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Character’s Name: Rika Furude
Character’s Fandom: Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni
Point in time the character is taken from: Right after "Yakusamashi-hen" in anime order. She will basically have experienced all of the story arcs except the final two, meaning she has been murdered XXXXX times and is feeling mostly hopeless, with the occasional inspired burst. She has, however, seen Keiichi remember a past world and that has given her a glimmer of hope.
Character’s Personality: As it should be clear from her past, Rika has seen her share of misfortunes. Even though she's only twelve, she has the maturity of someone well beyond her physical years. However, she knows it would alarm her friends if she suddenly became more mature, so tends to put on a front. To her friends, Rika is incredibly cheerful and kind, the type to make compromises instead of letting a conflict arise, unless said conflict is just playful. She is very "cute" and naive in the eyes of her friends, and certainly not someone you'd talk to about "adult matters", like why that movie is rated R. Rika is also known for her cute phrases ("Nipa" in particular, which is smiling sound effect and various kitty sounds, like "mii" and "myao~") and for using sound effects in her speech (The storm went "Boom boom" and "Flash flash" nano desu!) as well as ending some sentences in "nano desu" (That how it is!).
Even with her front, Rika is mature, as is expected from someone who lives alone. She quietly observes her friends and steps in when needed to solve problems. When she does speak she speaks in a polite and cute manner, though it is noted that she is on a first name basis with most everyone and does not use many honorifics, stemming from her high social ranking. Though she sits through village meetings without saying a word she does have opinions, most of which she keeps to herself. When she does speak up she speaks mature words in a childish and cute manner.
Deep down, Rika isn't the cheerful happy girl she appears to be. At least, not all of the time. She's a cross between an optimist and a pessimist, unsure of whether to have faith in a happy future, but willing to keep trying until she can't anymore. Sometimes she'll fall into "emo slumps" where she sits around and drinks wine (which, by the way, she loves). However, she often gets out of these slumps pretty quickly,and goes back to trying her very hardest to find a happy ending. Then she gets defeated and angsts some more... But in the end she is a fairly strong girl.
She is also noted as being a secret pervert (well, not secret around Hanyuu). She's also been depicted as being a bit manipulative, knowing that boys will do things for her cute moe face and willing to use this skill for games.
Her "darker" personality can be a bit sarcastic and sometimes speaks in a riddle-type way. When in her darker personality Rika's voice becomes much lower and more mature.
Lastly, Rika is very secretive. It is rare that she finds a place when it is safe to cry without alarming her friends so she usually just bottles it up and smiles. She doesn't ask for help with her problem, probably because it's highly unlikely that anyone will believe her, but instead just tries to protect her friends so at least they can be happy. Rika is very loyal to her friends and they are arguably her strongest motivation for trying hard; they certainly outweigh her parents, at least.
For the most part Rika's cute side will be seen in the RP. She may open up to one or two people, though, if she comes to trust them.
Biography link: Let's start with the basics. Furude Rika lives in the lovely town of Hinamizawa, Japan in the year 1983. Her little mountain village used to go by another name and has a history of being a "village of ogres". Apparently the people of Hinamizawa have ogre blood in their veins. Further more they have a God, Oyashiro-sama, who protects them from said ogre blood. Every year, on June 19th, there is a festival called the "Watanagashi" when everyone floats cotton down a river to symbolize repentance. The term "Watanagashi" can also be read as "disembowelment", which is not a mistake. In the old days people were supposedly tortured on this day and their entrails sent down the river to appease the ogres and demons in the village marsh. And Oyashiro-sama. Watanagashi is Oyashiro-sama's special day.
Hinamizawa also has three "ruling" families. Sonozaki, Kimiyoshi, and Furude. Most major village-concerning decisions go through them and they have the occasional meeting to chat and decide stuff (and, supposedly, decide who to "demon away". More on that to come). Sonozaki supposedly holds most of the power. The Furude family is the miko-family and their first born girls are his personal miko. Rika is particularly special since her birth marks 7-straight generations of the Furude family's first born being female. This supposedly makes her his reincarnation and her "foresight" has only given people more reason to believe she is the reincarnation of the village god. The Kimiyoshi family is sorta just there. No one can hate old man Kimiyoshi though.
