UnendingEmpire

The World of Wasted Dreams

Workin' on Reiko's shiz as we speak.

The World of Wasted Dreams

I'm back; just had a bit of a rough time getting online what with the library I frequent being closed on the weekends. Buuuut, that shouldn't be a problem for a little while :)

The World of Wasted Dreams

I feel like proposing you use this for Reiko...but it might be better if you just crop her face. I could even do it if you want.

The World of Wasted Dreams

Day 0: Morning

Let sleeping dogs lie, the saying goes. Why the hell couldn't that also apply for humans? Reiko awoke to the infernal buzzing of an alarm clock on an endtable beside her bed. Hitting the shut-up button and groaning "Yeah, I'm awake," Reiko got up to her feet. Another day at Hideki High School was supposed to start, and as always, Reiko was taking her shinai with her. The only place she didn't bring it was the bath. Some teachers objected to her carrying it around given her violent record from her first year at high school, but her fellow kendo club members could vouch for her that she'd mellowed out quite a bit since then. Besides, until there was an outright ban on carrying a shinai around school grounds, Reiko was holding it to her at all times. If such a ban did happen, she'd probably drop out.

Class was nothing remarkable. If nothing else, she got to sleep well through most of it. Lunch had also been pretty standard. She'd made her own, as always. All in all, she'd gone through the day pretty sure it would just be another ordinary day, with one exception. One of the kendo club members had meant to return a book to that POIR club, but was out sick today. The member in question was also Reiko's next-door neighbor, so she'd decided to do it for them. If she hadn't done that, it would have just been another ordinary day for Reiko Nagatani. But she did return the book, and thanks to it, she was still on-campus. And so...

Day 0: Just outside class 2-4's classroom...

Let sleeping dogs lie, the saying goes. Why the hell couldn't that also apply for humans? There was that earthquake just before Reiko had entered 2-4's classroom, which drove her into a wall hard enough to knock her out for a short while. She wouldn't have minded. From her perspective, it was just another way of sleeping. Though she'd dropped the book, despite everything, she held on tight to her shinai. As a result, it was still in her grip. Even when she'd regained consciousness, she figured a quick snooze wouldn't hurt at all. She would have even tried to go back to sleep, but there was no way she was sleeping with all this noise. Specifically, some girl who was at a door addressing herself as Kabetake Akane, and that music. That violin music. While she would have admitted it was well-played, Reiko found it annoying.

There was no helping it; she wouldn't be able to sleep like this. Using her shinai as support to get back up to her feet, Reiko observed a small cut on her left arm. Nothing major at all; she'd seen paper cuts worse than this. Did it happen when she hit the wall? Whatever the case, she still had a task to finish, but she couldn't see any sign of the book she was supposed to return in either direction. Reiko guessed she'd have to put that goal on the back burner; she figured there were bigger things to worry about when she saw through the windows that the sky was bloody red with all those black trees outside. Reiko wasn't typically one to experience fear, but she still found the sight unnerving. On her feet, Reiko made her way to the door, nodding to the Kabetake girl as a greeting. Then she too knocked at the door, with the hilt of her shinai. "Anyone back there? What the hell's going on?"

The World of Wasted Dreams

Feelin' a little jealous there? :3
working on a post now, on a far less important note

The World of Wasted Dreams

lol, even the great UnendingLifeFiber has gotta troll now and then :)

Pokemon: The Spectre Conspiracy

"So! Off to Snowbelle, then. Never been. If its name is any indicator, I hope some of you brought warm clothing!"

"I'd hope so," Professor Apple concurred. "If not, I know there's a boutique both there and in Santalune City; you should be able to find something at either destination. From the looks of it, it seems that at least one of you didn't take the chance of visiting cold places into account." Apple's eyes drifted toward Bailey in particular, who was carrying nothing more or less than the Pokeball her Duskull came in, the bag B was handing her, and a second, larger black bag over her shoulder that was clearly empty. Setting her eyes back to Aquacorde City's one and only bridge leading out to Route 2, the professor said "I hope you kids enjoyed your time in Santalune Forest. The only way to get to Snowbelle from here is through Santalune City, meaning you're going back through again. If you also plan to become Pokémon League Champion someday, a quick stop at the gym there wouldn't hurt either, though last I heard the Santalune Gym was closed for the time being. Viola - the Gym Leader - had some business elsewhere, I believe."

