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What Contest are you entering (in this post)? NEWBIE

Character Name: Sayuri Satoharu

Character Appearance (Human): Sayuri is 5'3", and a average Japanese build (veering on curvaceous). Her hair is done up in the maiko hairstyle wareshinobu, and has been that way for 5 years as she has never quite managed to make it to become a Geisha. She is always seen in the full makeup, and wearing an elaborate furisode (swinging sleeve) kimono with trailing obi. Her hair is black, her eyes brown, and she looks unremarkably normally, but has an infectious grin which lights her plain face up. She has ragged nails from nail biting.
Hairstyle:

Makeup:

Kimono (furisode: meaning swinging sleeves, will also have obi (wide belt) that reaches from shoulders to ankles in length ):


Character Personality:
Sayuri has never quite lived up to either of her given Geisha names ( Sayuri is a zodiac symbol coupled with understanding, Satoharu means 'wise and light'. Sayuri is neither of those things. At times foolish, clumsy and exceedingly naive, she believes a great deal of what she is told, and tends to be somewhat of a disaster area.
However, she does have an uncomplicated mind, and is often considered endearing because she likes to believe that everyone is her friend, and that life is worth living, and enjoying. However this is possibly somewhat of a mask, for deep down she has a inkling that things tend to go wrong, and that she is somewhat of a disappointment to her okiya, and okasan (house mother).
Her nails are ragged because she has a terrible habit of biting them, another less then wanted habit for an elegant Geisha to be. Because of her nature, despite being clumsy, and not being a shining example of the qualities needed for her intended profession, she doesnt yet want to give up, and wears the hairstyle, makeup and kimono religiously, hoping that if she does this long enough it will somehow outweigh her personality defects and the 'geisha within' will blossom!


Character Background:
Sayuri comes from a long line of successful, elegant Geisha..and her dream as a little girl was to grow up and go out dressed up like her mother did, entertaining privileged and wealthy gentleman. Sayuri's mother has often despaired of Sayuri's inability to learn the simplest of things, and her persistent clumsiness. She has gone from the barest of patience with her bumbling daughter, to an almost hostility and ill concealed contempt.

Sayuri was not a graceful child; she got into scrapes through her naive acceptance of everything she was told. She often got lost in the streets of the hanamachi (flower town or Geisha district), and was almost taken on as the servant in a brothel as she was mistaken for a gutter child in her dishevelled state, an incident that causes her okiya much embarrassment when she was finally located.
She was persistent though, attending the kaburenjo for lessons, the teachers there trying to hammer the basics into her sieve like mind. Sayuri would learn something one day, seem to have a handle of the moves of a dance for example, and the next she would once more possess two left feet.
She often got embarrassed when she was taken to teahouses to listen, watch and learn from Geisha, the men would make fun of her clumsiness, teasing when she tripped on the hem of her kimono, or liken her head to a melon gourd behind her back. She did however become a favourite of the more elderly customers who were old enough to be patient with her, which allowed her pleasant nature to come through, and for her smile to shine.

As it is now, she is presently still struggling to come to a point where her skills are sufficient for her to move on from being a maiko, becoming more then a prettily attired ornament. But she might not have the luxury of this path for much longer, her okasan, and her birth mother have become tired of paying for the house klutz, and would like to find a way for the young woman to become someone elses problem.

Maiko dancing (the type of dance that Sayuri is supposed to know and an example of the beauty that comes from the discipline);
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6McV3fkAawM

How does your Character get to/why was your character chosen for the Island?
She needs to become someone else's problem...

Sayuri had little idea that she was going to be packed off to the Island. But, her 'dear' mother had been approached with an interesting proposition...

Sayuri had been noticed during a tea party, hosted by a very wealthy business man, and attended by several other men of equal standing, including a senior from Feral Labs.
She had caught the gentleman's eye during the revelries, a condom had been procured, and the poor girl was told it was a novelty balloon, and was tasked with blowing it up. Sayuri's naive belief that she was a part of the joke, as opposed to the butt of it, then her clumsiness which resulted in the 'balloon' bursting and sticking to her lacquered hair made her a prime candidate in the gentleman from Feral lab's mind. Even more so after discrete inquiries into the girl's chequered history.
Through the mistress of the teahouse, intial contact was made with Sayuri's mother, who obviously was at first a little sceptical about being approached by such an obviously well off man about her most worthless daughter. But, after a few meetings, and some displays of the man's wealth, her mother agreed that he would become Sayuri's patron. She was swayed mostly by the fact that he would take on her financial burdens, which were many...Sayuri had by that time managed to accidently set alight three of their kimono collection, which were in themselves very costly.
It was explained to Sayuri's mother that because of the nature of his business he spent much time away, and sometimes overseas, so a place would be brought where Sayuri would need to move to. Her mother readily agreed to this also, it wasnt unknown for patrons to set up houses for the Geisha they sponsored, and as the girl would no longer be a burden, she believed that she had done her duties by her daughter.
Sayuri was of course given no say in any of this, and as she believed herself to be finally becoming a proper Geisha, happy that she had found a patron who would help finance her schooling, her kimonos and any performances that she would put on, accepted it all with very few protests.
Sayuri was packed up..her belongings crated up, and she went ahead of them to meet her future patron, believing that her belongings were to be sent along after her...


What Animal Serum do you want?: Blue Tang fish (tauric to make her a mer-blue tang)

Describe your ideal 100% appearance: Ideally a mer Blue Tang at 100%. Her torso would be mostly flesh coloured, possibly with colouration and scales from her tail section 'bleeding' up over her torso. Possibly some sort of gills to allow her better comfort underwater? Webbing between fingers for better propulsion. Retains hair. Ears become slits with some sort of frilling fin, and possibly 'third eyelids' for underwater.

