OOC: lostcarnival App

[fourthscribe]

PLAYER↴ Name: CaityCat Contact: gryphcat Other Characters: N/A CHARACTER↴ Character Name: Tanyuu Karibusa Age: 25 at canon point, 26 in game Species: Human Canon: Mushishi Canon Point: Post-canon Character Info: In this world, there are creatures that go unseen. They are neither animal nor plant, an existence between reality and mystery. To most, they are known as mushi, and those who can see and study them are the mushi masters. The mushi are tied intricately and mysteriously with nature and life itself, often causing odd effects on the physical world as they simply do what they must to survive. Mushi masters study them, learn what they can about them, and work to help those humans who have been pulled under the mushi's influence. Tanyuu is the current Scribe of the Karibusa family, a clan whose bloodline has had an incredibly dangerous mushi sealed within it. Little is known about this mushi, other than the fact that it flourished when all other life withered, and was a threat to the very balance of nature itself. Called only the Forbidden Mushi, it currently resides in Tanyuu's left leg, turning the skin pure black and rendering it completely paralyzed. Until about the age of ten she had no idea why her leg was like this, at which point her caretaker, Tama Minai, explained both the mushi's origins and the means through which one day, she might reclaim her leg from the mushi. When the mushi had first been sealed into the body of a pregnant woman, her skin had turned completely black, and after giving birth to her child she died. But thereafter, every few generations someone would be born with the black birth mark covering some portion of their body. At first the area was great, and severely crippled the possessor, but over the lives of three previous Scribes it's influence had been reduced to just one limb. The method, as Tama explained, was to transcribe tales of mushi being defeated and killed. But Tanyuu would not use ink; instead she would write this down on the paper using the mushi itself, drawing it piece by piece out of her leg and sealing it into strings of characters on many, many scrolls. Once her normal penmanship was judged to be skilled enough, Tanyuu was taken to a country home which housed all of the written histories (both with sealed mushi and not) that the Karibusa and Minai clan had created and kept. Tama, herself a retired mushi master, told Tanyuu stories of her work to be recorded, and while the process was incredibly painful Tanyuu did so with a fervor. But after a year or so Tama ran out of stories of use--one woman could only do so much in her lifetime, after all. And so other mushishi were brought in, ones that unlike Tama did not take care to present the stories in a way that were appropriate for a young, sheltered girl. Their stories were full of arrogance, laced with disgust and disdain for these strange ethereal creatures that were so different from them. Tanyuu, who had become enchanted by the idea of the mushi, felt a heavy weight settle on her heart. It is around this time that Tanyuu met the heir of the Minai clan, Kumado. Though he was apathetic and oddly detached from the world, Tanyuu became fond of him and swiftly came to regard him as a friend. However, from time to time she could not shake the feeling that, despite the fact that he had not changed and remembered everything, Kumado was not the same person he had been the last time she had seen him. This continued to trouble her, and though she did not speak of it the worry was carried with her for a long time. It would not be until years later that she found an opportunity to find out just what was going on--that his soul had been eaten, and replaced by his family with an artificially created mushi. Moreover, this had been done to him on purpose, for the sake of being able to further research the Forbidden Mushi. Tanyuu was heartbroken to realize this, and that Tama had been party to it the whole time. But although it hurt, and fractured her trust with her guardian, there was little to be done. All she could do was to continue to treat Kumado as she always had; with compassion, patience, and understanding. As she neared the threshold of adulthood, Tanyuu slowly became more withdrawn and wary of those she did not know well. Isolation and the disdain of her opinions weighed on her, and no longer looked to any new face she saw with anything but tired acceptance. But one day a strange mushi master came to call, one that had not actually been hired by Tama. Gentle and kind, he held the same fondness for mushi that Tanyuu herself did, and while he had come to gain access to the archives she and her family had written he was more than happy to tell her stories of mushi that were not wrapped in death, pain, or fear. This mushi master, Ginko, quickly became a friend and close confidante of Tanyuu, and his visits became a beacon of hope for her. He even made a promise to her, to take her along with him should she ever be rid of the Forbidden Mushi and he still be alive. Personality: Tanyuu is in many ways defined by her affliction. Her whole life has revolved around the sealing of the mushi trapped in her leg, and aside from a few dark moments in her life her resolve to accomplish this has been unwavering. Though anyone would call her lot in life unfair and a cruel twist of fate, Tanyuu moves steadfastly forward and works as hard as she can to make sure that no one after her will suffer the same way she has. That determination manifests in stubbornness as well, a will to use what little influence she has to help the people that she can. No matter what, Tanyuu always holds out hope that things will get better. That isn't to say that she lives in the clouds--she's very aware of how harsh reality can be and that pain can't be completely avoided. But despite the troubles of her life and the horrible things she listens to so often, she does her best to try and make sure that something good will come out of her efforts. She is willing to take the long and hard road to get to a happy ending, and firmly believes that it is possible. Even if things can't be perfect, good can still come out of it. Tanyuu is almost always itching to hear about new things. Restricted to Tama's estate as she is, any word about the outside world is like a breath of fresh air, one she takes in greedily and treasures dearly. Though the stories of death that she writes down as part of her duties weigh on her heart the knowledge she gains helps to alleviate that pain, and Ginko's stories are even more of a balm to the aches of her heart. Almost every day that Tanyuu doesn't have visitors finds her down in the archives, pouring over every record she can not only to memorize and be sure that she can repair any breaks in the seal, but also to learn about mushi and how they interact with the world. Alongside that is a cheerful, kind nature that is evident in everything Tanyuu does. She laughs and jokes, often making light of things in order to make people feel more comfortable, or to reassure them that things will be