ic information;
Out of Character Information
player name: Chanky
player livejournal: letspickle
playing here: mudhair
where did you find us? By entering through the magical gates of Candy Land, of course.
are you 16 years of age or older?: Yes!
In Character Information
character name: The Medicine Seller
Fandom: MoNoNoKe
Timeline: Mid-Nue Arc
character's age: Unspecified
powers, skills, pets and equipment:
The Medicine Seller is a being of an unknown race and particular age. In fact, he's seen to have not aged one bit even after a drastic time-jump in settings in the series. There have been many speculations as to just what he is. These generally assume that he is a spirit of some sort, particularly, a fox spirit. The make-up that adorns his face additionally supports this idea as it is the traditional personification of a fox commonly seen on Japanese masks. Furthermore, no one seems to notice his unusual appearance (aside from his extravagant clothing) throughout the entirety of the series, so the theory that only those non-human or strongly connected to spirits can tell of his odd origins certainly seems to apply.
Being quite from human, he has a variety of abnormal abilities. Not only are his super-natural senses sharper than even the ayakashi he hunts, but also he seems to hold some form of manipulation over such a realm. As to what degree is unknown, yet it is estimated that he can at least create illusions. This is supported by when he faced against a mononoke, a Nue in particular, and he had knowledge of the entirety of the false, repeating events amongst the already deceased suitors. Basically, he realized the illusions and created ones of his own to reveal the beast behind it all.
As a peddler, his wares are essentially his life. Within his box filled with various medicines, suggestive printings, scales that measure- oddly enough distance, and seals there is just that: a sword encased in jewels and adorned with the head of what appears to be a goblin. This blade is a very special weapon for it can only be unsheathed if three things are known.
Form, truth, reason -- all of these contribute to its release.
The blade, as judged by its unusual limitations, is not normal in the least. Even more so, though, is what happens to the Medicine Seller during the process. He seems to disappear, and in his wake is a man with bronze skin and flaming hair. His only purpose is to eliminate the mononoke, beasts born from past hatred and despair. In an essence, the man is a separate being from the Medicine Seller, and, thus, has often been given the name of "Other Self" or "Hyper Self" from various fans.
Once the mononoke vanishes, though, so does the Medicine Seller's alter-ego, and the situation all around returns to normal as if nothing had ever happened.
canon history:
No one knows the details about how the Medicine Seller came to be, or why he hunts the mononoke. As far as everything is concerned, he has been on the job since the beginning of human greed, and, thus, of time itself. Specifically, however, he roams the lands of Japan.
The series is, in sum, his adventures of the bizarre and horrific while he traverses in search of mononoke. There are a few in particular that stand out among his many tales.
Bakeneko
A shape-shifting ghost-cat invades the Sakai household, killing a bride-to-be as well as those that had once imprisoned and harmed a young woman by the name of Takami many moons ago. It is a tale of revenge bred in the heart of both the woman and a lone kitten that stayed by her side as she slowly starved to death. The only survivors of its onslaught are the Medicine Seller, a servant named Kayo, and a warrior named Odajima -- hardly one-third of the people alive just a day before.
Zashiki-warashi
While staying at an inn, the Medicine Seller runs into a pregnant woman by the name of Shino. She, because of her lack of payment and foreign appearance, is placed in the back room. Oddly enough, the room is said to have once been a place of offering. For what?
The spirits of the aborted. Years ago, the inn was once a whore house, a place where broken women were forced through abuse to pay back their husband's debts. Certainly enough, the owner of the inn as well has her handyman are punished by the mononoke; yet, Shino, feeling sympathy in her heart for the demons born from such cruel acts, agrees to give birth to the mononoke.
If the transition ever took place is still to be known.
Umibōzu
This time around, the Medicine Seller is stuck on a boat in the middle of the Dragon's Triangle with quite a cast. Kayo, never being able to get a break, is there, as well. Rather importantly, though, is Genki, a monk where the action is centered around. When he was young, he harbored great hatred for his sister, and, in order to appease the Ayakashi that were attracted to such feelings, she was sent out into the heart of the Dragon's Triangle. His darker emotions, actually, are the mononoke in a sense.
With Genki's consent, the Medicine Seller eliminates the problem.
Noppera-bō
Ochou, a woman oppressed by her husband her his family, unknowingly is the mononoke herself. By allowing others to control her and her happiness, she has turned into nothing more than an empty shell for despair; however, with the Medicine Seller's aid, she is seen to leave her past life behind and begin anew.
