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Aug. 11th, 2013 02:39 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
creasedPLAYER INFO
Name: Riley
Preferred pronoun:she/her/hers
Preferred means of contact:warrior dernhelm on AIM or PM
Any other characters currently in-game? nope
CHARACTER INFO
Name: Reiko Natsume
Gender: female
Age: 17 - canon is vague about ages beyond her being in High School; I went with 17 since I'm taking her from the tail end of those events
Source: Natsume Yuujinchou
Canon Point: shortly after she moves away from the town where Natsume Yuujinchou's set (therefore after all you see of her in canon, but before Takashi's mom was even thought of)
CANON
History: canon history: here
As Natsume Yuujinchou is Reiko's grandson Takashi's story and Reiko's own history is presented in flashbacks and anecdotes, I've given it more structure and fleshed it out with some headcanon here:
Reiko was born in Japan in the 1950s with vast spiritual power. From birth she was able to see and interact with youkai as easily as she could with other humans. Thanks to this ability, most of the humans she encountered found her creepy. Her treatment of these invisible creatures and unwillingness to admit that the things she saw weren't real made it hard to pass them off as make-believe even when she was young enough for that to have been acceptable and that placed people on edge.
Her parents dealt with this by trying their best to ignore it (and often her), in the hopes that Reiko would grow out of the habit. By the time she was ten, however, it started to seem clear that this would not be the case, and they gave her an ultimatum: stop pretending you see these things or we will send you to live with your cousins. She chose both, in the hopes that a new place would give her a fresh start where her classmates wouldn't already have ostracized her for her strange behavior. After her move, her parents never sought to contact her again.
Unfortunately, it was impossible for Reiko to act like a normal child. Though some youkai appear monstrous, too many seemed human to Reiko's eyes for her to have any luck at determining which beings she should be speaking to and which she should ignore. Soon her new classmates joined the old ones in taunting her and she gave up on the pretense of normalcy. This left her angry at humankind and resentful of the youkai who kept her from fitting in.
As Reiko progressed into Junior High School, her spiritual presence grew along with the rest of her. She began to attract youkai who felt that she would make a good meal, rather than only dealing with those she stumbled upon while going about her business. At first she would fight them off with whatever was handy - often only her fists - but as the confrontations grew more frequent Reiko began to prepare for them. She made sure to carry a weapon (a bat, a broom, a fan, nothing overt) with her whenever possible and began to research ways to drive the youkai away. In doing so she discovered a means of controlling the spirits. From then on, when a youkai would come to challenge her Reiko would turn it into a competition. If they won, they could eat her, but if she won they would write down their names for her and become her slave. This collection of names would become the Yuujinchou (in English: the "Book of Friends").
Reiko was passed along to another family for High School, this time one that didn't attempt to care for her at all. Though she still longed for human companionship, the population of her new town seemed no kinder to girls with a tendency to fight invisible monsters than the last. But shortly after the move she meets an old woman with whom she strikes up a friendship, feeling that the woman has some small belief in the spiritual world that Reiko inhabits. This friendship is quickly destroyed when Reiko discovers that the woman is actually a youkai, and she leaves with Aokuchinashi's name, never to see her again. Shortly thereafter, she befriends an actual human, Shigeru. A younger boy, they meet when Reiko helps him retrieve his belongings from a tree (and the youkai that's taken up residence in it). Thanks mostly to Shigeru's efforts they maintain a casual friendship until a demon takes up residence in his house. Reiko banishes it and then begins to avoid Shigeru's overtures of friendship, not wanting to have to lie to him.
These two events finally cause her to turns to youkai in order to relieve some of her loneliness. She expands the Yuujinchou to include not only those youkai who seek her out but also friendly or indifferent youkai she challenges on her own. This provides her with friends of a sort who she can call on at any time and they'll be forced to come. Despite everything she still manages to make some genuine friendships, notably with Madara, who never ends up listed in the Yuujinchou but clearly knows Reiko well, and with Hinoe, a friendship that edges further into a flirtation as they get to know one another. When school ends, however, she leaves the area with no plans to return and hardly a thought spared for the unfinished business she leaves behind.
