Permissions
Jun. 27th, 2026 04:16 pm🦋 Player
Name: KJ
Active Times/Pace: Varies due to work commitments, but I'll usually hit tags at least once a day.
Brackets/Prose: I prefer brackets but can do prose.
Offensive Subjects & Triggers to Avoid: I can't think of any.
🦋 In Character
Physical Affection: Sure.
Physical Violence: Sure.
Relationships: Sure.
NPC Interaction: Sure.
Psychic & Psionic Information: She is very normal in this regard.
Magical Information: No magic here.
Medical Information: Very pale and trending towards too thin. In recovery from TB! In a few months I'll alter this again.
Offensive Subjects & Triggers Associated with This Character: Childhood abandonment, graphic gore (though I will never be explicit with this), harm to animals, harm to children, sexual assault, human sexuality, self-mutilation, depression.
🦋 Out Of Character
Backtagging: Backtag forever, baby.
Threadhopping: Usually fine! If in doubt, check first but the answer is probably gonna be sure go ahead.
Fourthwalling: I don't mind people recognising Makie from her canon but I'd prefer she isn't made aware of the fact.
Not Interested In: Smut. I don't mind relationships but I'm a fade-to-black kinda gal.
Character Application - Pixie Led
Jun. 27th, 2026 04:12 pm🦋 OOC Information
Name: KJContact: kayjayyy on Plurk
Age: 21+
Other Characters: None.
Invitation: Link
Permissions: Link
🦋 IC Information
Character Name: Makie Otono-TachibanaAge: 24 (estimate)
Canon: Blade of the Immortal
Canon Point: Her death in vol. 30.
Character History: Makie's wiki link is barebones so I've written out her history here.
Canon Abilities: Makie can sing beautifully and is a skilled shamisen player, specialising in melancholy songs that tear at the heart. She's also a kinesthetic genius and the most skilled swordsman in 1780s Japan, fighting with unconventional weapons but has been shown to curbstomp her opponents no matter what weapon she has. Her martial theory and sense of space on the battlefield is excellent and she moves so fast she usually ends her fights without a single drop of blood on her. (Usually. She dies practically soaked in blood.) She's also a dab hand at conversation and the arts, having had some noble education and work as a geisha.
Inventory: Her clothing (bullet-torn and bloodstained), her weapon (a three-section pike) and a small handful of pills that suppress her tuberculosis symptoms. They're unlikely to last her very long.
🦋 Personality
Has your character always believed in magic? Do they have something influencing their perspective on the supernatural/metaphysical/spiritual from their past? How do they feel about magic?Makie is open to the idea of magic, or the supernatural in general-- for instance, she knows of two immortal men, capable of getting up and re-attaching limbs after they've been severed. One of them has lived for centuries. It's her only brush with an actual condition that cannot be explained, and she doesn't seem shocked when faced with it. However, this is less due to any strong belief in magic and more due to her lack of caring how it's possible or that it may exist in the first place. She doesn't particularly think about it past calculating idly what it would take to kill one of them outright. However, it does mean that, if and when faced with other magic, she's more likely to accept it at face value, though she may initially be taken by surprise at such weirdness. (Mostly, I suspect she'll have a "sure, this may as well happen" response to such things.)
If your character could ask for one wish, and it's going to be magically granted without any consequence, what will it be and why?
She would wish that her mother had been allowed to spend her life comfortable, content, and healthy, instead of suffering the undignified end she met in a brothel. Makie daydreamed as a child that her father would realise he'd made a horrible mistake and come to take them home, and she'd give anything for that to be a reality, at least as far as her mother was concerned--although given her anger for her father, she would have settled for one of her mother's richer patrons to fall in love with her and buy her contract out. Fuki deserved a far better end than the one she got for the crime of loving her daughter, and it's a sacrifice that Makie can never hope to repay now that she is dead. There'd be no contest.
If there's one person your character would follow to another realm, who would it be and why?
Kagehisa Anotsu. Her first student, the man she loves, her husband-- and also the man capable of getting her to cross her own moral event horizon, because at the start of the manga she still finds the fact she can dole out death so easily incredibly unnerving, and she goes to pieces every time she stops to think about it. She gives assassination a good try just because she loves him and finds she cannot go through with it - but when his life is in danger, she crosses that point of no return and, from that point on, she fights to kill with no hesitation. Moreover, while she is highly melancholy with suicidal ideation through most of the story, it's near the end when she realises that Anotsu has lost everyone and everything else that she starts to show signs of life, of actually wanting to live, because she's the only thing he has left and he needs her. Makie does still have morals and a surprising amount of compassion, but she'll disregard both in the name of loving and protecting Anotsu. Of course she'd follow him wherever he went. If he'd died before she did in the manga, I've no doubt she would have followed him into death shortly thereafter.
Your character gets to return home, but when they do they learn that they've been gone for hundreds of years. How do they react?
It largely depends on how long it's been and what has happened in the meantime, and who she runs into when she arrives. Assuming Makie has found some kind of contentment and no longer carries a death wish, she would spend a period of time being utterly bewildered and probably a little disassociated and allow herself to be guided by the whims of whoever she meets first for a while, providing they don't try to physically harm her. Thus she could end up anywhere from a women's shelter to a well-meaning person's home to another brothel, but it would only be for as long as it took for her to adjust and realise she was there to stay. Once she did... well, Makie had no love of her own world except for Anotsu, and he's long dead. She would likely do her best to acclimatise, find a way to earn her keep as an entertainer, and attempt to track down stories of Manji, who was immortal and so--she hopes--would be here somewhere. But even if she couldn't find him, I think coming face to face with life centuries past the strict roles for women in her own time would mean Makie would eventually manage to find a modest living for herself and at least have some peace, so I think she would do just fine in the end. (Honestly, if she meets a lot of women from more modern Japan in Pixie Led, she would grow to wish she'd been born in such a time, so being displaced by centuries would not be particularly worrying for her past the learning curve.)
🦋 Fae Court
1. Winter2. Dusk
3. Dark
Ability: Do you want your character to gain the ability of their court?
1) No, they will retain their canon abilities.
🦋 RP Samples
Recent Pixie Led TDM.Previous Pixie Led TDM.
Makie is an entirely new type of character for me and is likely to be rough for a while for a variety of reasons. Please don't hesitate to crit me here if you think I'm either getting her voice wrong, getting the setting wrong (mid-Tokugawa), or anything else you think I'm not taking into account.
(no subject)
May. 23rd, 2016 08:15 pmHISTORY:
Please note: I've had to write out her history because it does not exist online in any accurate form. If you want to spot check accuracy, Makie appears mostly at volumes 3, 13-14, and 28-30. (Vol 3 has her entire backstory.)
Makie was born into a samurai family famed for its talent in swordsmanship in approximately 1758, the second child after a brother five years older than she was. Her father was Yoshiaki Harukawa and her mother was Fuki. When she was ten years old, her older brother, urged into it as a prank by his peers, challenged her to a duel. It wasn’t serious — more just teenage boys having some fun. But that didn’t stop Makie from defeating him three times in a row without him ever landing a strike. The bloodline had passed its talent into the daughter, not the son.
Humiliated, her brother committed seppuku rather than live with the shame that he had been beaten by his own sister. In rage, Harukawa disowned Makie — and his own wife, when Fuki attempted to defend her daughter — casting them out onto the street. Fuki was forced to find work in a brothel to support them both, and Makie was left with a great anger for her father for doing this to her mother, and anger to her mother for just accepting it — but also an overwhelming shame and sadness at both their situation and her role in it.
