cabbagedetective: (You don't say?)
[personal profile] cabbagedetective
OUT OF CHARACTER:
Name/Handle: Kenley
Contact: [plurk.com profile] FuturePetDetective
Reference: The one known as Kayla

IN-CHARACTER:
Character name: Tohru Adachi
Character journal: [personal profile] cabbagedetective
Series name: Persona 4 Golden

Canon notes: Adachi will be pulled from after the resolution of Persona 4 Golden's true ending (i.e. his prison cell). An important note is that Adachi will have had a maxed social link with the protagonist (i.e. Souji/Yu), as this implies a certain amount of character growth having occurred during the game.

Species: Human

History:

Adachi lived a somewhat closed-off life before coming to Inaba. He grew up largely in self-imposed isolation from his classmates. His childhood was spent devoted to his academic studies, which rewarded him with an impressive academic record and a high placement upon the completion of his time in the police academy. He grew up believing that his hard work would be rewarded someday, and thus did not foster the types of friendships and bonds one would typically expect a child to make.

Despite his academic success and his impressive record from the police academy, Adachi found himself transferred to the sleepy, rural town of Inaba. Although the official report called it a “transfer,” Adachi recognized it for what it was: a demotion. A single mistake on a case had cost him his position as a detective in the big city, and instead had landed him a position in a hick town where nothing special ever happens. He was made the partner of town detective, Ryotaro Dojima, whose short-temper and strict demeanor grated on Adachi relentlessly. Adachi soon looked for any and all opportunities to skip out on work and slack off. His life was pretty much over anyways, or so he thought…

Upon arriving in town, Adachi had a fateful encounter with a relatively unassuming gas station attendant. A short exchange of words and a handshake were all that occurred on the surface. Yet, what Adachi failed to realize was how significantly this encounter would affect his time in Inaba. Not long after, Adachi heard a local rumor about the “Midnight Channel.” A folk tale about a special television program that would appear on switched-off TV sets on rainy nights at midnight. Supposedly the program would reveal to the viewer his or her soul mate. It became clear to Adachi, however, that the program was something else entirely. The program was, in fact, a window. A window into the world of mankind’s subconscious.

Although it’s not clear when or how it happened, Adachi discovered that he had the ability to enter this other world not long after viewing the Midnight Channel. He became ecstatic. This was power! Power that he craved. Finally, something had fallen into his hands to make his life more interesting. Perhaps it was a gift given in recompense for the hand he had been dealt. Rather than use his newfound power to enter and explore this other world, Adachi tested it out on someone else. A woman, Mayumi Yamuno, someone who had disappointed him for having an affair with a local council secretary, Taro Namatame. As luck would have it, Adachi’s position as an Inaba detective afforded him the chance to come into personal contact with Miss Yamano. She was, after all, hiding from the news media that had been dogging her for material to use in their coverage of her scandal. Although appointed to protect her from unwanted media advances, Adachi instead confronted the former news anchor. When things turned ugly, Adachi used his powers to throw Mayumi into the television set, trapping her in the other world.

Adachi initially planned to let her out eventually, but he soon discovered the other side was not just some temporary storage place. No, it was a death trap. Mayumi Yamano’s carcass was found a few days later, dangling upside down from a television antennae. Rather than feel remorse, Adachi instead became intrigued. There was no determinable cause of death for Miss Yamano, and no evidence on scene from which to deduce how her body had ended up in such a disturbing state. Adachi decided to test his power once again. This time on the high school girl who discovered Miss Yamano’s body, Saki Konishi. Once again, Adachi used the leverage of his position as Detective to confront Saki-san alone. And once again, he used his abilities to throw her into a nearby TV. When Saki’s dead body ended up in a similar fashion to Mayumi Yamano’s, Adachi theories were confirmed. The TV world was killing people. Rather than feel any sense of remorse, Adachi hid his glee behind the grin and determination of a Detective trying to solve the murders.

Things only became more interesting for Adachi when Taro Namatame called the police station. Namatame had also realized the Midnight Channel to be something else entirely. To him, it had become a messaging system. A way for someone to warn him who would be targeted next for murder. Little did Namatame know, the very man he was talking to on the phone was the perpetrator. Nearly overcome with glee, Adachi used a few choice words to entice Namatame to act on his own. Adachi enticed him to kidnap the midnight channel’s subjects before they could be murdered, advising Namatame to put them “somewhere safe,” where no one could possibly find them. For Namatame, this place was the TV world.

