student, he is the star of the Shuutoku High basketball team. Because of this, his captain and teammates allow him three selfish requests each day, such as being the only one who gets the ball during a quarter. That he is someone who would make these kinds of requests to the point that a limit would be imposed reveals other facets of his personality beyond selfishness: Midorima is confident and proud enough to believe that things should be done his way.
This pride comes with high standards and further confidence in upholding them. In a flashback, he tells Murasakibara not to walk while eating because it's bad manners, and it comes up that they clash a lot because Midorima wants everything done properly and Murasakibara is too casual. It's likely no surprise that he sets the bar highest in matters of basketball. He doesn't like Hanamiya Makoto and his dirty style of play. He disapproves of their middle school bets to see who could score the most points in a game. He's dismissive of the practice match between Kaijou and Seirin because he feels that kind of dunking match doesn't leave anything to fate; in his opinion, a shot scored from farther away is more worthy. He recognizes Kuroko's strength but thinks less of him for going to Seirin because it isn't a school with a top team. During the height of their Teiko Middle School power, he keeps practicing, even after Akashi tells them they don't need to come to practice if they don't want to. He also expresses displeasure with Murasakibara and Aomine for not showing up. The downside to these standards is that they can result in a haughty attitude as if he is above the lowly people who don't meet them.
Then again, most anyone will seem lowly compared to the higher power on which he relies. His motto is "Man proposes, God disposes." He believes in fate, but nothing is left to chance. Midorima is meticulous and exacting to the point of compulsion. Before the first game with Seirin, he goes over everything he's done to ensure his success. This includes not missing a shot in the previous game, practicing hard during training, taking care of his nails, noting that Cancer's daily horoscope is the best, having the day's lucky item in his possession, and lacing his shoes starting from the right. Another ritual he engages in is taping the fingers of his left hand to keep them in perfect condition for his left-handed shots. He believes that he must do everything possible to prepare and do his best and then fate will take care of the rest. In games, the end result is making seemingly impossible three-point shots from great distances and walking away without watching the ball go in; he's that secure in his preparation and abilities.
The characters who watch each match from the sidelines and comment on the action serve a narrative purpose, but Midorima's powers of observation go beyond that. He is able to read a situation or a person and come to correct conclusions about a potential problem. When their teams end up at the same inn for training camp, in challenging Kagami to a one-on-one, he helps him figure out that he needs to work on other aerial skills besides just jumping high. Talking with Takao afterwards, it's clear that he had a good sense of Kagami's weakness. During the second Shuutoku/Seirin game, while other Shuutoku players are saying that Kuroko's misdirection won't work anymore when he comes out late in the game, Midorima instantly knows that he must have something planned. In a middle school flashback, he recognizes when Aomine has become so strong that it's affecting his enjoyment of the game. However, his ability to read a person doesn't just apply to basketball. Watching Akashi's eyes suddenly go cold during a few conversations, he's the first person to realize the dual nature of their middle school team captain. Of course, while he has a knack for knowing exactly what advice or assistance to offer to a fellow basketball player, he rarely offers it in a straightforward manner.
Even in other situations, Midorima goes to great lengths to hide that he cares. He tells his teammates he isn't coming to the Seirin/Touou game but shows up anyway wearing sunglasses as a disguise and when the game is over makes a point of saying he can't believe he was so bored he watched the entire match. The fact remains that he does care, though. Following this same match, he expresses concern over Kuroko's state of mind after the loss.
His begrudging concern isn't perfect. The more bright and cheerful a person is, the more reluctant he appears to be to engage. After Shuutoku first loses to Seirin, he won't talk to Momoi on the phone, but he does respond to Aomine. Kise sends him a message wishing him good luck before a game, and he responds, "Die". Takao seems to be an exception. They're always together, regardless of Midorima's frustration with his light-hearted attitude and his insistence on calling him Shin-chan.
During the Seirin/Shuutoku rematch, Takao offers a straightforward assessment of how others see Midorima. He says the team members don't particularly like him and "he's always floating alone" while he practices his shots without speaking. Despite the fact that he's an "irritating bastard", they "can't bring [themselves] to hate him." Most importantly, he notices that he's started smiling when they play basketball together.
That isn't all there is to be said about how Midorima relates to Takao, though, and their strange companionship is arguably his most important relationship outside of the Generation of Miracles. A flashback chapter reveals that they both stay after for extra practice, and Takao admits that he started doing it because he lost to him in middle school. However, his thoughts of beating him for revenge have changed to getting him to notice him. That work ethic and determination may be what help him win Midorima over.
Over the course of the series, the largest shift in Midorima's personality and how he relates to others occurs in his attitude toward teamwork. During the flashback chapters to their days at Teiko Middle School, the more skilled and powerful the Generation of Miracles become, the more they fall apart as a team. The end result is a team of super-skilled players with an "every man for himself" attitude. When they step out on to the court, they're only doing what they can to score points by themselves.