As the child of a whore, Makie spent a lot of time either keeping out of the way or wandering the streets (it’s clear at least that she doesn’t become a prostitute herself until much later). She continues to practice with the sword despite the stigma it brings, her goal to one day return to her old home and her father to kill him for the dishonour done to her mother. After that, she fully intends to kill herself. Makie is not a happy child.
At the age of twelve, she meets Anotsu Kagehisa in the wastelands for the first time. Both of them children, she saves him from the attack of a wild doge. It was the first time she’d ever heard praise for being able to use a sword, and he asked her at that point to teach him; that he stay by her side always, and learn from her. She agrees, but her only request is that some day he become stronger than she is, because at least one man should be stronger than she is. It’s while they’re talking that Anotsu’s grandfather comes across them and, realising that his grandson was saved by a girl, flies into a rage and beats both children bloody. He intends to kill Makie to preserve Anotsu's honour, and then recognises her at the last moment for the infamous disowned daughter of the Harukawa clan… and instead beats her near half to death and leaves both Makie and her weapon on a tree branch in the field, saying the blood would draw every wild dog for miles, and that Makie’s fate was now in the hands of the gods.
Anotsu returns to the field the next day to find the corpses of fifty wild dogs strewn across the field and no Makie. When he reports this to his grandfather, the man laughs, claims he was right, and tells Anotsu the story of Makie's shame. This incident goes at least partway to helping Anotsu define what he wants out of his own life, which is creating his own no-holds-barred sword school, where there is no shame to be found in what weapon you use or what gender you are; only that you are strong and you can fight.
What happens in the next years until 1782 is very vaguely defined. Makie and Anotsu do see each other again, at least enough for them to grow to know each other, for Anotsu to learn from her, for Makie to fall in love with him. But they obviously lose track of each other somewhere along the way; most likely near the point that Makie’s mother Fuki, suffering from tuberculosis, passes away. Fuki spent the last of her days in the pleasure houses, and Makie is ashamed of that life for her, still intending to go back to avenge Fuki’s disgrace some day… but Fuki is against Makie’s vendetta, and tells Makie instead that if she wanted to be a swordsman, to “become a whore instead” because it was the better choice.
So she does. One assumes she is honouring her mother’s last wishes, or that there is debt for her mother’s medical treatment that needs to be repaid. These are likely both reasons. But another is that Makie is a deeply sad and confused woman, always swinging from one goal to another and unsure what she should do with her life… perhaps all of these things are behind her decision to follow in her mother’s footsteps and become a prostitute. What else can such a woman do? What else does she deserve? It’s there that Anotsu finds her again, in 1782, where he buys out the last of her contract from the brothel, setting her free on the streets again, and tells her of his own situation: that he has formed his new school, the Itto-Ryu, but there is a swordsman by the name of Manji who is intent on murdering them all due to a vendetta of revenge. By pledge of honour, Makie becomes a swordswoman of the Itto-Ryu. She also becomes a geisha at about the same time in order to make the money to pay Anotsu back for the money he’s spent on her behalf, despite Anotsu saying with irritation that he never asked for such a thing.
Soon after, things happen in quick succession. She finds Manji in the street and approaches him under the guise of a streetwalking prostitute, luring him into the back alleys with intent to kill him, because that’s what Anotsu wants. They have their first fight, but Makie’s heart is not in it — she loses. Manji, believing she’s an amateur, delivers a lecture and walks off, leaving her alive. Anotsu finds her a few days later to question both how the fight went and why she’s working as a geisha. He refuses to believe she could have genuinely lost to Manji, because she is the only swordsman alive capable of beating him. Makie says:
“My mother said something to me once. I just remembered it the other day. If I wanted to live by killing people, to be a swordfighter, then to become a whore instead. That’s what she said. So go ahead-- laugh at me. This pathetic person… who doesn’t have it in her to be either one.”
Anotsu then claims that one day, he will make her his woman. Makie cries, believing he’s only after her skill with a sword — she could be so happy otherwise. He kisses her, then tells her he won’t have her wasting her talent, and leaves her alone on the bridge.
It’s while she’s there composing herself that three thugs arrive to state they were there to take her back to her original brothel, because the manager was happy to get so much money for her, but was sure he’d go out of business without his “best show piece”. Makie quietly says she understands—- and cuts her hair off. She's made her decision, and her worth as a prostitute certainly goes down without all that hair. Then she slaughters all three of them on the bridge in a matter of seconds. And the following day, she tells Anotsu that she will be his when she brings him back Manji’s head.
Cue her second fight with Manji, much more vicious this time, where it’s clear that Manji doesn’t stand a chance against her — but she still loses her nerve midfight, and is encouraged by Manji of all people, saying that if he was going to be offed in the street, at least let it be in a way he didn’t regret; for Makie to remember the reason she took up the sword in the first place, cling to it, and fight. She thanks him for it, they resume their fight, and Makie wins. Before she can deliver the final blow, however, Manji’s travelling partner, a young girl called Rin, intervenes to protect him — and Makie decides this is not what she wants to do, turning her back on Manji — and thus Anotsu — and instead making the choice to return home to her father, to finally avenge her mother’s treatment at his hands.
When she finally finds her father, he is both sick with the last stages of tuberculosis himself and quite demented, now living in a tiny hovel in a farming village, having fallen so far, deeply mourning the loss of his wife and his daughter and he is so happy when Makie walks in the door, pleading for news of his wife, giving her a beautiful hair comb to take back, begging for Makie to leave and come back with Fuki so that he can make amends. Her heart moved by pity, unable to go through with her intentions, Makie lies about Fuki’s death and says she’s doing well, agreeing to bring her back, and leaves again. She hasn’t gone very far when she visibly reminds herself that she didn’t come here to be a bleeding heart, that Fuki deserved this vengeance, and she rushes back to the hovel to mete out justice—only to find that her father has breathed his last and coughed himself to death on the floor.
So after a long life of perceived shame and failure, the way she fails in every conceivable way when it comes to her lifelong goal to avenge her mother’s disgrace is enough to induce a breakdown into full despair and depression, and Makie takes up living in her father’s old hovel. She sews her sword hand shut, makes raincoats for the couriers that travel through this tiny village, and sells her body, intent on causing as little harm to the lives of others as possible, intent on speedily making the funds to repay Anotsu for buying out her original contract.
When Anotsu finds her some weeks later, he's angered by how low she's sunk, and she points out this is a life she can make for herself wherein she's self-sufficient and can't hurt anyone. She repays her debt, and he leaves-- only to return minutes later to take her off guard in the middle of a breakdown, at which point Anotsu discovers both that she's smoking some kind of illicit substance (assumed opium-- never confirmed) and the damage to her sword hand. After she rails and cries at him that this is the only way she can seek penance for the damage she's done, he points out its complete idiocy and that she solves nothing by withdrawing the way she has. Instead, Anotsu tells her to take the pain of him removing the string from her hand as a form of penance on its own, treats her hand, and then quietly leaves while she's asleep.
Once she awakens she's lucid enough to realise that Anotsu looked very ill (he has the onset of tetanus), and sets off after him at once, only to track him down as he and some others are being ambushed by a good dozen men. There, Makie makes her final choice when it comes to killing; she's no assassin as Anotsu tried to use her earlier, but in order to protect him she will cross all lines. With all inhibitions gone, she decimates the opposing force, stepping back only to allow the last survivor to fight Anotsu one on one. Anotsu wins, and Makie and a fellow member of the Itto-Ryu spirit Anotsu off to get him medical help and rest. From that point, Makie's role in the Itto-Ryu is cemented.
