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application; the far shore
Feb. 6th, 2016 08:46 pmPlayer Information
Name: Pixi
Contact:![[plurk.com profile]](https://plurk.com/favicon.ico)
pixisticks
Age: 25
Other Characters: N/A
Character Information
Name: Yamato no Kami Yasusada
Canon: Touken Ranbu
Canon Point: post world 6.
Age: Approximately 550!
History: A short summary, his wiki page, Recollections PART 2: Story of Okita, PART 16: Ikedaya Affair - Bridge, and PART 17: Ikedaya Affair – Raid, some articles about the sword itself (1, 2, and some info about his former master, Okita Souji (1, 2)
Personality: When Yamato first appears in the Citadel, it's like looking at a ghost of the past. With his iconic haori, his gentle smile, and his quiet confidence in his abilities, he is the very picture of Okita Souji. Unlike Kashuu Kiyomitsu, who has divorced himself from the past and blatantly rejects the influence of his former master, Yamato has more than embraced them.
While it isn't unusual for a sword to take on some aspects of their masters' personalities, Yamato takes this to a whole new level. It's as if he's trying to become Okita, to emulate everything about him that Yamato admired during their time together. Yamato himself is aware that this isn't typical behavior, asking the saniwa “Am I that odd?”, but seemingly unbothered by whatever their answer may be.
Okita Souji was said to be a kind, friendly young man who was fond of children and startlingly vicious in battle. These traits were, perhaps, necessary for survival for a captain of the Shinsengumi, especially in such a turbulent period in history. But to Yamato, they are the traits of a hero, the perfect ideal. Something to aspire to. And if he is to uphold Okita's reputation and do him justice, he believes they're the traits he must also possess. He is Okita Souji's sword. He doesn't know how to be anything else. And as a spirit given form to fight a war, he has no reason to want to.
Okita's influence is most noticeable on the battlefield—or rather, in Yamato's sudden, ruthless ferocity. Like flicking a switch (“I should get in the right mood... let's sortie! Oraa!”), the pleasant, somewhat innocent sword vanishes, replaced by the very personification of Okita's fighting skills. Even when sparring the other swords, he comments that his “blood is boiling”, reminiscent of Okita's reputation for being hard on his students. Indeed, Yamato wears Okita's influence like a cloak, as though attempting to become him will keep his memory even closer to his heart.
But despite Yamato's efforts, he is not Okita Souji. The way that he tries so hard to emulate him is, in fact, more indicative of Yamato's nature than anything else. Yamato molds his personality to match Okita's, because he sees himself as Okita's sword, and only Okita's sword. He is a tool, meant to protect and serve and be used—and as such, there is no need for him to have an identity of his own. His very existence revolves around his master, and to be a good sword, he believes he must match them as best he can. Since the saniwa doesn't join them on the battlefield, Yamato is free to remain a mirror of Okita without conflicting emotions. The saniwa summoned him because he was one of Okita's beloved swords—thus, Yamato reasons, that's what he must remain. He is loyal to the saniwa, and equally loyal to Okita's memory. In Yamato's mind, there is no contradiction.
Yamato's desire for approval, his need to be a “good” sword, appears in various forms. In the Citadel, he idly comments, “I wonder who the person who loves me the most is?”. He isn't nearly as overt in his yearning for love as Kashuu Kiyomitsu, but that doesn't mean it isn't there. Instead of begging outright, Yamato focuses his energy on what he thinks the saniwa wants—what he believes a good sword should be. He says things like “It'd be nice if I became stronger.” and “I'll work harder from now on.” when equipped with troops for protection; when injured, he promises he'll do better next time, and admits that it's nice being taken care of. All of these things prove, not only his loyalty to the saniwa and his desire to serve them well, but his overall tendency to seek approval from those he cares for.
He is a sword, after all. If he can't be a good one, he is ultimately useless.
Still, Yamato is not constantly lusting for blood. When assigned to work the fields or tend to the horses, he doesn't complain—instead, he makes comments like “Did you know? Horses have sparkly eyes.”, a reflection of his more innocent side. With his fixation on the past appearing even in situations like this (“A field. I remember the countryside.”), Yamato's penchant for daydreaming makes him seem like a bit of an airhead. He isn't stupid, by any means—he's just distrait, a simple sword who only wants to please.
