Body: See Ref Eyes: White with black sclera and split pupil Hair: See Ref Clothes: See Ref - Alternatively, her style is Mori and that's what I was aiming for (though I don't know if I succeeded...) Tail: - See Ref
References (if applicable):Body ref and Clothes Ref Quest Approval: - Working on it Cost: 1mil for Senior | 1,050,000 for Junior
Posted: Wed Mar 16, 2016 12:43 am
🍓Character's Life:
Childhood Keiko doesn't enjoy talking about her past much, but really it wasn't traumatic. From what she understands, and has found from her Geist Mother, Honoka, her other mother was a lovely Bakeneko who fell head over heels for her. They had a rash and intense romance. As soon as they both graduated from the Academy, they imbued a stone - her stone.
Reality of course caught up. Her Bakeneko mother was summoned home, to teach the children that would not or could not go to the academy. Let alone, the shame and understanding of not getting her parent's approval was too strong. Keiko's Bakeneko mother left, leaving Honoka to care for the stone. She fell back on Geist tradition, and Keiko was raised in the house of her grandparents and Aunts and Uncles, all pure-blooded Geists.
There she was taught about the nine, about her magic to fade (though much more difficult for her than others in the house), of how to court and how to play. Honoka also made it a point to give books of Bakeneko culture, so that Keiko would know that part of herself too. Instinctively, Keiko was affectionate physically, and the Geist family which was physically expressive in emotions took this easily after a short adjustment period.
School Life Unfortunately, her school life has not been so... Good. Keiko was raised very, very strongly Geist. Her courtship manners are almost entirely Geist based, though sometimes she will indulge in a 'Neko drive to give little gifts and of course expressions of physicality. It's her penchant for stealing trinkets that has landed her in hot water more than once.
She also runs odds against other 'nekos, many of whom are experiencing geists and other creatures for the first time. To already have such a hybrid is seen as shameful. No respectful Bakeneko family would allow their child to imbue a stone with another race they barely knew. Therefore, to many Bakeneko, Keiko is offensive if not downright repulsive. Some have even gone so far as to hint that she has no lives left and is being punished for a terrible action in her 8th life.
While simply reporting the bullying would make sense, Keiko is fiercely independent and not about to rely on anyone to solve her own issues. (Unrealized to her, she feels deserving of the comments. After all, her Bakeneko mother left because she was a hybrid. It makes sense that all Bakeneko's would hate her then. Maybe she even deserves it? Maybe there's something fundamentally wrong with her?) For that realized and unrealized reason, Keiko remains mum about the bullying. Her first encounter with bullying from a Bakaneko is a very defining moment that changed her opinion on herself and others. It made her become acutely aware that, whether they mean to or not, some nightmares/daydreams hold idealized memories or thoughts about other races. Honoka had painted a very specific image of the Bakenekos. Having it shattered (including taunts about how her mother must have left because Keiko was so gastly (badumpshhh))
Beyond the subtle bullying and tension, her grades are decent. Keiko is amazingly good at illusion, being raised in a family that had bountiful magical gifts, she was taught from a young age to hone (sort of...) her magic. Keiko also grew up with a love of plants and gardening, which has now translated into cooking with fresh ingredients. Often times her personal gifts are sweets and little cakes!
🍓Thoughts:
On Her Races Keiko is most at home with Geists. She feels comfortable around them, can predict some of their antics, and gives them back ten fold. She knows how to properly court by stealing trinkets and swiping little things just for fun. She does not see them as anything evil or naughty. It is baffling when others are angered or bothered by her flaunting stolen items.
Unfortunately, her relationship with Bakenekos has been... Not so good. Bordering on terrible, really. A majority view her as an abomination. She is repulsive and unworthy of her genetics. While she loves the fact they are also physically affectionate, they are not the beautiful, demure creatures of uncanny flexibility that her mother Honoka has made them out to be. They are mean and spiteful and unreasonable. She will avoid a Bakeneko at all costs.
Her House She enjoys the atmosphere of art, but it isn't very free. Being raised for as long as she had in a Geist society, Keiko is used to leaving for a few days and returning with stories. Here, she got in trouble the one day she skipped class. It's been a little startling and a hard transition from freedom and love to er... love and less freedom? Something like that. It's hard to put into words, but Keiko feels not so much trapped as she is guided.
