Name: Ardy
Journal:
iskodayinikwe Age: 26
IM: crystalcatalyst1
Email: wise.serpents.harmless.doves [at] gmail.com
Timezone: EDST
Character Information
Name: Yuna (Prefers: Yunie) Otayo
Age: 7
Personality: Yunie often shows herself to be very self-aware for her age, and tends to know and feel far more than she lets on. There is an old soul in her little body, and while it has lost far too much of its innocence too early, it is far from bitter and aged. She truly does love life and the Planet around her, and finds a deep, poignant beauty in even the most “imperfect” things of this world (her favorite lovey is a misshapen black thing with what looks like horns and a single blue glass bead eye—she won’t let anyone give him a second: “He doesn’t need it!”). She is very introspective and generally quiet, particularly after what she has been through, but she is not shy. She feels a little strange sometimes, surmising her childhood thus far, even in light of the bloodshed on this Planet, still is not typical. And that she herself isn’t necessarily the norm. But she rarely has voiced such thoughts thus far. Instead, they “follow her about like a little shadow.”
Such oddities she has already noticed in her being don’t seem to bother her, though. She is who she is, and if you don’t like it… well, that’s you. And okay. As long as she’s not treated badly, odd glances and questions are to be taken in stride, pleasantly endured before she can go back to whatever she is doing.
She’s still, of course, relatively naïve, and while she isn’t immediately trusting of everyone, anyone who can prove they already have a connection to her in terms of culture or preferences will be her instant best friend she spills her guts to—which could possibly be dangerous to her welfare.
Yunie is a voracious learner. She’s been picking up Common as well as keeping up with her Wutain, and is trying to learn to read in both languages (she can read simple paragaphs in an older written form of Wutain because of her family’s work, but the modern characters are more important for her education). She also is really desperate to learn Summoning as she says she wants to “dance to Gaia’s drums.”
The little girl has a tendency to speak in what sounds like riddles—highly figurative language. It comes from growing up on the stories of the temple and the early exposure to both Scripture and research into metaphors. Because of her developmental stage, she has trouble distinguishing between figure and concrete reality sometimes, as to her, what she has said is plain and simple enough—it is what it is.
Underneath the oddness of her raising, there most likely is a relatively “normal” little girl lurking. A girl who would like to run and play and talk to her friends, begging her parent figure for ice cream and get away with being a brat sometimes—she certainly isn’t unhealthy. But it would take people she feels safe around to bring that out in her. And if that never happened? Then she will just keep walking this way, and see where it leads.
Strengths: Yunie can be very stoic when she needs to be, keeping painful emotions buried to sort out later, in her own private time. Additionally, Yunie is very industrious, having already been taught to cook simple dishes, clean, wash clothing, dress herself in both traditional Wutain and Common style clothes, and sew and mend clothing.
She can be very well mannered when she chooses, and tends to be well liked where ever she goes. Additionally, she really does have latent Summoning abilities, though they cannot develop fully into her limit breaks until at least her teens and only then with stringent training. Until then, she’s stuck with materia like everyone else—and that had better be under close supervision.
Weaknesses: Yunie is not all that physically strong. She looks a little pale and underfed at the moment, and has a history of delicate constitution since she was an infant. Probably she just needs some nourishment and exercise, some rest from her life thus far, but her bravest efforts at fighting right now would get her basically nowhere against even some of her peers.
She’s also not only an extremely curious girl, but has an affinity for dangerous creatures. For instance, dragons! She is always trying to take in these kind or other types of creatures. Fluffers and the regular kind of thing are fine, but the more bizarre, creepy, gross, or just right out oddball it is, the better! You would only wish all she brought home is frogs.
Because Yunie likes to deal with her feelings privately, if she is truly upset, she is likely to run away or hide. Not necessarily a bad thing in and of itself, but she can get surprisingly far surprisingly fast—like most kids.
History: Yuna Otayo is the youngest child of Kazuo Otayo, the only son of Benjiro Otayo, from the Wutain Summoner line founded in Sukuna. Kazuo’s parents both died during his childhood, and he was adopted by Benjiro’s oldest sister Nahoko, whom Yuna refers to as Grandmama. Nahoko stayed with Kazuo’s family at the shrine in Juudai, the only known intact Summoner temple after the war.
Kazuo’s wife Ran died in childbirth with Yuna, making Grandmama’s presence a blessing as the priest was left alone with Yuna, nicknamed Yunie, and his older twin boys. Yunie has a few memories of her brothers, but they were soon apprenticed off to older distant relatives for the task of rebuilding the old shrines and installing the old ways in the continuing chaos of the Planet’s crisis.
Yunie stayed with her father at the family temple until the awakening of Omega two years ago, setting off a number of signs and incidents at all their scared sites. The Summoners were unaware of what precisely had occurred, but their legends told them something had disrupted the cycle, as both The End and his servant went back to sleep. Nahoko was persuaded that this might be the next fabled Peace, that marked a golden age for the Planet. But she didn’t know who was behind it. In a desperate effort to find enlightenment, she urged Kazuo to come with her to tavel the other continents, collecting Summoner artifacts both long lost and stolen in the war, and to contact the descendants of her estranged sister Sayoko. The only piece of information she knew was that Sayoko had married a foreign man from a city called Junon.
Eventually, the two arrived in the madness of the town, with a bright eyed child in tow. Yunie, being inquisitive, kept the best pace someone her age could with the stories and research of her Daddy and Grandmama, but for her, it was all this glorious combination of puzzle game and fairy story.