Personality: Upon first meeting Reiko, she gives off an impression of being cheerfully uncaring. Whether she's helping someone, walking alone or warding off an attack, she does it with a smile on her face and laughter in her voice. While there's some truth to this impression, particularly around youkai - she enjoys fighting them, and there's some pride in her "powerful and beautiful" reputation - it's a defense mechanism as much as it is natural. Other humans may reject her, but that doesn't mean they need to know it bothers her.
Her mutually antagonistic relationship with most of humankind means that Reiko has very little use for the social niceties that society often tries to instill in people. She's naturally messy, nosy and demanding, and she has no inclination to change or hide any of that. She is also extremely forgetful. The possessions she leaves for Takashi include long-overdue library books and dozens of tickets she purchased and never used, being too quickly drawn on to the next thing. She makes promises to youkai, of help or simply friendship, but if the promise is not fulfilled immediately then it slips her mind, forcing the youkai to seek her out or wait indefinitely for her return.
And many of them wait for her, regardless of the years it takes. When Takashi arrives 50 years later, causing many youkai to believe Reiko has returned, it's a minority who are searching her out for revenge. Many have fond memories of Reiko as a friend or at least a pleasant encounter. Despite the Yuujinchou and her demeanor, Reiko has a kind heart. She offers help to youkai by resolving disputes, giving companionship and advice, and getting them things out of their domain. Often these gestures have ulterior motives behind them and she'll ask in return for a fight and their name or safe passage out of a woods. Reiko has spent too long among spirits not to use an advantage when one's been given to her. But even when there is no advantage to be had, she still helps. When she feels betrayed by Aokuchinashi she still banishes a stronger demon from the old woman's tree and despite expecting nothing but pain from the humans she meets, Reiko still helps them they'll let her.
A conversation with Reiko is likely to go one of two ways. Either she'll remain cheerful, challenging her conversational partner to keep up with her or, should the conversation take a more serious turn, she'll turn thoughtful and compassionate. Though her own sadness might slip through, she'll focus on sympathizing and keeping the conversation going. Because more than anything, Reiko is lonely. She can't reach out and confess her own troubles, not wanting the connection with youkai and not having any humans who would believe her. But in hearing and helping with someone else's concerns she can take some comfort in their similarities to her own problems, feeling less alienated, if only for the length of a conversation.
INTO THE HEDGE
Seeming: Possession
Role: A(n Earth) Bestiary
Abilities: As a book she automatically opens to the topic or page desired by the reader, whether it's where they left off, what they are looking for or simply a topic that would catch their interest if they're idly flipping through the book. Her spirit form, beyond having extensive knowledge of her own contents, can take on a weak version of any of the animals in the Bestiary's traits (one at a time). Think a watered-down version of Vixen's powers with the need for shape-shifting (or, I guess, the worst animorph). She may take on tiger claws, but they'd be only slightly sharper than her fingernails would; a dog's nose would improve her sense of smell, but not to the extent of an actual dog.
Description: In spiritual form, Reiko still appears to be a wiry young woman. Her hair and irises have faded to the color of paper, and her skin is covered in text. Also, her spine has become a larger version of the book's spine. More flexible, as it's not encasing paper, but still limiting her ability to bend.
Her object form is a large book with a dark green cover. It appears old but in very good condition. The illustrations of the beasts are almost certainly rubbish.
Reasoning: As Reiko spent much of her timing enslaving youkai by keeping their names bound in her book, it seems only fitting to have her stuck as book in Changed. She's a Bestiary specifically because of the wide variety of spirits she's encountered thanks to her abilities.
