lore drop part 3?!?! >:3 river cosmos (interesting name, whats the meaning behind it?)
i don’t have much for river just yet, unfortunately, since i just made her and am still working out all the kinks, but for now, i can tell you about the name!
i don’t have any ocs related to water, so i decided to name her river because of it. possibly because rivers give a home to various different creatures, and she provides something to other people (just to use them, of course, but that’s only for ps3)
as for the last name, a friend of mine has a character named johnny cosmos who’s honestly just a shitpost character but he’s so funny we made him canon, and i was like “well river doesn’t have a family, let’s make him the dad” BEST DECISION OF MY LIFE
when i actually get her lore finalized, i’ll @ you and let you know! sorry for the wait 😭😞
Another novel-length lore drop under the cut! Sorry this took so long :3
BIRTH/CHILDHOOD
IMPORTANT NOTE: Ceri didn't come from Earth, but instead a parallel planet called "Endymion" in a different galaxy. It's not until the end of Project Sakura 4 that she comes to Earth with Swirl.
Unlike most children, Ceri was abandoned at birth almost instantly. Her mother did not want her, her father abandoning her mother as soon as he learned she was pregnant. She was left on a cold mountain to freeze and die, which is really heartless, but Ceri was soon found by the family of Kori, a boy who wanted to become a mercenary when he got older.
Ceri and Kori became fast friends and spent time with each other almost every day. The two began to start undergoing training to become mercenaries at around the age of 13, and had a pretty damn good time doing it. Eventually, Ceri started to fall in love with Kori, and the two became a thing for a while.
But what about Kori?
Kori, well...didn't really like Ceri back. Even when they were growing up alongside each other, he viewed her as a nuisance who was constantly impeding his progress. So he figured he could take advantage of her love for him and order her around.
Eventually, Kori came out transgender (MTF) and Ceri was fine with this (she had come out bisexual only a few weeks prior) but Kori threw her heart in the cold snow, saying she was nothing more than a dog faithfully obeying her master's orders.
EMPLOYMENT (2023)
Ceri was filled with rage after her betrayal and left the mountain, swearing to never look back. She was roughly 15 years old when this happened. When she entered the Kingdom of Ether, she was founded by Aubris, the young princess, and brought back to the palace, quickly hired by Queen Selene to become a royal mercenary. Since Ceri had nowhere else to go, and nowhere else to put her skills to use, she accepted, and became one of their top connections.
PROJECT SAKURA 4 (2025)
Long before Swirl showed up on Endymion, Ceri was (begrudgingly) tasked with a mission regarding that mountain again. She accepted, and decided to go alone to "settle a score" if she ever came across the woman who broke her heart in two.
Swirl, after residing in the palace for a month or so, is tasked to find Ceri and bring her back to the palace, since Ceri had gone radio-silent since she left, and the Queen was growing anxious. Swirl finds Ceri, and at first, Ceri pushes her away and is cold and rude, but with Swirl's persistence and kindness, Ceri comes back and softens up to the hero, eventually falling in love for the dumb, kind idiot that just happened to find her way to warming the mercenary's heart.
Before Swirl was to return back to Earth with her friends, Ceri begs Lynette Sakura (Swirl's mother) to go with them, since she didn't want to leave Swirl. Lynette agreed to this, and Ceri got to reside on Earth.
But Ceri came from a different place! How does that work?
This requires a bit more context involving the plot of PS4: Swirl and Spiral are dragged to Endymion in a ploy by the King of Hell to finally take over the world and plunge it into chaos. Earth is so messed up by the time they succeed that Lynette has to rewind time and they must start again from the day the chaos began to strike (2/20/25, which is also my birthday if you didn't notice!)
Ceri was given a new family, Marlow and Damian Huntress, and they provide Ceri with the love and support she never got to receive growing up. She thanks Lynette for this every night before going to bed.
PROJECT SAKURA 5 PART 1 (2027-2029)
Ceri joins the Hero Association alongside Swirl, Spiral, Kels, and Tre. She puts her former skills as a mercenary to good use here, and looks out for Swirl, since she knows her girlfriend has a tendency to get a little too fired up on the job. She wasn't assigned to the Assassins Order case, but she would always tell Swirl to fill her in and call on her whenever she was in trouble (supportive girlfriend, we love to see it).
