IC INFORMATION Characters Name: Reiji "Marco" Maruko Age: 16 Canon:Eyeshield 21 Canon Point: Chapter 332 Species: Human Gender: Male Orientation: Heterosexual. Marco is canonically infatuated with the team's manager, Maruko Himuro, and a good portion of what he does in the series is all because of a promise / boast he made to her. He's still young, of course, and he seems open to "meeting people," but from what we're shown in the series, he seems to be (mostly) heterosexual.
History:This wiki page has a decent summary. Appearance:Marco, like many of the other characters in the series, looks older than he actually is. Fitting in with Hakushu's Italian mob theme, Marco tries to look slick and clean cut, with his pinstripe jacket draped over his shoulders more often than not.
Personality:
Reiji Maruko of the Hakushu Dinosaurs is a man who's all about appearances — that's why he much prefers to be called "Marco," since it sounds more "dangerous," like the name of a suave Italian man (read: mafia). His father is said to be a former member of the mafia and Marco plays into this perception neatly, doing things like delivering sympathy flowers to the opposing team before their match (where his monstrous teammate Gaou would then completely destroy the quarterback and, potentially, hospitalize other team members).
With that said, there is a huge difference between how Marco would like to be perceived and how he actually is. Marco would like others to think he's this dangerous badass strategist who pulls the strings and isn't afraid of anything. In actuality, Marco is an idealist who has been punched in the face by reality, and his ambition spurred him towards some vicious actions (recruiting strong players for the sole purpose of destroying the opposing team, employing scare tactics when the need suits him). At heart, though, Marco is still the wild dreamer who's a bit of a coward.
He's the quarterback for his team and serves as the tactician; parallels are drawn up in the series between him and Hiruma, Deimon's quarterback and all-around schemer supreme. Marco scratches and claws his way through the tournament, utilizing the cards he's been dealt to the best of his abilities. Often described by others as cunning, he uses his cool facade to mask the fact that he is somewhat cowardly at heart. Even though his team now has a powerhouse in the form of Gaou, Marco is leary of facing off against any strong opponents, prefering to destroy the competition quickly and breaking their morale rather than having a long, drawn-out game. His whole "victory above all else" style has alienated a number of people including the team manager, Maruko Himuro.
Which is a bit funny since his ruthless streak started because he promised her that they'd win! Back when he first joined up with the team, Marco used to be more of a flirt who was decent enough at football and recognized by the upperclassmen as being just okay. He'd spend more of his time messing around with Himuro (who he nicknamed "Maria") and flirting with her, giving her lines like "I'll show you the morning sun after the victory" while making little snowmen with her with cola bottles. Romance. They were all having fun with the team, but nothing seemed to be too serious. Marco was serious about wanting to win, with his sights set on the annual championship game, the Christmas Bowl. However, the upperclassmen attempted to discourage the notion, noting that they'd easily be destroyed by the more powerful teams out there and urged him to aim for third place to avoid disappointment.
. . . and then Marco saw the Alexanders, the very best team in the series, crush the competition in the Christmas Bowl like it was nothing.
As a side note, in Eyeshield 21, every team seems to have some sort of theme going for them, and the team members all conform to this to some extent. The Seibu Wild Gunmen are cowboys, the Oujou White Knights are what it says on the tin, and the Kyoshin Poseidon have a number of water-related themes, just to name a few. With Hakushu, they have this mafia/mob feel about them, where their uniform even has pinstripes and everything.
So basically, after witnessing the sheer power of the Alexanders and realizing what a pipe dream winning the Christmas Bowl was up until that point, Marco becomes Hakushu's mob boss and Al Pacinos his way through the tournament. He uses Gaou to crush people and feels no sympathy for them at all, because all's fair in love and war and he's hardened himself to it.
