@PKMNB0Y Since the trend seems to be everyone making their own pairs instead of mix-and-matching, I'm going to withdraw Seiji and instead put forth two different characters. I made some assumptions with the history of the world and Youkai and such, so please let me know if I should alter anything.
Name:
Age:
Appearance:
Personality:
The Face: The Innocent || The Soul: The Hero || The Self: The Jester || The Ego: The Ruler
Abilities:
Skills:
Equipment:
History:
Other:
Aomori Mika
Age:
18
Appearance:
Though she usually wears a calm, cool, or even a slightly mischievous face, one can see a cloud behind her eyes–like she’s deep in thought about something else. Because she’s not always focused on what’s happening around her, she can be a bit of a klutz, but somehow she manages to make it look cute. A trendy yet thrifty girl, she finds a way to make any outfit look good and rarely wears the same color combination or patterns twice. Though she’s petite, she’s also filled out rather nicely–and she knows it.
Personality:
The Face: The Innocent || The Soul: The Hero || The Self: The Jester || The Ego: The Ruler
By herself, Mika appears to be a quiet, composed, beautiful girl. She has a reliable air, like a school council president or a class representative. When one catches her looking off into the distance, it’s hard not to wonder what kind of grand dreams she imagines for herself.
But when she’s around others, she immediately latches onto the everyday absurdities and starts to tease or intentionally misrepresent good intentions–she enjoys finding peoples’ buttons, and then finding out just what the buttons do. At the same time, she can be quite encouraging. She’ll be the first to urge someone to take initiative, or to laugh off drama–though she claims it’s because getting people into various scenarios is funny. Even if one tries to ignore her, she’ll worm her way into their personal bubble–whether with an infectious joy, or with her cute looks.
Deeper down, however, she seems to understand the responsibility that comes from her role. As the heir to the Aomori Clan, she wishes to rebuild her family’s glory and perform the same duties as her ancestors. She has a strong sense of protection over people, and won’t hesitate to get involved where she sees danger. When the switch flips and she stops joking around, it’s easy to see how hard she must have trained up to this point.
The downside of this, is that she feels like she must play the role of “the big sister,” “the leader,” and “the hero.” She doesn’t react well if she feels someone’s trying to take that role from her, and all of a sudden her teasing becomes much more vicious. She’ll overwork herself trying to keep her spot at the top, but she’ll also desperately hide it from others–because it has to look natural, right?
But when she’s around others, she immediately latches onto the everyday absurdities and starts to tease or intentionally misrepresent good intentions–she enjoys finding peoples’ buttons, and then finding out just what the buttons do. At the same time, she can be quite encouraging. She’ll be the first to urge someone to take initiative, or to laugh off drama–though she claims it’s because getting people into various scenarios is funny. Even if one tries to ignore her, she’ll worm her way into their personal bubble–whether with an infectious joy, or with her cute looks.
Deeper down, however, she seems to understand the responsibility that comes from her role. As the heir to the Aomori Clan, she wishes to rebuild her family’s glory and perform the same duties as her ancestors. She has a strong sense of protection over people, and won’t hesitate to get involved where she sees danger. When the switch flips and she stops joking around, it’s easy to see how hard she must have trained up to this point.
The downside of this, is that she feels like she must play the role of “the big sister,” “the leader,” and “the hero.” She doesn’t react well if she feels someone’s trying to take that role from her, and all of a sudden her teasing becomes much more vicious. She’ll overwork herself trying to keep her spot at the top, but she’ll also desperately hide it from others–because it has to look natural, right?
Abilities:
Using the shared spiritual energy from their Attunement, Mika performs various “old school” exorcism techniques rather than Resonance. Because her training was cut short, these are limited to mostly the “fundamentals,” and thus they don’t have the grand strength of Onmyoji from the past. However, the varied nature and versatility of this craft gives it certain advantages compared to other types of Attunement, which usually only mimic the contracted Youkai.
- Kekkai no Jutsu: Barrier Art. Spiritual energy is shaped, compressed, and hardened in order to create a repulsive wall. It can be broken by strong attacks, which creates a harmful backlash on the caster. By default, the barrier expands in a sphere around the user. Ofuda Tags can be placed in different formations to change the shape or strengthen it, but this takes preparation and awareness of the surroundings.
