Post by Akaiko on Dec 7, 2012 2:05:18 GMT -5
Out of Character:
Name:
Kana
Other characters:
None
In Character:
Name:
Akaiko
Aliases:
Akachan
Race:
Jorogumo/Human hybrid
Age:
35
Gender:
Female
Occupation/Class:
Innkeeper/Middle Class
Orientation:
Undecided
Physical Description:
She has the body of a girl in her early teens. Akaiko isn't too tall, standing only at a height of 5'2". It does, however, complement her petite and slim body type. She likes keeping her silky black hair tied, but her hair is actually very long (reaching down to her knees) when let out. Her fair skin is very delicate, as she doesn't go out of her shelter too often. She also has gentle, enticing gold eyes.
Personality Description:
Akaiko is the type that prefers not to get in trouble if she can avoid it. Her secret of having yokai blood is the most important thing to her. The deceptive nature of the jorogumo to ensnare prey has transferred to her as her ability to have great control of her emotions and expressions. As an innkeeper with a dark secret, that has proven useful in preserving her identity countless times. She never reveals much about herself to others as part of self-preservation. She fears how some humans have negative feelings towards yokai. She does, however, feel comfortable in the presence of other yokai.
Around her customers, she is not very social but she gives the utmost care to them. The impression she gives off is one of innocence, youthfulness, and at times childishness. That has caused some of her customers to affectionately call her "Akachan", a name that she has mixed feelings for. Although slightly anxious around her guests, she attends to their needs and tries to make them feel as welcome as possible in her inn.
Likes/Dislikes:
She likes sweet pastries the most, and bringing her gifts of those is the best way to get to give a good first impression in front of her. She doesn't like to drink alcohol, as she knows her judgement and self-control will be impaired once she becomes intoxicated. The main thing she dislikes are those who try to know more about her in what she considers a more forceful way.
History:
Near a waterfall in the forest, a human woodcutter was looking for some water to bathe on after a long day of work. There, in front of his eyes, was a beautiful young woman who had long black hair as if it was made of silk. When the two made eye contact, the woman was fascinated at how bravely the man was approaching her like a fly to a web. Instead of ensnaring him as prey, she became interested and listened to his story. The man did not know that the woman he was talking to was a young jorogumo. He told her how his wife left his presence out of his obsession over work. The woman told the man about her wonderful childhood living near the waterfalls of that forest. Eventually, their exchange of their words made them much more fascinated with each other. It ended with them falling for one another and the man bringing the woman back to his cabin.
Throughout the walk back, the man can't help but feel a slightly disturbing presence when he was around the woman. However, her beauty kept him from harming her or questioning her any further. The night passed, and the man and woman went into each others' arms and became one. In his sleep, the man had a terrible dream of being ensnared in a web with a huge jorogumo spider waiting to eat him. In that dream, he grabbed his ax and managed to wound the jorogumo. The next morning, he woke up with no sign of the woman. He suspected that she had left while he was asleep. He soon forgot about the dream and about the woman.
Months passed and the woodcutter ventured through the woods far too deep once more, ending up in the same waterfall where he saw the woman. Inside the waterfall, he could hear the noise of a crying infant. Along with those cries, he also heard the calming, almost hypnotic voice of a familiar woman singing what seemed to be a lullaby.
"From two worlds you will be born
You will neither be one or the other
A curse, a blessing, what will it really be?
Be safe in mother's arms, and sleep
Little child covered in blood, little red child
Rest in mother's dying arms, and sleep"
Curious, he walked in and was frozen in shock as he saw the huge jorogumo spider from his dream laying dead on the ground, and beside it was an infant wrapped in bloodstained silk. The woodcutter knew that the singing woman was the same woman he loved back then. He suspected that trying to fend the baby from the spider, the woman sang her final dying words as she killed the spider. Worried about the infant's safety from the monster in front of him, he picked the infant up and raised the baby girl as his own daughter. Remembering the lullaby, he named the baby "Akaiko".
The small girl grew up, and throughout the time where he raised her, he kept being plagued by nightmares of the black-haired woman he once loved cursing at him over and over again. He remembered the glaring golden eyes which pierced his very soul. Over the early years of his daughter's life, she has grown to become more and more afraid of him. His daughter also kept repeating the same hypnotizing lullaby he heard near the waterfall using her sweet voice. Yelling at Akaiko to stop it, she glared at him and yelled.