With that said, the Hakushu-Deimon game does see Marco shift his mindset a bit. While he still believes that power is everything, Marco seems to begin to understand the merits of teamwork and trusting other people (novel concepts, yes). Up until that point, all of the Hakushu players — Gaou included — had been Marco's pawns placed on a board, and he acted as a control tower, guiding them to victory. In the match against Deimon, Marco is forced to change his tactics and ultimately comes to understand that he can make risky plays he hasn't entirely thought out in advance, because he trusts that Gaou will be there to protect him and make it possible. It seems like a small thing, but Marco putting his faith in anyone beside himself and his plans is a big deal for him. By the end of the game, Hakushu goes from being this powerhouse that uses its strength to break the other team's morale and end things to an actual team, and a lot of this is reflected in the change in Marco's outlook.
He is self-aware to a certain degree and does realize that his cutthroat behavior has alienated people and his whole "let's bust up the opposing team's players" tactic has definitely villainized him. Despite this, Marco never backs off or changes the course, only admitting after he loses in the end that perhaps it wasn't the smartest of moves and if the end result was that he lost everything important to him, then what was it for?
In general, off the field, Marco seems to be a laid-back guy who's almost never seen without a bottle of cola (to the point where one of the main characters notes that the only thing he really knows about Marco is that he likes cola). He has a speech quirk where he slips in some variation of "I'd say" into his sentences which, while a bit awkward at times, reflects that this is a cautious man who isn't willing to put his sword in the sand on anything. And like many of the other quarterbacks, Marco prefers to keep his cards up his sleeve and doesn't care much to show his hand to anyone unless it's forced. His casualness also reflects this; Marco seems almost allergic to making any sort of declarative statements, softening them with noncommittal phrases.
Once the fall tournament is over and Marco interacts again with everyone else, he's shown to be a fairly decent team player who's open to working with others. He's settled down a bit and is more willing to let his "cool" facade slip here and there.
Abilities: All of Marco's "abilities" are football-related: - Spy/Ball Chasing — in general, Marco's focus differs from others in that he can hone it in on one thing, even in something as deeply confusing and busy as football can be. He marks one person and watches them regardless of whether or not they have the ball, able to shut out any and all distractions around him. Once someone has the ball and he's onto them, he'll keep his eye only on the ball, seeing through any sort of feint. This indicates a ridiculously high level of concentration on his part. - Screw Bite — Marco's signature move. As a defensive player, instead of just tackling the player with the ball or trying for a fumble, Marco attempts an all-out steal, snaking his arms in to snatch up the ball (which is possible due to the above re: ball chasing).
Logically, Marco knew that no matter how many times he jangled the ring full of colorful keys in front of his face, they wouldn't actually be able to provide him with any answers. Logically, of course. And yet, here he was, sprawled out in a lawn chair with a ring of five keys dangling above him, looped around his finger which snapped them up and down in a sort of lazy rhythm.
His mind quickly turned over the possibilities. A kidnapping? — no, no, the only people he knew who were insane enough to do that didn't have a motive. . . . Probably. Not that they'd need one— Marco rolled his eyes at the thought, letting out a snort. "Not his style, I'd say," he muttered with mild amusement, lowering the keys. "There'd be more vans and firearms for one."
Marco's eyes shifted up towards the sky, the sun bearing down on him, and he immediately frowned. A fever dream was his next guess, but were those really this . . . pleasant? He'd never actually had first-hand experience with those himself, but then again, suburbia could be a nightmare for some.
"Well, no use in laying around here," he groaned out, stretching out lazily before finally sitting up. Marco rubbed at the back of his neck, glancing over to the house nearby. A smirk crossed his face as his eyes shifted back to the key ring. "It's about time to piece it all together, I'd say."
OTHER Housing Request?: n/a Did you read the rules and FAQ?: Yes! Would you like your application to be unscreened?: Sure!
ACCEPTED Congrats, your application has been accepted! Your character is now living at 1464 in Holly Heights, with a child slot. In order to get the ball rolling, here's what you need to do:
Comment back with the journal you'll be using for your character so that they can be accepted into the communities.
Create an IC Mailbox post on your characters journal that is not friends only. You are also free to treat this as an information holding post with your character's family and address listed if you wish.
Optionally, you can go to the Locations post and create a location for your character to own and/or work at.