In death, Yamato does not display regrets, or even any particular anguish. Instead, his idealism shows itself in full force, merging once more with his fixation on his former master. His dying words are, “Okita-kun.... Finally.... With you...”, a sign that he sees his death as a fitting end for a blade of Okita's. A sword dies if their vessel is broken, meaning that Yamato perishes in battle—something Okita did not have the chance to do. It's an honorable death, and Yamato will not bring any shame upon the saniwa by dying on the field. It is also his very last chance; a chance to hope that death will reunite him with the master he loved so much. The master who loved him in return—who taught him what it was to be a warrior. Without Okita, Yamato believes, he would be nothing.
Because he's just a sword, in the end. Nothing more, nothing less.
But as a shinki, Yamato's memories will be lost, at least temporarily. So if you take away Okita Souji, what does that leave behind?
Even with the source removed, Yamato won't be a completely different person. He is dependent by nature, naturally gravitating towards people and seeking their approval (in game, for example, he explicitly asks the saniwa “will you... love me?”). He has no reason not to be a polite, friendly young man with relatively innocent perceptions of the world. And with enemies to fight, he will have an outlet for his energy, a chance to let his “blood boil”. He will be content fulfilling the purpose of his existence, even without realizing just how true that is.
Abilities: Yamato is a sword tsukumogami, which means he is a much stronger fighter than the average human. His specialty is Tennen Rishin Ryu, Okita Souji's style of swordfighting, and he can perform Okita's famous Mumyoken strike. In canon, his physical body is capable of taking incredible amounts of damage—however, his spirit is directly linked to his blade itself. Therefore, in canon, if his sword were to break then he would die, regardless of the state of his physical body.
Strengths: Devoted, passionate, hard-working, polite, strong
Weaknesses: Ruthless, naïve, dependent, idealistic, nostalgic (I don't have a good buzzword for “stuck in the past”, sorry)
God/Shinki: Shinki!
Why?: The main reason is obvious—Yamato is a weapon, literally created to serve and protect a master. But more than that, Yamato has a dependent personality. He develops very, very strong attachments to those important to him, and he is far more comfortable belonging to someone and serving them. He is one of the swords who, despite gaining a physical body, never quite breaks free from the “I am a sword” mentality. Because of this, his loyalty and desire to be useful make him an ideal shinki.
Cause Of Death: Yamato died fighting at Ikedaya, a painfully ironic parallel to the breaking of his partner sword Kashuu Kiyomitsu, when Okita Souji collapsed in this very battle. His in-game death quote, “Okita-kun.... Finally.... With you...”, implies that he believes (or desperately hopes) to rejoin his former master in death; however, it is not clear whether or not there is any afterlife for tsukumogami in the game. Because of that, it would be easy for Yamato to become a lost soul, wandering in search of someone he likely could never even reach.
Vessel: He will take the form of his true sword self! He is an uchigatana, so he's about as long as a typical katana.
Name Location: The base of his neck!
Power: I'm gonna go ahead and go with bone manipulation!
Writing Sample
Sample: Here and here are two examples, but I'm not sure if they count since they're AUs, so I've provided a written sample below!
(based on the Broken Bonds prompt from Test Drive #1)
“Excuse me.”
He wants to be polite, he really does. 95% of the time, Yamato is a nice, friendly swordunlike Kashuu Kiyomitsu. Or at least, he tries to be. He's been told that he's difficult to handle, but he doesn't do it on purpose, so that doesn't count--
--the point is, Yamato isn't the type to yell and scream and jump around to get someone's attention. So between the near-invisibility and his unwillingness to make a scene, this search is proving to be far more difficult than he'd expected.
But that's alright. Because there's one way of dealing with humans he's found that's turned out to be quite effective: standing directly in front of them and speaking up just as they're about to run into him.
...Okay, sometimes the humans end up screaming, or tripping over other people, or hitting him with their handbags on pure reflex. But it does get their attention, so that's good enough for him.
Even with his kinda-sorta-not-really-foolproof method, Yamato hasn't had a lot of luck tracking down his quarry. He's aware that humans age, and with some hard-earned assistance, he's gotten a general idea of what they might look like now. But finding a single person in a city this large... if they're even still living here? If it were anyone else, he would say it was impossible.
But this request was given to him, and he promised to fulfill it. So no matter how many sidewalk accidents he causes, no matter how many purses to the head he has to take, he will hunt them down. He never makes promises he doesn't intend to keep.
(And it's his duty, after all. Failure would reflect badly on his master, and that... that's simply unacceptable.)
So here he is again—and for once, the human he intercepts doesn't go flailing into the street in surprise. It's been days, and he knows he shouldn't get his hopes up, but... he wouldn't be Yamato if he didn't believe in things wholeheartedly. And he believes he will find this person—which means believing in the humans who help him, too.
