Application
Character
Name: Kisa Sohma
Series: Fruits Basket
Timeline: Volume 5, before she regains her voice
Canon Resource Links: Fruits Basket general series and Kisa.
Affiliation: Breeder
Personality: Kisa comes off as the most timid member of the Zodiac, and for good reason. When she's first introduced, it was right after she'd run away from home and had been too weak to sustain her human form and was thus found as a tiger. She... also doesn't speak at all, which only lends validity to the "timid" theory. The muteness, however, stems from the fact that she's had a pretty rough time of things. First being beaten so badly that it took two full weeks for her injuries to heal, and then losing her main support at a time when her classmates started teasing her about the unusual color of her hair and eyes and then ignored her-- except to laugh whenever she said something. Kisa is the type of girl who doesn't like to inconvenience others; one reason she stops talking is because she feels like she's bothering them whenever she opens her mouth. She doesn't tell her mother because she feels pathetic and is so utterly terrified that someone she loves will hate her for being so weak. All of this culminates in a mass of insecurities where she's utterly unable to love herself. She can't find any good things about herself without someone pointing them out first, because she's been led to believe that she's unlikable, no matter WHAT she does. Even when she tries to defend herself, the bullying continues.
Muteness aside, she's a quiet girl by nature, preferring to be soft-spoken and almost hesitant in her speech, but just as likely to offer up bright smiles once she's comfortable enough to do so. Though tremendously shy (she gets excited when she manages to greet Kyo properly and have him greet her in return), she's very loving and will often think of other people before herself. If she's suffering, she doesn't want to burden anyone else with her troubles-- which, sadly enough, burdens them even more. Gradually, she realizes that she can find the strength to be brave and, through that, she starts coming out of her shell, suggesting playdates on her own and returning to school where she presumably overcomes the harassment and starts socializing with her classmates more.
... But since she's from a little bit before that, it looks like she'll have to learn that lesson here. At the heart of it, she's just a sweet little girl who likes cute clothes and the Mogeta anime, remains relatively innocent about things like Shigure being a pervert, and is willing to show affection to anyone who accepts her.
Strengths/Weaknesses:
+ Brave. Despite her frail appearance, deep down, Kisa ultimately finds the strength to keep going; she did her best before the teasing escalated as well, and she's the one who says that she can't keep running away and returns to school of her own volition-- though she's frightened the entire time.
+ Gentle. Which is ironic, because Kisa's the Tiger, and she does have one hell of a bite if you upset her (as a tiger, anyway), but the rest of the time, she's a very kind and affectionate little girl who gets worried when someone she cares about is in pain. She cries when she realizes that Hiro has been hurting deeply over being the indirect cause of her being injured/losing her voice, and she points out that Tohru probably has some kind of pain in her heart, even if she doesn't show it. She also became anxious when Tohru might have been at risk of meeting the head of the Sohma family; she was more worried about Tohru than about herself.
+ Devoted. Seriously. Once you win Kisa over, chances are you'll have someone following you like a duckling. And becoming quietly ecstatically happy for hugs. And putting your well-being above her own. This is seen most obviously with Tohru.
+ Goddamned adorable-- wait how is this a strength--
- Shy, where she has trouble suggesting things without someone else doing it first. Kisa also considers it a victory when she can manage to say hello to someone on her own.
- Tends to internalize her problems, so if something's bothering her, she won't outright say it because she doesn't want to make it anyone else's problem, and thus the problems only get bigger in her mind until she does things like run away from home.
- INSECURE. Soft hearts can sometimes lead to soft defenses and bullying will hurt her deeply.
- AT THE MOMENT, she hasn't been able to find her voice, so she won't be talking at all. This miiight possibly lead to some confusion and misunderstandings without anyone who can flat-out explain why she can't speak.
- The Zodiac Curse, in which she turns into a tiger cub when she's either weak or hugged by a member of the opposite sex. Obviously not a factor here, but she'll be scared to let males get too close until she figures it out. Additionally, a side effect is that her hair and eyes are naturally tawny/golden, which was the source of ostracizing back home, so she's incredibly insecure about that right now. She might feel a faint affinity for the more jungle-like cats here (having been possessed by the spirit of the tiger), but she won't be able to have them help her (as we see with Yuki and his rat buddies).
Pokemon
Starter: Growlithe
Password: Salmon riceballs IN A FRUIT BASKET
Samples
First Person Sample: [ Kisa's Growlithe seems to be having fun messing with the PokéGear, so anyone tuning in will be treated to a bunch of sharp teeth and a pink tongue and a glimpse of color behind the fascinating view of a Growlithe's mouth. As the puppy backs away, the color is revealed to be Kisa, and a distracted Kisa at that. She's currently engrossed in reading the Breeder's Guide and looking increasingly confused by the material. With a blink, she looks up from the guide to the gear, at first startled, but then her expression changes to a more considering one. Slowly, she reaches out for the gear and switches the function to text. ]
Puppies can't lay eggs, but the guide says they can. Does that mean I should be making nests for the eggs? They don't teach breeding in middle school. And is it really okay to have them make eggs if they're not in love?
... I hope people aren't eating these eggs.
Thank you for reading this. I'm going to try my best as a Breeder. Even if I still don't know why I AM one.
Third Person Sample:
Kisa sat trembling a few feet away from the curious-looking (in both ways) dog that had yet to look away from her. She'd been in such a rush to flee from the strange woman that she'd tripped over her own feet, spilling the contents of the bag the woman had pressed upon her and releasing this... creature, that she knew was too large to have fit in there comfortably in the first place. Fear rendered her immobile and possibly mute-- though she couldn't have spoken either way. What if it was mean? If she'd been in her tiger form, she might have been able to defend herself better, but she wouldn't have been much larger than the dog in that form. She also wasn't eager to run around looking for a male to hug and the consequences that would result in.
The dog slowly pushed itself to all four legs, taking slow, deliberate steps towards her. Its ears were upright and its tail loose and relaxed, wagging almost hopefully-- all signs that it wasn't planning on attacking her, and reinforced when it stopped in front of her and pushed a wet, cold nose at her rather insistently.
The twelve-year-old flinched in surprise, but reached out with some trepidation to rest a hand on the dog's head. As if that was all it had wanted, the dog's tail exploded in joyful wagging, coaxing a tiny smile out of Kisa. Maybe it had only been looking for a friendly gesture, a sign of acceptance... like her. Only this one had been brave enough to take the first step.
She ran a hand over the dog carefully, noting with interest that it sported tiger stripes; it was an unusual comfort, but a comfort regardless, like a sign of kinship between her and the creature. When she rose, the dog remained close, but trotted after her when she took a few steps away from it. It stopped when she stopped. Clearly, she'd been accepted as well. It wasn't mocking her or ignoring her; just a smile from her made it ecstatic. For the second time in a long time, Kisa felt a small stirring of hope.
She was far away from home, scared and silent... but she wasn't alone. She had made a new friend, and the acceptance gave her the courage to try and get through whatever this was, so that she could return home.