NEW: Please make sure you familiarize yourself with the new AC schedule and the setting changes. Note that the setting changes do not change how arrivals work.
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Reiji "Marco" Maruko | Eyeshield 21 | Reserved
Player: Juri
Age: 28
Personal Journal:
Contact Info:
IC INFORMATION
Characters Name: Reiji "Marco" Maruko
Age: 16
Canon: Eyeshield 21
Canon Point: Chapter 332
Species: Human
Gender: Male
Orientation: Heterosexual. Marco is canonically infatuated with the team's manager, Maruko Himuro, and a good portion of what he does in the series is all because of a promise / boast he made to her. He's still young, of course, and he seems open to "meeting people," but from what we're shown in the series, he seems to be (mostly) heterosexual.
History: This wiki page has a decent summary.
Appearance: Marco, like many of the other characters in the series, looks older than he actually is. Fitting in with Hakushu's Italian mob theme, Marco tries to look slick and clean cut, with his pinstripe jacket draped over his shoulders more often than not.
Personality:
Reiji Maruko of the Hakushu Dinosaurs is a man who's all about appearances — that's why he much prefers to be called "Marco," since it sounds more "dangerous," like the name of a suave Italian man (read: mafia). His father is said to be a former member of the mafia and Marco plays into this perception neatly, doing things like delivering sympathy flowers to the opposing team before their match (where his monstrous teammate Gaou would then completely destroy the quarterback and, potentially, hospitalize other team members).
With that said, there is a huge difference between how Marco would like to be perceived and how he actually is. Marco would like others to think he's this dangerous badass strategist who pulls the strings and isn't afraid of anything. In actuality, Marco is an idealist who has been punched in the face by reality, and his ambition spurred him towards some vicious actions (recruiting strong players for the sole purpose of destroying the opposing team, employing scare tactics when the need suits him). At heart, though, Marco is still the wild dreamer who's a bit of a coward.
He's the quarterback for his team and serves as the tactician; parallels are drawn up in the series between him and Hiruma, Deimon's quarterback and all-around schemer supreme. Marco scratches and claws his way through the tournament, utilizing the cards he's been dealt to the best of his abilities. Often described by others as cunning, he uses his cool facade to mask the fact that he is somewhat cowardly at heart. Even though his team now has a powerhouse in the form of Gaou, Marco is leary of facing off against any strong opponents, prefering to destroy the competition quickly and breaking their morale rather than having a long, drawn-out game. His whole "victory above all else" style has alienated a number of people including the team manager, Maruko Himuro.
Which is a bit funny since his ruthless streak started because he promised her that they'd win! Back when he first joined up with the team, Marco used to be more of a flirt who was decent enough at football and recognized by the upperclassmen as being just okay. He'd spend more of his time messing around with Himuro (who he nicknamed "Maria") and flirting with her, giving her lines like "I'll show you the morning sun after the victory" while making little snowmen with her with cola bottles. Romance. They were all having fun with the team, but nothing seemed to be too serious. Marco was serious about wanting to win, with his sights set on the annual championship game, the Christmas Bowl. However, the upperclassmen attempted to discourage the notion, noting that they'd easily be destroyed by the more powerful teams out there and urged him to aim for third place to avoid disappointment.
. . . and then Marco saw the Alexanders, the very best team in the series, crush the competition in the Christmas Bowl like it was nothing.
As a side note, in Eyeshield 21, every team seems to have some sort of theme going for them, and the team members all conform to this to some extent. The Seibu Wild Gunmen are cowboys, the Oujou White Knights are what it says on the tin, and the Kyoshin Poseidon have a number of water-related themes, just to name a few. With Hakushu, they have this mafia/mob feel about them, where their uniform even has pinstripes and everything.
So basically, after witnessing the sheer power of the Alexanders and realizing what a pipe dream winning the Christmas Bowl was up until that point, Marco becomes Hakushu's mob boss and Al Pacinos his way through the tournament. He uses Gaou to crush people and feels no sympathy for them at all, because all's fair in love and war and he's hardened himself to it.