“I'm looking for this person...”
Other
Anything Else?: Nope!
Name: Pixi
Contact:
Age: 25
Other Characters: N/A
Character Information
Name: Yamato no Kami Yasusada
Canon: Touken Ranbu
Canon Point: post world 6.
Age: Approximately 550!
History: A short summary, his wiki page, Recollections PART 2: Story of Okita, PART 16: Ikedaya Affair - Bridge, and PART 17: Ikedaya Affair – Raid, some articles about the sword itself (1, 2, and some info about his former master, Okita Souji (1, 2)
Personality: When Yamato first appears in the Citadel, it's like looking at a ghost of the past. With his iconic haori, his gentle smile, and his quiet confidence in his abilities, he is the very picture of Okita Souji. Unlike Kashuu Kiyomitsu, who has divorced himself from the past and blatantly rejects the influence of his former master, Yamato has more than embraced them.
While it isn't unusual for a sword to take on some aspects of their masters' personalities, Yamato takes this to a whole new level. It's as if he's trying to become Okita, to emulate everything about him that Yamato admired during their time together. Yamato himself is aware that this isn't typical behavior, asking the saniwa “Am I that odd?”, but seemingly unbothered by whatever their answer may be.
Okita Souji was said to be a kind, friendly young man who was fond of children and startlingly vicious in battle. These traits were, perhaps, necessary for survival for a captain of the Shinsengumi, especially in such a turbulent period in history. But to Yamato, they are the traits of a hero, the perfect ideal. Something to aspire to. And if he is to uphold Okita's reputation and do him justice, he believes they're the traits he must also possess. He is Okita Souji's sword. He doesn't know how to be anything else. And as a spirit given form to fight a war, he has no reason to want to.
Okita's influence is most noticeable on the battlefield—or rather, in Yamato's sudden, ruthless ferocity. Like flicking a switch (“I should get in the right mood... let's sortie! Oraa!”), the pleasant, somewhat innocent sword vanishes, replaced by the very personification of Okita's fighting skills. Even when sparring the other swords, he comments that his “blood is boiling”, reminiscent of Okita's reputation for being hard on his students. Indeed, Yamato wears Okita's influence like a cloak, as though attempting to become him will keep his memory even closer to his heart.
But despite Yamato's efforts, he is not Okita Souji. The way that he tries so hard to emulate him is, in fact, more indicative of Yamato's nature than anything else. Yamato molds his personality to match Okita's, because he sees himself as Okita's sword, and only Okita's sword. He is a tool, meant to protect and serve and be used—and as such, there is no need for him to have an identity of his own. His very existence revolves around his master, and to be a good sword, he believes he must match them as best he can. Since the saniwa doesn't join them on the battlefield, Yamato is free to remain a mirror of Okita without conflicting emotions. The saniwa summoned him because he was one of Okita's beloved swords—thus, Yamato reasons, that's what he must remain. He is loyal to the saniwa, and equally loyal to Okita's memory. In Yamato's mind, there is no contradiction.
Yamato's desire for approval, his need to be a “good” sword, appears in various forms. In the Citadel, he idly comments, “I wonder who the person who loves me the most is?”. He isn't nearly as overt in his yearning for love as Kashuu Kiyomitsu, but that doesn't mean it isn't there. Instead of begging outright, Yamato focuses his energy on what he thinks the saniwa wants—what he believes a good sword should be. He says things like “It'd be nice if I became stronger.” and “I'll work harder from now on.” when equipped with troops for protection; when injured, he promises he'll do better next time, and admits that it's nice being taken care of. All of these things prove, not only his loyalty to the saniwa and his desire to serve them well, but his overall tendency to seek approval from those he cares for.
He is a sword, after all. If he can't be a good one, he is ultimately useless.
Still, Yamato is not constantly lusting for blood. When assigned to work the fields or tend to the horses, he doesn't complain—instead, he makes comments like “Did you know? Horses have sparkly eyes.”, a reflection of his more innocent side. With his fixation on the past appearing even in situations like this (“A field. I remember the countryside.”), Yamato's penchant for daydreaming makes him seem like a bit of an airhead. He isn't stupid, by any means—he's just distrait, a simple sword who only wants to please.
