The dust has finally settled. College is in full swing, and I understand what time I have in the day. I'm gonna get a post out tonight, sorry for the delay.
Theres a rather small post for your reading pleasure. I hope I didn't miss out any interactions, but I was kinda going off of what I knew I had to do, so... Lemme know if I missed anything important ^-^
So, Blanche didn't have a good reason to be involved or actually... do anything. If I change character, then hopefully they'll actually have an in:
Name: Ijuin Hikaru
Age: 479
Gender: Female
Race: Vampire
Personality: To the outside world, Hikaru is every inch the dutiful samurai, speaking like someone out of a jidaigeki film and maintaining an impassive demeanour in the face of even the more bizarre residents of the Imaginary District, as well as taking her promises extremely seriously. Whilst she is every bit as dutiful as she acts, Hikaru intentionally affects the archaic mannerisms and stoicism so that people don’t feel so threatened by the bloodsucking menace. Who fears a silly caricature? It helps to be underestimated if a fight does happen. If she didn’t feel so existentially adrift at the best of times, something that neither age nor religion are really helping with, Hikaru would be a lot more enthusiastic for anything, especially a fight. Her one real passion is cooking… and she has trouble finding anyone that would accept dinner invitations for some reason…
Abilities: Being a vampire, Hikaru has enormous speed and strength—and has snapped bows in the past—on top of an ability to regenerate from almost any wound. This comes with all the drawbacks that being a vampire entails, like hating the giant burning ball and needing to drink blood. Despite not even being able to touch holy items without burning, Hikaru stubbornly keeps wearing a crucifix.
Skills: Given that she has spent her whole life as a samurai, and a professional soldier during modern wars, it is of no surprise that Hikaru is trained in the use of many weapons. Given her age and the time she’s had to practice, it’s fair to say that she has mastered the use of essentially all of them—and fighting without. She’s also well-read and educated but, despite her efforts, a mediocre poet in general and unwilling to actually share her writings. Despite not needing to eat, the vampire is an enthusiastic cook. This isn’t to say that she’s a good one and her attempts to make food come out as inedible masses more often than not unless, for some reason, she’s emulating American fast food chains.
Equipment: As expected of a samurai, Hikaru has a sword. Multiple swords, even, of various lengths and ages, used before other weapons mostly because it’s expected. Her collection of weaponry is considerably larger than the swords: she has several spears, naginata, knives, staves, fans of various types, at least two bows, several old tanegashima matchlocks, 19th century muskets and rifles, and a variety of guns from the Second World War. All of these are stored in a simple folded box on her person, courtesy of favours done for an onmyouji, along with her now unnecessary armour, except for one blade for easy access. The prize of her collection is a Masamune blade that, despite its craftsmanship, she doesn’t use very often. Why put such a priceless treasure in harms’ way?
Brief Backstory: When she and her twin were born on Kyushu, there was no doubt which one was the son and which the daughter. However, being nearly identical in appearance and having exactly the wrong temperament for their lots in life, they hatched a cunning plan and swapped. In the face of all reason, this masquerade managed to keep going well into adulthood. Hikaru learned the hard way that trade with the westerners brought more than their religion and weapons into Japan—both of which had found her interest. A strange new type of creature, dissimilar to the native youkai, was spreading itself amongst the people. One, finding this strangely beautiful “young man” of interest decided to preserve the youth for all time. He learned the hard way that turning a samurai into a vampire had its drawbacks. Namely, the samurai in question spearing you through the chest when you give them an impromptu lesson on what you’ve done to them. Undaunted by her affliction, Hikaru returned to her normal life as well as could be managed, finding to her trouble that it was hard to fake ageing and was forced to find other masters to serve. Whilst the country was still fighting, it wasn’t so hard but after the battle of Sekigahara, she found herself increasingly trapped by the new laws, even though she fought with the Tokugawa forces. A ronin for most of the Edo period, Hikaru felt even more adrift after the country modernised, acclimating herself to the new weapons but asking what the point of a samurai is with no valid master to serve? When she heard rumour of the Imaginary District, just a year or two after its creation, she headed straight for it: at least this way, she can be honest about her past, whilst openly disputing Saigō Takamori’s reputation as the last true samurai. Within the district, Hikaru has still not found anyone to serve, nor an answer to her question. She does, however, refer to her activities as a “blood drive” nowadays: co-ordinating a list of actual humans within the district and asking for their assistance for the sustenance of those youkai, herself included, that need people to live.
Yes, but that's not really a conversation I have a good reason to get involved with. Once most people are outside, there's a much less forced way to join in.
@VitaVitaAR Could I make a second character? An archetype suddenly popped into my head and for the love of coffee I want to write it out XD. Totally haven't been mulling over it in the shower for the past twenty minutes.