I knew I'd forget something important... Just her luck, Bailey figured. Forget to pack some warm clothing, and the first place they're going is reputably cold. She got some prize money from her victory against the professor, and she was given some money for the adventure ahead of her when she left home, so she could at least spend that up. And there was also prize money people got by beating other trainers, so if she felt real confident in Duskull's abilities she could always tackle the gym like the Professor proposed. She had some Pokeballs now, so there was no reason she couldn't catch a Pokémon or two on the way there. She was still kind of nervous, but at least now she was feeling at least a little good about this adventure getting started. "If that's all, should we start heading out?"

The World of Wasted Dreams

May as well do a relationships thing for Reiko. I'll get started on an IC post, too.

Here goes

Shizuna Yoshida
Reiko would challenge even an asura in all his six-armed glory to an outright swordfight instead of mere kendo if her adrenaline was already flowing; Shizuna's aura of fear and intimidation means little to her. Shizuna's choice to not speak much in direct conversation will no doubt bug Reiko more and more over time, but eating some food together now and then should keep it from getting to her too much. Just so long as it's not Italian. If nothing else, Reiko would be glad to meet somebody else who can't stand Italian food. She'll also probably reject Shizuna's protection if it's outright stated she's trying to protect Reiko, and would instead start doing her best to be the one doing the protecting instead. She's the one with the shinai, after all, and she sure knows how to use it.
Total relationship analysis: Seems that Reiko's liking for this girl may very well become an on-and-off thing.
(I kept almost typing "Shizuna" as "Shinmyoumaru". You know you're addicted to Touhou when...)

Akane Kabetaki
If nothing else, being taller than Reiko will make her look up to Akane, even if it's just a little bit. Akane's motherly personality may also lead to interesting interactions between the two, with Akane worrying about Reiko and Reiko not seeing what the big deal is at all, then possibly later trying to protect her if the two wind up friendly with one another. As an only child, Reiko can and will fail to understand Akane's love for her sister, but she will respect Akane's choice to take up karate. The one and only time Reiko ever fought without a shinai was the time that made her decide to try kendo to begin with, and she would say there's a lot said about a person if they prefer their own body as a weapon over an "actual" weapon. She wouldn't dare spar with the girl though; an armed kendo club president versus any karate club member that isn't the president doesn't feel like a fair fight to her.
Total relationship analysis: Reiko will either just not care about Akane at all, or see a friend in a fellow warrior.

Audrey Ordeñez
Being from one of Osaka's biggest tourist spots, Reiko has seen her fair share of foreigners already and developed her idea of how to treat them from the city's vendors and merchants. Because of it, she'll end up being surprisingly polite with Audrey, at least at first. Audrey's somber and monotone demeanor will no doubt get to Reiko over time, and it will show somewhere down the line that it's bugging her. If things get real sour and Reiko's already in a bad mood, she may even try to fight the negativity out of Audrey despite her normal tendencies to only take fights she would consider a challenge. But despite all that, she won't let anyone give Audrey crap for the very things she dislikes thanks to her extremely anti-bullying views.
Total relationship analysis: No matter how many ways I look at it, it's Reiko's fault they won't get too friendly.

Aito Shiba
One boy with all these girls? Reiko may not be big on anime, but she's seen enough to know where this is going. And she absolutely refuses to accept being part of any harem. No doubt Reiko won't like his showing off, either, be it about his dogs or his fake glasses. Then there's the way he acts with others. While she may not notice his antisocial antics at first, Reiko will no doubt trying to straighten the boy out once she starts noticing them. She'd rather pair up with one of the girls than this guy once she paints a negative image of him in her mind, and if he tries to ditch her just to see tomorrow, she'll make sure to stay one step behind him to take him down with her for what she'd label as selfish cowardice.
Total relationship analysis: This ship's not setting sail anytime soon.

