OOC - Character Information
Name: Shizuka Jounouchi.
Fandom: Yugioh.
Age: 19.
Gender: Female.
Sexual Orientation: Straight.
Occupation: She was a student… XD
Room: 1B.
Appearance: Shizuka is around 5’2”, with long reddish hair and an eye color that’s a mix between amber and medium brown (I never could figure out their color). She almost went blind as a child, and thus often makes rather regrettable fashion choices at times, mixing colors that don’t always go together. She’s slim, somewhat pretty, and tends to keep to the background, so often goes unnoticed by others.
Personality: Shizuka is very quiet and shy, and dependent on those around her. She shows random fits of independence, but for the most part, she is so used to leaning on other people that it’s a habit for her. Growing up, her brother protected her and coddled her to the point where she was not even able to go through with eye correction surgery without him there, and would have happily spent the rest of her life glued to his side. Young and innocent, she insists on always seeing the good in people, and is fully convinced that anyone can change for the better. Due to events in her past, she has a low self-esteem, and though it has been proven time and again that she should not trust people, she tends to trust too easily. I am definitely sticking her with dependent personality disorder, with a nasty blend of schizophrenia - she is gleefully dependent on people who don’t exist.
History: Shizuka and her brother Katsuya Jounouchi were inseparable as children. Their father was an abusive alcoholic, and though it is never shown on-screen any physical abuse, it is heavily implied. The father’s drinking eventually led to their mother taking Shizuka and inexplicably leaving Jounouchi with his dad. Thus the siblings were torn away from each other for years. The mother apparently actively kept the two of them apart, though it’s never explained why; it could be because she thought he would turn out like his father, or that they simply did not get along, or she thought the siblings were TOO close. There is plenty of speculation but no solid answers. Shizuka’s eyesight began to fail her, and it became evident that the only way to save it was an expensive procedure that they could not afford. Sending a video greeting to her brother, she told him about it, and said that she missed him. Jou then embarked on a Dueling Tournament to win her the money for the surgery. However, the day of the surgery, he was waylaid by thugs and was late. Shizuka steadfastly refused to go through with the surgery without her big brother there, locking herself in her hospital room until he showed up. Only then did she have the courage to go through with it. Afterwards, too frightened to take off the bandages covering her eyes, it was only in a time when her brother was in mortal danger that she found the courage to do so.
Deviating from canon for the sake of this RP, I would like to establish that her brother is dead - at least to her knowledge - though she has blocked the events from her mind. Convinced that her brother is still alive, she hears his voice whispering in her mind, supporting and loving and caring for her, and occasionally is visited by other voices when she feels most vulnerable.
Symptoms: I’m aiming for a blend between dependent personality disorder and schizophrenia, one typically feeding off of the other and making each issue worse. Her entire life, Shizuka was dependent on her brother, even when they were separated. She mostly only finds her courage when he is with her to support her, and she believes in him without question. Also due to her eyesight failing in childhood, her mother had to assume a highly supportive role as well, so Shizuka has always had multiple crutches and has never had to stand on her own two feet. In canon, she is forced to hold her own in a Duel Monsters duel, and she crumbles and very nearly fails; if not for the continued support and protection of two of her friends, she would have lost everything. Deviating from canon and expanding on this, Shizuka has never had self-esteem, and never considered herself capable of handling events on her own. Always having needed aid in the past, she assumes it will always be that way. However, this has led to a dangerously low self-esteem (and the typical teenaged eating disorders), and she’s been part of a few rather abusive relationships, too afraid of rejection and being alone to leave the abuser, convinced that he means well and will change. Outside influences are typically required to free her from these relationships. She deludes herself in order to try to protect herself, but winds up getting hurt worse. She always relies on others to make decisions, and tends to hang back rather than offer her own opinions about how to fix a problem. Shortly after turning nineteen and getting out of an especially detrimental relationship, with her mother away on a business trip and her brother in town watching over her, the two were in a terrible car crash and Jounouchi did not survive. Shizuka, crushed, immediately withdrew, falling into a fantasy world where her brother was still alive. She insisted that he was still talking to her, guiding her and offering advice, because he was the only one who truly cared.
Please note: the above is subject to revision.