Since so many years had passed, and so much tragedy had befallen, details were sketchy at best. No records of Sayoko could be found. A few scrolls and miscellaneous items were found and documented, but progress was halted when Nahoko fell ill with a virus. Kazuo and Yunie cared for her until Kazuo found himself in the same condition. Yunie, who had just turned 7, spent her days as nursemaid, cook, and housekeeper, praying for the return of their health each day.
Her request was not granted, however, and soon, her Grandmama and Daddy passed away. As the family had kept to themselves, she knew of no one in town to help her, and did not know how to contact her brothers in Wutai, so she stayed on in the apartment, going about her business as though nothing had happened. Each day, she did her chores, then studied the files her grandmother and father had left behind, trying to learn to how to continue their work.
Eventually, neighbors in the apartment building began to suspect something was wrong, and contacted the local authorities. Yuna put up a raucous fight, insisting she would summon a dragon on them if they tried to take her away. Social workers had to be called in, and she has been bouncing around locations in Junon as her family’s remains and possessions are dealt with, and her own future secured.
Roleplaying Samples
I saw more pictures of dragons at the places with all the books. What did the woman call it? Library. I like the library. It is a thousand worlds all put up on shelves. I can not wait until I can visit them all.
I also saw a man walking to the world building. Lots of people walk there. I wonder what’s inside? I will find out, some day, I think. I have many things to do.
Edit: New First person sample: [Voice post]
The nice man who helps the children gave me his... his... it's the machine with the red blinking light that eats voices. Well, it does not eat them. But it copies them? I think it copies them. It would be more fun if it ate them, but then people would be sad because they wouldn't have voices. Okay, that wouldn't be so fun! Copying is better.
But he's letting me use it because I don't want to talk. And I still don't want to talk. Why do I need to talk? Does he want me to tell him I miss my Daddy and my Grandmama? Because I do. And I would like a new Daddy or Mummy or Grandmama, too, but I'm very afraid I will not get a nice one. I want a nice one! One that lets me have books and doesn't make me eat all my veggies and buys me pretty dresses. And one that lets me have a pet dragon!
... None of them would let me have a pet dragon, would they? Grown ups don't like monsters any. Not even the priests. They are all fraidy cats who jump up and down on their paws and fluff their tails and hiss. But Daddy said it's because grown ups have Seen Things, and so they Know. And I suppose it is so? The nice man seems to know things. He asks lots of questions of the grown ups that like me and he nods his head to the answers--that's how you know a person is listening, if they nod their head a lot: truth! He's kind of funny and makes serious faces and scrunches up his face around his glasses.
Glasses are funny. I think all grown ups should wear them. It makes them look old and wise like the olllllllllllllldest fox in the den or something. I am old enough to know foxes don't really wear glasses, but I like to think they do. Well, the old foxes. And maybe the old rabbits, and all the old animals. And I call them Grandfather and ask how they are, and sometimes they bow back politely, because animals have manners. Just like in the stories!
But I still don't know what he really wanted me to talk about, and now I can't think of anything to talk about because I'm really really thirsty, so I am going to push the button with the square on it, because that means stop, and then knock on the door and tell the nice man I am done, and ask if we can have tea now. He asks me how I "take my tea" just like I am a young lady and not a little girl. And I am a young lady! I'm already seven, you know. But now's time for tea and maybe I can get a cookie, so good bye!
Third person: There were exactly 27 books on the third shelf down of the left hand side bookcase. The bookend supporting the hollow space that, in Yunie’s opinion, should have just been more books, was a golden colored apple with a silver arrow stuck through it. Yunie found it hardly realistic, considering there wasn’t a dribbling gush of juice running from the piercings. That would be the best part of putting an arrow through an apple: when the skin splits to release the sweet flesh within, carrying a bouquet of scent to little noses…
“Oh, she’s just positively darling!” Yunie’s attention snapped away from imaginings of juicy apples to the perfume that accompanied the grating voice of the old woman in the overstuffed armchair, to whom the 27 books belonged. The little girl smiled politely, keeping her dainty ankles crossed and her arms tucked neatly in the arms of her kimono. Adults were positively insane. Yunie had decided this.
“And these are your means for keeping her?” The social worker was a nice enough man, short and balding, with glasses that he knit his brow over, making him look like a hoot owl. Yunie kept her face towards the woman, plump and grinning like the fat evil temple cat that used to torture the birds before biting their heads off. Her eyes, that kept shifting back and forth between the deliberating voices, now opened wide with the cat association. She could almost feel feathers growing on her arms. Oh, not her! Oh, not her! Please Mr. Cares for the Children Man, do not pick her as my new Mummy!
“As you can see, despite the way the world has turned, we have more than enough to keep up this beautiful house and support a sizable household to fill it. All we lack now is the laughter of a child and the pitter patter of little feet.” Ew, that grin again. Yunie held her expression, then ducked her head modestly as she reached out to trace the outline of a phoenix on the vase tabled next to her. “DON’T TOUCH THAT! … Ahaha, now little girl…”
Yunie utterly froze, cheeks puffing out in flabbergasted amazement as she looked up at the social worker. He looked down at her, flapping his arms a bit like rustling wings before he found control of himself. “Unh hunh.”
“Of course, we would do some extensive rearranging…”
Pleasepleasepleaseplease! She willed him to keep looking at her, to understand her thoughts and whisk her out of there post haste.
“We will certainly take all this into consideration.” Yunie nearly died to hear those words, but… the snap! of his file as he closed it, and the deftness with which he had his briefcase in hand and her own hand in his, pulling her up, was all she needed to be reassured: the odious woman would not be in her life much longer.
Though, of course, that meant… the search continued. With a whispered, "Thank you," Yunie squeezed the man's hand. After a hesitation, he smiled and squeezed back. Yunie nodded curtly to herself. But it would all work out in the end, wouldn't it?