She loves her classes, though. Cooking is her passion, but she also enjoys plants and learning to care for them. Woe be her poor roommate. Keiko has a ton, a TON of plants in her room. Mostly they are edible - small strawberries, dwarf sunflowers, and edible herbs.
Non-Orphan Status Oh, it is a major source of pride. To get to talk about living in a home filled with loving Geist relatives who cared and raised you is just the best thing /ever/. Getting to go home for breaks is the highlight of her school life. She frequently sends home letters and gets care packages (one time she found a pen she thought she had lost! Turns out her grandma had stolen it from her as a prank!)
She is careful to not flaunt it around others, but if they ask and are inquisitive, she might slip and gush exuberantly over her antics and home life.
🍓Goals:
Go to school for culinary arts and then own her own business selling sweets with fresh produce Maybe also study botany so she can grow really great things! Find two loves who will make her feel special and loved (and also put up with her stealing their stuff) Possibly learn more about her Bakeneko mother (Unrealized to character goal: reconciliation with Bakeneko half/gain Bakeneko friendships and approval) (Unrealized to character goal: Become a teacher in the Academy for cooking/botany/extra-cirricular plant gathering+cooking combo) (Unrealized to character goal: Meet her Bakeneko mother)
Keiko is an extremely resourceful and fiercely independant Hybrid with a love of cooking, plants, and natural materials. Her sense of humor and honesty keeps her smiling when things get rough. Her mood does shift frequently, leading some to label her as moody, especially in terms of needing space or needing companionship with others. Keiko also has a habit of indulging herself too much, falling into hedonistic tendencies that (unknown to her) plagued her Bakeneko mother. Her hybridism and consequential bullying has led her to be more self conscious, and for her loving and romantic sides to be hidden and kept secret. However, she reacts with anger and violence when bullied or having something she loves attacked. Due to being raised by Geists, she has a penchant for stealing that isn't really welcome in a largely Demon society.
🍓Positive Traits:
Independent Raised by Geists, it was only natural she would crave freedom and self-sufficiency. Keiko is good at forging her own path, at finding her own solutions and doorways. It can also make her a little hesitant to depend on others, as she's not exactly used to the idea of putting her well being in someone elses hands/claws/paws.
Creative/Resourceful Being so independent, she's learned to be creative and resourceful. A bag of groceries that might have lasted a nightmare two nights she can stretch and flinangle into four or more nights. Same with money and especially building things. She is more likely to buy what others would consider junk and restore it for half the cost of buying that same thing new.
Good Sense of Humor Geists are pranksters and so she's learned to laugh and not take things too seriously. Her humor is good and affords her to be much more pleasant to teasing or pranks. She also really enjoys comedies!
Honest A big thing her Mama taught her was to be honest and true. While it might seem a little weird given Geists are pranksters, her family valued honest opinions and open emotion if there was indeed something important that needed to be said. Keiko has always been encouraged to speak her mind and to be mindful of her words, too, lest her honesty hurt others.
Loving/Romantic Ah... Romance is great, isn't it? Secretly, Keiko loves romances and romantic things. Oh, there's nothing that makes her more giddy than a good romance story or to hear gossip of a triste from a friend. She would adore to have her own lover, but it's a little bit er... Nerve wracking, you know? As a Freshling she had been much more open about her hopeless romanticism, but it has become a secret trait/desire since she attempted to court a Bakeneko and it ended badly (her first time with bullying, actually).
Keiko is also pretty affectionate and loving. She loves giving presents and hugs and nuzzles, and does it at a startling rate. Especially to those younger than her.
🍓Negative Traits:
Moody She can bounce from happy and cheerful to upset and grumpy rather easily. While her good humor keeps her from being offended, other things CAN bother her and drag down her cheerfulness. She also fluctuates a lot between lonely and needing space, never quite satisfied in a crowd, but not pleased to be alone either.
Hedonistic It's all about the here and now. She doesn't want to wait for things. Keiko will indulge herself much more than she should, and it's only thank to her resourcefulness that she's not in debt constantly.
Self-conscious Well... So many negative reactions from other bakenekos has given her a little bit of a self-esteem issue. She doesn't like it when people discuss her appearance, for better or worse. It all sort of just rubs her the wrong way and makes her want to hide away from the world.