When Swirl gets taken by Ianira and Makura for the 2 year period, Ceri falls into a state of mental collapse. With both Sakura twins gone (Swirl being taken and Spiral undergoing divine rehabilitation, more on that in another post, probably), Ceri is next in line to be Acting Boss of the Hero Association.
Why is Ceri the Acting Boss?
Makura and one of her former partners, Yasu, were taken in to Hero Association custody. The former boss, Allen Aref, killed "Yasu" in front of Makura, and she went ballistic, her power overtaking her as she killed every human in the building and demolished it from the inside out. Rizu (the automaton) was the only survivor. Swirl became the boss of the Hero Association due to being the leader of Squad 5 (Squads 1-4 died), and Spiral would naturally be next in line. But since they're both gone...it fell to Ceri.
PROJECT SAKURA 5 PART 2 (2029-???)
Naturally, Ceri is ecstatic when Swirl returns, but she (much like the other heroes) don't trust Makura one bit. Why would she have a reason to, when this was the girl who hurt Swirl? Ceri stays cold and distant towards the reforming girl, until Swirl puts her foot down and forces the two to bond. Eventually, Ceri and Makura grow closer, and they become good friends, even going so far as to call themselves "The Hero Association's Bisexual Baddies."
Ceri and Makura also help Swirl through her rough "Rebuilding" Period, the time when all of humanity casts its negative gaze upon her for being forced to work for Ianira Damon for 2 years. Without Ceri, Swirl would not have been able to regain (most of) her popularity and support.
Ceri grows into a fine young woman with large amounts of support that keep the Hero Association going. She becomes level-headed and tough, and is the perfect counter to Swirl's boundless, excitable energy. It's the only thing she can do to repay the woman who saved her life.
Aaaaand done! Of course, this was just a summary (again). And I'm a little sleep deprived, so it might not have been the best, but I hope this was okay! If you have any questions about Ceri, just let me know!
the whiplash you're gonna get after reading rizu's lore and then kels' lore is crazy lol
CHARACTER INFO: KELSEY "KELS" ORPHEUS
Emoji: 🪽
Color: Light, pastel yellow
MBTI: ENFJ
Novel-length lore drop under cut!
EARLY DAYS (2008-2013)
Kels was born into a family of angels that followed the forgotten goddess, Lynette Sakura. Her birth probably couldn't have happened at a better time; Swirl Sakura was to be freed from her stasis two days afterwards, starting the prophecy. Kels was the youngest of three, with her older brothers showing great promise down on Earth.
Kels' parents then descended to Earth alongside her, and they moved around a lot, kinda like military parents. Wherever they went, they always spread positive energy and kindness, ailing any troubles. I guess that's to be expected from angels, huh? Plus, since the tragedy wasn't going to strike for a while, they had time on their hands to train Kels. She was going to be the one directly monitoring Swirl, anyway. She learned her archery fundamentals during this time.
PROJECT SAKURA 1 / PROJECT SAKURA 2 (2019-2021)
Kels became more and more stressed with her practices, as her strange behavior and mannerisms became the target of rumors. To try and stand out, she dyed her hair a cyan color for a while to try and create distance between herself and her family. In that time, she picked up volleyball (during Project Sakura 1) and became an instant pro. She decided to focus more on volleyball than anything else as her parents, aware of her troubles, allowed her to do what she needed to do to live a normal life as a normal girl. If their child wanted a bit more freedom, who were they to refuse it?
When the quarantine happened in Project Sakura 2, Kels and her family realized that the tragedy was coming in waves. They monitored the intensity of the virus, and when it miraculously dissipated, they were rightfully curious. They moved to Virginia the following year and enrolled Kels at Cosmos High School.
PROJECT SAKURA 3 (2023-2024)
When Kels started her freshman year, she joined the girls' volleyball team and became fairly popular around the kids in her grade, except for the Sakura twins themselves, since they weren't truly "popular."