- Shikigami no Jutsu: Paper God Art. Parchment imbued with spiritual energy is made simultaneously more malleable, and much stronger. The caster can manipulate the paper in a few simple ways as long as they’re in physical contact with it–turning a rolled up poster into the equivalent of a metal pipe, or a paper ribbon into a whiplike blade–but in order to create “true” Shikigami out of origami, it takes a lot more preparation and more spiritual energy. Mika does not yet have the capability to make “autonomous” Shikigami at all.
- Godai no Jutsu: Five Elements Art. Drawing from similar methodologies in China, the Onmyoji developed a system of using spiritual energy already present in one’s environment to supplement their own. The caster is limited by their surroundings (there must be a source of water present to create a spell that shoots icicles, for instance), the number and type of Ofuda Tags they have available (a single tag Fire spell might create the equivalent of a lighter + hairspray, while more tags would be required for a true “Fireball”), and the amount of spiritual energy possessed by both the caster and the environment. It’s rather hard to use this art in urbanized areas, due to pollution and the interference given off by various man-made structures. It takes time for Mika to make Ofuda Tags, especially in the heat of battle.
Skills:
- Excellent Artist. Whether it’s painting, drawing, or calligraphy, Mika is skilled enough that she was once considered “the Art Club’s Ace Beauty!” This not only helps her create her Ofuda Tags, but has cultivated a sharp eye for details and a good memory of what she sees.
- Athletic. She’s not an expert martial artist or a pro-ball player by any means, but she’s in excellent shape and quite flexible. Rule number one for running away from monsters: Cardio.
- Family Business. Mika has been educated in much more depth than most people on Youkai, Grudges, and various other supernatural topics. Using what she already knows, she can quickly deduce an enemy’s weak point or a way of combating its powers, often based on something similar from legends of the past.
Equipment:
- 100-Page Spiral Notebook. A plain notebook that’s easy to carry around without drawing any attention–and an excellent source of Shikigami.
- Ofuda Binder. Appearing much like a collection binder for a trading card game at first glance, it instead holds the Ofuda that Mika has prepared for that day. The correct kind of paper and ink are harder to find (or make, in some cases), so there aren’t often more than a dozen or so tags available at a single time.
- Bow-Tied Package. A tube of black lacquered wood with a bright pink bow wrapped around about a third of its length. It appears like a glasses case, or maybe a pencil holder. It’s actually a very sharp tanto.
History:
A thousand years of history, burned to the ground in a single day. The Aomori Clan’s Main Household, slaughtered to a man.
But not to a woman. Aomori Mika was only twelve years old at the time. Someone she trusted betrayed her. She made a mistake. Her entire family suffered for her failure, and she was left alone.
One would think that, given how common attacks by the Grudge had become–given that Youkai and Humans had joined hands, sometimes quite literally, to fight a common enemy for years now–that ancient feuds among those who once battled the supernatural would be put aside. But Youkai have long, long memories…and Humans have an unwavering pride.
In the days before Attunement, there were few methods for humanity to protect themselves from demons. Those who could execute those methods were, perhaps, rarer still. From such individuals came the legends: demon slayers, wizards, demi-gods. The Aomori were once part of those legends. As members of the Imperial Court, they rose from scholars who divined the meaning of stars and seasons to true heroes when their founder led a campaign to seal a powerful Youkai. The evil beast had carved a tunnel deep into a mountain to make its lair, and by the battle’s end a canyon scarred the land. Though at the cost of many lives, the Aomori patriarch succeeded in sealing the Youkai, and a grand temple complex was built within the canyon.
Here the Aomori Clan would raise many generations of Onmyoji, and skilled warriors, and craftsmen. But these were the days of strife, the days when warlords and shogun clashed, the days when clans shed blood and swore upon cycles of vengeance. The Aomori put an emphasis on their own survival above all else, for if the Clan ceased to exist, there would be no one to maintain the Great Seal. Thus they gained their reputation for their skill, their professional standards…and their willingness to do what needed to be done.
When the technique of Attunement became known, however, the Old Families of legend began to dwindle, and the Aomori were no exception. To ensure their survival in this new era, they tried to adapt the new techniques as swiftly as possible, while incorporating their own traditions. The Seal upon the Great Youkai was modified, supposedly strengthened enough now that some thought it could no longer be undone. The Aomori grew complacent. Mika was allowed to attend a normal school, in a normal city, with other normal children. She was allowed to befriend Youkai, though her family had spent centuries killing them. She was even allowed to bring friends, human and spirit alike, to the once-secretive Main Household to play.
And so, someone who bore a grudge–not the supernatural creature, but a vendetta of hatred–found a way to strike at the Aomori. In order to break the seal, and Attune to the Great Youkai, they betrayed a twelve year old girl’s trust and killed her family.