MEMORIES
First Memory: banishing the youkai from Shigeru's house and utterly destroying the room in the process
Another Five: - relationship with Hinoe
- kids throwing rocks at her
- the Yuujinchou as a concept
- seeing an old woman's shrine and the disappointment from learning she isn't human
- telling a young boy about the sea - and the sea monsters and UFOs it obviouslycontains - as he looks on, wide-eyed
Name: Riley
Preferred pronoun:she/her/hers
Preferred means of contact:warrior dernhelm on AIM or PM
Any other characters currently in-game? nope
CHARACTER INFO
Name: Reiko Natsume
Gender: female
Age: 17 - canon is vague about ages beyond her being in High School; I went with 17 since I'm taking her from the tail end of those events
Source: Natsume Yuujinchou
Canon Point: shortly after she moves away from the town where Natsume Yuujinchou's set (therefore after all you see of her in canon, but before Takashi's mom was even thought of)
CANON
History: canon history: here
As Natsume Yuujinchou is Reiko's grandson Takashi's story and Reiko's own history is presented in flashbacks and anecdotes, I've given it more structure and fleshed it out with some headcanon here:
Reiko was born in Japan in the 1950s with vast spiritual power. From birth she was able to see and interact with youkai as easily as she could with other humans. Thanks to this ability, most of the humans she encountered found her creepy. Her treatment of these invisible creatures and unwillingness to admit that the things she saw weren't real made it hard to pass them off as make-believe even when she was young enough for that to have been acceptable and that placed people on edge.
Her parents dealt with this by trying their best to ignore it (and often her), in the hopes that Reiko would grow out of the habit. By the time she was ten, however, it started to seem clear that this would not be the case, and they gave her an ultimatum: stop pretending you see these things or we will send you to live with your cousins. She chose both, in the hopes that a new place would give her a fresh start where her classmates wouldn't already have ostracized her for her strange behavior. After her move, her parents never sought to contact her again.
Unfortunately, it was impossible for Reiko to act like a normal child. Though some youkai appear monstrous, too many seemed human to Reiko's eyes for her to have any luck at determining which beings she should be speaking to and which she should ignore. Soon her new classmates joined the old ones in taunting her and she gave up on the pretense of normalcy. This left her angry at humankind and resentful of the youkai who kept her from fitting in.
As Reiko progressed into Junior High School, her spiritual presence grew along with the rest of her. She began to attract youkai who felt that she would make a good meal, rather than only dealing with those she stumbled upon while going about her business. At first she would fight them off with whatever was handy - often only her fists - but as the confrontations grew more frequent Reiko began to prepare for them. She made sure to carry a weapon (a bat, a broom, a fan, nothing overt) with her whenever possible and began to research ways to drive the youkai away. In doing so she discovered a means of controlling the spirits. From then on, when a youkai would come to challenge her Reiko would turn it into a competition. If they won, they could eat her, but if she won they would write down their names for her and become her slave. This collection of names would become the Yuujinchou (in English: the "Book of Friends").
Reiko was passed along to another family for High School, this time one that didn't attempt to care for her at all. Though she still longed for human companionship, the population of her new town seemed no kinder to girls with a tendency to fight invisible monsters than the last. But shortly after the move she meets an old woman with whom she strikes up a friendship, feeling that the woman has some small belief in the spiritual world that Reiko inhabits. This friendship is quickly destroyed when Reiko discovers that the woman is actually a youkai, and she leaves with Aokuchinashi's name, never to see her again. Shortly thereafter, she befriends an actual human, Shigeru. A younger boy, they meet when Reiko helps him retrieve his belongings from a tree (and the youkai that's taken up residence in it). Thanks mostly to Shigeru's efforts they maintain a casual friendship until a demon takes up residence in his house. Reiko banishes it and then begins to avoid Shigeru's overtures of friendship, not wanting to have to lie to him.
These two events finally cause her to turns to youkai in order to relieve some of her loneliness. She expands the Yuujinchou to include not only those youkai who seek her out but also friendly or indifferent youkai she challenges on her own. This provides her with friends of a sort who she can call on at any time and they'll be forced to come. Despite everything she still manages to make some genuine friendships, notably with Madara, who never ends up listed in the Yuujinchou but clearly knows Reiko well, and with Hinoe, a friendship that edges further into a flirtation as they get to know one another. When school ends, however, she leaves the area with no plans to return and hardly a thought spared for the unfinished business she leaves behind.
