[ PLAYER INFORMATION ]
Player Name: Shana
Timezone: EST
Contact Information:
AIM: detectiveyako
E-mail: shanatheshort@gmail.com
Plurk: shanatic
[ CHARACTER INFORMATION ]
Name: Yako Katsuragi
Age: 17
Gender: Female
Fandom: Majin Tantei Nougami Neuro (manga)
Timeline: A few months into the three-year time-skip between chapters 201 and 202
History:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Majin_Tantei_Nōgami_Neuro But there’s more information about Yako herself here:
http://nougamineuro.wikia.com/wiki/Yako_Katsuragi Character Personality:
Yako is a very sweet and empathetic person, having sympathized with and comforted murderers numerous times. She often wants to think the best of people, and it can be said that she is too nice for her own good. She has a history of bending to the will of others, generally because the individual who imposed his will on her to do for a long span of time was an abusive demon. However, she can be quite stubborn when she sets her mind on something.
She makes friends easily, often inspires loyalty in others, and tries her hardest not to be a burden. She has an amazing appetite, and eats ridiculously large amounts of food. It is possible that this is a result of a blend of a fast metabolism and an eating disorder, as she has stated before that she eats when she "feels happy or upset." Yako sticks to her morals; if something strikes her as wrong or unfair, she’ll do her best to change it. She’s also incredibly loyal to those who win her respect and friendship. She makes sure to look after and help those precious to her, in any way she can, and often puts herself in harm’s way to take others out of it.
However, despite her overall cheerful demeanor, Yako is still depressed over the death of her father and several of her friends. Much of her deep loyalty and concern for others seems ingrained from the start of the series, but a portion of it definitely has roots in the New Bloodline Arc of the manga, during which several of her friends died. She blames herself for not being perceptive enough or acting quickly enough to prevent those deaths. Fumio Hongou, a mathematical genius who had been a close friend, was revealed to have been working for Sicks (the leader of the New Bloodline, a 'race' with evil 'bred into their blood', likened to the evolutionary progression of horses) and had allowed him to run tests on his own beloved daughter. This was ultimately the death of her and the cause of an earlier arc in the manga where, at the end, Yako was forced to essentially euthanize an AI created by and based upon a brilliant doctor who had loved Hongou’s daughter but failed to save her. Hongou helped Sicks set a trap that nearly killed Yako and Neuro, and lead to the death of Sasazuka, a detective who was a dear friend of Yako's and who viewed her as a second sister.
Sasazuka's family had been killed by Sicks, and used as an example for Sai, Sicks’s shape-shifting, serial killer clone, to follow with his later murders. Because of this, during college he sank into the criminal underworld to find their killer. When it is revealed that Sicks is the culprit, he chooses to revert to that criminal mentality and sets a deadly trap. While most of Sicks associates and bodyguards die, he survives and kills Sasazuka after allowing Eleven (the brainwashed, female form of Sai) to scan his memories. Yako berates herself violently over not seeing the change in him, believing she could have saved him somehow. After his death she confronts Hongou, who tells her of his admiration and connection to Sicks, before injecting a deadly fluid into his neck and jumping off a bridge, killing himself right before her eyes. Unsurprisingly, this leaves a rather large emotional scar on Yako.
Her faith in others is restored when she is comforted by Aya, who broke out of prison just to do so. She finds a document from Hongou in the house he left her before taking his life. It contains a note apologizing, saying that "he couldn't betray that man in life, but could do so in death" and contained vital information on the New Bloodline. This series of events ultimately strengthens her resolve to help and save people, as well as her belief that almost everyone has some spark of goodness in them, no matter what their circumstance.
Yako sticks to her morals; if something strikes her as wrong or unfair, she’ll do her best to change it. She’s incredibly loyal to those who win her respect and friendship. She makes sure to look after and help those precious to her, in any way she can, and often puts herself in harm’s way to take others out of it, as shown when she risks her life to save a child’s life, despite being on a rapidly shrinking timetable to repay a debt to Neuro. Despite the facade of complacency Yako sometimes projects, she has an incredible amount of back bone when properly riled.
Once she has her mind set on something, Yako rarely gives up. This too could be a major part of why she stays with Neuro. She is intuitive, often able to discern what people truly feel after talking with them for a while, but very much capable of being blindsided by a particualrly crafty or seemingly innocent person.Though initially she merely wishes to repay him for solving her father's mystery and fears his constant threats, through the series her motives deviate more and more. She begins to see Neuro as a friend, and through that, feels the urge to help him in whatever ways she can. She's an extremely protective person at heart, and usually thinks of others, especially those in pain, before herself.
At least, before food enters the equation.