She vanishes from the manga for some time after that, surfacing months later as already having contracted tuberculosis herself. Ironically, now that she's ill, Anotsu is more focused on keeping her out of the fighting which, now she's decided her place is by his side, leads to some mild arguments. Meanwhile, Anotsu's own ambitions have turned sour as the Shogunate-- who orchestrated the events that had him attacked earlier-- have perceived the Itto-Ryu as being enough of a threat that he is threatened with the full might of the Shogunate forces unless he leaves Japan. A lot of complicated things happen at this point, at which Makie is only on the sidelines of, so I'll spare another six paragraphs-- in the end, what happens is Anotsu and the last of the Itto-Ryu depart, making for the coast to exit Japan, pursued by two sets of men from the Shogunate with conflicting motivations. Concerned about Makie's illness, Anotsu leaves her behind.
Makie refuses to be left behind and arrives at the coast just before Anotsu, and just before Manji and Rin from earlier also turn up, still seeking to settle their vendetta against Anotsu. She takes refuge on one of the fishing boats that she knows will be used to leave, conserving her strength, and thus is there when the first group from the shogunate arrive and mercilessly start slaughtering all people on board the boats at the docks. Makie enters a pitched fight against both the shogunate forces and the ports authority militia, until her illness makes battle impossible and she falls. Before she can be killed, however, Manji intervenes to save her life and pass her medicine that will suppress her symptoms (one assumes as payback for their earlier encounter), and the two of them join forces. They're soon joined by Rin and Anotsu, who is somewhat exasperated that Makie pursued him, but acknowledges it as fair.
Fighting breaks out all along the docks between the four of them and the various groups that have turned up seeking Anotsu's head, and the four of them separate to deal with different fights; healthier than she's felt in a long time, Makie deals with a good three quarters of them herself, dealing with the less skilled before facing off against a more elite group. She's not particularly interested in killing so much as she is interested in keeping them away from Anotsu so he can have his one on one fight with the group's leader, and to that end, rather than risk them breaking and running because she's too skilled, fakes the return of her symptoms-- to the point of biting off the tip of her own tongue to simulate internal bleeding and luring them in close for the kill. However, at the end, the battle is joined at the last moment by Hyakurin, a woman who is the pregnant partner of one of Makie's opponents, and rather than risk Hyakurin's death her partner instead requests that Makie please let them live as they are now too injured to fight.
Makie leaves them in peace (after lecturing Hyakurin for jumping down a cliff when she's pregnant) and crosses the docks to find Anotsu. She catches sight of him and smiles-- and at that point, the artillery brigade that's just arrived on the clifftops above them open fire, injuring Anotsu, killing another on the field, and riddling Makie multiple times. Anotsu manages to get her to shelter and realises she won't survive, and he's now pinned down where he is. Makie finally asks him if he ever managed to surpass her, and he says he could not. And she's glad, because that means she still had a reason to be by his side.
Then she collects her weapon, uses it to leverage her way up the cliff face, and uses the last of her strength to decimate the artillery squad, saving Anotsu's life one last time before she finally succumbs to her injuries.
Please note: I've had to write out her history because it does not exist online in any accurate form. If you want to spot check accuracy, Makie appears mostly at volumes 3, 13-14, and 28-30. (Vol 3 has her entire backstory.)
Makie was born into a samurai family famed for its talent in swordsmanship in approximately 1758, the second child after a brother five years older than she was. Her father was Yoshiaki Harukawa and her mother was Fuki. When she was ten years old, her older brother, urged into it as a prank by his peers, challenged her to a duel. It wasn’t serious — more just teenage boys having some fun. But that didn’t stop Makie from defeating him three times in a row without him ever landing a strike. The bloodline had passed its talent into the daughter, not the son.
Humiliated, her brother committed seppuku rather than live with the shame that he had been beaten by his own sister. In rage, Harukawa disowned Makie — and his own wife, when Fuki attempted to defend her daughter — casting them out onto the street. Fuki was forced to find work in a brothel to support them both, and Makie was left with a great anger for her father for doing this to her mother, and anger to her mother for just accepting it — but also an overwhelming shame and sadness at both their situation and her role in it.
As the child of a whore, Makie spent a lot of time either keeping out of the way or wandering the streets (it’s clear at least that she doesn’t become a prostitute herself until much later). She continues to practice with the sword despite the stigma it brings, her goal to one day return to her old home and her father to kill him for the dishonour done to her mother. After that, she fully intends to kill herself. Makie is not a happy child.
At the age of twelve, she meets Anotsu Kagehisa in the wastelands for the first time. Both of them children, she saves him from the attack of a wild doge. It was the first time she’d ever heard praise for being able to use a sword, and he asked her at that point to teach him; that he stay by her side always, and learn from her. She agrees, but her only request is that some day he become stronger than she is, because at least one man should be stronger than she is. It’s while they’re talking that Anotsu’s grandfather comes across them and, realising that his grandson was saved by a girl, flies into a rage and beats both children bloody. He intends to kill Makie to preserve Anotsu's honour, and then recognises her at the last moment for the infamous disowned daughter of the Harukawa clan… and instead beats her near half to death and leaves both Makie and her weapon on a tree branch in the field, saying the blood would draw every wild dog for miles, and that Makie’s fate was now in the hands of the gods.
Anotsu returns to the field the next day to find the corpses of fifty wild dogs strewn across the field and no Makie. When he reports this to his grandfather, the man laughs, claims he was right, and tells Anotsu the story of Makie's shame. This incident goes at least partway to helping Anotsu define what he wants out of his own life, which is creating his own no-holds-barred sword school, where there is no shame to be found in what weapon you use or what gender you are; only that you are strong and you can fight.
What happens in the next years until 1782 is very vaguely defined. Makie and Anotsu do see each other again, at least enough for them to grow to know each other, for Anotsu to learn from her, for Makie to fall in love with him. But they obviously lose track of each other somewhere along the way; most likely near the point that Makie’s mother Fuki, suffering from tuberculosis, passes away. Fuki spent the last of her days in the pleasure houses, and Makie is ashamed of that life for her, still intending to go back to avenge Fuki’s disgrace some day… but Fuki is against Makie’s vendetta, and tells Makie instead that if she wanted to be a swordsman, to “become a whore instead” because it was the better choice.
So she does. One assumes she is honouring her mother’s last wishes, or that there is debt for her mother’s medical treatment that needs to be repaid. These are likely both reasons. But another is that Makie is a deeply sad and confused woman, always swinging from one goal to another and unsure what she should do with her life… perhaps all of these things are behind her decision to follow in her mother’s footsteps and become a prostitute. What else can such a woman do? What else does she deserve? It’s there that Anotsu finds her again, in 1782, where he buys out the last of her contract from the brothel, setting her free on the streets again, and tells her of his own situation: that he has formed his new school, the Itto-Ryu, but there is a swordsman by the name of Manji who is intent on murdering them all due to a vendetta of revenge. By pledge of honour, Makie becomes a swordswoman of the Itto-Ryu. She also becomes a geisha at about the same time in order to make the money to pay Anotsu back for the money he’s spent on her behalf, despite Anotsu saying with irritation that he never asked for such a thing.