At the time, Swirl was only known for how she saved the city during Project Sakura 1, and Spiral was the strange "homeschooled new girl" of the freshmen. Makura was the "homeschooled new girl" of the sophomores.
Kels clicked with the twins instantly and, noticing their troubles when it came to fitting in, decided to help out. It was burned into her goodhearted nature, and since they were the twins destined to stop the tragedy, it was the least she could do. Eventually, she fell in love with Spiral but became worried about it, since she never actually came out to her family (her family was incredibly supportive, though, so there were no problems there). She solidified a prominent role in the cast and in Swirl and Spiral's ever-changing friend group.
PROJECT SAKURA 4 (2025)
Unlike the Sakura twins, Kels wasn't pulled to Endymion until much later, a few weeks/months (still determining the amount of time) after the twins got pulled in. Of course, Kels was rightfully confused, but she wasn't given much time to contemplate before she was roped into the conflict, and her skills were put to the test: Could she purify Spiral, who was stuck under her father's hellish control once again?
At first, Kels failed. And the defeat stung greatly. She let it get the better of her for a while, feeling like she was a disgrace to her family, that she "didn't work hard enough to earn/deserve her powers." But Swirl told her that it was going to be okay. Swirl had little control over her newly-blossoming powers, which seemed to be growing day by day, so she understood the sentiment, especially when she didn't start using them until the age of 11. Kels, now reinvigorated, was able to save her girlfriend, and alongside the twins and their new friends, able to save the planet of Endymion.
PROJECT SAKURA 5 PART 1 (2027-2029)
Not much really changed with Kels during this time other than the fact that she was accepted into college with a volleyball scholarship, and ended up going to the same university as Spiral. She joined the Hero Association alongside the rest, and was probably the first person to spend a ton of time with Rizu.
Around this time, Kels started to see premonitions of the future, and they scared her. She would tell the rest of the squad what she saw, and one day, she foresaw the Assassins Order attacking the headquarters. She ended up being correct (seen in Rizu's lore drop), and that only fueled Swirl's fire on the Assassins Order case. When Swirl got taken away, Spiral's demonic tendencies only worsened and worsened, and it was at that point that something had to change. Kels entrusted Spiral to her parents to partake in Divine Rehabilitation, and she was the only one in the group able to converse with Spiral during the two-year period.
Once Spiral finished, Kels stood proudly by her side as Ceri and Makura led the attack to save Swirl.
PROJECT SAKURA 5 PART 2 (2029-???)
Kels embraces more of a support role during this time. While she attacks, she also becomes a healer to the group. Unlike the rest of the characters, nothing incredibly intense happens to Kels, but she does fall victim to getting angrier a lot easier.
Why is this important?
When an angel gets incredibly angered, they turn into a biblically accurate angel (or something similar). When this happens to Kels, she becomes uncontrollable, but Spiral is typically the only person who can calm her down.
Focusing on herself and others, Kels finally shakes away all her hidden anxieties and fears and embraces the freedom that her new, adult life had given her.
-
Done! Yeah, unlike the rest, Kels is probably the one with the least amount of summarized trauma/trauma in general. But they can't all be uber-traumatized! You've gotta have good to balance the bad :P
Anyways, as always, don't be afraid to ask questions! Thanks for the ask, Tulip!
i've waited a long time to do this...how could we go this long without an ask where i could lore dump about project sakura's MAIN CHARACTER?!
CHARACTER INFO: SWIRL SAKURA
Emoji: 💜
Color: Ultraviolet/Purple
MBTI: ENFP
Novel-Length Lore Drop Under Cut!
EARLY CONCEPTION
A few millennia after the creation of the universe as we know it, after the Heavenly and Hellish realms (also known as Aboverealms and Belowrealms) were established, Lynette Sakura, Goddess of Light and Life, and Vesper, the Prince of Hell, fell in love.
How does that...work?
