(no subject)

 PLAYER

» Journal: benelux @ dreamwidth

» Birthdate/Age: March 1987 // 25

» Characters Played: None

CHARACTER FACTS

» Name: Makoto Nanaya

» Canon: BlazBlue

» Reference: http://blazblue.wikia.com/wiki/Makoto_Nanaya

» Canon Point: Continuum Shift EXTEND, end of her Story Mode

» Gender: Female gender, female sex

» Age: Unknown, but likely 19-20; she has, after all, graduated from the NOL Military Academy, joined the military proper, and had enough time to both gain a fair amount of experience with her job, and to turn informant/double agent for Sector Seven. Still, since Carl Clover (still a boy, perhaps just barely pre-teen) has only (visibly) aged slightly between the scenes of him, Makoto, and the rest in the Academy and the main time period? It obviously hasn't been a huge amount of time.

 

CHARACTER INTERPRETATION

 

» Appearance: Makoto's a girl of average height and athletic build, although the latter sells her strengths short by a wide margin (something about beastkin muscles being superior to human ones, likely); as such, despite being (probably) the strongest playable character in the game (physically, I mean), she only ever looks toned, not properly muscular. Well, not that one's likely to notice, at least not right away; no, it's more likely that one would be distracted by the kemonomimi crap. As a beastkin, she is, well... akin to a beast; specifically, the squirrel. Her ears are high on her head, and decidedly fluffy (brown lumps sticking out of a mess of brown hair), and she has a huge, luxurious tail, which can often serve as a barometer for her mood (upright and curled when she's happy, frizzy when she's frustrated, rigid when she's getting ready to fight, etc.).

 

Let's talk about her fashion sense, or lack thereof; her battle costume is positively ridiculous. It's barely a costume at all, actually, given how little fabric is involved; just a half-vest (just barely enough to cover her absurdly large breasts down to the point of pseudo-decency, although there's still a hell of a lot of underboob going on), a skirt so short that I might as well call it a mud-flap (with a highly-visible high-strapped thong), thigh-highs, gloves (with her weapons of choice – a pair of tonfas – attached to the back), and tall boots. The majority of it – that is, the vest, the skirt, the gloves, and the boots – is of a generally orange colour scheme, and that parts that aren't orange are generally black.

 

Have an image: http://i.imgur.com/3AqWDot.png

 

» Suitability: N/A; her specific age might be ambiguous, but not the fact that she's an adult.

 

» Orientation: Unknown. She might have been a bit of a serial molester of her fellow girls back at the academy, but there's nothing to suggest that she derived any sexual gratification from it; instead, it's presented as friendly mischief, and a way to bond with her female friends.

 

» Personality: Makoto is a fairly unusual character, within the scope of her canon... and, honestly, within the scope of RP, in general. She's that elusive sort of individual that is well-adjusted. She's found... equilibrium in her life; she compartmentalizes, she thinks, she acts (mostly) rationally! I mean, granted, her battle outfit kind of calls this into question – as Kokonoe points out in an omake bit, she's “one stiff breeze or big sneeze away from a serious wardrobe malfunction” - but, even then, I'm sure there's some reasonable explanation, having to do with ease of movement or whatever.

 

Let's break this down into specifics; first of all, Makoto's private life. Now, we don't get to see much of it since the academy days – which is true of everyone's private lives – but, what we do see? Is that she's happy (at least, after a certain point, which I'll get to shortly). She jokes with her friends, acts silly – like an airhead, a lot of times, though we know that she isn't – and is just very, very affectionate. She loves life! And, most of all, she loves her friends. It might seem odd, given that she's in the military, but she makes it abundantly clear that she wishes they could all just live in peace. Well... they can't, of course; wouldn't be much of a fighting game if they could. So, instead, she seems to have settled for looking after her friends from the shadows!

 

...which, yes, I'm categorizing as part of her 'private life', despite that she's ostensibly 'on the clock' when she does it. See, she's in the Novus Orbis Librarium's Intelligence Division, under the command of a man named Hazama (who happens to be the main villain of the series thusfar); one could generally assume, then, that her job would have her looking out for the best interests of the NOL. However, in the interest of protecting her friends? She straight-up goes rogue. I mean, during Continuum Shift, her one friend – Tsubaki - is ordered – by the leader of their organization, no less – to assassinate their mutual friend Noel; do you think Makoto stands by and watches it happen? Nope. She does everything in her power to stop it! And though her efforts ultimately have little to do with the outcome (because she's a DLC character in Continuum Shift, and, as such, only has a limited role), she still was willing to put it all on the line to protect the both of them.