Soon after, things happen in quick succession. She finds Manji in the street and approaches him under the guise of a streetwalking prostitute, luring him into the back alleys with intent to kill him, because that’s what Anotsu wants. They have their first fight, but Makie’s heart is not in it — she loses. Manji, believing she’s an amateur, delivers a lecture and walks off, leaving her alive. Anotsu finds her a few days later to question both how the fight went and why she’s working as a geisha. He refuses to believe she could have genuinely lost to Manji, because she is the only swordsman alive capable of beating him. Makie says:
“My mother said something to me once. I just remembered it the other day. If I wanted to live by killing people, to be a swordfighter, then to become a whore instead. That’s what she said. So go ahead-- laugh at me. This pathetic person… who doesn’t have it in her to be either one.”
Anotsu then claims that one day, he will make her his woman. Makie cries, believing he’s only after her skill with a sword — she could be so happy otherwise. He kisses her, then tells her he won’t have her wasting her talent, and leaves her alone on the bridge.
It’s while she’s there composing herself that three thugs arrive to state they were there to take her back to her original brothel, because the manager was happy to get so much money for her, but was sure he’d go out of business without his “best show piece”. Makie quietly says she understands—- and cuts her hair off. She's made her decision, and her worth as a prostitute certainly goes down without all that hair. Then she slaughters all three of them on the bridge in a matter of seconds. And the following day, she tells Anotsu that she will be his when she brings him back Manji’s head.
Cue her second fight with Manji, much more vicious this time, where it’s clear that Manji doesn’t stand a chance against her — but she still loses her nerve midfight, and is encouraged by Manji of all people, saying that if he was going to be offed in the street, at least let it be in a way he didn’t regret; for Makie to remember the reason she took up the sword in the first place, cling to it, and fight. She thanks him for it, they resume their fight, and Makie wins. Before she can deliver the final blow, however, Manji’s travelling partner, a young girl called Rin, intervenes to protect him — and Makie decides this is not what she wants to do, turning her back on Manji — and thus Anotsu — and instead making the choice to return home to her father, to finally avenge her mother’s treatment at his hands.
When she finally finds her father, he is both sick with the last stages of tuberculosis himself and quite demented, now living in a tiny hovel in a farming village, having fallen so far, deeply mourning the loss of his wife and his daughter and he is so happy when Makie walks in the door, pleading for news of his wife, giving her a beautiful hair comb to take back, begging for Makie to leave and come back with Fuki so that he can make amends. Her heart moved by pity, unable to go through with her intentions, Makie lies about Fuki’s death and says she’s doing well, agreeing to bring her back, and leaves again. She hasn’t gone very far when she visibly reminds herself that she didn’t come here to be a bleeding heart, that Fuki deserved this vengeance, and she rushes back to the hovel to mete out justice—only to find that her father has breathed his last and coughed himself to death on the floor.
So after a long life of perceived shame and failure, the way she fails in every conceivable way when it comes to her lifelong goal to avenge her mother’s disgrace is enough to induce a breakdown into full despair and depression, and Makie takes up living in her father’s old hovel. She sews her sword hand shut, makes raincoats for the couriers that travel through this tiny village, and sells her body, intent on causing as little harm to the lives of others as possible, intent on speedily making the funds to repay Anotsu for buying out her original contract.
When Anotsu finds her some weeks later, he's angered by how low she's sunk, and she points out this is a life she can make for herself wherein she's self-sufficient and can't hurt anyone. She repays her debt, and he leaves-- only to return minutes later to take her off guard in the middle of a breakdown, at which point Anotsu discovers both that she's smoking some kind of illicit substance (assumed opium-- never confirmed) and the damage to her sword hand. After she rails and cries at him that this is the only way she can seek penance for the damage she's done, he points out its complete idiocy and that she solves nothing by withdrawing the way she has. Instead, Anotsu tells her to take the pain of him removing the string from her hand as a form of penance on its own, treats her hand, and then quietly leaves while she's asleep.
Once she awakens she's lucid enough to realise that Anotsu looked very ill (he has the onset of tetanus), and sets off after him at once, only to track him down as he and some others are being ambushed by a good dozen men. There, Makie makes her final choice when it comes to killing; she's no assassin as Anotsu tried to use her earlier, but in order to protect him she will cross all lines. With all inhibitions gone, she decimates the opposing force, stepping back only to allow the last survivor to fight Anotsu one on one. Anotsu wins, and Makie and a fellow member of the Itto-Ryu spirit Anotsu off to get him medical help and rest. From that point, Makie's role in the Itto-Ryu is cemented.
She vanishes from the manga for some time after that, surfacing months later as already having contracted tuberculosis herself. Ironically, now that she's ill, Anotsu is more focused on keeping her out of the fighting which, now she's decided her place is by his side, leads to some mild arguments. Meanwhile, Anotsu's own ambitions have turned sour as the Shogunate-- who orchestrated the events that had him attacked earlier-- have perceived the Itto-Ryu as being enough of a threat that he is threatened with the full might of the Shogunate forces unless he leaves Japan. A lot of complicated things happen at this point, at which Makie is only on the sidelines of, so I'll spare another six paragraphs-- in the end, what happens is Anotsu and the last of the Itto-Ryu depart, making for the coast to exit Japan, pursued by two sets of men from the Shogunate with conflicting motivations. Concerned about Makie's illness, Anotsu leaves her behind.
Makie refuses to be left behind and arrives at the coast just before Anotsu, and just before Manji and Rin from earlier also turn up, still seeking to settle their vendetta against Anotsu. She takes refuge on one of the fishing boats that she knows will be used to leave, conserving her strength, and thus is there when the first group from the shogunate arrive and mercilessly start slaughtering all people on board the boats at the docks. Makie enters a pitched fight against both the shogunate forces and the ports authority militia, until her illness makes battle impossible and she falls. Before she can be killed, however, Manji intervenes to save her life and pass her medicine that will suppress her symptoms (one assumes as payback for their earlier encounter), and the two of them join forces. They're soon joined by Rin and Anotsu, who is somewhat exasperated that Makie pursued him, but acknowledges it as fair.
Fighting breaks out all along the docks between the four of them and the various groups that have turned up seeking Anotsu's head, and the four of them separate to deal with different fights; healthier than she's felt in a long time, Makie deals with a good three quarters of them herself, dealing with the less skilled before facing off against a more elite group. She's not particularly interested in killing so much as she is interested in keeping them away from Anotsu so he can have his one on one fight with the group's leader, and to that end, rather than risk them breaking and running because she's too skilled, fakes the return of her symptoms-- to the point of biting off the tip of her own tongue to simulate internal bleeding and luring them in close for the kill. However, at the end, the battle is joined at the last moment by Hyakurin, a woman who is the pregnant partner of one of Makie's opponents, and rather than risk Hyakurin's death her partner instead requests that Makie please let them live as they are now too injured to fight.
Makie leaves them in peace (after lecturing Hyakurin for jumping down a cliff when she's pregnant) and crosses the docks to find Anotsu. She catches sight of him and smiles-- and at that point, the artillery brigade that's just arrived on the clifftops above them open fire, injuring Anotsu, killing another on the field, and riddling Makie multiple times. Anotsu manages to get her to shelter and realises she won't survive, and he's now pinned down where he is. Makie finally asks him if he ever managed to surpass her, and he says he could not. And she's glad, because that means she still had a reason to be by his side.
Then she collects her weapon, uses it to leverage her way up the cliff face, and uses the last of her strength to decimate the artillery squad, saving Anotsu's life one last time before she finally succumbs to her injuries.