With that said, the Hakushu-Deimon game does see Marco shift his mindset a bit. While he still believes that power is everything, Marco seems to begin to understand the merits of teamwork and trusting other people (novel concepts, yes). Up until that point, all of the Hakushu players — Gaou included — had been Marco's pawns placed on a board, and he acted as a control tower, guiding them to victory. In the match against Deimon, Marco is forced to change his tactics and ultimately comes to understand that he can make risky plays he hasn't entirely thought out in advance, because he trusts that Gaou will be there to protect him and make it possible. It seems like a small thing, but Marco putting his faith in anyone beside himself and his plans is a big deal for him. By the end of the game, Hakushu goes from being this powerhouse that uses its strength to break the other team's morale and end things to an actual team, and a lot of this is reflected in the change in Marco's outlook.
He is self-aware to a certain degree and does realize that his cutthroat behavior has alienated people and his whole "let's bust up the opposing team's players" tactic has definitely villainized him. Despite this, Marco never backs off or changes the course, only admitting after he loses in the end that perhaps it wasn't the smartest of moves and if the end result was that he lost everything important to him, then what was it for?
In general, off the field, Marco seems to be a laid-back guy who's almost never seen without a bottle of cola (to the point where one of the main characters notes that the only thing he really knows about Marco is that he likes cola). He has a speech quirk where he slips in some variation of "I'd say" into his sentences which, while a bit awkward at times, reflects that this is a cautious man who isn't willing to put his sword in the sand on anything. And like many of the other quarterbacks, Marco prefers to keep his cards up his sleeve and doesn't care much to show his hand to anyone unless it's forced. His casualness also reflects this; Marco seems almost allergic to making any sort of declarative statements, softening them with noncommittal phrases.
Once the fall tournament is over and Marco interacts again with everyone else, he's shown to be a fairly decent team player who's open to working with others. He's settled down a bit and is more willing to let his "cool" facade slip here and there.
Abilities:
All of Marco's "abilities" are football-related:
- Spy/Ball Chasing — in general, Marco's focus differs from others in that he can hone it in on one thing, even in something as deeply confusing and busy as football can be. He marks one person and watches them regardless of whether or not they have the ball, able to shut out any and all distractions around him. Once someone has the ball and he's onto them, he'll keep his eye only on the ball, seeing through any sort of feint. This indicates a ridiculously high level of concentration on his part.
- Screw Bite — Marco's signature move. As a defensive player, instead of just tackling the player with the ball or trying for a fumble, Marco attempts an all-out steal, snaking his arms in to snatch up the ball (which is possible due to the above re: ball chasing).
SAMPLES
First Person:
This d_m post should work!
Third Person:
Logically, Marco knew that no matter how many times he jangled the ring full of colorful keys in front of his face, they wouldn't actually be able to provide him with any answers. Logically, of course. And yet, here he was, sprawled out in a lawn chair with a ring of five keys dangling above him, looped around his finger which snapped them up and down in a sort of lazy rhythm.
His mind quickly turned over the possibilities. A kidnapping? — no, no, the only people he knew who were insane enough to do that didn't have a motive. . . . Probably. Not that they'd need one— Marco rolled his eyes at the thought, letting out a snort. "Not his style, I'd say," he muttered with mild amusement, lowering the keys. "There'd be more vans and firearms for one."
Marco's eyes shifted up towards the sky, the sun bearing down on him, and he immediately frowned. A fever dream was his next guess, but were those really this . . . pleasant? He'd never actually had first-hand experience with those himself, but then again, suburbia could be a nightmare for some.
"Well, no use in laying around here," he groaned out, stretching out lazily before finally sitting up. Marco rubbed at the back of his neck, glancing over to the house nearby. A smirk crossed his face as his eyes shifted back to the key ring. "It's about time to piece it all together, I'd say."
OTHER
Housing Request?: n/a
Did you read the rules and FAQ?: Yes!
Would you like your application to be unscreened?: Sure!
Accepted
Congrats, your application has been accepted! Your character is now living at 1464 in Holly Heights, with a child slot. In order to get the ball rolling, here's what you need to do:
I hope you enjoy your stay here!