Yako's appetite is often used as a comical gag; the stereotypical shock value of a tiny girl taking in enough food to fill up a pack of burly men. But it's something that does ripple out into her life. Food is constantly on her mind. Her hunger, and the moments it's featured, reveal a different side of Yako. It makes her seem more human, and less saintly. She is a girl who will go on about the similarities between shrimp and insects to 'unintentionally' get her disgusted friend's food. A girl whose only motivation to get into a good school was the lunches. She doesn't do these things out of malice, or some repressed and oddly transmitted desire to control others instead of vice versa. Instead, her gluttony sometimes takes the place of true ambition or even common sense, though much less often than earlier in the series. Yako, as stated before, has more than just a physical dependency on food; it's an emotional support for her, and one that she leans on heavily. It is referenced that her constitution is a product of her mother's destructive culinary skills, and therefore shows that her reliance on food--good food, made by somebody less inclined to obliviously poison people than her mother--started at a young age, and grew to be a part of her. Because of this, most times she doesn't think too much of her ravenous appetite unless somebody else brings it up through their fear, disgust, or her unwanted moniker of the 'piggish detective'. It is second nature for her to pursue food first, above all; an unintentionally conditioned response, only strengthened by her use of it as a source of comfort following the tragedy in her life.
She is also incredibly persuasive, generally knowing what buttons need to be pushed with people to bring them around to her side or point of view. Neuro influences her heavily, and his constant urging for her to continue to evolve no matter what pays off. Through him, she learns to strive to improve herself, and eventually finds her own drive to succeed.
Character Abilities:
It's debatable whether it is an actual ability or not, but Yako's body is shown to be incredibly resilient, easily absorbing blows and taking falls that would kill, cripple, or grievously injure others. Her healing rate appears to be accelerated as well; she's never seen to have a wound for more than a day. However, as these can also be chalked up to being overstatements for the sake of humor, despite being present in nearly every single chapter, I’m more than willing to let the MODs decide whether or not to count them as actual abilities
She also has a large appetite, and an incredible constitution. Her stomach can apparently negate weak drugs and poisons. During a chapter where she and Neuro go to a gym during the New Bloodline arc, Yako is shown to have amazing physical abilities when under duress, moving at high speeds and undergoing great strain when properly motivated (i.e. under threat of grievous bodily harm from Neuro).
In the mental area, Yako is shown to have an aptitude for psychology and discerning the motivations of others. She is shown to attend an elite school, indicating that she.can be a good student when she bothers to buckle down and apply herself, though she states that she only chose it because of the delicious lunches it provided.
Character Weaknesses:
For all of her equanimity in the face of the bizarre and murderous rages, Yako is a person who either hides her true feelings behind a smile and an assurance that she’s fine, or is overcome by her emotions. After the deaths of Sasazuka and Hongou, and her subsequent separation from Neuro, Yako falls into a deep depression. She won’t even touch food offered by her classmates, which shocks and worries them deeply. She is also very emotionally dependent; this is shown when she overcomes her depression (thanks largely to the comfort given by Aya) and returns to Neuro, offering to submit herself to him completely.
This goes beyond simple humility. Yako met Neuro at a time of great stress and upheaval-just after the unexplained and brutal murder of her father-and earned her gratitude and loyalty. After that, their relationship could be likened to Stockholm syndrome, or the generalized view of the average abusive relationship. Yako is obviously in a situation disadvantageous and harmful to her, but stays by his side nonetheless. She has a purpose with Neuro, and a way to help others the way she had desperately needed in the wake of her family’s tragedy.
[ SOUL CAMPAIGN SECTION ]
What are the abilities that your character will retain in Soul Campaign?
»Physical durability and healing rate (changed to only slightly above average)
»Metabolism (unchanged)
»Psychological/Emotional skills (unchanged)
»Physical fitness (unchanged)
What are the weaknesses that your character will lose or gain in Soul Campaign?
»Emotional dependency: Yako will either transfer this to her meister, or eventually overcome it while Neuro is absent. As he will have been back in Hell for several months, she would already be beginning this transition.
[ WEAPON ONLY SECTION ]
Why your character should be a Weapon:
Yako is best suited for the role of a weapon because, in her canon, that is what she was shaped to be. Neuro treats her as a slave early on, and then a tool and finally, after much hardship, a partner. He often pushes her to her limits (physical, emotional, and mental) and beyond whenever the opportunity presents itself, usually in the cruelest manner possible. Through his constant abuse and habit of thrusting her into dangerous situations, Yako becomes more and more independent, even going so far as to discern the motives of several cases herself, and ultimately returning Eleven to her former form ‘Sai’ and turning him against Sicks.
To put it bluntly, she is used to being used. She is also extremely protective of those dear to her, a trait which has only grown stronger with the deaths of her father, Sasazuka, and Fumio Hongou. She also has no issue with putting herself in danger to help others.