Years later, she stands outside a small office building with her Guardian. And she resolves to settle her own vendetta, whatever it takes.
But not to a woman. Aomori Mika was only twelve years old at the time. Someone she trusted betrayed her. She made a mistake. Her entire family suffered for her failure, and she was left alone.
One would think that, given how common attacks by the Grudge had become–given that Youkai and Humans had joined hands, sometimes quite literally, to fight a common enemy for years now–that ancient feuds among those who once battled the supernatural would be put aside. But Youkai have long, long memories…and Humans have an unwavering pride.
In the days before Attunement, there were few methods for humanity to protect themselves from demons. Those who could execute those methods were, perhaps, rarer still. From such individuals came the legends: demon slayers, wizards, demi-gods. The Aomori were once part of those legends. As members of the Imperial Court, they rose from scholars who divined the meaning of stars and seasons to true heroes when their founder led a campaign to seal a powerful Youkai. The evil beast had carved a tunnel deep into a mountain to make its lair, and by the battle’s end a canyon scarred the land. Though at the cost of many lives, the Aomori patriarch succeeded in sealing the Youkai, and a grand temple complex was built within the canyon.
Here the Aomori Clan would raise many generations of Onmyoji, and skilled warriors, and craftsmen. But these were the days of strife, the days when warlords and shogun clashed, the days when clans shed blood and swore upon cycles of vengeance. The Aomori put an emphasis on their own survival above all else, for if the Clan ceased to exist, there would be no one to maintain the Great Seal. Thus they gained their reputation for their skill, their professional standards…and their willingness to do what needed to be done.
When the technique of Attunement became known, however, the Old Families of legend began to dwindle, and the Aomori were no exception. To ensure their survival in this new era, they tried to adapt the new techniques as swiftly as possible, while incorporating their own traditions. The Seal upon the Great Youkai was modified, supposedly strengthened enough now that some thought it could no longer be undone. The Aomori grew complacent. Mika was allowed to attend a normal school, in a normal city, with other normal children. She was allowed to befriend Youkai, though her family had spent centuries killing them. She was even allowed to bring friends, human and spirit alike, to the once-secretive Main Household to play.
And so, someone who bore a grudge–not the supernatural creature, but a vendetta of hatred–found a way to strike at the Aomori. In order to break the seal, and Attune to the Great Youkai, they betrayed a twelve year old girl’s trust and killed her family.
Years later, she stands outside a small office building with her Guardian. And she resolves to settle her own vendetta, whatever it takes.
Other:
- She’s never had a boyfriend, and is extremely self-conscious about that fact. She may also be slightly thirsty.
- She’s bad with technology and still hasn’t swapped out her flip phone (granted, it’s one of those fancy Japanese flip phones) for a smart phone.
Name:
Race:
Rasetsu
Age:
Appearance:
Personality:
The Face: The Ruler || The Soul: The Rebel || The Self: The Explorer || The Ego: The Ruler
Abilities:
Skills:
Equipment:
History:
Other:
Kyozan-Rasetsu (“Kyo-chan”)
Race:
Rasetsu
Originally from India, known as the Rakshasa, these man-eating giants are quite similar at first glance to the Japanese Oni and share many abilities–great strength, shape-shifting, and so forth. If you were to actually compare them, many Rakshasa would be quite offended (“Oh, so I suppose you humans are the same as chimpanzees!?”). While Oni are often portrayed as brutish and typically wielding clubs or big cleavers, Rasetsu have virtually the same level of power while also bearing intelligence, skill with spiritual arts, and mastery of many types of weapons.
Age:
1000+ (Severely Weakened)
Appearance:
Though he’s capable of changing his height, Kyozan prefers to remain the tallest person in a given room. He doesn’t care much that he sticks out like a sore thumb, and thus continues to dress the same way he did in eons past unless Mika forces him to try and look presentable. However, he is absolutely fascinated by how far Humanity and Youkai have come, and often walks around looking like a toddler on their first errand as he takes in modern life.
Personality:
The Face: The Ruler || The Soul: The Rebel || The Self: The Explorer || The Ego: The Ruler
Kyozan’s priorities in life are relatively simple to understand: Mika > Food > Fighting > Comfort > Helping Himself > Helping Others. But there is certainly an air of confusion and disbelonging that eats at him. His time is long past, and the Youkai of his age were a very different breed. The world has changed in many ways–and he doesn’t approve of all of them, no matter how wonderful things like TV and instant noodles may be. He’s a fish out of water, and unused to being so weak and vulnerable as he now finds himself.