 

That probably makes it sound like she's not a very good employee, huh? I mean, military folks shouldn't really be stopping one another from completing their orders! Well... fair enough, that's true. However, let's set aside that part for a moment; it's a rare person (in real life, even) that never lets personal feelings affect their work! And, aside from that stuff? Makoto is stated to be very good at her job... and no wonder, given that intelligence work requires two things above all else: curiosity (which she has in spades), and the ability to lie (which she's also tragically good at; more on that later). When she does what's asked of her – and she usually does – her work is very, very good! Even more than that, though, she's... almost like a different person, when she's in 'spy mode'. While she's normally bouncy, bubbly, and affectionate-to-the-point-of-molestation, on the job? She's cool. Collected. Still a bit friendly, but it's the sort of friendly that tends to let others know that she's in control; a sort of friendliness that's also a threat, even. She can slip in and out of a cover story at will, and is apparently incredibly good at it; she's been a mole for Sector Seven nearly since day 1, and there's no evidence to suggest anyone knows about it that shouldn't.

 

...yes, you read that right: she's a mole. I'd like to gloss over that – since it's not satisfactorily explained in-game, what with Makoto brushing off Tager's question about her reason for it with a generic platitude about the world being interesting – but I really can't, since it seems to be supporting evidence for some of the conclusions Relius Clover draws about her, after... well, basically mind-raping her, in her bad ending. Makoto... has trust issues, to put it mildly. Once upon a time, when she was new to the NOL military academy, she was a very different girl: sullen, snarky, picked fights seemingly over nothing. And, why was that? Because people treated her like shit! She's a beastkin, after all; viewed as inferior by many, particularly those with significant privilege. She was constantly in trouble, of course; somehow, when people treated her horribly, and she retaliated, that retaliation was all that anyone noticed. It's only thanks to the constant badgering of Noel and Tsubaki – her roommates, whom she had previously brushed off as self-involved weirdos – that she snaps out of this string of poor behaviour, that she realizes that she's a person, just like any other, just as deserving of love and respect as anyone. Which... is all well and good, but. As much as she believes that, she seems to have trouble believing that anyone else thinks that way; even her friends, to a degree. She's constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop, for people to decide that she's not actually worth their time, and betray her. And, if people are going to betray her eventually... well, it's not really a problem to lie to them, or cheat them, right? Not that she's an abusive person, a user, or anything of that sort... she just doesn't have any particular compunctions about doing what she has to, to get the job done. And, that? That makes her one hell of a spy.

 

SAMPLES

At least one sample MUST demonstrate your character's feelings about or reactions to sex!

» First Person Sample Choice – Prompt 2:

 

[The video feed crackles on to show everyone's favourite squirrel-girl looking content beyond description... and, if you're wondering why, you need only look towards the bottom of the screen, where one can see several empty glasses, of the sort one serves a parfait in.]

 

Guys... I think I'm in love.

 

[Well, then.]

 

Sorry, dudes and dudettes, but I found my one true-blue sweetie, and her name is 'Nuts About Nuts'.

 

[Makoto rouses herself from her food-induced torpor, as her manner swiftly grows more manic; she's the sort that can get excited about almost anything... but nothing more than nuts.]

 

Seriously, I don't think you guys are getting this. It has candied walnuts, okay? Butter pecan ice cream!! Almond shavings!!!

 

[She holds her head in her hands, and squeals with joy, truly looking like a girl in love.]

 

I could just... I could literally eat this at every meal! Or just all the time, without stopping!

 

[Aaaand on cue, a waitress comes into view, plaes another of the delightful creations on the table at which this whole shoot is taking place, and removes some of the empty glasses; Makoto shoots the partly-seen woman a grateful look and broad smile, before tearing into the sweet situation.

 

After a moment, she comes up for air, but only long enough to give one final piece of advice:]

 

Seriously, unless you hate happiness, you guys gotta try this. Like, everyone should. It's amazing! It's legen-

 

[But her gushing was interrupted, then, by a fit of coughing... and, given the troubled look that passes over her face – quick, almost too quick to be seen – well. It isn't hard to guess that it's something worse than a piece of nut going down the wrong pipe.

 

A moment later, though, there was no evidence of distress left on her face, as she gives the camera a friendly wave.]

 

Alright, that's it for me, folks. Catch you later: same squirrel time, same squirrel channel.

 

[And, with that, she reaches out to adjust something on the device... but not to turn it off.]

 

[Private to Friends]

 

...or maybe just a quick commercial break.

 

[The expression she wears is a lot less bubbly and confident than it was a moment ago... and, given how reticent she is with regards to her more negative emotions, the fact that there's even a hint of worry visible should be worrying in and of itself.]

 

So... guess everyone gets to this point sooner or later, yeah? Feels kinda weird, though... asking your homies for a hook-up.