Guys I really love the forbidden love trope it's my favorite thing in the world...Lynette and Vesper work in the same vein - the Afterlife Jurisdiction. They met during a meeting once and Vesper was INFATUATED by Lynette. They meet with the help of Seirei Yoru (mentioned in Makura's lore post) and become good friends. Lynette shows Vesper around the various Midrealms (where both Heavenly and Hellish beings can reside) and they fall in love after a while. There's a little pre-story fic with those two in the works, I'll drop it on Tumblr maybe when I finish ;)
While Lynette is pregnant, Vesper's father, the King of Hell, Satan, finds out, and decides to force his son into becoming the "Perfect Throne Heir." He changes Vesper's personality drastically, turning the sweet and wholesome, peace-loving boy into a cold, cruel, war-seeking man.
Vesper is unlike other demons because he was born with a defect- He doesn't have a demon form, only a human-like one. He's also soft-hearted and kind, which are unfit traits for the next ruler of Hell.
TL;DR Heterosexual Forbidden Love becomes Tragic Heterosexuals
Now that Vesper is "gone," Lynette worries about him. She hadn't seen him in months, and she was going to give birth soon. She always kept him in her heart, wherever she went, and after a while...she gave birth to twins. She named them "Swirl" and "Spiral," the names Vesper was thinking of, giving them the middle names "Allegra" and "Marcella," which were names she was thinking of.
Which is which?
Swirl Allegra Sakura
Spiral Marcella Sakura
Swirl received more of Lynette's genes: She received colored hair, a fairly soft expression, big eyes full of curiosity and wonder, and a big smile. Spiral, on the other hand, received more of Vesper's genes: She had black hair, a bit more of a calm facial expression, and was quiet. They were the perfect blend of angel and demon, but that was the problem.
Angels and Demons were never supposed to fraternize. And now that Lynette gave birth to Nephilims of her own...that was going to cause some complications. Luckily, she was exempt from punishment, as Swirl and Spiral had overwhelming power levels, even as newborns. Vesper, on the other hand, was not so lucky. He was convinced by his father to steal the twins for himself, and instead of nurturing their angelic sides, he wanted to turn them into members of the Demon Generals - Swirl as Lust, Spiral as Wrath. So a few days later, Vesper did the unthinkable and risked his own life to steal the twins, entering Lynette's realm to do so.
Vesper was unsuccessful in terms of stealing both twins. He steals Spiral, but Swirl wakes up once Spiral is taken away and starts screaming. One of Swirl's abilities is to create shockwaves of energy with her voice, and it alerts Lynette immediately, calling her to action. Knowing he's screwed, Vesper retreats with Spiral, seeing Lynette one last time before abandoning the other half of the family.
Lynette, realizing that Swirl is in danger, casts a spell to trap both twins in a state of stasis, freezing their bodies, minds, and age, waiting for the perfect time to wake them up, in a time period where they're needed.
EARLY LIFE ON EARTH (2008-2012)
Around early 2008, (specifically February 2008 because that's my birth month and Swirl is still my sona so I win), the prophesized tragedy that Lynette was waiting for is creeping closer. Swirl, still just a newborn, will be needed soon. Lynette sneaks down onto Earth and goes to Vania Circe, Swirl's future caretaker, asking her to take care of the young Nephilim.
Why Vania?
The Circe family is the only family who remembers Lynette and her legacy centuries after the goddess was forgotten. She meets with them frequently, and she already knew Vania and her sister, Alicia. As for why Vania specifically, not even I know. We just love Vania. I wonder why... (🏳️⚧️)
Swirl grows up with Vania and has no memory/knowledge of her real mother. All she knows is that she was left with Vania and that she should trust Vania like a parent. Her powers grow dormant since she never really learned how to use them, and she doesn't reconnect with her Nephilim identity until much later (PS2). She grows to be kind, courageous, energetic, and curious, much like her mother, but life on Earth also led her to be a little shy and socially awkward.
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL (2013-EARLY 2019)
Swirl is enrolled at Elm Point Elementary School and meets more people like her: supernatural beings or human-like entities with different features, since magical beings exist on Earth. In kindergarten, she meets Jace Armstrong, a boy who has a crush on her that is never reciprocated. In third grade, she meets Tre Hale and his younger first-grade sister, Mona. Swirl, Jace, and Tre become a tightly-knit trio who are almost always seen together.
