PLAYER INFORMATION

Name: Pixi
Age: 25
Contact: pixisticks
Current characters: N/A



CHARACTER INFORMATION

True name: Yamato no Kami Yasusada
Given name: Kou. Based on the kanji 行, which means "to go, to walk, to journey". His cocoon dream is all about moving forward, while following the the shadow of someone else, ultimately ending with him seeking his own identity. It illustrates the balance between forward progress and his unwavering loyalty, his devotion to an unknown figure and his struggle to become his own person.
Canon: Touken Ranbu
Canonpoint: post world 6. Yamato died in battle at Ikedaya, a painfully ironic parallel to the breaking of his partner sword Kashuu Kiyomitsu, when Okita Souji collapsed in this very battle.
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:

In canon

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.

In game

So then, if you take away Okita Souji, what does that leave behind? With so much of Yamato's personality based on someone else, it may seem as though he has no identity of his own—and that is precisely what he will be dealing with as a Haibane.

But even with the source removed, that doesn't mean Yamato will 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, nor is there anything to interfere with his relatively innocent perceptions of the world. In fact, due to the nature of the setting, these aspects of his personality will be much stronger and more visible than they are in canon. With no war to fight, no memory of his existence as a weapon, Yamato doesn't have much to get his “blood boiling”. As he starts to regain his memories and his natural inclinations as a sword, his desire to be a good sword will return—something else he will have to struggle with as he searches for his own identity.

Powers: 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. In game, as he is "humanized", this will not be applicable, therefore he will simply regain strength and endurance, as well as his fighting abilities.

Memory bank: Here!

Job: Animal Care on the farm in Eastern Glie. Backups: Babysitter at Old Home, Teacher Assistant at school

Dream:

They've been walking for a long time.

Yamato doesn't know how long. He has no way to sense the passage of time here—no sun overhead, no stars to track. A thick fog engulfs him, obscuring everything but the distant shadow of someone else. All he has to go on are the strides of the person in front of him, their leisurely pace never slowing, their steps never faltering. They walk on, and Yamato follows, and all is as it should be. This is right where he belongs.

But... no. Something's not quite right.

What is it?

Maybe that person knows. They haven't turned around once (in fact, Yamato can't make out anything besides their silhouette), but they walk with a calm, knowing air. Surely, he thinks, they have the answers he seeks. They can tell him what he needs to do.

Yamato wants to see their face anyway. No matter how familiar they may seem, he needs to see their face.

His pace quickens, theirs does not; and yet, he doesn't get any closer. Befuddled, he breaks into a run—but the distance between them only seems to increase. With panic blossoming in his chest, he runs as fast as he can, pushing his body above and beyond its limits. He needs to reach them, to touch them—

—and then they're gone.

The fog clears so suddenly, Yamato almost wonders if he'd imagined it. He stumbles to a halt, barely managing to avoid skidding into the lake that stretches out before him. But as he leans over the water, the reflection he sees isn't his own.

It's faceless.

The frantic pounding of his heart seems to reach up to his throat and down to his stomach. Kneeling by the water's edge, he leans closer, and closer—but no features come into view. Desperate and terrified, he plunges his face into the water—

—are those voices?

Trial: Yamato's trial is all about overcoming his dependence on other people and learning to shape his own identity. In life, he considered himself "Okita Souji's beloved sword", nothing more, nothing less—and he was more than content to be that way forever. Even in death, his last thoughts are not of the saniwa, but of Okita. The idea of existing as something else, as an individual in his own right, never once occurs to him. Thus, Yamato's trial will consist of learning how to live for himself, as himself, without the crutch of being someone else's tool (both literally and figuratively).

The memory loss gives Yamato a bit of a head start on his trial, by virtue of not remembering Okita Souji or his own existence as a sword. However, dependency is in his blood, and Yamato will not lose his desire to belong to someone, and to make them his everything. He will naturally seek out others and try to "belong" to them, so to speak—to shape his identity around someone else. It will be very difficult for him to fight this; he will encounter situations that force him to think for himself and question who he truly is. But he must be able to answer that question, to say "this is who I am", independent of anyone else, in order to achieve his Day of Flight.

As Yamato's exposure to humans was severely limited in life, the wide variety of people he will meet in the game should facilitate this naturally. The challenge will come when he begins to regain his memories, and has to fight harder and harder against the Yamato he has become, and the Yamato he once was.

SAMPLES

Memories: Here and here!

RP sample:

[It's strange.

Getting used to unfamiliar body parts isn't, he has gathered, a particularly common experience. Given the amount of guidance he'd received, the reassurances that no one will mind if he knocks something over on accident, and the offers for assistance and training, it's pretty easy to tell that most people have trouble with their wings. And he appreciates everyone's help, he really does. Their kindness and welcoming attitudes have done so much to ease his confusion and fear.

And yet...

In some dark, distant part of his mind, he feels like he's done this before. Not the wings, no—he's sure he would remember having those, no matter what they say about the memory loss. But the sensation of unfamiliar limbs, of adjusting to a foreign body... that doesn't seem completely new to him. But why? Will he ever know? And does it really matter, in the end?

He shouldn't dwell on it, he knows. They say he'll never remember who he used to be, and they have no reason to lie to him. But he can't help it. He wants so, so badly to remember. To understand these feelings-- whether they're an odd sense of familiarity, or that distant sense of loneliness.

Well, one thing is for certain. The déjà vu hasn't made him any better at controlling his wings than anyone else.

You'd think, by now, he would remember not to turn so suddenly in the kitchen. But there he goes, knocking over yet another stack of mugs.

They're going to have to drink out of the bowls at this rate.]