"Mother told me that you killed her!"
Fearing for his life, he waited for Akaiko to fall asleep during the night and slipped out with her into a village. He dropped her off near an inn and vanished back into the woods, never to be seen again. The next morning, that village's innkeeper took her in and adopted her. The innkeeper was an old lady who thought she was a blessing, as the old lady wanted a granddaughter. However, she was noticed to be very timid, almost afraid of those around her. It took her years before she even got used to the innkeeper's presence. During that time, the innkeeper showed her how to run the inn along the other workers. Out of a feeling of debt for taking care of her, she managed to trust the old innkeeper and eventually know everything she needed to know about running the inn and serving the customers. However, she kept having nightmares about watching her mother being helplessly slaughtered by the father who abandoned her. When she got those nightmares, she calmed herself to sleep by repeating her mother's last dying lullaby. It put her at ease and even though she still cried, she managed to sleep more comfortably.
The old lady died and she was placed in charge of taking care of the inn. The other workers left after the old lady's death and she was left to run the inn by herself. Although underemployed, she still manages to bring high-quality service to her customers. Still a bit afraid, she created a rule that she remembered inside her which made her feel a bit more comfortable when taking care of the guests.
"Guests are family once they step forth in the inn...
but they become strangers once more when they step out."
Her timid and sometimes shy nature caused her more regular guests to come up with a name for her. "Akachan" was the name, which meant "infant" and was a play on her own name of "Akaiko". This was also because of the fact that ever since she reached the age of 17, her youthfulness seemed to always stay with her both in appearance and in attitude. Her regular customers have noticed this strangeness, since they started to look much older. There has been no major commotion about it, but there are rumours spreading around that she has been cursed by a yokai.
In her years of running the inn, she has had a handful of yokai become drawn into her inn as well. She accepts their presence with open arms and feels comforted around them. She still preferred that they keep a sort of human guise or stay hidden when human customers are around. Because of that, her inn has become a stop for both human and yokai to rest, feel welcomed, and socialize with others.
Strengths/Weaknesses:
She has exceptional ability to do housework and keep a place clean and orderly. While her sociability is nothing to be impressed at, she is a calming presence around her customers. Because of her nature as a jorogumo, she is an excellent (almost unnaturally) weaver of silk clothing. She is able to sprout large yellow and black spider legs from her back, further allowing her to weave with much greater expertise.
Weapons/Armor:
N/A
Magic:
Coming from her mother, she has an innate ability to charm the weak-willed. She has not yet discovered this ability and she has the potential to use it unintentionally on others.
Other:
N/A
RP Sample:
Another usual day was waiting for Akaiko at her inn. Waking up to the sunrise shining its rays to her face, she stretched and put away her pillow, blankets, and her futon. She cooked a quick breakfast of rice and eggs. After eating, she decided to relax in her own hot springs. Dipping her feet in the warm water, she stepped in and let out a deep sigh. Closing her eyes, she almost fell asleep after a few minutes if not for the sound of a guest entering the premises. Quickly, she dried herself off and dressed up neatly in her kimono. Upon seeing the guest, she had an uneasy feeling.
"So today's guest is human..." she thought to herself.
"Welcome to my inn."
Bowing, she welcomed the guest in.
"Please, make yourself at home. Would you like some food? Shall I prepare a bath for you?" she said with a very gentle voice.
The guest requested for the bath first so she bowed once more before heading off to prepare the hot springs. Of course, she had to work quickly, since she needed to make sure she can be there when more guests arrive. On her way there, she had a thought. She knew that most of her guests were human. Thinking of that, she remembered her father and it made her pause, completely stopping what she was doing.
"Humans are not all that bad..." she said to herself as a spider descended from the roof to her shoulder. "...right?"
She then remembered the old lady, how she was taken care of and how loved she felt when the old lady was alive. It wasn't quite the same as having a mother, but it was pretty close to her. There were many precious memories from those times being her apprentice and her granddaughter. She then smiled and let the spider go, letting it crawl back to the ceiling.