Personality: Upon first meeting Reiko, she gives off an impression of being cheerfully uncaring. Whether she's helping someone, walking alone or warding off an attack, she does it with a smile on her face and laughter in her voice. While there's some truth to this impression, particularly around youkai - she enjoys fighting them, and there's some pride in her "powerful and beautiful" reputation - it's a defense mechanism as much as it is natural. Other humans may reject her, but that doesn't mean they need to know it bothers her.
Her mutually antagonistic relationship with most of humankind means that Reiko has very little use for the social niceties that society often tries to instill in people. She's naturally messy, nosy and demanding, and she has no inclination to change or hide any of that. She is also extremely forgetful. The possessions she leaves for Takashi include long-overdue library books and dozens of tickets she purchased and never used, being too quickly drawn on to the next thing. She makes promises to youkai, of help or simply friendship, but if the promise is not fulfilled immediately then it slips her mind, forcing the youkai to seek her out or wait indefinitely for her return.
And many of them wait for her, regardless of the years it takes. When Takashi arrives 50 years later, causing many youkai to believe Reiko has returned, it's a minority who are searching her out for revenge. Many have fond memories of Reiko as a friend or at least a pleasant encounter. Despite the Yuujinchou and her demeanor, Reiko has a kind heart. She offers help to youkai by resolving disputes, giving companionship and advice, and getting them things out of their domain. Often these gestures have ulterior motives behind them and she'll ask in return for a fight and their name or safe passage out of a woods. Reiko has spent too long among spirits not to use an advantage when one's been given to her. But even when there is no advantage to be had, she still helps. When she feels betrayed by Aokuchinashi she still banishes a stronger demon from the old woman's tree and despite expecting nothing but pain from the humans she meets, Reiko still helps them they'll let her.
A conversation with Reiko is likely to go one of two ways. Either she'll remain cheerful, challenging her conversational partner to keep up with her or, should the conversation take a more serious turn, she'll turn thoughtful and compassionate. Though her own sadness might slip through, she'll focus on sympathizing and keeping the conversation going. Because more than anything, Reiko is lonely. She can't reach out and confess her own troubles, not wanting the connection with youkai and not having any humans who would believe her. But in hearing and helping with someone else's concerns she can take some comfort in their similarities to her own problems, feeling less alienated, if only for the length of a conversation.
INTO THE HEDGE
Seeming: Possession
Role: A(n Earth) Bestiary
Abilities: As a book she automatically opens to the topic or page desired by the reader, whether it's where they left off, what they are looking for or simply a topic that would catch their interest if they're idly flipping through the book. Her spirit form, beyond having extensive knowledge of her own contents, can take on a weak version of any of the animals in the Bestiary's traits (one at a time). Think a watered-down version of Vixen's powers with the need for shape-shifting (or, I guess, the worst animorph). She may take on tiger claws, but they'd be only slightly sharper than her fingernails would; a dog's nose would improve her sense of smell, but not to the extent of an actual dog.
Description: In spiritual form, Reiko still appears to be a wiry young woman. Her hair and irises have faded to the color of paper, and her skin is covered in text. Also, her spine has become a larger version of the book's spine. More flexible, as it's not encasing paper, but still limiting her ability to bend.
Her object form is a large book with a dark green cover. It appears old but in very good condition. The illustrations of the beasts are almost certainly rubbish.
Reasoning: As Reiko spent much of her timing enslaving youkai by keeping their names bound in her book, it seems only fitting to have her stuck as book in Changed. She's a Bestiary specifically because of the wide variety of spirits she's encountered thanks to her abilities.
MEMORIES
First Memory: banishing the youkai from Shigeru's house and utterly destroying the room in the process
Another Five: - relationship with Hinoe
- kids throwing rocks at her
- the Yuujinchou as a concept
- seeing an old woman's shrine and the disappointment from learning she isn't human
- telling a young boy about the sea - and the sea monsters and UFOs it obviouslycontains - as he looks on, wide-eyed