Hot Headed She's a VERY fierce protector of those she cares for. Sometimes, though, she'll end up butting heads over something stupid and simple like "we should use more flour in this cake". Keiko might have a good humor, but she's not laid back.
Thieving Let's be clear, Keiko doesn't see this as a negative and most of her stealing is for flirting or for pranks, but it's not exactly seen as a good thing in the academy or by everyone who is struck by her 'affection'. However, it's a trait she can't shake, though she does try to keep in mind those who are very bothered by 'boring' their things.
🍓Likes and Dislikes:
Likes Strawberries Sweet Foods/Desserts Plants and Gardening Hiking and Exploring Tea Stealing things Sharing food Physical affection School breaks Cooking/Baking Mori Clothing/Natural material clothing
Dislikes Bakenekos Getting in trouble for stealing Bitter Foods Thunder storms The dress code (ugh amirite?) Cafeteria Food (urghggh) Coffee High heels
🍓Hobbies:
Gardening/Gardening Club
Cooking/Baking - Cooking/Baking Club
Hiking
Watching Dramas
🍓Extra Bits:
Natural Clothing & Mori Kei Keiko has a fondness of nature. She loves plants, gardening, and just being immersed in nature. Clothing that is of a more natural lean is suiting to her interests and likes. Besides, being someone who is resourceful and independant, knowing that she can (and likely has) clothe herself from natural materials is reassuring.
Honoka A Geist woman, also her mother and the one who raised her. She is honest, loving, and also a bit of a romantasist. Her mother and father (Keiko and Jiro) as well as her two brothers (Sei and Matsuo) and younger sister (Himiko) all helped to raise her daughter, Keiko (named after her mother/Keiko's grandmother). At home they tend to call Keiko 'Little K'.
Bakaneko Mother Could potentially be a force in Keiko's life, but at the moment is largely shrouded in mystery. Honoka gave very idealized depictions of the woman, and all the Bakeneko race. There are no pictures, or at least none that Keiko has seen, of this mysterious mother. Despite all the positive things that Honoka has said, something else might be happening in the background that Keiko is unaware of. (basically bakaneko mom super broke Honoka's heart and while Honoka just wants Keiko to think of her other parent as a good person, Honoka kind of really hates her?)
Posted: Wed Mar 16, 2016 1:17 am
Quote:
A smart-mouthed peer just told your Nightmare that they're a failure to their race. How do they react?
"You're disgusting."
Keiko didn't need to turn around to know that the comment was aimed at her. She felt her fur bristle and her fist clench. Sometimes just ignoring them made them go away.
"You're a failure. Disgusting." She turned then and faced the other Bakeneko. It was a very prim and proper looking nightmare with big blue eyes and gorgeous milky white fur. Keiko struggled to keep her temper in check, tears stinging at the corner of her eyes.
"And you're not a failure? You're supposed to be here to learn, but all you're doing is sticking to your a** backwards beliefs." Keiko spat. It didn't matter if what they were saying was wrong. It didn't matter how much Keiko knew she was right. Everytime this happened it hurt. It hurt worse and worse, like a sore getting ripped open right as it healed. Ever since she had tried to court that lil' Bakeneko when she was a Freshling, it seemed that the whole race had it out for the hybrid. Every day was another agonizing 'will they won't they' teeter totter of misery that just fed her hedonistic tendencies to indulge herself.
But never, in a million years, would she report it to an official. Trusting someone else to stop a problem that was aimed directly at her? Pschhh. Might as well ask the sky to open up and rain strawberries. It was just about as likely to happen. A Geist took care of themselves.
It hurt, but Keiko was stubborn and refused to ask for help.
There was a bright peel of laughter from the other cat. Their tail whisked the ground quickly, "Oh, did I offend you mutt? If I were you, I'd consider just kill-" Without thinking, Keiko socked the other nightmare in the face with all her might. The resulting sound was satisfying, though the connection left her feeling uneasy and off kilter. The other student toppled over, hitting the ground with a graceless WHUMP, their limbs askew and tail limp. With the bakeneko out for the count, Keiko turned on heel and fled from the scene, her heart in her throat as it pounded harder and harder.