Rika was an only child and grew up in a three person family... at least, it's seen as a three person family by everyone but Rika. She insists that she lives in a four person family. Before you label her as crazy know that this little girl can see someone no one else can--- no, not an imaginary friend. Furude Hanyuu is a spirit, the spirit of a horned girl from a long time ago who was murdered by her own daughter, Furude Ouka. If you want more info on Hanyuu's past let me know. But no one except Rika can see Hanyuu. Hanyuu uses the first person pronoun "Boku" and says "nano desu" at the end of her sentences, speech ticks that Rika picks up, much to her mother's horror. The fact her daughter sees things and speaks like a boy makes her relationship with Rika pretty sour.
In 1978 there was a proposal from city people that Hinamizawa be sunk under water and turned into a dam. This is where the chaos of the series really begins. The village people were naturally very angry and protested. One family in the village, the Houjous, was particularly strong when supporting the dam and earned themselves a lot of hate. The Furude family, however, protected them. In the end, around June 19th (WATANAGASHIII), one of the dam construction workers that brutally murdered. TO BE SPECIFIC his arms and legs were cut off and hidden in various locations. One arm still hasn't been found to this day. To say the least the dam construction eventually stopped, partly due to this. The other reason was that an important government man's nephew was kidnapped and held hostage. Akasaka-san, a police officer from Tokyo, came to investigate and met 7[???] year old Rika at this time. Rika predicted a series of deaths spanning the next 5 years into the future, ending with her own murder in 1983, at this time but Akasaka did not take her seriously.
The next few years resulted in more deaths. The Houjou couple died on a trip one year. The wife's body was never found and their children, Satoko and Satoshi Houjou, went to live with their aunt and uncle. A year later, Furude Rika's parents died, leaving Rika an orphan and head of Furude house. Her father died of a bizare illness and her mother drowned herself in a lake. Her body was never found. The most recent death was that of Satoko and Satoshi's aunt. That same year Satoshi vanished.
All these occurrences took place on June 19th. The Watanagashi Festival. Oyashiro-sama's special day.
So it's basically ended like this in common gossip; Every year someone dies and someone is "spirited away", or disappears. This is because Oyashiro-sama is angry. He got rid of the Houjous who supported the dam project and the Furudes who defended them. This "Curse of Oyashiro-sama" fuels many story arcs. Some people have come to believe it is a man-made curse controlled by the Sonozaki family.
And this year, 1983, the pattern will continue. Takano Miyo[ko], a pretty young nurse, will be spirited away following the death of Tomitake Jirou, a photographer who "dishonors" Oyashiro-sama by taking carefree photos of the festival. The only irregularly will be the death of a third victim. Furude Rika will murdered on the steps of Oyashiro-sama's shrine a few days after the festival. She will be disemboweled while still alive in the traditional fashion, the way it was done back in the old days for Oyashiro-sama.
And then it will all repeat itself.
Furude Hanyuu "is" Oayshiro-sama. In the legends where Oyashiro-sama was defeated/made dormant by Furude Ouka that was actually Furude Hanyuu being murdered to appease the hate of those who hated her for her horns. And when Rika is murdered she uses her powers to "make a new world", only starting at a time before Rika died, so that Rika can try to find a "good end".
But thus far this "good end" has not been found. Even though she remembers dying and remembers the horrible incidents that occur around the time of the Watanagashi Festival. Because for some reason her friends always seem to become homicidal and paranoid and cause horrible tragedies around this time. She has not yet learned who is murdering her and, though she occasionally gets in emo slumps where she feels defeated and hopeless, she usually picks herself up and tries to prevent the tragedies.
This has been going on for over 100 years, counting all the years she relives.
In the year before her death Rika meets Maebara Keiichi, a boy who will in later arcs inspire her to count on her friends. She lives with Houjou Satoko because Satoko's abusive uncle left when her aunt died. Rika is Oyashiro-sama's miko and attends town meetings as the head of Furude House, though she rarely says anything. She attends school with the other villagers and lives happy days with her friends. In some arcs her friends list includes Sonozaki Shion (whom she calls "Shi") but usually it's just Houjou Satoko, Maebara Keiichi, Ryuugu Rena, and Sonozaki Mion ("Mi", who is Shi's twin). These are the happy days Rika wants to protect.
This history omits most major spoilers.