Nue
Three suitors come to meet Lady Ruri, but are met with the Medicine Seller who seems to also be participating in the event. That, naturally, is not the case. In fact, the men are already dead, having been killed by a mononoke, the Toudaiji -- which, in truth, is nothing but a rotting piece of wood. Once the Medicine Seller is able to make the men realize their deaths, the illusion breaks, and he forces the mononoke to reveal itself and promptly destroys it.
Bakeneko 2
Set in when seems to be the 1920s, the Medicine Seller and, surprise, the reincarnations of the original cast in the first Bakeneko episode, all board a subway train. Their car is locked off as they hit a mysterious, ghastly figure, and immediately the questions as to how these people relate to one another begin.
Through various events, it is shown that they all have some connection with a young female reporter who was pushed over and onto the tracks and ran over by the driver who had mistaken her for a cat. All but the murderer are spared once the ordeal is over.
personality:
The Medicine Seller is neither black nor white. Honestly, he is neutral to almost all. He does not spare regret for those who are caught up in the path of the mononoke, but he does nothing to blatantly place blame of cruelty upon him. Simply put, he's just there to do his job.
There are, however, times where he is seen to throw a few moments of dry humor into his work. Such as when he referred to a warrior by the name of Odajima as a "loud-mouthed buffoon" and that the servant girl present would be of far more use. Even so, these moments are far and few in between.
Mostly, his face is a blank slate. his words few, and his emotions are a guess to anyone.
As for his "Other Self", there is not much known about his personality. It has been suggested that he is the opposite of the Medicine Seller, meaning, that he is not as calm or as reserved in his tactics. This is agreeable seeing as he simply charges at all his enemies without the least bit of hesitation. Even his tone of voice is somewhat rougher, coated with repressed barbarism that is uncharacteristic of the Medicine Seller himself.
Some speculate that, actually, the "Other Self" is the true form of the Medicine Seller, that once he is "released", so are the bonds that hid the reality. Whether or not this is true is never even remotely specified.
why do you feel this character would be appropriate to the setting?
By all means is he an adaptable being. He knows exactly what he is doing no matter the circumstances. As such, he fits wonderfully in a world that changes with the mist.
As for the monsters? Well, so long as they're not mononoke, he'll probably leave that up to someone else.
Writing Samples
Network Post Sample:
[A heavy, almost deliberate pause.] Ho...? [There is the clink of something, and the Forge hisses until the sight of a- well, interesting man can clearly be captured.]
This is a... rather peculiar device. [His accent is thick with hints of ages far faded.] What do you call it? [More hauntingly, though, is the make-up about his features. It adds emphasis to his already unnatural appearance. Actually, it quite nearly makes him look feral.]
There is no need to rush and tell me. Although, I suppose that information is to be met... [Slow, heavy, and all too oddly does he continue.]
...with a bribe? [The last word is ended with a light 'click' of his tongue.]
Third Person Sample:
There is but silence; then, softly, there is a continuous chime, a jingle of various sources. Yet, surprisingly enough, they all come from one figure slowly and seemingly approaching from the rising mist. His- judged by the accented lining of his cheeks- clothing is bright and colorful. It clashes with his surroundings, and places him out as if he does not truly belong.
Of course, he truly is not a part of this land.
"Ah..." Is all that leaves the man's painted lips, the faint flash of sharp canines sneaking into view. He's one of few words.
Suddenly the almost haunting clattering and clacking comes to an abrupt halt. He has stopped to blankly stare at an assortment of tools within a window. A casual shopper? Hardly.
There is a flicker of his lips, upward, and a haunting chuckle escapes him. It seems the items, a simple yet tastefully aged pair of shoes, on display have caught his attention. Someone or something had once shed more than just sweat over these. A woman, jealous over her husband's newly acquired lover? Certainly, a tale of time that had to have been.
"Amanojaku... perhaps?" He grins now, canines now fully in view.
Even so, the flavor is muddied and stale, and it leaves an unpleasant tingle on the back of his tongue. The creature behind the feelings is from old, perhaps from many years and even decades past. The creatures he hunts and kills are from far across the lands and many in number, and with each day's passing, more are born. At the moment, the more pressing matters are slithering, shivering inhuman whispers practically seeping from every corners of this new and strange land, and, so, he starts on his way again. His foot-falls are light, the resounding clacking moving in time with the clatter of his merchandise.
Perhaps he is a strange sight to many, but that is to be expected. He is a being that moves but with the changes in the wind, after all.
Anything else? FABULOUS~