 

[She gives a little grin at that... and looks away for a brief moment; 'kinda weird' didn't even begin to cover it. It wasn't that she was a prude or anything; far from it, as anyone who'd ever met her could probably guess. And, it wasn't as though she was completely inexperienced; even as dour and combative as she used to be, there'd still been one or two people that she'd gotten close to, at least physically... but, never too close. Through her shirt, or maybe skirt, fine... but, to go all the way? That required trust... and Makoto had never been really good at trust. Hell, there were probably only two people in the whole damn world that she legitimately trusted, and neither of them were near at hand. If there were a real third option – beyond getting jiggy or getting dead – she would've taken it in a heartbeat... but, no such luck.

 

And she's not about to die here, just because she can't get over her basic distrust of other people; that would be just stupid, and, while Makoto had often been accused of being stupid, it wasn't actually the case.]

 

Anyone else need to loosen up? Or just wanna give a girl a hand-a-roonie, I'm not picky.

 

[She reaches out once more... but pauses, just as her fingers touch the device.]

 

And, ah... thanks. Y'know, in advance.

 

[One last warm smile, and she shuts off the recording.]

 

» Third Person Sample Choice: Prompt One

 

It was hard to pin down the moment that Makoto awoke; her first several 'conscious' minutes on Atia were spent in a dreamy sort of haze, as though there were a great grey area to pass through on her way to true wakefulness. What was her first fully conscious moment? Was it when she rolled over, and idly opened her eyes? Was it when she curled into a ball, grinning like an idiot, trying to ride out the last waves of pleasure her terribly-vivid dream had inspired? How about when she pushed away the covers, and just laid there on the unfamiliar bed, enjoying the cool air against her sweat-moistened (among other things) skin?

 

No, if we're going to point to a single moment, it's probably the moment her stupor came to an abrupt end; for, although she had been acting of her own volition until that point, she'd not been interacting with the world as it was. It was the moment she looked around, and saw nothing familiar, nothing she could grab onto, and extrapolate the remainder of her situation from.

 

The beastkin's eyes narrowed, as she pushed herself up, and tucked her feet underneath her; there was no sign of danger, of course, but that meant nothing. Had she been captured by someone? Anti-Library elements, perhaps? Not that there were a lot of those... and, she was way too low in the hierarchy to be worthwhile. A spur-of-the-moment kidnapping, then? Hm... unlikely; she had been so far from civilization that the only people she had to worry about were ones purposefully following her... and, as before, not likely.

 

...not a kidnapping, then? That made more sense, actually; as heavy a sleeper as she was, Makoto couldn't imagine staying asleep through an abduction. Perhaps... perhaps she'd gotten into trouble on the way to Kagutsuchi? Not broken bones; she could tell nothing was broken, just from stretching her limbs (although, her body felt a bit heavier than normal... probably just grogginess, though, and nothing to worry about). Seithr poisoning, then? Only a small part of the journey had been on foot, but... well, it was the most plausible thing she'd come up with so far.

 

Which wasn't saying much, really.

 

Gently, quietly, Makoto eased her way out of bed, trying her level best not to let any springs or floorboards squeak; it was true that the leading contender for 'what the hell happened' was a good samaritan coming to her aid during some unknown crisis, but... she just wasn't convinced enough to take any chances. Not without evidence.

 

Of course, that made her next course of action painfully obvious.

 

All it took was a quick glance out the room's one great picture window to tell that it wouldn't be of use; too high up and too exposed to be a point of egress, after all, no useful conversations audible (her hearing was better than human average, but hardly exceptional amongst beastkin), and an unfamiliar and nondescript (if pretty) vista. There was no television in the room, and no security cameras... meaning, the way she'd be getting useful information was the door. Not that it seemed likely that her captor/saviour would start gushing their life story right outside the door, but... well, she had to give it a shot, right? It wasn't as though she'd lose anything by trying, after all, and the opportunity to gain intelligence on the situation wasn't something she could ignore.

 

The squirrely spy's steps were positively silent, as she crept her way towards the door... and, as she did, she became vaguely aware of a sensation, like there was a noise that was just quiet enough, just muffled enough, that she couldn't be certain she was hearing it. From the other side of the door, perhaps? If so, she was in luck; her plan was going off without a hi-

 

...and then she stopped.

 

Along the wall that the door was on, a full-length mirror leaned. Had she the time and the lack of anxiety regarding her situation, Makoto might well have given in to the childish urge to make funny faces at herself in it, to flex, to do sexy poses, or possibly even DeNiro impressions; as it was, though, she discarded it from her mind completely. When she passed it, though... the reflection wasn't exactly what she was expecting. I mean, she was naked, obviously enough; she hadn't really 'not expected' that, but had, instead, dismissed it as irrelevant. What was unexpected, however, was the unobtrusive loop around her neck; looking closer, it appeared to be leather, made from weaving several smaller strips together. Actually, it was kind of cute, and doubly so thanks to the small acorn-shaped charm hanging from the front... but, it also bothered her. Why hadn't she noticed it earlier? It wasn't heavy, but it also wasn't weightless; she could certainly feel it now that she knew it was there. Could it have anything to do with that odd feeling in her muscles? That feeling of stiffness, of numbness and weakness? She'd dismissed that, as well, but...