Three things became clear: 1) Punching people was never fun. Sure, Keiko was a hot headed young hybrid, but punching people didn't solve anything. She had done it plenty before, but it always led to more trouble. Tattle tales running to the teachers, crying about their bruises or their pain. Ugh, she'd get talked to, wouldn't she? No, perhaps not... That had been a rather vain Bakaneko. They might be willing to hold their tongue. 2) Bakaneko's were all vain and annoying creatures. Sure she was an overgeneralization but when most of the Bakaneko's you met were giant pricks, you started to feel just in your generalisation.
3) She missed home. Home where she was loved and safe and could explore the wildness and cities as she pleased. Home with good food and welcome stories. Home, where she didn't get picked on by snot nosed brats coming from the boonies who wanted to prove to her further that they were nasty creatures. Home... Mom, Grandma, Grandpa... Aunty and Uncles. Home.
But she wouldn't tell them about the bullying either. This was a Keiko problem. Keiko dealt with Keiko problems.
Appearance: Looks great! Her colors and outfit are super cute, I'm a fan of Mori Kei and you hit it spot on. I think it would be appreciated by the colorists if you explained exactly what you want for her hairstyle, just in case! I have a hard time telling if it's supposed to be messy or slightly wavy.
Personality: Something I'm having trouble with is imagining her personality as a whole. All of her traits seem that they would jive well in a person. I'd appreciate if you could describe her whole personality in a single paragraph, just to sort of wrap it all together in one package!
These next few are food for thought, not mandatory to change: How much influence did her dad have on her personality or worldview? She was raised in a Geist family so she is more heavily Geist in mannerisms, yes, but you mention her mother taught her to be honest and true. What did her father teach her? Just a nitpick, but you mentioned in her Loving/Romantic trait that she gets nervous about flirting, but you also seem to allude that she courts people frequently enough for it to be an annoyance that she steals objects from them. Has this caused her hesitance over time? So, you're putting her in Mori Kei and you said that she likes natural clothing. Is there a reason she prefers natural materials?
Backstory: Something you're missing here is one significant event that shaped your character, something that really stands out in her line of memory. Of course this is up to you, but I'd personally love to hear about her first encounter with a cruel Bakeneko. While the Bakeneko race is very proud and vain, bullying is punished in the academy, so while Keiko might have had some temporary tormentors, it is unlikely she would have to deal with any prolonged and intense bullying due to their hybridism if they mentioned it to a teacher. Is there a reason she wouldn't report the bullying? I'm a bit confused about her mother's presence in her life. She had to move back home, but did she visit often, or did they communicate through mail? If so, at what age did the correspondence with her mother start? Were letters exchanged back and forth, or did her father present her with gifts from her mother?
These next few are food for thought, not mandatory to change: If Keiko often steals things from people she is attempting to court, does she tend to gravitate toward Geists? Has she ever liked someone enough to take to learning about their race's courting habits? Has her rejection from other Nekos caused her to reject her Neko half? You mention that sometimes she finds herself with Neko mannerisms. Does she regret or try to stop herself from expressing that part of her identity?
RP Prompt: Your RP Prompt technically meets all of the mandatory requirements, but I'd love to see more of what's happening inside Keiko's head. What is Keiko feeling/thinking? Is she used to this sort of thing, or is it still painful? Has she ever punched someone in the face before and how does that affect her?
Please quote me when you've made the appropriate edits! There is no need to do them in a different color. Thank you!
Magician Arcana
Posted: Mon Nov 28, 2016 12:00 am
So I made some things a little clearer:
- Keiko has only one parent (Honoka) who is a Geist. Her Bakeneko mother has been completely out of her life and Honoka has been giving her information about Bakaneko's that is heavily idealized.
- Personality nutshell and some personality bits explained in further detail.
-- I still need to update the prompt, but I will do that right after this so no worries.
Since I took forever to get this done, Skies is currently on Hiatus... I'm not entirely sure if I should quote or not so I'm going w/ a not and I'll ask later * U*;;
Hi! I'm actually not on hiatus anymore, I just hadn't updated that, which I will do right now, thank you for pointing it out to me. All of your updates look great, so I'm going to go ahead and call this APPROVED! Thanks for your patience!