In death, Yamato does not display regrets, or even any particular anguish. Instead, his idealism shows itself in full force, merging once more with his fixation on his former master. His dying words are, “Okita-kun.... Finally.... With you...”, a sign that he sees his death as a fitting end for a blade of Okita's. A sword dies if their vessel is broken, meaning that Yamato perishes in battle—something Okita did not have the chance to do. It's an honorable death, and Yamato will not bring any shame upon the saniwa by dying on the field. It is also his very last chance; a chance to hope that death will reunite him with the master he loved so much. The master who loved him in return—who taught him what it was to be a warrior. Without Okita, Yamato believes, he would be nothing.
Because he's just a sword, in the end. Nothing more, nothing less.
But as a shinki, Yamato's memories will be lost, at least temporarily. So if you take away Okita Souji, what does that leave behind?
Even with the source removed, Yamato won't be a completely different person. He is dependent by nature, naturally gravitating towards people and seeking their approval (in game, for example, he explicitly asks the saniwa “will you... love me?”). He has no reason not to be a polite, friendly young man with relatively innocent perceptions of the world. And with enemies to fight, he will have an outlet for his energy, a chance to let his “blood boil”. He will be content fulfilling the purpose of his existence, even without realizing just how true that is.
Abilities: Yamato is a sword tsukumogami, which means he is a much stronger fighter than the average human. His specialty is Tennen Rishin Ryu, Okita Souji's style of swordfighting, and he can perform Okita's famous Mumyoken strike. In canon, his physical body is capable of taking incredible amounts of damage—however, his spirit is directly linked to his blade itself. Therefore, in canon, if his sword were to break then he would die, regardless of the state of his physical body.
Strengths: Devoted, passionate, hard-working, polite, strong
Weaknesses: Ruthless, naïve, dependent, idealistic, nostalgic (I don't have a good buzzword for “stuck in the past”, sorry)
God/Shinki: Shinki!
Why?: The main reason is obvious—Yamato is a weapon, literally created to serve and protect a master. But more than that, Yamato has a dependent personality. He develops very, very strong attachments to those important to him, and he is far more comfortable belonging to someone and serving them. He is one of the swords who, despite gaining a physical body, never quite breaks free from the “I am a sword” mentality. Because of this, his loyalty and desire to be useful make him an ideal shinki.
Cause Of Death: Yamato died fighting at Ikedaya, a painfully ironic parallel to the breaking of his partner sword Kashuu Kiyomitsu, when Okita Souji collapsed in this very battle. His in-game death quote, “Okita-kun.... Finally.... With you...”, implies that he believes (or desperately hopes) to rejoin his former master in death; however, it is not clear whether or not there is any afterlife for tsukumogami in the game. Because of that, it would be easy for Yamato to become a lost soul, wandering in search of someone he likely could never even reach.
Vessel: He will take the form of his true sword self! He is an uchigatana, so he's about as long as a typical katana.
Name Location: The base of his neck!
Power: I'm gonna go ahead and go with bone manipulation!
Writing Sample
Sample: Here and here are two examples, but I'm not sure if they count since they're AUs, so I've provided a written sample below!
(based on the Broken Bonds prompt from Test Drive #1)
“Excuse me.”
He wants to be polite, he really does. 95% of the time, Yamato is a nice, friendly sword
--the point is, Yamato isn't the type to yell and scream and jump around to get someone's attention. So between the near-invisibility and his unwillingness to make a scene, this search is proving to be far more difficult than he'd expected.
But that's alright. Because there's one way of dealing with humans he's found that's turned out to be quite effective: standing directly in front of them and speaking up just as they're about to run into him.
...Okay, sometimes the humans end up screaming, or tripping over other people, or hitting him with their handbags on pure reflex. But it does get their attention, so that's good enough for him.
Even with his kinda-sorta-not-really-foolproof method, Yamato hasn't had a lot of luck tracking down his quarry. He's aware that humans age, and with some hard-earned assistance, he's gotten a general idea of what they might look like now. But finding a single person in a city this large... if they're even still living here? If it were anyone else, he would say it was impossible.
But this request was given to him, and he promised to fulfill it. So no matter how many sidewalk accidents he causes, no matter how many purses to the head he has to take, he will hunt them down. He never makes promises he doesn't intend to keep.
(And it's his duty, after all. Failure would reflect badly on his master, and that... that's simply unacceptable.)
So here he is again—and for once, the human he intercepts doesn't go flailing into the street in surprise. It's been days, and he knows he shouldn't get his hopes up, but... he wouldn't be Yamato if he didn't believe in things wholeheartedly. And he believes he will find this person—which means believing in the humans who help him, too.
“I'm looking for this person...”
Other
Anything Else?: Nope!