Swirl knows that she's different, and sometimes gets picked on for it, especially because she doesn't know what she is. Over time, she gets a little bit better at combatting it, but is still shy. She wishes she knew more about herself, and had someone just like her, so she creates her two OCs - Dawn and Dusk Himeno, orphaned twins who become the rulers of a Kingdom of Thieves.
PROJECT SAKURA 1 (2019)
The prophesized tragedy strikes, and in order to weaken Swirl, Vesper tears through the fabric of different worlds and sends demons to attack Dawn and Dusk's kingdom.
How did he do that?
In Project Sakura, every time someone creates a story world, that world actually becomes real somewhere out there in the universe. So naturally, Dawn and Dusk's story became real. Swirl only gave them base features and a tiny bit of lore, but the planet is fully developed, the characters have actual lives and a bigger personality, and there's things about them that not even Swirl herself knows about.
Dawn gets sucked through a portal by Lynette to escape the onslaught and is instructed to find Swirl. Once found, Swirl and Dawn team up to try and stop the tragedy and save both worlds, because Dawn's world is also at risk of destruction if they don't act fast. Only problem is, Swirl doesn't have any magical power. She's just as strong as an ordinary human. Vania begins to train Swirl, and Swirl activates a small sliver of her powers: the ability to amplify her strength, speed, and stamina, which helps Swirl gain the upper hand in combat.
She and Dawn fight the five demon generals (each representing the Seven Deadly Sins, excluding Wrath because Spiral is not encountered, and Lust because that's Swirl) along with Tre and Jace, and they eventually stop the tragedy, Dawn returning home peacefully.
Swirl devotes more of her time over summer break to training to become a better hero, since she and Vania both come to the realization that the fight isn't over yet.
PROJECT SAKURA 2 (2020-2021)
Since the plan with the demon generals failed, Vesper decides to send in Spiral to finish the job and bring Swirl down to Hell. A deadly virus is spread over the world, causing a global lockdown (I wonder what this is referencing), but unbeknownst to Swirl and Vania, Swirl is actually immune, since the virus was designed to be resistant to demons.
After a year or so of quarantine and training, Swirl is whisked away along with Tre and Mona into another strange realm and they have to explore it in order to return home.
(Think something like the Still World from TLoZ: Echoes of Wisdom)
The trio encounters Spiral for the first time, and upon learning that she is her twin, Swirl is determined to try and get Spiral on her side. She learns that she's a Nephilim, and the realization shatters her, Spiral winning the fight. After a while, Swirl reaches Spiral's heart and saves her from a doomed fate. The world begins to collapse around them, and Spiral opens the way out with Swirl's help, as the purple-haired twin learned to use some purifying magic and reverse the corruption in the realm.
Swirl and Spiral return to Vania's home, the virus suddenly dissipating as if nothing happened, and life returns to normal, now with a new addition to the household. Spiral uses magic to change her hair green and Swirl is supportive of the change.
PROJECT SAKURA 3 (2023-2024)
Swirl and Spiral are enrolled in Cosmos High School, and associate with new people: namely Kels Orpheus, the volleyball star and angel from Heaven, Pearl Cosmos, the daughter of the principal and half-vampire, and Makura Tsumi, the mysterious new sophomore.
Swirl, Makura, and Pearl become a new trio, and eventually, Swirl and Pearl fall in love (it's one-sided, Pearl is simply leading Swirl on). At the same time, demon attacks are increasing, and it's up to Swirl and Spiral to deal with them. Neither of them know why it's happening, however, and the cause remains a mystery until revealed in PS5 (It's Ianira's doing). Swirl, so long as she's with Pearl, changes her personality and style more and more to match Pearl, while spending a lot of time with Makura. With Makura's help, Swirl breaks it off with Pearl and starts anew.
Swirl, Spiral, Kels, and Makura proceed into their next year of high school, and it's then when Swirl and Makura start dating. And this is, by far, the healthiest relationship they could have hoped for. They pushed each other to be the best they could be, talked things out, etc. But once again, this is forbidden love, and once Ianira finds out, it's over (more detail revealed again in Makura's lore post). Swirl is shattered and broken after this failure, and it cripples her for a while.