What is your character's Weapon form?:
Yako’s weapon form will be a seven-foot leather stock whip with mainly energy-draining based attacks.
»Lash: One or several quickly repeated strikes that sap the energy of the enemy. It only requires minimal resonation to use, but only takes small amounts of energy at a time. It takes about two dozen to take down a one-star kishin egg, but the higher the resonation, the more energy she can take per blow. For a two-star kishin egg, it will usually take around thirty-five to forty strikes. For a three-star kishin egg, it will take at least fifty to sixty, depending on the enemy. The actual attack will leave welts, as she is still a whip, leaving physical damage as well as sapping the strength of the target. Only once the target is almost totally or completely drained of all energy/stamina can a Lash suck the soul free from the body and allow Yako to consume it.
»Backlash: A strike where the energy taken by Yako is sent back at the enemy as a strong attack. It requires decent to higher levels of resonation to use, as it takes a fair amount of control to keep the wave of energy on course, and takes time to build up.
»Brace: A healing move that uses the energy stolen by Yako to rejuvenate her meister. It requires a strong resonation for the energy transfer to be completely successful, and can heal minor wounds, like bruises and large scratches, completely. Major wounds are only partially healed. It is under the same build-up restrictions as Backlash.
»Execution: Yako’s form is twisted into a noose and fastens around the enemy’s neck, quickly draining a large amount of energy. It can be coupled with Backlash for a strong strike. It requires perfect resonance, and can only be attempted two times a day to start with. Failed attempts will still count towards this limit.
[ SOUL INFORMATION ]
Soul Description:
Loyal, determined, kind, accepting, thoughtful, and gluttonous
Soul Appearance:
[ SAMPLES ]
First Person:
{At first there's nothing but some faint rustling and a soft, pensive humming, before the video flicks on in time to catch a blonde girl frowning pensively at the device.}
Hm...let's see how this works--Ah, hello!
{Yako smiles down at the feed once she realizes that ha, she figured it out, and brushes a stray strand of hair behind her ear.}
So...You've probably guessed it already, but I’m new around here. My name is Katsuragi Yako, and I'm a detective from Japan. I'm...not quite sure how everything works here yet, with the witches and souls and all, but somehow I'm a 'Weapon' now, if anyone's looking for a partner.
I was wondering if anybody might be here that I already know. If so, please let me know, it would be a relief to see some familiar faces after all...this.
For everybody I don’t, I hope we’ll get along in the future!
{She moves to turn it off, before her eyes widen, apparently remembering something Very Important. She looks back, face extremely grave.}
Oh, one more thing: I was told food expenses would be taken care of. Is that as much as we need, or a set stipend? I need to know as soon as possible, please. Really, really need to know. Thank you!
Third Person:
“Sorry,” Yako apologized for the fifth time in as many minutes, tugging on her shoes. She was running late and Kanae had called to make sure she was alright. In truth, Yako had simply overslept. With Neuro gone, there was a lot of slack for her to pick up at the office, even with Godai’s help, and it was beginning to take a small toll on her. “I swear, I’ll be there in twenty minutes-” In her haste, she tripped over the doorstep and went down hard.
“Gah…” Yako pushed herself to her knees, glancing around for her hopefully unbroken cellphone-
And stopped dead.
Slowly, she turned behind her, hoping against hope to see the door to her house, but unsurprised when she was only greeted with smooth stone. She gripped her skirt in her hands and willed herself to stay calm. To think over as many possibilities as she could instead of just panicking. Okay. Possibility 1: She had been knocked out just as she exited her house and being tossed on the floor woke her up.
Definitely possible, but unlikely; she had a quite a few neighbors who ‘conveniently’ were kept near their windows just as the local celebrity left for school and to meet friends on the weekends. Most of the people who were most likely to try to kidnap her were smart enough to try it in less open, public areas. Even the truly stupid ones thought twice, and weren’t likely to have gotten far on the off chance they had succeeded. Still, best not to rule it out.
Possibility 2: This was all somehow Neuro’s fault.
…Unlikely. Yako shook her head, stomping down on the hope that tried to well up. Neuro wouldn’t be back so soon. He himself had doubted that he would make it back during her lifetime at first, but he hadn’t so much as hinted at an absence any shorter than three years. Which lead to Possibility 3.
Her life had somehow gotten even weirder.
Disconcerting, but knowing her luck? That was the most probable, but Possibility 1 could overlap at some point as well. Sighing, Yako finally picked up her phone, unsurprised at the lack of any signal when she flipped it open. She hadn’t expected one, really. Large cavernous chambers with cultish décor didn’t exactly scream ‘hotspot’ after all.