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
History (Abridged)
Jan. 26th, 2014 01:57 pm- Born in 1758, to a samurai family famed for its swordsmanship. Her older brother jokingly challenged her to a duel. Makie defeated him three times without him ever landing a strike. He committed seppuku. Her father Harukawa disowned Makie — and his wife, when Fuki defended her daughter — casting them out onto the street.
- Saves Anotsu Kagehisa from the attack of a wild dog. Anotsu’s grandfather comes across them and, realising that his grandson was saved by a girl, beats Makie half to death and leaves both Makie and her weapon on a tree branch in the field. Anotsu returns to the field the next day to find the corpses of fifty wild dogs strewn across the field and no Makie.
- Fuki passes away. Makie becomes a prostitute to repay her mother’s medical debts.
- Anotsu buys out her contract and asks her to kill Manji, who is intent on killing him to help Rin get revenge for her parents’ deaths. She makes a half-hearted attempt to kill Manji and finds she cannot go through with it, instead leaving to find her father.
- Harukawa is sick with tuberculosis and demented, mourning the loss of his wife and daughter in a tiny hovel. Moved by pity, Makie says Fuki is doing well and leaves. Then she reminds herself she didn’t come here to be a bleeding heart, and rushes back to find him dead on the floor. She breaks down.
- Makie takes up living in her father’s hovel. She sews her sword hand shut and sells her body, intent on making the funds to repay Anotsu for buying out her contract.
- When Anotsu finds her, he's angered by how low she's sunk. She repays her debt, and he leaves-- only to return minutes later to take her off guard in the middle of a breakdown. Anotsu discovers her opium habit and her crippled sword hand. He treats her hand and leaves while she's asleep.
- Once she awakens she realises Anotsu looked ill and follows him, to find him being ambushed by a dozen men. Makie is no assassin, but in order to protect him she crosses all lines. She decimates the opposing force. Makie's role as Anotsu’s bodyguard is cemented.
- She contracts tuberculosis. Anotsu is wanted by the Shogunate and leaves for the coast to exit Japan. Concerned about Makie's illness, Anotsu leaves her behind.
- Makie pursues Anotsu. She enters a pitched fight against both shogunate forces and the ports authority militia, until her illness makes battle impossible. Before she can be killed, Manji intervenes and gives her medicine to suppress her symptoms. They're soon joined by Rin and Anotsu.
- Fighting continues with Makie doing an efficient sweep until an artillery brigade opens fire, injuring Anotsu and riddling Makie multiple times. She uses the last of her strength to decimate the artillery squad, saving Anotsu's life one last time before succumbing to her injuries.
[Makie has been feeling restless lately. Usually content to live her days out in obscurity, she finds herself going out of her way to sit and people-watch more and more. It's still much the same thing. She's just...being obscure in company that doesn't notice. Yes. Or something.
If she were honest with herself, she'd know she was looking for someone in particular. She's been thinking of similarities lately. It's a nostalgia and a hurt, deep inside, knowing she will never go back to the person she truly loves. If this is her life now, here in Luceti...surely it's all right to move on and consider another? Even if the similarities she noted are stretched thin by further meetings...
But Makie is rarely honest. So she fidgets and is restless, and today after work at the restaurant, she breaks from usual routine to go shopping. The clothing store, trying on different outfits that aren't as traditional as her normal kimono. She remembers wearing jeans fondly in her other life. She ends up going home with a pair today. (She may never wear them, but hey. You never know.)
She goes to the item store for a more serious look at any hair ornaments she can find, and finds herself faintly regretting she ever cut her hair short. That one last memory, of fingers gently letting her hair down in the moonlight on the bridge. Only the more she thinks about it, the more the faintly disapproving face of her memories is replaced by another.
She goes to the teahouse to try and calm the unsettled feeling to her nerves, and ends up staring into space for a long time, unless interrupted by passers by.
She doesn't visit the battle dome at all, for once. Instead, once she's done at the tea house, she explores the village, hoping for a glimpse of someone in particular. It's...not unusual. She just enjoys the company of someone so intelligent. That's all it is.
There is nothing wrong here whatsoever.]
If she were honest with herself, she'd know she was looking for someone in particular. She's been thinking of similarities lately. It's a nostalgia and a hurt, deep inside, knowing she will never go back to the person she truly loves. If this is her life now, here in Luceti...surely it's all right to move on and consider another? Even if the similarities she noted are stretched thin by further meetings...
But Makie is rarely honest. So she fidgets and is restless, and today after work at the restaurant, she breaks from usual routine to go shopping. The clothing store, trying on different outfits that aren't as traditional as her normal kimono. She remembers wearing jeans fondly in her other life. She ends up going home with a pair today. (She may never wear them, but hey. You never know.)
She goes to the item store for a more serious look at any hair ornaments she can find, and finds herself faintly regretting she ever cut her hair short. That one last memory, of fingers gently letting her hair down in the moonlight on the bridge. Only the more she thinks about it, the more the faintly disapproving face of her memories is replaced by another.
She goes to the teahouse to try and calm the unsettled feeling to her nerves, and ends up staring into space for a long time, unless interrupted by passers by.
She doesn't visit the battle dome at all, for once. Instead, once she's done at the tea house, she explores the village, hoping for a glimpse of someone in particular. It's...not unusual. She just enjoys the company of someone so intelligent. That's all it is.
There is nothing wrong here whatsoever.]
[Action all over]
Sep. 18th, 2013 07:39 pm[It's not so much that Makie has a clean bill of health-- she needs to keep taking this medication for another four months or so, by the clinic's reports. But she hasn't had a coughing fit in weeks and feels pretty healthy, all things considered-- just a little drained, that's all. And now, she's passed the bar of her illness. She's no longer contagious.
Which means she can stop holing herself up in her room and start going forward with plans to actually, you know...
...live a little.
What a concept.
She still doesn't go out until the afternoon though, tracking down Saori (and other house members if they're around) to inform them of a decision she's made during her convalescence. And then likely packing what very few things she has, and putting haru-no-okina through some well-needed maintenance out on the sunny rooftop. But in the afternoon she goes to several places, shamisen in hand:
Seventh Heaven, to ask after her old job;
The tea house, because it's been a while;
The forge, to request a weapon;
The Welcome Centre, to find out what apartments are still free;
And finally, back to the battledome to investigate it more thoroughly. (She keeps an eye out for Konan on her travels, mindful of an offer made a long while ago. Just in case.) Once she knows sufficiently enough (or someone programs it for her), she steps into one of its rooms for the first time, shamisen neatly tucked to the side out of harm's way, and experiences it for herself. (The program name of the day: Shift Hunters. How fitting, that they're like giant wild dogs.)
...probably stays in there a little too long, though, since her stamina is kind of shredded right now.
Catch her at any of these places or anywhere in between.]
Which means she can stop holing herself up in her room and start going forward with plans to actually, you know...
...live a little.
What a concept.
She still doesn't go out until the afternoon though, tracking down Saori (and other house members if they're around) to inform them of a decision she's made during her convalescence. And then likely packing what very few things she has, and putting haru-no-okina through some well-needed maintenance out on the sunny rooftop. But in the afternoon she goes to several places, shamisen in hand:
Seventh Heaven, to ask after her old job;
The tea house, because it's been a while;
The forge, to request a weapon;
The Welcome Centre, to find out what apartments are still free;
And finally, back to the battledome to investigate it more thoroughly. (She keeps an eye out for Konan on her travels, mindful of an offer made a long while ago. Just in case.) Once she knows sufficiently enough (or someone programs it for her), she steps into one of its rooms for the first time, shamisen neatly tucked to the side out of harm's way, and experiences it for herself. (The program name of the day: Shift Hunters. How fitting, that they're like giant wild dogs.)