"I guess not." she said in a cheery voice before running to the hot springs to continue her work.
Name:
Kana
Other characters:
None
In Character:
Name:
Akaiko
Aliases:
Akachan
Race:
Jorogumo/Human hybrid
Age:
35
Gender:
Female
Occupation/Class:
Innkeeper/Middle Class
Orientation:
Undecided
Physical Description:
She has the body of a girl in her early teens. Akaiko isn't too tall, standing only at a height of 5'2". It does, however, complement her petite and slim body type. She likes keeping her silky black hair tied, but her hair is actually very long (reaching down to her knees) when let out. Her fair skin is very delicate, as she doesn't go out of her shelter too often. She also has gentle, enticing gold eyes.
Personality Description:
Akaiko is the type that prefers not to get in trouble if she can avoid it. Her secret of having yokai blood is the most important thing to her. The deceptive nature of the jorogumo to ensnare prey has transferred to her as her ability to have great control of her emotions and expressions. As an innkeeper with a dark secret, that has proven useful in preserving her identity countless times. She never reveals much about herself to others as part of self-preservation. She fears how some humans have negative feelings towards yokai. She does, however, feel comfortable in the presence of other yokai.
Around her customers, she is not very social but she gives the utmost care to them. The impression she gives off is one of innocence, youthfulness, and at times childishness. That has caused some of her customers to affectionately call her "Akachan", a name that she has mixed feelings for. Although slightly anxious around her guests, she attends to their needs and tries to make them feel as welcome as possible in her inn.
Likes/Dislikes:
She likes sweet pastries the most, and bringing her gifts of those is the best way to get to give a good first impression in front of her. She doesn't like to drink alcohol, as she knows her judgement and self-control will be impaired once she becomes intoxicated. The main thing she dislikes are those who try to know more about her in what she considers a more forceful way.
History:
Near a waterfall in the forest, a human woodcutter was looking for some water to bathe on after a long day of work. There, in front of his eyes, was a beautiful young woman who had long black hair as if it was made of silk. When the two made eye contact, the woman was fascinated at how bravely the man was approaching her like a fly to a web. Instead of ensnaring him as prey, she became interested and listened to his story. The man did not know that the woman he was talking to was a young jorogumo. He told her how his wife left his presence out of his obsession over work. The woman told the man about her wonderful childhood living near the waterfalls of that forest. Eventually, their exchange of their words made them much more fascinated with each other. It ended with them falling for one another and the man bringing the woman back to his cabin.
Throughout the walk back, the man can't help but feel a slightly disturbing presence when he was around the woman. However, her beauty kept him from harming her or questioning her any further. The night passed, and the man and woman went into each others' arms and became one. In his sleep, the man had a terrible dream of being ensnared in a web with a huge jorogumo spider waiting to eat him. In that dream, he grabbed his ax and managed to wound the jorogumo. The next morning, he woke up with no sign of the woman. He suspected that she had left while he was asleep. He soon forgot about the dream and about the woman.
Months passed and the woodcutter ventured through the woods far too deep once more, ending up in the same waterfall where he saw the woman. Inside the waterfall, he could hear the noise of a crying infant. Along with those cries, he also heard the calming, almost hypnotic voice of a familiar woman singing what seemed to be a lullaby.
"From two worlds you will be born
You will neither be one or the other
A curse, a blessing, what will it really be?
Be safe in mother's arms, and sleep
Little child covered in blood, little red child
Rest in mother's dying arms, and sleep"
Curious, he walked in and was frozen in shock as he saw the huge jorogumo spider from his dream laying dead on the ground, and beside it was an infant wrapped in bloodstained silk. The woodcutter knew that the singing woman was the same woman he loved back then. He suspected that trying to fend the baby from the spider, the woman sang her final dying words as she killed the spider. Worried about the infant's safety from the monster in front of him, he picked the infant up and raised the baby girl as his own daughter. Remembering the lullaby, he named the baby "Akaiko".
The small girl grew up, and throughout the time where he raised her, he kept being plagued by nightmares of the black-haired woman he once loved cursing at him over and over again. He remembered the glaring golden eyes which pierced his very soul. Over the early years of his daughter's life, she has grown to become more and more afraid of him. His daughter also kept repeating the same hypnotizing lullaby he heard near the waterfall using her sweet voice. Yelling at Akaiko to stop it, she glared at him and yelled.