PROJECT SAKURA 4 (2025)
On their 17th birthday, Swirl and Spiral are sucked into a portal that led them to the world of Endymion, separating them. Swirl meets Princess Aubris (pronounced Aubrey) Halocroft, Taro Lavender, and her brother, Flame Lavender. Swirl finds herself in the Kingdom of Ether, and explains her situation to the queen, Selene Halocroft, and her right-hand, Veta. The royalty agree to assist Swirl on her mission to save Spiral and return home, but it won't be easy.
As Swirl proceeds through life in Ether, making new friends, an old one returns: Dawn is sucked through another portal, and the two are reunited, as well as a new friend: Ven Polaris, another character Swirl created in Dawn's world. Swirl, Dawn, and Ven uncover clues about Spiral's whereabouts, as well as making new allies like Cam Forrester and the AppLe Bot, Ro, as well as a new girlfriend, the mercenary Ceri Huntress.
Swirl becomes connected more with her angelic side, becoming the Angelic Nephilim she was meant to be, and defeats Vesper in combat, returning home with Spiral, Kels, Tre, Mona (those three were sucked in at different periods), and now, Ceri. This is Swirl's second-biggest story yet.
PROJECT SAKURA 5 PART 1 (2027-2029)
Swirl and co. graduate high school and move on to college before enlisting in the Hero Association - Swirl's goal since childhood. She's overjoyed to be part of the team, and works passionately every day. Eventually, she's assigned to the Assassins Order case and learns more and more about the antithesis of the Hero Association, going so far to learn that her old lover, Makura, works there, and that Makura's caretaker, Ianira, was the boss all along.
Swirl is kidnapped by Makura and Ianira and subject to a two-year training period of manipulation where Ianira unlocks more of Swirl's demonic side, the Lust counterpart. Under Ianira's control, Swirl becomes a completely different person, the exact opposite of everything she'd grown to be. Her demonic side runs rampant while her angelic side grows sterile.
She gets rescued by Ceri, Spiral, and the other heroes, as well as Makura.
PROJECT SAKURA 5 PART 2 (2029-???)
Swirl trusts Makura immediately, and is proud of her for the change of heart, but as usual, Swirl masks her suffering with her happiness. Now that the masses know Swirl was the Archangel (her assassins codename) the entire planet has turned against her, their gazes all negative, and she can't possibly take it. She hides from the public.
Once she successfully helps Makura become friends with the other heroes, Makura and Ceri decide to help Swirl. Thanks to their efforts, the majority of humanity begins to trust Swirl again, and the heroine gains more confidence in herself.
(There was a poll up worldwide that would ask if humanity placed their faith in Swirl, similar to the Phan-Site in Persona 5)
While Swirl "rebuilds," her angelic and demonic sides grow to be evened out, and while her demon side is initially uncontrollable, and she doesn't want to hurt Ceri, she learns to embrace the abilities. "It's like exposure therapy, except it's not really like exposure therapy!" she'd say.
Eventually, Swirl becomes the perfect definition of a Nephilim, something that her mother would most surely be proud of.
Done done done!! I'm just so shocked nobody really asked about Swirl before, kinda makes me sad :( If anyone has more questions about our beloved main character/sona, please don't hesitate to ask me!!
The age of these characters changes over time, but her physical/mental ages are as follows: 12 (PS1), 16 (PS3), 20 (PS5 P.1), 23 (PS5 P.2)
For her chronological age, +100 years
TW: Cannibalism, emotional manipulation
Novel-length lore drop under the cut! I just...get a little excited when I get to talk about my silly guys...
Primarily for @tuliplover08 :D
BIRTH/CHILDHOOD
Makura Tsumi was born in the year 1907 in Japan (think of Demon Slayer time period) to Emi and Ankoku Tsumi. Not long before Makura was born, however, Emi fell deathly ill, putting her life and her daughter's life in danger. Ankoku was always described as a kind soul, always helping out others in need--it was like he didn't know how to say "no." So when he overheard a rumor about a mystic flower that could possibly heal his beloved, he set out to find it. After a few days' time, Ankoku found it--it was a spider lily with a strange aura to it.