alright. Her compassion extends to the mushi as well, something that confuses most people that know her. She has a deep love for everything that lives in the world, and an appreciation for how very interconnected all life is. Finding ways to live alongside these strange creatures, knowing that they are just as important to the world as humans (perhaps even moreso in some ways), these are the feelings that drive Tanyuu in everything she does. However, even the kindest person can still be hurt. Aside from a handful of people, Tanyuu is not inclined to trust a stranger right off the bat. Years of meeting with arrogant and thoughtless mushi masters, hearing their disdain not only for the mushi they study but also for her compassion for them, all of this has left her with an instinct of wariness when encountering someone new. She doesn't condemn or judge anyone before speaking with them, but a haughty or exploitative nature will be quick to put her on guard and bring up a wall of cool indifference. She does want to see the best in everyone, but thus far in her life she has not had many examples of such, and it shows. Above all, Tanyuu is a very, very patient person. She knows from experience that vary little can be gained from trying to rush something, and that taking a slow but sure road will more often lead to the outcome you desire. Though sometimes she can become frustrated and wish that change could come sooner, as anyone would, she keeps her calm and doesn't let the stresses of life interfere with what she is doing. She is very much used to waiting for months to hear about an important bit of information, or to see a dear friend once again. Abilities: Tanyuu has trained herself to have an excellent memory for detail, having spent her whole life chronicling in detail the stories told to her by travelling mushi masters of their exploits. She also has an incredible ability at memorization of the written word; she knows every tome written by four generations of Scribes down to the very letter, a necessary skill as the mushi-infused characters will sometimes slip free and must be sealed back into paper in the proper order. Tanyuu also has the ability to see mushi, though her 'level', so to speak, is not nearly to what Ginko displays in canon. She would not be able to see a being caught between worlds, for instance, or certain types of mushi that are particularly ethereal and difficult to find. CARNIVAL↴ Soul Colour: A cool purple, not too dark Ideal Jobs: Makeup Relevant Experience: While she has not previously utilized her skills in quite this manner, Tanyuu is quite dexterous and has a high attention to detail--when sealing the Forbidden Mushi, not a single stroke in her writing could be out of place. She does also have something of an eye for style, and she wings that eyeliner perfectly every. Single. Time. Carnival History: Tanyuu came across the circus very much by accident, though not in the way most newcomers might. Thinking that the doorway to her room suddenly becoming a pathway to an entirely unfamiliar place might be caused by some new mushi, her curiosity got the better of her. The strange surroundings (whatever herbs these people were using, it wasn't at all what Tanyuu was used to smoking) throw her for a loop, especially since as far she was aware mushi did not have nearly the range of power to transport her as far she suspected she had been. It was child's play for one of the workers to trick her into a contract, though why they would choose someone with a bum leg is anyone's guess. And so began a very rough adjustment period from living with most of her needs cared for to very much being expected to pull her own weight--in more ways than one. Starting out as a cashier, she slowly grew used to the atmosphere of her new life. Used to living in isolation, being suddenly surrounded by hundreds of people on a near-daily basis is quite a shock. It took a while before she felt stable enough to even begin to think about doing more than the bare minimum of work. Cashiering is mind-numbingly dull work, and while it was easy enough for her to do it chafed at her pride. So after a few months she began to experiment on her off-time, and finally decided that cosmetics would be far easier than learning to patch a wound or anything more than the most basic of cooking. (Don't ask her how many times she's messed up cooking rice. It's a bit of a sore spot.) Four months in, and she'd finally hit her stride. With some help from a few friends she had made among the other workers, Tanyuu felt far less like a hindrance to the carnival as a whole and had even mastered a single spell--a small thing, but the boost to her confidence was amazing. Perhaps the biggest sign of her growth was the rather spectacular argument she held with an elderly wizard that insisted that the mushi she had been trying to deal with were some very unique form of sprite. She still isn't sure if the Ringleader was more annoyed or amused about the whole incident, to be honest. But as life settled into a comfortable routine, Tanyuu began to think about her future--and whether it would lead her back home at all. For several months she ruminated on the idea, weighing the pros and cons and worrying that she was simply trying to run from her responsibilities. It was actually a long and thought-provoking talk with the OSB that finally decided her. Much as she loves her home and misses her loved ones there, the things that truly concerned her could still be fixed even here. All it would require was a favor from the Ringmaster, really. And in the end, that was much more easy to come upon than Tanyuu expected. Tanyuu's contract was renewed only a short while after leaving the Summerlands, and while she is still adjusting to the...less expected parts of her boon, she is very much ready to move towards her new future as part of the carnival. First Contract: Repaying a debt incurred Details: Look, she grew up almost completely isolated from any sort of shenanigans like this. She's probably the easiest mark that carnie ever had. Existing Contract: Complete sealing of the Forbidden Mushi Details: After some consideration she asked the Ringleader to completely sever the Forbidden Mushi from her bloodline, as well as ensure that it would never escape whatever seals the Ringleader could place upon it. (She wasn't expecting her leg to be removed and replaced with a snake tail, though. First rule of dealing with fae: ALWAYS be sure about the details before shaking hands.) Current Changes: common: development of fangs and/or claws; slitted or inhuman eye features; long, pointed ears; patches of feathers, fur, moss, or scales growing into skin or hair (PLUS abnormal eye, hair, or skin color/texture; small fins on any sensible part of the body; small/medium antenna of any kind) uncommon:: extra eyes, either magic based or physical (PLUS plant growth in hair or along the skin; metal, stone, or gems covering/growing from parts of body) rare: taur body form: as in centaur, mermaid, naga, or similar (PLUS gills) SAMPLES↴ Thread with Machi Tobaye Thread with Ginko