...probably stays in there a little too long, though, since her stamina is kind of shredded right now.
Catch her at any of these places or anywhere in between.]
[Makie has had a lot to think about in the week since the invasion, and given the recovery needed, a lot of time to think it in. By the end of the week, the lingering ties she feels to those from the event are gone, but she remembers their names, and still remembers many of them fondly. (She sometimes wonders if, had the circumstances of her life been different, Makie would have been anything like that woman. Shikamaru's mother. Logan's cousin. Older sister/mentor to teenagers and generally content with her lot in life. Also, dying. But it was a small price to pay.)
She's come to several conclusions in the intervening week. She feels more peaceful for it, all things considered. More certain of her right to be here. And more contemplative on other topics as well, because now she's had a taste of the sort of enemy Luceti faces...
...when she finally feels more like herself, she addresses the journal, in a soft but firm voice.]
There is something I wish to ask, and one thing to clarify. During the events of last week, my family name was Harukawa. Please don't remember me by this name. My full name is Makie Otono-Tachibana.
[Strange thing to ask, she supposes. Most people would have forgotten already, but... just in case. She wouldn't stand for it.]
I had questions. Or rather, a request. I'd like to hear from any who have fought these cultists directly. I wish to hear of your experience. If you have the patience to tell me these things, I would appreciate it.
Miss Sage... [She hesitates a moment.] If you have the time, would you stop by to see me this afternoon? It...should be safe. [A journal lesson is long overdue.]
...
[She comes so close to asking after her false family. Best to leave it alone.]
...thank you.
[Makie, the ever-formal, signing off. :|b]
She's come to several conclusions in the intervening week. She feels more peaceful for it, all things considered. More certain of her right to be here. And more contemplative on other topics as well, because now she's had a taste of the sort of enemy Luceti faces...
...when she finally feels more like herself, she addresses the journal, in a soft but firm voice.]
There is something I wish to ask, and one thing to clarify. During the events of last week, my family name was Harukawa. Please don't remember me by this name. My full name is Makie Otono-Tachibana.
[Strange thing to ask, she supposes. Most people would have forgotten already, but... just in case. She wouldn't stand for it.]
I had questions. Or rather, a request. I'd like to hear from any who have fought these cultists directly. I wish to hear of your experience. If you have the patience to tell me these things, I would appreciate it.
Miss Sage... [She hesitates a moment.] If you have the time, would you stop by to see me this afternoon? It...should be safe. [A journal lesson is long overdue.]
...
[She comes so close to asking after her false family. Best to leave it alone.]
...thank you.
[Makie, the ever-formal, signing off. :|b]
[This morning she coughs, and there is blood on her palm.
( Cut for doom and gloom. )
Order of business. She's a coward, and leaves a letter on her bed, addressed to Saori:
I'm very sorry, but I feel I need to move away for a while. You've all been very good to me, and I thank you. It isn't because of anything any of you have done. I don't know how to filter on the journal. If you write to me later, I will explain.
- Makie
After that, she visits three places:
- the forge, to pick up her hopefully now repaired weapon.
- Seventh Heaven, although by 'visit' she'll stay outside and ask one of the staff to fetch Rin, if they could
- finally, community building #1 on a search for Tenten. She met the girl in a kitchen when she first arrived, and she needs to return a sword.
After that, well. She still has a list of empty apartments. She'll find a quiet one somewhere.]
((ooc: despite Makie's intentions, housemates are more than welcome to action in on her before she leaves the house if they prefer. She'll still be visiting these places regardless of the fallout-- where she ends up at the end of the day may change, that's all. Chrissakes Makie, it's not the 18th century, go see a doctor :|))
( Cut for doom and gloom. )
Order of business. She's a coward, and leaves a letter on her bed, addressed to Saori:
I'm very sorry, but I feel I need to move away for a while. You've all been very good to me, and I thank you. It isn't because of anything any of you have done. I don't know how to filter on the journal. If you write to me later, I will explain.
- Makie
After that, she visits three places:
- the forge, to pick up her hopefully now repaired weapon.
- Seventh Heaven, although by 'visit' she'll stay outside and ask one of the staff to fetch Rin, if they could
- finally, community building #1 on a search for Tenten. She met the girl in a kitchen when she first arrived, and she needs to return a sword.
After that, well. She still has a list of empty apartments. She'll find a quiet one somewhere.]
((ooc: despite Makie's intentions, housemates are more than welcome to action in on her before she leaves the house if they prefer. She'll still be visiting these places regardless of the fallout-- where she ends up at the end of the day may change, that's all. Chrissakes Makie, it's not the 18th century, go see a doctor :|))
[Action/Written/Accidental Audio]
Jun. 28th, 2013 01:11 pm[The day she spends like most, in her usual haunts; she works at Seventh Heaven, she trains deep in the forest. She finds time for a cup of tea in there somewhere. Makie keeps wrapped up more than usual; she's felt a little off, lately, so in case of oncoming summer colds she tries to take care of herself.
She looks for a man. (A particular one, hush.) Still can't find him.
She finally gathers her courage and returns to the smithy to see if someone can repair her weapon. Hopefully she'll see that boy again; he already knows. And if not, she'll just weather any awkwardness. Makie's slowly coming to the realisation that here in this village, it doesn't really matter, but old habits die hard.
When she finally returns home in the evening, she makes a cautious post to the network. She doesn't want to leave this any longer.
...does she really just need to write into the book? Well, then.]
[Written]
I'm looking for a gentleman I met during the time that... Twila arrived in Luceti. Sir, I never caught your name, but I would like to talk to you, if I may. I was the woman with the shamisen that [...uh.] spoke to you from the rooftops in the plaza.
[...this is awkward. She stops there.
Whatever responses she might get, Makie fails to close the journal when she's done. Which doesn't altogether mean that much given there's dead silence for some hours afterward, as she just curls up with a book to read. It's punctuated maybe once by a fit of coughing.
It's only when it reaches about 9.30 that evening that a few stray experimental notes of her shamisen can be heard. And then Makie starts playing. Sorry, any early sleepers. At least it's likely she won't be playing for long. >>;; Learning journal etiquette the hard way.]
She looks for a man. (A particular one, hush.) Still can't find him.
She finally gathers her courage and returns to the smithy to see if someone can repair her weapon. Hopefully she'll see that boy again; he already knows. And if not, she'll just weather any awkwardness. Makie's slowly coming to the realisation that here in this village, it doesn't really matter, but old habits die hard.
When she finally returns home in the evening, she makes a cautious post to the network. She doesn't want to leave this any longer.
...does she really just need to write into the book? Well, then.]
[Written]
I'm looking for a gentleman I met during the time that... Twila arrived in Luceti. Sir, I never caught your name, but I would like to talk to you, if I may. I was the woman with the shamisen that [...uh.] spoke to you from the rooftops in the plaza.
[...this is awkward. She stops there.
Whatever responses she might get, Makie fails to close the journal when she's done. Which doesn't altogether mean that much given there's dead silence for some hours afterward, as she just curls up with a book to read. It's punctuated maybe once by a fit of coughing.
It's only when it reaches about 9.30 that evening that a few stray experimental notes of her shamisen can be heard. And then Makie starts playing. Sorry, any early sleepers. At least it's likely she won't be playing for long. >>;; Learning journal etiquette the hard way.]
[Still Action Because...Well.]