Mika is the only one he will ever let tell him what to do, and he responds very aggressively to anyone who isn’t her. Though she can reign him in most of the time, there are certainly moments where he’ll act against her orders–especially if he thinks she won’t find out. He still craves a little destruction from time to time, and thinks indulging in one’s vices every so often is good for the soul. To his credit, though, he has realized that what he did in the past was wrong, and is making some progress on being better–usually after some light humbling from his master. They both know she couldn’t really “punish” him if he wasn’t letting her, but to outsiders it either seems amazing, or downright comical.
He wants to see Mika grow up happy and healthy, and succeed in her dreams. If there were anything else in the world he might say he wishes to do, perhaps it would simply be to travel, and experience what this new world has to offer.
Mika is the only one he will ever let tell him what to do, and he responds very aggressively to anyone who isn’t her. Though she can reign him in most of the time, there are certainly moments where he’ll act against her orders–especially if he thinks she won’t find out. He still craves a little destruction from time to time, and thinks indulging in one’s vices every so often is good for the soul. To his credit, though, he has realized that what he did in the past was wrong, and is making some progress on being better–usually after some light humbling from his master. They both know she couldn’t really “punish” him if he wasn’t letting her, but to outsiders it either seems amazing, or downright comical.
He wants to see Mika grow up happy and healthy, and succeed in her dreams. If there were anything else in the world he might say he wishes to do, perhaps it would simply be to travel, and experience what this new world has to offer.
Abilities:
Though originally an incredibly powerful demon, Kyozan was severely weakened by two things: Being sealed for hundreds of years by the Aomori Clan, and being severely wounded by the villains who destroyed that same clan. Though they were only able to strike such a blow because he had to defend Mika, it’s taken years to heal and in that time he’s grown even more rusty. Despite this, his abilities remain quite potent by most “rookie Attuned” standards.
- Tanban-Kugi. “Blue Vitriol Nail.” Rasetsu are said to have poisonous nails and fangs, and Kyozan releases this venom by swiping the air with spiritually charged claws. The result is a set of crescent shaped, projectile blades that are individually weak, but move at high speeds and slice as well as any iron blade.
- Rokusho-Ken. “Tarnished Copper Fist.” Kyozan, in his heyday, had a much larger form. In his weakened state he can no longer manifest anything like his true power, and thus it only appears in spurts like this. A giant spiritual fist appears and follows his command, acting with equivalent strength to its size. He can only manipulate it within a radius of about 10 feet from himself, but within that area can freely control its point of origin.
- Enhanced Physicality. Kyozan, even weakened, is at least equivalent to an Oni in sheer muscle and toughness.
Skills:
- Sumo Wrestling. They say that the big bodies of Sumo, and the wrapped ropes they wore around their waists, allowed them to become containers for the gods. Kyozan fondly remembers terrifying local villages with the thunderclaps caused by his demonic bodyslams.
- Battle Experience. His body may not be able to keep up as well as it once could, but Kyozan has seen more fights on both the personal and large scale than most modern day combat veterans. He can give sound advice on tactics, or accurately gauge most enemies if they aren’t specifically concealing their true power.
Equipment:
- Fang Magatama: Gemstones made from his own teeth (they grow back, usually). They hold small amounts of spiritual energy to be used in a pinch–a handful of them can heal minor wounds, boost the power of Mika’s spells, or provide a “snack” when Human Ether gets hard to come by.
- Okuri-okami Pelt. The black pelt Kyozan wears has retained some properties of the beast he took it from. A benevolent wolf Youkai said to guide travelers home at night, it allows anyone who holds the pelt to quickly find Kyozan. By throwing it on the ground, it moves like a pelt used for training scent dogs, but slowly enough an average human could keep up with it. It will invariably find its way back to Kyozan. If worn as a coat, it also provides a measure of protection against Youkai. He often lets Mika use it as a blanket at bedtime.
History:
He watched the flames consume everything. When he saw Old Juro’s gazebo go up, he remembered how much the man had enjoyed watching his grandchildren chase each other around its porch. The structure had been slowly falling apart for some time–perhaps a century?-- and now it crumbled to ash. It angered him.