What exactly was the spider lily?
The spider lily was a magical charm left in the human realm by the Goddess of Darkness and Death, Seirei Yoru, before she departed for the heavens. You could commonly find it as a hairpiece that she wore all of the time. But ingesting it would give you Seirei's powers, rendering you the next in line to take her title.
Emi ate the spider lily and recovered overnight, albeit with a few changes--she now had red eyes instead of black, and the strange ability to control blood. Not only that, but it was as if she could barely...feel any more. Emi decided to keep this a secret from Makura when she was born, so that she could prevent any worries (Ankoku was aware of it, however, as her husband).
Makura's birth was a blessing and a curse. Emi knew that she was probably going to inherit the strange powers that she'd received prior, but she did her best to defend her from the dangers that came with it. Unfortunately, it didn't last long. Bad luck seemed to follow Makura wherever she went, and it affected her and her family drastically. A small cult following in Seirei Yoru's name hunted down the man who stole the spider lily, and years later, finally found the village, killing all of the adults and keeping the children alive. Their goal was to single out the one who was going to become their new god.
How did the cult manage to do this?
Technically, they never found out. Their plan was to first figure out who was emotionally numb--a telltale sign of the powers coursing through their veins. They did this by forcing the children to eat their parents' bodies (Emi, however, could not be found after her death). Of course, all of the children were affected, especially Makura and her younger sister, Shiro. They then decided to hold a "game" where the children had to try and survive in the forest, but almost all of them died. It's because of this that they couldn't figure out who Makura was. Shiro died because of this.
Makura was close to dying in this game, but Emi used divine power to trap her child inside of a blood capsule and keep her in stasis for the next 100+ years (however long it would take before Emi deemed Makura to be safe). Eventually, Makura was found by a mysterious group of scientists and taken to their facility...
PROJECT SAKURA 1 (2019)
Makura was hollowed out from her stasis and brought to this strange laboratory for testing. She was reasonably freaked out, since she was now in America and didn't understand a lick of English (and also there was technology?). The project lead that dealt with Makura was a woman by the name of Ianira Damon, who helped Makura learn English, gave her modern clothes, and took her outside for outdoor "learning."
It is at this point that Makura's eyes permanently turn red.
(Think something similar to this scene from Honkai Star Rail when Fugue/Tingyun first wakes up in Ruan Mei's laboratory.)
Makura would commonly escape the lab, even before Ianira first gave her clothing and taught her English, and this is when she first met Swirl, who was training in the park. She simply watched the hero, a little worried since this was an eleven year old girl with a sword. Ianira found her and brought her back to the lab, scolding her for leaving without her permission. Makura would leave maybe one-two more times (Project Sakura 1's rewrite is still in progress. As of writing this post, Makura has only met her twice) before staying in the lab with Ianira.
While in the lab, Makura gained a deep understanding of her strange powers, growing by leaps and bounds with Ianira's help.
How did Ianira know to help Makura?
Ianira has connections with Swirl and Spiral's father, the king of hell, Vesper. They've entered a relationship with a sole promise of bringing Swirl (and eventually, Spiral) down to Hell. Of course, she was made aware of Makura's existence, and planned to use the girl as a tool (since Emi was unreachable).
Makura was rebellious and uncontrollable at times, and Ianira combated this by tapping into the powers that Vesper gave her, creating stitches all over Makura's body that would suppress her emotions/feelings (she gained more and more over time, more on that later).
PROJECT SAKURA 3 (2023-2024)
Makura's next appearance was Project Sakura 3, where she properly becomes an important character. She's finally permitted to attend school, specifically Cosmos High School--where the Sakura twins are attending. She's a grade above the twins in question, but shares a few classes with Swirl, and the two become fast friends. Mainly because Ianira ordered Makura to get closer to the twins, but also because Makura, oddly enough, enjoyed the girl's company.
Swirl and Makura developed feelings for each other. Swirl was a little too nervous to act on it, and Makura was scared of what Ianira would say if she admitted to having feelings for the target. To Ianira, they kept their relationship on the down low, but eventually, the woman found out, and added many more stitches to Makura, changing the poor girl's demeanor and leading to a brutal breakup that left Swirl mentally damaged for a long time.