By this point, the protagonist and his friends had also stumbled upon the mystery of the other world, and its connection to the town’s murders. Now, whenever was thrown into the TV world by Namatame, the “investigation team” would enter the world themselves. They would save the kidnapped individual from their shadow selves, and liberate them from the TV world. Thus, to Namatame, it seemed as though his actions of throwing individuals into the TV was, in fact, saving them from murder.

Adachi had created a near perfect cycle of cat and mouse. A new victim would appear on the Midnight Channel, Namatame would kidnap this individual and throw him or her into the TV world, and then the high-school investigation team would enter to save the individual. The whole situation became immensely entertaining to Adachi, who managed to inject himself into the whole cycle from time to time to check on the investigation team’s progress and drop hints that appeared to be mere slips of the tongue.

However, after a while, the whole cycle became incredibly boring to Adachi. There needed to be a new victim, something to spice up the chain of events. He crafted and personally delivered a pair of threatening letters to the home of the protagonist, warning him not to interfere any further. However, it was these letters that ultimately proved to be Adachi’s undoing.

At first things looked up for Adachi, Namatame’s identity as the kidnapper became revealed, and it seemed like all the blame for the crimes would be thrust upon him. However, despite the capture and incarceration of Taro Namatame, the investigation team remained unconvinced of Namatame’s ability to commit the murders he was accused of. Instead, spurred on by the deductions of the protagonist and Naoto Shirogane, the team realized the true culprit’s identity: Tohru Adachi.

When confronted by the students, Adachi fled into the TV world, as it provided his only means of escape. Pursued by the investigation team, Adachi merely taunted them with philosophy and platitudes about the nature of “truth,” “justice” and “man’s desires.” Nonetheless, the investigation team remained undaunted. They engaged Adachi in a battle of personas and were successful in subduing him. Yet, the battle was not yet over. Adachi was possessed by another entity known as Ameno-Sagiri, who used the nearby shadows to bond with Adachi and create a being of immense power. However, Ameno-Sagiri too was defeated by the band of friends. Adachi was taken back to the real world, and imprisoned for his crimes upon his full confession.

Before the time came for the protagonist’s year-long stay in Inaba to end, Adachi sent him a letter. In this letter, he included a single clue to the identity of the Midnight Channel’s true mastermind. From this clue, the protagonist was able to deduce who the mastermind was, Izanami-no-Okami. The investigation team once again confronted the godlike being, defeating her and freeing the TV world from the ethereal fog that had been saturating it all this time.

If not for Adachi, the case might never have reached its full resolution. However, he was content to stay behind bars. He agreed to obey the “rules” of the real world, and his treatment in prison was better than what he had become accustomed to in Inaba, or so he joked. Although his cynical nature hasn’t changed completely, his bond with the protagonist and Ryotaro Dojima had planted the seeds of change in his heart. Perhaps, he had forged something akin to a bond after all, despite his best efforts to avoid them at all costs.

Personality:

Adachi is a lazy, cynical, borderline sociopath, who views reality as nothing more than a boring prison. Although he likely once held the belief that his hard work would yield reward, his untimely mistake, which resulted in his transfer to Inaba, instead engrained in him a belief that only those with the magic ticket known as “talent” ever find success in life. He thus resigned himself to the boredom that came from the monotony of his daily job as detective in a small, country town.

Not having developed any bonds or friendships likely played into his disgust with reality. He had no true relationships to find meaning in, and thus took to looking upon such bonds as a sign of weakness. In his eyes, true strength comes from the individual, not from having to rely on others. This perspective only served to heighten his disdain for other people. Something that would soon enable his ability to commit murder without a second thought.

Upon discovery of his power, Adachi once again found meaning in life. His new powers gave him near endless enjoyment, especially as he sat back and watched the chaos that erupted from their use. He committed not one, but two murders of innocent lives. Instead of recognizing his actions for what they were, he instead claimed that it was not him that murdered the two women, but everyone else; it was, after all, the world built from mankind’s hearts that killed them. He was not to blame just because he put them in there. Or so he told himself.

Adachi is a skilled lair. To himself and to others. He feigned concern for the lives lost, and seemingly pursued the culprit as a police officer should. He appeared to be nothing more than a blundering detective, who “accidently” let slip details of the case. In reality, Adachi was pulling everyone’s strings, trying to avoid capture while still encouraging the game of cat-and-mouse to continue. Adachi received an immense amount of joy from dodging detection, and from feigning to be a friendly face.