A figure in a black hood slashed Little Yasu from behind. Yasu didn’t go down right away–after all, from the moment he had watched that boy’s first lesson, when the wooden sword was taller than the child holding it, he had been able to see that Yasu had as much talent as his great-grandfather, perhaps more. Even at eighty years of age, what strength he lost was more than made up by his skill. But that first wound would have been lethal to anyone else, and against superior numbers, Little Yasu couldn’t hold out forever. The enemy’s cowardice disgusted him.
Elder Takuma’s koi pond filled with blood. A supernatural blast tore through a wing of the house–the one built for Lady Haruka. He watched all of Ryoichi’s children fight their hardest, to no avail. Even that runt, Yuuki…
He slammed his fists against the gate. As they chased her, and she ran blindly, he let out a roar that none of them could hear. She fell to her knees before his Torii, helpless and sobbing–and the killers stopped. One among their number stepped forward. They snatched the girl up, and at this person’s order–he couldn’t tell who or what they were, this group even counted Youkai among their ranks–the hooded invaders began to conduct a ritual.
The gates opened. For the first time in a thousand years, he breathed fresh air. He felt the stones under his feet, and he could hear and smell the carnage all around them. He looked at those who had freed him, and smiled. He relished their fear. As one clawed hand reached out, and beckoned, they all too gladly pushed the girl towards him. His enormous form crouched down in front of hers, to look into those weeping eyes.
“Are you…Mika?” he growled, a whisper that carried the weight of an avalanche. She trembled, unable to look away from him. “Did you know? Your father, Yuuki-san, has told me so much about you.” At the mention of her father’s name, the girl’s eyes came back to life. She rubbed her rosy little cheeks. His giant hand covered her soft hair. “Your family, the Aomori, has held me prisoner for a very long time. I have watched you–all of you–for all these years.” His voice grew deeper with every word.
He stood, and pointed towards the ones who had freed him. And an enormous, ghostly fist, stretched over his shoulder in an instant. The blow shattered rocks and bones alike, and sent bodies flying with the dust.
“So allow me to help you, now.” He scooped her to his leg, where she latched on as the fight began. “And fulfill the promise I made to my Master!”
That was how Kyozan-Rasetsu, the Mountain Cleaving Demon, became a little girl’s guardian.
A figure in a black hood slashed Little Yasu from behind. Yasu didn’t go down right away–after all, from the moment he had watched that boy’s first lesson, when the wooden sword was taller than the child holding it, he had been able to see that Yasu had as much talent as his great-grandfather, perhaps more. Even at eighty years of age, what strength he lost was more than made up by his skill. But that first wound would have been lethal to anyone else, and against superior numbers, Little Yasu couldn’t hold out forever. The enemy’s cowardice disgusted him.
Elder Takuma’s koi pond filled with blood. A supernatural blast tore through a wing of the house–the one built for Lady Haruka. He watched all of Ryoichi’s children fight their hardest, to no avail. Even that runt, Yuuki…
He slammed his fists against the gate. As they chased her, and she ran blindly, he let out a roar that none of them could hear. She fell to her knees before his Torii, helpless and sobbing–and the killers stopped. One among their number stepped forward. They snatched the girl up, and at this person’s order–he couldn’t tell who or what they were, this group even counted Youkai among their ranks–the hooded invaders began to conduct a ritual.
The gates opened. For the first time in a thousand years, he breathed fresh air. He felt the stones under his feet, and he could hear and smell the carnage all around them. He looked at those who had freed him, and smiled. He relished their fear. As one clawed hand reached out, and beckoned, they all too gladly pushed the girl towards him. His enormous form crouched down in front of hers, to look into those weeping eyes.
“Are you…Mika?” he growled, a whisper that carried the weight of an avalanche. She trembled, unable to look away from him. “Did you know? Your father, Yuuki-san, has told me so much about you.” At the mention of her father’s name, the girl’s eyes came back to life. She rubbed her rosy little cheeks. His giant hand covered her soft hair. “Your family, the Aomori, has held me prisoner for a very long time. I have watched you–all of you–for all these years.” His voice grew deeper with every word.
He stood, and pointed towards the ones who had freed him. And an enormous, ghostly fist, stretched over his shoulder in an instant. The blow shattered rocks and bones alike, and sent bodies flying with the dust.
“So allow me to help you, now.” He scooped her to his leg, where she latched on as the fight began. “And fulfill the promise I made to my Master!”
That was how Kyozan-Rasetsu, the Mountain Cleaving Demon, became a little girl’s guardian.
Other:
- Has a fondness for citrus fruits and chocolate.
- INTENSE CLAUSTROPHOBIA.