Shiori Mizuhana
...actually, Xalt summed this one up pretty well at the top of the previous page.

Reiko Nagatani
How is Reiko supposed to have a relationship with herself? Unless her very different attitudes with/without an adrenaline rush end up becoming split personalities. In which case, I'd ship the hell out of that.

Shinobu Resan
Reiko would leap at the chance to meet somebody else who practices kendo. She'd also offer Shinobu join the club, no doubt, but wouldn't accept any challenge Shinobu issued until she saw just what the girl was capable of. Even if she knows how naïve it is, she'll also appreciate Shinobu's view that everyone is a good person deep down, and would equally appreciate how well she treats others. If/When it begins to set in that they're not exactly in a safe place in this RP, Reiko would most likely train Shinobu to hone her kendo skills so that it wasn't just her own skills she'd feel safe with. A fellow kendo fan is the last thing Reiko's expecting, so the foot these two get off on could very well turn into something of a wildcard.
Total relationship analysis: Reiko/Reiko aside, I'd ship this most for Reiko Whether they get off on the right foot or not, Reiko will inevitably form a positive relationship here.

The World of Wasted Dreams

Xaltwind said Shiori is taller than Reiko in centimeters, but not in feet & inches? Wat? xDIf she's 5'7" tall, she'd be 170cm...

If this were an anime, I'd suggest this become a running gag where Reiko's height keeps changing. I'll edit the height now though.

The World of Wasted Dreams

Liriia said A-are we gettin a Wild Monkey man? 0.0'

Close, but no. We're getting Reiko.

Reiko

Appearance:

Height: 5’7”/170cm

Weight: 147lbs/66.6kg

Hair Color: Black

Eye Color: Brown, but can often look red depending on the lighting.

Skin-tone: Pretty well-tanned

Clothes: Aside from her school uniform, Reiko has a variety of t-shirts in numerous colors and denim shorts. She also has some patterned or printed t-shirts, her favorite being a black shirt with a red falcon on it.

Name: "Nagatani Reiko. If you're spelling "Reiko" with kanji that read out as "beautiful child" or “Nagatani” with the kanji for “long valley” then you're spelling it wrong. Use the kanji for "zero" instead of "beautiful" and the kanji for “eternal” instead of “long” from now on."
永谷 零子

Age: 17

History: Born in Dōtonbori, Reiko’s parents both worked in the food business. Perhaps because of that, she got to try out a lot of the flavors Osaka had to offer, which added up to a pretty hefty palette. From a young age, it was Reiko’s dream to be a chef. Her father sold takoyaki for a living, her mother was a waitress, so why not? It was practically in her blood to work with food! The result of this ambition was young Reiko spending a lot of time in the kitchen, helping her parents and learning what did and didn’t work when preparing food. Things were looking good, with her mother becoming a restaurant general manager over time, and Reiko turning into a very fine young cook. And then her dreams were rocked to the foundation at age twelve. Not that they were shattered, just…changed.

The catalyst was a school friend of hers who had an unfortunate reputation as the class target for bullies. Whilst doing a mini-tour of the restaurants in her neighborhood, Reiko found her friend in a pretty nasty situation, backed into a corner by two of the burlier boys in class. So Reiko did what any sane, reasonable human being with absolutely no experience fighting would not do. She went ahead and started swinging her fists at the boys. Surprisingly, she won. This was where her dream changed. Even to this day, she vividly remembers the thrill that fight gave her. The rush of the fight was what gave her a change of heart, and she decided to instead become a national kendo champion. Cooking for a living was still her Plan B, though.

Reiko’s family didn’t hesitate to sign her up for classes when she expressed that she wanted to try kendo out. While she’d learned cooking well from her parents, even her kendo teacher remarked that she was a natural at this new pursuit of hers. She was eventually given her own personal shinai to keep and practice with…and this is where the problem began. Give a young girl with dreams of being a national kendo champ her own shinai, and what’s she going to do? Pick fights. At first, she only targeted kids in her class who were known to be bullies or otherwise just not good people, but she eventually saw no challenge from them whatsoever. Then she started targeting older kids, mainly high-schoolers who were in kendo clubs. She actually had a pretty good winning streak, all things considered, and won three matches in a row. Then she lost the fourth one, against the club president who was sick of her crap. Trying to explain her face when she got home that day was another memory that has stayed perfectly clear to this day, albeit a much less pleasant one.