In the first game against Seirin, Midorima moves beyond his old attitude and passes the ball instead of taking a shot himself, showing a willingness to rely on his teammates. Another turning point comes in the game against Razukan, when he takes offense at Mibuchi saying that he's the only player who isn't a hindrance. He thinks back to how hard he's worked with Takao and how much the older teammates have put into the game, and he's inspired to keep going in a disheartening situation by his teammates. He and Takao employ a play that relies on Takao's skill at passing and his shooting. It's such an impressive combined effort that it earns them the title of Shuutoku's light and shadow, the ultimate sign of his willingness to rely on someone besides himself during a game.
Takao isn't the only person to notice the change in Midorima. While watching the game together, Momoi comments on it, and Kise says that "he made us change", referring to Kuroko. He is yet another person who finally understands Kuroko's style of basketball and realizes it's not weak to rely on others.
Unfortunately, the shift isn't enough to keep him from one more negative change. Losing is a new experience that is far from enjoyable. After the first loss, Aomine says he sounds depressed. After the second loss, Midorima cries and says it's frustrating. But there are no signs that he intends to give up or regress back to old ways. Between the first and second games, his teamwork increases, and one of the final panels of the series shows a photograph of the Generation of Miracles gathered for what appears to be a social game of basketball. It seems likely that he will only grow to new heights of playing cooperatively and enjoying basketball – an approach Kuroko would appreciate.
◎ Powers/Abilities: Midorima falls into the "playing basketball with questionable abuses to the law of physics" category mentioned in the app breakdown. His specialty is three-point shots. This is not a skill that will be very useful in daily life.
◎ Weapons & Other Special Inventory: His gym bag with a change of clothes (his school uniform), a roll of athletic tape for his fingers, and his lucky item from his last day at home (which I will say was a stuffed rabbit)
CEREALIA-Specific
◎ Element: Water
◎ Sense: Touch - This sense is both carefully honed and important to him because the way he holds a basketball is the foundation of his ridiculous three-point shots. He keeps the fingers of his left hand taped when he's not playing so as not to affect their sense of touch.
◎ Seven Character Traits:
[ + ] hard-working, dedicated, observant
[ - ] critical, cold, superstitious
[ + / - ] proud
Samples
◎ First-Person Sample: Previous game network post
◎ Third-Person Sample: This is a re-working of a meme scenario, but I think the general context of the game they're playing comes through in the narrative.
He wants to yell at Aomine to just set the duck on the water already. They know it's going to float, so he's just rubbing it in being careful when he's not. About anything. But no, reacting would let him know that he's getting to him. His eye twitches. He will name his future aneurysm Daiki.
So instead of saying anything, Midorima stares at the floating duck like it has betrayed him. (Wasn't a rubber ducky a lucky item just a month ago? Where's the gratitude?) However, he's not one to shirk his duty.
He takes a detour on the way to sitting down. On his knees, Midorima leans forward, places his hands on either side of Aomine's face and plants his lips against his forehead. A kiss worthy of a grandma.
Then he sits down. In his head, he calculates the relative density of the objects in his basket and weighs that against whether it's worse to give Aomine permission to put his lips on him or have to reveal a fantasy.
He drops a U.S. penny from a time when foreign currency was the lucky item into the bowl of water. Without even waiting for it to settle to the bottom, he offers, "My fantasy is Shuutoku winning the next Winter Cup." He's not one to shirk his duty, but can anyone blame him for trying to get by with just a regular fantasy instead of a sexual fantasy?
Aomine can blame him. The look he gives him says he isn't going to buy it. He has been placed here to torment him, so of course sliding by with a non-sexual answer is not the fated outcome.
"It's a true fantasy and a realistic fantasy." Aomine flicks his fingers against the surface of the water, and Midorima's attempt to look offended at being called out on cheating is ruined when the drops that fly toward him make him flinch. With a scowl, Midorima very carefully and precisely removes his glasses and just as carefully and precisely and stallingly begins to wipe the water away with a corner of his shirt.
He doesn't understand why he chose him for this game in the first place. Surely, when anyone thinks of which members of the Generation of Miracles care about sex, his name never comes to mind. Kise has his girlfriends, Aomine has his magazines, and Murasakibara has his snacks. Midorima doesn't have time for those kinds of relationships. He has more important things that need his attention.
Aomine is by now already choosing the next object he'll use. He can't even give the embarrassing confession he's pushing for his full attention. As obnoxious as that is, it's another layer Midorima can hide behind. Staring down at the blurry circling of his thumb against lens plus scattered attention plus an attempted air of not caring equals, "I think I would like it if someone removed the tape from my fingers before engaging in anything that required the use of those fingers."
◎ Is your character retaining any previous game memories? no