May. 19th, 2013 01:56 pm[Makie's general thoughts on Luceti, once she gets used to the place (somewhat), are to make sure she earns her keep but, in general, fade into the background as much as possible. She's currently residing at the castle that is house 44, though she still hasn't met all the residents there. Makie is notorious for keeping to herself.
That doesn't mean she won't be seen all over town in the next few days, however, shamisen in hand. Errands, mainly. She has to return to Community Building #1 in the hopes that the journal she's supposed to have got left behind in Alexei's, uh... bathroom... and thank him for the courtesy he showed when she arrived. But on the ground floor, you see, there is an elevator, and...
...yeah, she doesn't really know what that is. After a minute or so of peering at it in confusion, she'll take the stairs.
Probably.
Other places she visits are the memory garden, the tea house, Seventh Heaven (to take up duties as a dishwasher, so mainly out of sight of the customers), and up to the farmlands just for the sake of exploration.
Eventually, she also visits the battledome, because she's been told about it and she is curious. But she likely won't stay long, because technology is intimidating, so after peering with a half-glazed expression at various controls and such, she leaves again, unless otherwise distracted. Such a place is no doubt for you magical types or...something.]
((ooc: this entry brought to you by the need to get a whole bunch of small things out of the way at once. Assume various parts take place over the 18th-21st for the sake of flexibility.))
That doesn't mean she won't be seen all over town in the next few days, however, shamisen in hand. Errands, mainly. She has to return to Community Building #1 in the hopes that the journal she's supposed to have got left behind in Alexei's, uh... bathroom... and thank him for the courtesy he showed when she arrived. But on the ground floor, you see, there is an elevator, and...
...yeah, she doesn't really know what that is. After a minute or so of peering at it in confusion, she'll take the stairs.
Probably.
Other places she visits are the memory garden, the tea house, Seventh Heaven (to take up duties as a dishwasher, so mainly out of sight of the customers), and up to the farmlands just for the sake of exploration.
Eventually, she also visits the battledome, because she's been told about it and she is curious. But she likely won't stay long, because technology is intimidating, so after peering with a half-glazed expression at various controls and such, she leaves again, unless otherwise distracted. Such a place is no doubt for you magical types or...something.]
((ooc: this entry brought to you by the need to get a whole bunch of small things out of the way at once. Assume various parts take place over the 18th-21st for the sake of flexibility.))
[Makie has had the facts of this place explained to her already, by a gentleman in a... fairly awkward situation.
It doesn't prepare her for the reality of a village with occupants like none she's ever seen before. Some of you aren't even human, Luceti. The hell. She wanders the path of the village from Community Building #1 down toward the plaza still in her New Feather dress, just like a gawking tourist, and spends some time staring at the fountain and plaza itself. Uh.
...right. Okay. Time to begin glancing through various shops in her attempts to find the places she was told her things would be. She finds her clothes with a measure of relief, and her shamisen at the item store-- and after she picks it up, she frowns. It's too light. She doesn't need to open it to know she's missing something.
Eventually, she'll find her way into the forge to pick up the last of her things, pays a visit to the Welcome Centre-- and then finally fetches up at the tea shop, which is the most familiar-looking thing here.
...sort of. Never really loses that dazed and confused look.]
It doesn't prepare her for the reality of a village with occupants like none she's ever seen before. Some of you aren't even human, Luceti. The hell. She wanders the path of the village from Community Building #1 down toward the plaza still in her New Feather dress, just like a gawking tourist, and spends some time staring at the fountain and plaza itself. Uh.
...right. Okay. Time to begin glancing through various shops in her attempts to find the places she was told her things would be. She finds her clothes with a measure of relief, and her shamisen at the item store-- and after she picks it up, she frowns. It's too light. She doesn't need to open it to know she's missing something.
Eventually, she'll find her way into the forge to pick up the last of her things, pays a visit to the Welcome Centre-- and then finally fetches up at the tea shop, which is the most familiar-looking thing here.
...sort of. Never really loses that dazed and confused look.]
Application
Apr. 24th, 2013 09:33 pmPLAYER
Name: KJ
Journal Username:![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
whiteadelphi
E-mail: kjgreenham@gmail.com
AIM/PLURK: Damn Fangirls/Kayjayyy (respectively)
Current Characters at Luceti: N/A
( Application )
Name: KJ
Journal Username:
whiteadelphiE-mail: kjgreenham@gmail.com
AIM/PLURK: Damn Fangirls/Kayjayyy (respectively)
Current Characters at Luceti: N/A
( Application )
Makie's fighting is a tricky thing. It isn't superpowered, there is no magic or move calling-- it's just plain swordsmanship. But she's a prodigy in that bordering-on-shounen kind of way and she's trained hard for years now on top of that. Her weapon is also unusual, a three-section chain/staff/pike thing that has no official name because it's one of a kind. Makie calls it haru-no-okina (the old man of spring) and she's fully familiar with every advantage she can put that weapon to.
She also conceals it in her shamisen.
Makie's fighting style is based on speed, spinning blades, and kicking or kneeing you in the face. That is: she's been described by some in the fandom as Mugen from Samurai Champloo, with more grace and less breakdancing. Her legs are powerful and, combined with the long reach of her pike blades, tends to turn Makie into someone best dealt with from a long distance away, or preferably not at all. In her own canon, she is described as the most dangerous swordfighter in Japan. Not swordwoman. She curbstomps every opponent she comes across. If someone walks away, it's because Makie lets them.
Makie's not very strong, and a lot of the tricks she pulls with that pike are based on sheer momentum; find the point of balance of the weapon and swing it, let the rest of the blade do the work. Many fighters who first see that pike stare at it and her thin arms and think she's laughably out of balance. This isn't an impression that lasts long. It's worth noting that Anotsu Kagehisa, the man she loves and the first and only student she's had, fights in much the same way. He has a slight build like hers, thin arms... and spins around a powerful axe as if it's nothing.
Anotsu often explains himself to tied up young girls, hush. /context what is that
But back to Makie. She's fast. When I say fast, it's remarked several times in the manga by various opponents (often right before their deaths) "How does she fight like that!?" She's canonically fast enough that she never gets a drop of blood on her, and around Makie's fights you can bet there's blood splattering everywhere. Apparently she's a fastidious sort of killer.
She also has an excellent head for martial strategy; not the kind that moves armies, but the kind that puts her at the absolute best advantage in any situation. It helps that she's so versatile with that weapon and knows its ins and outs. Through the manga we see her using that pike to vault up onto high ledges, stand on it as a makeshift platform and occasionally just use it to get a leg up.
Literally.
She also knows her sword theory and won't hesitate to lecture you on it in midbattle if you call her an idiot.
Wow so I'm getting to the point of throwing all these pages and going LOOK. LOOK AT MY BABY. GO READ THIS MANGA. So I'll stop there. Basically, I wanted to show Makie's strengths, weaknesses, and how she fits into the combat pool of Luceti, as it were. Because cross-canon can be such a complicated horrible mess in regards to these kinds of things. The only other strength I could say that is that Makie is not restricted to the pike. In the first fight we see her in the manga, she steals the double-bladed sword of her opponent and uses it against him. She was trained in proper swordsmanship as a child. But as we see her as an exiled 12 year old using a smaller version of the pike, it's obviously her signature weapon and the one she's trained with most. And it shows.
Which then brings me to weaknesses, because we've already shown her strengths. Later in the manga, this is less of an issue, as she crosses her own moral event horizon after the canon point I've chosen. As at the time of volume 3 of the manga, she is still heavily conflicted about the fact she can deal death so easily and the shame that it brings her, because despite being able to do these things, Makie hates dealing death.