Then her mother got a job opportunity, but not in Osaka. The Nagatani family moved just before high school started for Reiko, and soon after she began at Hideki High School. Needless to say, she wasted no time joining the kendo club and proving her skill time and again. And then club members stopped accepting her challenges, and it was her middle school problems all over again. Eventually, she was kicked out of the kendo club for her “aggressive” behavior and told to take a couple months to take a nice long breather. She didn’t.

What Reiko did instead was begin looking for challengers online. These guys were better than her club. Reiko realized that when she lost her first battle in seconds. And then she did take a months-long breather. With the constant adrenaline flow of hers gone, Reiko was calmed down and not as fast or strong as she previously was. The kendo club welcomed her back with open arms when she proved it by turning down a challenge from the club president. Their president graduated that year, and appointed president was none other than Reiko, for her skill in and love for kendo. It’s been rare that she takes up her shinai these last couple of years, so she’s a bit rusty as a result. However, she can still cook very well.

Personality: Reiko can be seen as a girl of two very different faces. Primarily, she’s a calm sort who thinks before she does anything, and always keeps an eye on details. She also sees a sort of bond when it comes to food. Not that she feels a bond with the food itself, but rather, the people she eats it with. Sit down with her for a meal, and Reiko can go from a stranger to a friend in mere minutes. She also loves to cook, and hearing somebody say they enjoyed her cooking remains her number-one bliss in life.

Her love for food doesn’t stay limited to just the flavors she grew up with in Osaka, either. No matter its origin or culture, Reiko will always try out a dish she hasn’t tasted before, and learn how it’s made if she likes it. She’s also the sort to put her own spin on the foods she makes. Most notably, every sushi dish she makes has a paste she claims is made from blended takoyaki on the side. She’ll also try to make her own thing from time to time, grabbing seemingly random ingredients from around her, and seeing what she can do with them.

Then she gets into a kendo match. She’s not quite sure what it is, but something about fighting – be it kendo or not – is just exhilarating to Reiko. To her, the adrenaline rush is like a drug. Once she gets some, she wants more and more. The first fight is always a catalyst to a huge violent streak of hers, in which she’ll approach anybody she thinks could be a challenge and begin to pick a fight. This “other side” of Reiko is what gets her in trouble more often than not. Her sleeping habits – especially in class – are another trouble factor of hers.

Quirks: ~Absolutely refuses to go anywhere without her shinai, despite having only had ten kendo matches in the last two years.
~Puts a “mystery sauce” she makes on everything she cooks. It’s unknown what goes in the sauce, but some people who’ve tried a variety of her dishes think she actually makes the sauce differently depending on the food.
~Won’t read unless her head and the book are upside-down. This has resulted in her sitting in the back row in class.
~Insists on going everywhere on foot unless going to another town.

Likes: +Food: Cooking food, eating food, or hearing from others about food is never something Reiko will turn down if offered. Her backup dream of being a chef is still strong.
+Kendo: It goes without saying, Reiko loves kendo. While she’s learned that it’s not a great idea to constantly fight these last couple of years, she’s always glad to spar with somebody or even get into a couple of outright fights if the circumstances are right.
+Sleeping: Reiko sees sleep as a way of shooting ahead to the very near future. If she has nothing to do, is angry or sad, or even just bored, you can bet Reiko’s mind is set on finding a place to sleep.

Dislikes: –Italian food: Despite her broad tastes, Reiko could never get the hang of Italian food. This extends to pizza as well.
-Quiet people: People were given lungs and vocal cords to speak, or so Reiko would put it. People who don’t use these things just irritate her. Exceptions are the deaf and the mute.
-Bullying: While she admits she was guilty of this until becoming kendo club president, Reiko hates, HATES bullies, or any mistreatment of one person toward another person. This is part of why she keeps her shinai near her at all times; when she sees this kind of thing happen, she feels it’s her job to step in and put a stop to it.