 

...hmph. It deserved investigation, but not just yet; unlike the conversation she'd almost-heard a moment before, this choker/necklace/collar/whatever wasn't time-sensitive (or so she believed....).

 

As she covered the last few feet to the door, the noise – no, the conversation – became easier to hear, and even understand. Not all of it, mind; she was getting bits and pieces, and it was muffled enough for her not to be able to infer much about those speaking... but she did manage to make out a 'more of them every day', and how it was 'a bit disgusting, having to clean up afterwards'. Now, there are plenty of ways to interpret this... but, considering the inferences Makoto had been able to make thusfar, she could hardly be blamed for favouring one in particular: this wasn't just kidnapping... it was mass kidnapping, and possibly torture or execution. Just how the hell had she gotten caught up in something like this? And when and where had she been taken? Her memories after parting ways with Rachel were fairly jumbled and blurry, so little was certain... at least, she knew that she hadn't quite gotten to Kagutsuchi, not yet. The outskirts, perhaps? Not a bad place to pick off travelers, although she couldn't believe she'd been that careless...

 

Her train of thought pulls its emergency brake, though, as one of the two voices recedes into the distance, before falling fully silent; the other continues, although in a mumbling sort of way. Talking to themselves, in all likelihood, or possibly over a walkie-talkie... well, then, this could be her chance. If there's just one, and she has the element of surprise, then answers could easily be hers.

 

Makoto rests her hand lightly on the doorknob, listens carefully to the voice (in case it IS reporting over a walkie)... and, when it finally falls silent, she acts! In a flurry of motion, she tears open the door and springs through, reaching for what she estimates to be neck-height (hoping to grab the person by the collar of their shirt), and shouting, “Don't resist, chum!”

 

...but her hand stops, as the poor maid in the hallway screams bloody murder at what appears to be a naked, violent molester, hurls her armload of linens directly at the squirrel-girl's face, and takes off like a bat out of hell.

 

“What... the eff...,” was all the bewildered almost-attacker could manage, as she attempts to tunnel her way out of the mess of sheets and pillowcases; there hadn't been long for her to assess her would-be target, but... that had been a maid, hadn't it? There was no mistaking that sort of outfit, and the load of sheets that Makoto was now buried in only reinforced that idea. She scurries back into the room – dragging the linens with her – in order to finish sussing out this weird-as-shit situation... when, for the first time, she really takes a look at her surroundings.

 

Before, it had been enough to notice what was or wasn't there, and that she didn't recognize the place... but not, however, to analyze it. It was... well, 'a damned nice room' didn't even begin to cover it; it was lavish in the extreme, far nicer than the hovel she'd been raised in, or even her dorm room at the military academy. This was... more like the level of décor one would expect from the Duodecim, or at least minor nobility. But, then...

 

...no, dammit, it made sense, at least in part! This wasn't some kidnapper's dungeon – which she should have realized right away, to be honest – it was a damned hotel! An upscale one, at that. Obviously, whatever had happened to her, these people had been taking care of her; how else could one explain putting a beastkin – societally viewed as second-class citizens – in some of the finest digs around?

 

It wasn't a full explanation, not by a long-shot, but it was at least encouraging; enough, even, to convince her that she could simply approach her hosts, and ask for answers. Maybe they'd answer, maybe they wouldn't, but she was starting to think that she didn't have anything to fear from them, at least... and, in all likelihood, she owed them thanks! And an apology, in the case of that one poor maid.

 

“Alright, then...,” she mumbled to herself, as she pulled on her thigh-highs. “Step one: Figure out what the heck is up here.” Next came her underwear, and her hyper-miniskirt. “Step two! Stop besties from getting killed or killing each other.” On went the vest, and then the gloves. “Step three... huh.” She paused a moment... was there a third step? I mean, she could violently destroy Hazama, or Relius, or... or any number of people. She could run away with her friends, and live a simple life of honour and assorted nut meals. She could become a nun! The sky was really the limit... so, in the end she settled on: “...profit!” And, as she said that, she tied off the laces on her boots, and stood upright, fully (ish) clothed once more.

 

Nothing left to do but succeed, now; reach out and take hold of the future. “Look out, world...,” she whispered, as she flung open the door once more, and strolled out into the hall. “...because here comes a squirrel!”