But she loves to fight. One could even say it's an addiction. Despite the pain it brings her, she has never managed to give up the sword. When she hits absolute despair in the manga, she sews up her sword hand, which both (a) shows she's not entirely mentally stable at the time and (b) is the mark of an addict that can't trust she can throw the sword away on her own.
What that means is this: Makie is the picture of serenity when she fights. She's utterly lethal-- until her concentration breaks and she realises what she's done. And suddenly, her skill falls to pieces. Some people find this humiliating.
^ That's Manji, immortal protagonist. He's awesome.
Basically Makie is lethal until her concentration breaks, if and when it does. If I canon update her, it'll cross the line where she throws away her internal code of honour for love (after so many years of resisting) and that won't be the case, but then she'll have another weakness entirely, and that will be the fact she has tuberculosis. She's still lethal... so long as she has the breath to fight you.
Where it comes to Luceti (or, indeed, any game I end up taking her to), she'll obviously be at the extremely high end of the badass normal crowd. In a fight where both occupants are just fighting with normal means at their disposal, she'll come out on top-- within reason. She comes from the 18th century. Fire a gun at her and she'll go down in a heap. She can't block bullets with her sword-- bullets and guns that efficient don't exist in her time period. Anything she's not used to, she's at a heavy disadvantage for. Likewise, anyone who throws magic at her is going to wipe her out real fast. Admittedly she will adjust if given enough time to do so, but in any fight she's likely to actually engage in, she won't have that much time. (A second or third fight if they happen might be different, but I can't see that happening often, if ever. Despite her skill, Makie will only fight if she has to-- or to protect someone she loves.) But Makie vs. anyone with a melee weapon or anyone who just plain underestimates her will turn into a curb stomp battle with blood everywhere
Bottom line, I will play her as if she can avoid all attacks unless your character is superhumanly fast, but whether her own attacks connect or not with your character is entirely up to you. As said, mostly she'll be fighting NPCs if anything, but on the chance she picks a fight with a PC, then I promise you I'm not being a prat by not having her hit. She's canonically that in tune with her close spatial surroundings and that fast, and she's a prodigy and kinesthetic genius. If you think otherwise, though, I'm always willing to work something out with you.
Lastly, to get a vague idea of how she really moves, here is an AMV that shows how she fights. (Also, don't ever watch this anime. It's terrible and does none of the fights justice besides, but you can at least get an idea!)
She also conceals it in her shamisen.
Makie's fighting style is based on speed, spinning blades, and kicking or kneeing you in the face. That is: she's been described by some in the fandom as Mugen from Samurai Champloo, with more grace and less breakdancing. Her legs are powerful and, combined with the long reach of her pike blades, tends to turn Makie into someone best dealt with from a long distance away, or preferably not at all. In her own canon, she is described as the most dangerous swordfighter in Japan. Not swordwoman. She curbstomps every opponent she comes across. If someone walks away, it's because Makie lets them.
Makie's not very strong, and a lot of the tricks she pulls with that pike are based on sheer momentum; find the point of balance of the weapon and swing it, let the rest of the blade do the work. Many fighters who first see that pike stare at it and her thin arms and think she's laughably out of balance. This isn't an impression that lasts long. It's worth noting that Anotsu Kagehisa, the man she loves and the first and only student she's had, fights in much the same way. He has a slight build like hers, thin arms... and spins around a powerful axe as if it's nothing.
Anotsu often explains himself to tied up young girls, hush. /context what is that
But back to Makie. She's fast. When I say fast, it's remarked several times in the manga by various opponents (often right before their deaths) "How does she fight like that!?" She's canonically fast enough that she never gets a drop of blood on her, and around Makie's fights you can bet there's blood splattering everywhere. Apparently she's a fastidious sort of killer.
She also has an excellent head for martial strategy; not the kind that moves armies, but the kind that puts her at the absolute best advantage in any situation. It helps that she's so versatile with that weapon and knows its ins and outs. Through the manga we see her using that pike to vault up onto high ledges, stand on it as a makeshift platform and occasionally just use it to get a leg up.
Literally.
She also knows her sword theory and won't hesitate to lecture you on it in midbattle if you call her an idiot.
Wow so I'm getting to the point of throwing all these pages and going LOOK. LOOK AT MY BABY. GO READ THIS MANGA. So I'll stop there. Basically, I wanted to show Makie's strengths, weaknesses, and how she fits into the combat pool of Luceti, as it were. Because cross-canon can be such a complicated horrible mess in regards to these kinds of things. The only other strength I could say that is that Makie is not restricted to the pike. In the first fight we see her in the manga, she steals the double-bladed sword of her opponent and uses it against him. She was trained in proper swordsmanship as a child. But as we see her as an exiled 12 year old using a smaller version of the pike, it's obviously her signature weapon and the one she's trained with most. And it shows.
Which then brings me to weaknesses, because we've already shown her strengths. Later in the manga, this is less of an issue, as she crosses her own moral event horizon after the canon point I've chosen. As at the time of volume 3 of the manga, she is still heavily conflicted about the fact she can deal death so easily and the shame that it brings her, because despite being able to do these things, Makie hates dealing death.
But she loves to fight. One could even say it's an addiction. Despite the pain it brings her, she has never managed to give up the sword. When she hits absolute despair in the manga, she sews up her sword hand, which both (a) shows she's not entirely mentally stable at the time and (b) is the mark of an addict that can't trust she can throw the sword away on her own.
What that means is this: Makie is the picture of serenity when she fights. She's utterly lethal-- until her concentration breaks and she realises what she's done. And suddenly, her skill falls to pieces. Some people find this humiliating.
^ That's Manji, immortal protagonist. He's awesome.
Basically Makie is lethal until her concentration breaks, if and when it does. If I canon update her, it'll cross the line where she throws away her internal code of honour for love (after so many years of resisting) and that won't be the case, but then she'll have another weakness entirely, and that will be the fact she has tuberculosis. She's still lethal... so long as she has the breath to fight you.
Where it comes to Luceti (or, indeed, any game I end up taking her to), she'll obviously be at the extremely high end of the badass normal crowd. In a fight where both occupants are just fighting with normal means at their disposal, she'll come out on top-- within reason. She comes from the 18th century. Fire a gun at her and she'll go down in a heap. She can't block bullets with her sword-- bullets and guns that efficient don't exist in her time period. Anything she's not used to, she's at a heavy disadvantage for. Likewise, anyone who throws magic at her is going to wipe her out real fast. Admittedly she will adjust if given enough time to do so, but in any fight she's likely to actually engage in, she won't have that much time. (A second or third fight if they happen might be different, but I can't see that happening often, if ever. Despite her skill, Makie will only fight if she has to-- or to protect someone she loves.) But Makie vs. anyone with a melee weapon or anyone who just plain underestimates her will turn into a curb stomp battle with blood everywhere
Bottom line, I will play her as if she can avoid all attacks unless your character is superhumanly fast, but whether her own attacks connect or not with your character is entirely up to you. As said, mostly she'll be fighting NPCs if anything, but on the chance she picks a fight with a PC, then I promise you I'm not being a prat by not having her hit. She's canonically that in tune with her close spatial surroundings and that fast, and she's a prodigy and kinesthetic genius. If you think otherwise, though, I'm always willing to work something out with you.
Lastly, to get a vague idea of how she really moves, here is an AMV that shows how she fights. (Also, don't ever watch this anime. It's terrible and does none of the fights justice besides, but you can at least get an idea!)