Despite these alarming character traits, Adachi does not seem to be completely without morals or a conscious. Although his actions were his own, there’s reason to suspect that his remorseless nature was being heightened by a third-party, the entity known as Ameno-Sagiri. Adachi’s full confession to his crimes, and his determination to accept his punishment of obeying the rules of the real world suggests that he is not entirely without a sense of honor. Additionally, Adachi’s time spent working with Detective Dojima and interacting with the detective’s nephew, the game’s protagonist, seemed to leave some kind of mark on him. Although, he claims that he merely used them, and that neither of their relationships meant anything to him. It is reasonable to suspect that these were more lies told to hurt them and break his “bonds” with them. Perhaps also they were lies to himself as well; they were his attempts to convince himself that he really was as heartless as they claimed him to be.

In fact, his act of sending the protagonist a letter shows a clear sign of some change in personality. Although the letter was still choicely worded with a few insults, it contained a needed clue to the true mystery behind all of the happenings in Inaba. There was no reason for Adachi to send such a letter, unless he actually did, in some way, value the bond he had made with the protagonist. Adachi likely also feels a sense of gratitude to the protagonist for saving his life after their confrontation, rather than leaving him for dead in the TV world. He will never admit to such a feeling, and he continues to rebuke Dojima whenever he visits Adachi in prison. Yet, a small smile from time to time belies his true feelings towards the two men.

Abilities: In the Persona 4 canon, Adachi possesses both the ability to summon a persona, and the ability to access the world of Inaba’s subconscious through television sets. Adachi can enter the other world himself, or he may use his power to forcibly place other people into the TV world. For the purposes of this game, Adachi will lose both of these powers. If the mods find it acceptable, his persona summoning ability could possibly be reacquired through in-game credits/ratings.

Augment Skillset: Security Augment

Sample:

[The low hum of the ship cruising slowly through space had, at first, been grating to Adachi’s ears. Yet, it now represented nothing more than some light, white noise. He no longer had trouble falling asleep to it; in fact, he wondered if he’d ever be able to fall asleep without it again.]

[He sighed audibly as he rolled over to face the cold steel wall, away from the luminescence of the bunk room’s overhead light. Although his eyes were closed, he remained fully conscious. The bunk room had become his new favorite place to shirk of his newfound ship duties. Unfortunately, due to the small size of the ship, it wasn’t exactly a great hiding spot.]

If they need me for anything, they’ll find me eventually.

[He muttered to himself.]

Until then, might as well just stay out of the way and take stock of it all.

[He thought back to the strange course of events that had transpired over the past month. He had awoken aboard a ship, floating somewhere in outer space. He had been informed of his position as a new “cast member” on some strange intergalactic reality show, and apparently he now had some sort of alien technology lodged somewhere in his brain. All things considered though, his position wasn’t all that bad.]

Certainly better than a prison cell…

[He again muttered to himself.]

Though these beds feel about the same as the one in my cell.

[He grumbled. Grumbling was his pastime. He’d become quite adept at it a long time ago.]

I still don’t have any idea who was behind my abduction, or why the hell they’d want me for anything. At first, it all seemed very similar to what happened in that boring, hick town. However, this is clearly different. For one thing… I don’t even have my power anymore…

[Adachi opened his eyes and raised his right hand, palm open to his face. He stared at it for a few minutes, a sense of strange emptiness filled him. It felt like a part of him was missing. Perhaps it was that thing… what did those brats call them? Personas? He had not been able to summon it here.]

Oh well…

[He rolled over onto his back this time, and looked up at the underside of the bunk above him.]

I suppose it’s a fair trade for not having to rot away in some cell. Though, I do miss not having to do anyth-

[Before he could finish his thought, the ship’s communications system cracked on.]

Tohru, we need you in the hangar bay. Get your ass down here!

[Adachi groaned. Loudly.]

How many times do I have to tell those idiots not to call me by my first name? Man…

[He begrudgingly lifted his body, and rolled out of the bunk.]

Might as well see what they want. I don’t want another earful from the captain.

[As he walked out of the room, a memory flashed through his head of Dojima-san. He let a small grin play across his face. It lasted for a moment, too short to be called a second. Then he made his way down to his waiting crew mates.]

Profile

cabbagedetective: (Default)
Tohru Adachi

March 2015

S M T W T F S
1234 567
891011121314
15161718192021
22232425262728
293031    

Most Popular Tags

Style Credit

Expand Cut Tags

No cut tags
Page generated Jun. 25th, 2025 12:26 am
Powered by Dreamwidth Studios