Makura was then officially old enough to work as a member of Ianira's Assassins Order, becoming stone faced and emotionless. She became the "Shinigami."
PROJECT SAKURA 5 PART 1 (2027-2029)
After the Warpdrive incident (Project Sakura 4, Makura was not involved), the Assassins Order started to commit more and more atrocities against humanity. Swirl, now a member of the Hero Association, was the main lead on the Assassins Order case, eventually running into the mysterious "Shinigami" and her fellow elite assassins.
These other assassins are actually inanimate puppets, failed test subjects from Ianira's research who died. Ianira has reanimated "copies" of these people, imitating their personalities. The puppets could still grow and develop as actual people, but once Makura proved worthless to her, she killed them all off.
Swirl eventually learns that the "Shinigami" is Makura, and Makura gains leverage over the heroine, taking advantage of her mind by psyching her out (from Ianira's influence). Makura was becoming less like herself and more like the "Shinigami" mask that she was forced to put up. Their exchanges were common for a time, and eventually led to Swirl's eventual kidnapping and brainwashing to work as a member of the Assassins Order. This period lasted for 2 years.
During this period, Makura saw what Ianira was doing to Swirl--how the girl began to lose the light in her eyes and believe every single lie that Ianira was feeding her--and began to recognize the parallels. It's at this point that Makura first develops the urge to break free. Swirl's always been her polar opposite as the daughter of the Goddess of Light and Life, Lynette Sakura, but after seeing this, she couldn't bring herself to let it go on for any longer.
Makura goes behind Ianira's back and assists the Hero Association (Spiral and Co.) in their mission to bring Swirl back, finally earning her freedom. It's a little confusing, however--how is she going to remove the strings that held her under the woman's control?
PROJECT SAKURA 5 PART 2 (2029-???)
Makura reforms and lives in the Hero Association dormitories as a freelance/vigilante hero. She's forcefully ripped out all of the strings that Ianira had on her body, so now her skin is littered with large, rough scars.
While Makura is now beginning to thrive, gaining popularity as a hero (since nobody knew "Shinigami's" true identity), Swirl is now suffering, on the receiving end of all of humanity's hatred for her time as an Assassin. Makura and Ceri (Swirl's girlfriend) primarily help Swirl work through this rough patch, only contributing to Makura's redemption arc.
Along with the scars on her body, though, removing the strings came with another price--Makura lost most of her control over her hemokinesis abilities, so now she has to start all over and build her abilities back from the ground up. It's another part of her struggle, but she learns how to use her abilities to help others instead of hurt them. It takes a while for all of the members of the Hero Association to accept her, but once they do, Makura knows for sure that she's found her new home.
But what of Emi Tsumi, her mother?
Well, Makura and Emi's relationship becomes...quite complicated. Emi is proud of her daughter for taking the stand and going against Ianira's control--she'd rather have her daughter develop the powers on her own than artificially--but she's quite disappointed now that she's working alongside those "damned goddess' offspring" (Emi and Lynette have a terrible relationship, more on that in another post or something). She still loves her child, but she doesn't show it as often anymore.
Makura can visit Emi and Shiro by visiting the abandoned ruins of the old village that she used to live in. Their spirits still reside there, along with the spirits of the other deceased who ended up in Hell (Ankoku was one of the rare few among them who went to Heaven). It's the only connection she still has to her old life, a fleeting memory.
Okay, that was pretty much Makura's whole story/timeline/lore summarized to all Hell! I tried to include as much as I could without boring anybody, sorry if I lost you all halfway through 😅
Makura also plays a semi-important role in the next generation stories (Project Sakura 6 and Project Sakura 7) but it's not a major part of her lore or anything I felt I needed to include here.
!! All of this could be subject to change whenever I feel like it, but this is all I have solidified for now! If you want to ask questions, please go ahead !!
And if you want to hear about another character, give me some asks! Asking about these guys is the best way to learn about them (especially through the asks box :3 )