Ref: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v119/Sati_Nitta/100pcent.jpg

Why this animal/plant for your character?: Originally I chose Blue Tang because I really like the fish, mostly because of the character Dory from Finding Nemo. But, after sitting down and going through the character and what her chosen vocation means to her, it also became very fitting. Sayuri truly will be a fish out of water, because of her background and because she is a Maiko. Having her change into something that could potentially become restrictive in the end echoes her life right now. It will become an irony of sorts, when she gets to the Island, she wont have the rules that have governed her life up until that point, will start to enjoy her 'freedom' and new experiences until the changes happen.
The bright colours are also reflective, given the vibrant materials she lives in day in and day out, it couldnt be anything less colourful a creature for her to turn into. Even if she is to become a half person, half fish, she would derive a little comfort from the brilliance of the Tang's colouration.

In the end though, the serum given might become her greatest life altering experience. In the water she could know grace and freedom that she would never have known back at her home, nor as a full human.

What do you think really makes this concept? Why you?
I don't suppose 'Because I really want it?' works as an answer does it? wink

What makes this concept is the fact that despite the traditional culture that she is a part of, she isnt really an outstanding person in herself. She tries so very hard, but always manages to trip, or fail. She's just a normal person trying to do her best, to feel good about herself and earn the approval of her mother.
And from all that, and from her very insular background she will be placed on an Island, with strange people and go through a very difficult experience. Sayuri has yet to meet a foreigner, let alone any that are halfway through transforming into an animal or plant, and this will be culture shock of a great degree for her!
That, and I believe that the image of a Maiko in full regalia tottering around a tropical Island in the tall okobo geta is not something that can be easily dismissed.

PROMPT: ((This RP prompt does NOT need to fit into your canon backstory, this is a sample of your RP)) A, B, or C?




(Italics means spoken in her native language
Itai = ow )

'Itai...'
The colourful sprawled lump in the sand topped by the slightly mishapen hair, moved, coughed and revealed itself to be a person. Sayuri opened sticky eyes, sand grains falling from her face and kimono as she pushed herself carefully into an upright position.
'Sand?' she looked at the substance, curious, then prodded it with a finger, watching as she took it away again as the sand shifted and the hole slowly filled itself. Why was she on sand; lying on sand make that? She struggled to bring to mind the last coherent memory she had. Of sake, her mother, some Geisha and a few patrons toasting her health and her new life with her Danna before they had seen them off at the airfield. Unfortunately Sayuri was a lightweight when it came to alcohol, her fellow Geisha knew it and she was always coerced into drinking games. The sight of a drunken young woman weaving her way home in full Maiko regalia had become a common sight in the hanamachi. She winced at the memory, patting her face where it felt swollen, all puffy down one cheek. She had obviously passed out at some point, because the small airplane was the last place she remembered being with any clarity.
'My makeup.' she mumbled. The white paint and artfully done eye and lip colouring was probably ruined by now. She swept over her face with her fingertips, removing the grains that were still sticking to what was left of her makeup. Then her hands moved upwards, feeling again with her fingers, carefully prodding the waxed coiffure on her head. One side of it was smooshed, a large indent and she could feel sand on her hair as well.
'Mama is going to kill me,' she wailed softly. Already in her mind she could see the disapproval, of her mother and her okiya mother. Then there would be the hour long torture at the hairdressers to get it fixed. She shakily got to her feet, hampered by the fact that her kimono was still wet, the obi as well. The ensemble was heavy enough dry, but now, the weight of it felt suffocating, and she wobbled.
'I just need to make it home...' she said to herself, speaking before she had looked around properly. In the distance was a strange sort of group of buildings, looking almost as though they were part of the mountainside. Her hopeful expression crumpled, her eyes filling a little. She was most definately not in any place she had been before. Even with her simple mind she could tell that!
A Maiko does not cry! the internal voice of her mother scolded, and she dabbed with a sleeve at her eyes, before looking around her once more. If she could just find someone, they could help her. Tell her where she was. Maybe give her directions? And so she pattered off down the beach, remembering to make her kimono flutter as she crossed it, heading towards the small structure. As she neared, she could see the discarded bottles, glasses as well.
'Is there a party?' she sounded hopeful. A party meant people, people meant help.
'Help, please anyone?..' she called, her voice trailing off, as it was then that she saw the mangled animal carcass. She didnt register what type of animal it was, all she saw was the torn flesh, exposed bone and blood. The smell of it assaulted her nostrils, sending her stumbling a few steps away, where she bent over and was sick. When the nausea had passed, she moved away from the mess, sitting in the sand and fighting back the urge to just have a long cry into her sleeves. She forced herself to look again at the body, well it was from more morbid fascination then anything, and a cold finger of realisation slid down her spine. Something had killed that creature, a strong something, given the size of the corpse. The big something had maybe carried off the partygoers. And she was still here, sitting in the sand like a very ornamental lamb for the slaughter.
With that spark of realisation, she stood up. A quick brush down and a straighten of her kimono later, she was off, walking towards the distant buildings. No matter how many times she fell over on the way, she was determined to make it. Those buildings drew her in like a teahouse at night; pig killing monster thoughts were pushed to the back of her mind for more pressing concerns.
How ever would she entertain the people in the building without her shamisen...?

ergh only 4 more days till the deadline XD