"Mother told me that you killed her!"
Fearing for his life, he waited for Akaiko to fall asleep during the night and slipped out with her into a village. He dropped her off near an inn and vanished back into the woods, never to be seen again. The next morning, that village's innkeeper took her in and adopted her. The innkeeper was an old lady who thought she was a blessing, as the old lady wanted a granddaughter. However, she was noticed to be very timid, almost afraid of those around her. It took her years before she even got used to the innkeeper's presence. During that time, the innkeeper showed her how to run the inn along the other workers. Out of a feeling of debt for taking care of her, she managed to trust the old innkeeper and eventually know everything she needed to know about running the inn and serving the customers. However, she kept having nightmares about watching her mother being helplessly slaughtered by the father who abandoned her. When she got those nightmares, she calmed herself to sleep by repeating her mother's last dying lullaby. It put her at ease and even though she still cried, she managed to sleep more comfortably.
The old lady died and she was placed in charge of taking care of the inn. The other workers left after the old lady's death and she was left to run the inn by herself. Although underemployed, she still manages to bring high-quality service to her customers. Still a bit afraid, she created a rule that she remembered inside her which made her feel a bit more comfortable when taking care of the guests.
"Guests are family once they step forth in the inn...
but they become strangers once more when they step out."
Her timid and sometimes shy nature caused her more regular guests to come up with a name for her. "Akachan" was the name, which meant "infant" and was a play on her own name of "Akaiko". This was also because of the fact that ever since she reached the age of 17, her youthfulness seemed to always stay with her both in appearance and in attitude. Her regular customers have noticed this strangeness, since they started to look much older. There has been no major commotion about it, but there are rumours spreading around that she has been cursed by a yokai.
In her years of running the inn, she has had a handful of yokai become drawn into her inn as well. She accepts their presence with open arms and feels comforted around them. She still preferred that they keep a sort of human guise or stay hidden when human customers are around. Because of that, her inn has become a stop for both human and yokai to rest, feel welcomed, and socialize with others.
Strengths/Weaknesses:
She has exceptional ability to do housework and keep a place clean and orderly. While her sociability is nothing to be impressed at, she is a calming presence around her customers. Because of her nature as a jorogumo, she is an excellent (almost unnaturally) weaver of silk clothing. She is able to sprout large yellow and black spider legs from her back, further allowing her to weave with much greater expertise.
Weapons/Armor:
N/A
Magic:
Coming from her mother, she has an innate ability to charm the weak-willed. She has not yet discovered this ability and she has the potential to use it unintentionally on others.
Other:
N/A
RP Sample:
Another usual day was waiting for Akaiko at her inn. Waking up to the sunrise shining its rays to her face, she stretched and put away her pillow, blankets, and her futon. She cooked a quick breakfast of rice and eggs. After eating, she decided to relax in her own hot springs. Dipping her feet in the warm water, she stepped in and let out a deep sigh. Closing her eyes, she almost fell asleep after a few minutes if not for the sound of a guest entering the premises. Quickly, she dried herself off and dressed up neatly in her kimono. Upon seeing the guest, she had an uneasy feeling.
"So today's guest is human..." she thought to herself.
"Welcome to my inn."
Bowing, she welcomed the guest in.
"Please, make yourself at home. Would you like some food? Shall I prepare a bath for you?" she said with a very gentle voice.
The guest requested for the bath first so she bowed once more before heading off to prepare the hot springs. Of course, she had to work quickly, since she needed to make sure she can be there when more guests arrive. On her way there, she had a thought. She knew that most of her guests were human. Thinking of that, she remembered her father and it made her pause, completely stopping what she was doing.
"Humans are not all that bad..." she said to herself as a spider descended from the roof to her shoulder. "...right?"
She then remembered the old lady, how she was taken care of and how loved she felt when the old lady was alive. It wasn't quite the same as having a mother, but it was pretty close to her. There were many precious memories from those times being her apprentice and her granddaughter. She then smiled and let the spider go, letting it crawl back to the ceiling.
"I guess not." she said in a cheery voice before running to the hot springs to continue her work.
