"The falling rain surrounds me
like a gentle wave washing away"
Indie Multimuse Sideblog feat. Fatal Frame
Please read rules and muse list before interacting!
Indie, Selective, Dash-Only multimuse sideblog ft Fatal Frame Protags.
Shot and collected by Kie (She/Her)
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A study of grief, acceptance of loss, and depression. Tackling hard questions with no answers, and finding one's purpose once more in the harsh reality that this world isn't the only one.
Personal blogs, do not reblog threads or headcanons.
Make sure you read the rules before interacting!
This blog uses Beta
a note: the mun of this blog is a very shy bean. I have ADHD and am currently suffering through anxiety and depression, so my attention and activity can be rather spotty. I can also come across as blunt or rude, but please note i just don't understand a lot of socially acceptable practices thanks to some mental issues. I am not trying to be hurtful so if i say something wrong, please just calmly let me know!
@agloryofuniicorns has pulled a page out of the following Folklorist Archive!
The bandages were still wrapped around her throat, the texture alien to Fuyuhi...yet, in a way, soothing. Despite the wound having healed for the most part, Fuyuhi had not taken the bandages off. She changed them every day, spending the extra time to stare at her reflection in the mirror in the morning.
She was alive. These bandages were proof of that. Proof that her voice had been heard.
That didn't lessen the bite that her most precious thing was gone as she stood in front of Kurosawa Antiques.
A part of her, a rather large part of her in fact, blamed Yuri and Hisoka for Haruka's death. If they had only been faster. If they'd only been stronger. Haruka might have still been by her side. But Fuyuhi knew deep down that wasn't the case. Haruka had been fading away for months before she'd vanished. It had only been a matter of time.
These bandages were a testament that Fuyuhi was alive, and living in Haruka's place. Haruka had always been louder, more outgoing....so much kinder than her. Fuyuhi was timid, shy, withdrawn.....and yet she was the one who survived.
Sometimes, more often than not but she was getting better, she wished she hadn't....that Yuri had been just a minute too late. But then she felt she wouldn't have been able to face Haruka in the next life.
Taking a shaky breath, she steeled herself. Her mind was running in circles again. She'd been avoiding doing this because of that. Her mind just kept going in circles; of relief, regret, anger, acceptance....she still wasn't sure what to feel. It was hard, her heart conflicted.
She had to do this. For Haruka's memory.
Timid hands finally reached forward for the door, pulling it open and entering with hesitant steps...much like she'd done what seemed like an eternity ago.
"If I'm swallowed by the darkness... I want to fly away"
An Indie multimuse roleplay sideblog portrayal of the Fatal Frame series. Mostly focused on Fatal Frame 5: Maiden of Black Water and Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly.
Most muses are canon compliant, though some are heavily canon divergent.
Please read rules and pinned post before interacting! Follows back from forgottenluck
The following information is important about how Miu Hinasaki is portrayed on this blog. It is important to note she is CANON COMPLIANT.
This means all of her canon lore is true here. I will not shift information, nor will I shy away from what the game portrays.
Miu's existence is against nature. Her conception is dark and twisted. Though her life may not have been hard up until the point of the game, she is a very dark character.
This post will explain my interpretation of her conception, and why I personally believe it happened.
Please take this warning, and understand that I do not condone, nor promote anything that happens in her canon lore. This is fiction, though dark, and if you do not like the subject matter presented, you do not have to consume it.
There will be spoilers for Fatal Frame V: Maiden of Black Water below.
In this post there will be implications of the following: depression, survivors guilt, suicide, suicide ideation, incestual relations, death, abandonment, and disassociation. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK AND AGAIN IF YOU DO NOT LIKE THE SUBJECT MATTER DO NOT READ.
Personality
When one first meets Miu, she can seem aloof, but intelligent. She can easily shift from one type of personality to the next, seamlessly melding into the background of what is needed. She often refers to herself as 'Empty' which she says makes it easy to be whatever people want her to be.
Though she may seem like her emotions don't exist, she's actually just very good at hiding how she really feels, even to herself. She portrays herself as someone who can be anything....but in reality, she's just a scared bitter girl who wants to make sure she won't be left behind.
History
Miu, though not understanding this until the events of the game, had a very controversial birth.
Before Miu was born, her mother, Miku Hinasaki, was the victim of a curse called the Tattooed Curse. This curse was usually inflicted upon someone who suffered from immense survivors guilt, and drew it's victim into a dream world where they constantly chased after the vision of the one they lost. Miku had lost her brother, Mafuyu, a few years prior in another supernatural event. This curse caused her to tread deeper and deeper into the dream world, and almost severed her ties to the land of the living.
At the boarder of life and death, Miku met Mafuyu again....but instead of a joyful reunion, her brother scolded her. He had expected her to live on for the two of them....not to see her so soon after the events that had happened. She needed to spread her own wings, to not be overshadowed and he wasn't the rock she needed. But she didn't want that. She wanted to be with him. He had been her world for so long that she didn't feel right anymore. Convinced that she would be better off with him, than miserable in the land of the living....she didn't care if she lived or died as long as she could be with him again.
Realizing that his words would not reach her....Mafuyu instead took action. He sent her back to the land of the living forcefully, refusing her and making sure that she survived....but he also understood that if he didn't do something, she would just end back up here. His options limited....he did the only thing he could think of to try and tie Miku to the realm of the living; gave her a child.
Miku recovered, and stayed with Rei for a time, before realizing she was pregnant. She told no one what had transpired during the coma....but it became obvious to the rest of the house within a few months. Rei had done so much for Miku, but this was not something she wanted to burden the woman with....so 6 months into her pregnancy, Miku left Rei's house and struck out on her own. It was hard, she'd never been on her own before....and every day she lamented the fact she was alive and her brother wasn't.
The Child's birth was hard on Miku. Due to the supernatural and abnormal conception of the child, Miku fell very ill before her due date. She barely made it through the delivery, but somehow managed to pull through it. Yet, as it had taken so much out of her, she was in and out of consciousness for the first few days. Normally this would have spelt disaster; since she was not allowed to meet with her child, unable to form the bond needed of parent and child....
But the moment she saw her child, Miku fell in love with her. She named the child Miu, and realized what it was that Mafuyu had tried to do for her. For the first few years of Miu's life, Miku worked very hard for the small girl. She took various jobs to make sure Miu was provided for, and cared for her deeply.
However, the conception and birth of Miu had taken everything out of Miku. She did research on the phenomenon that had taken her, had given her Miu, and learned that Miu was what was known as a "Shadow Born"....a child conceived of spiritual and material nature. Unfortunately, since the child did not have the energies of the father that it normally would have....during gestation, Miu had taken more energies from Miku than her body could handle...
Miku was dieing. Giving birth to Miu had drastically cut her life down.
Once Miku knew that, her thoughts drifted back to Mafuyu. And eventually, when Miu was about 5 years old, Miku left her. Vanished without a trace after dropping Miu off at an orphanage with nothing more than a photo of herself.
Miu grew up in that orphanage, the feeling of abandonment never leaving her. It did not help that because of her birth, she could see the Spirit World almost perfectly. She was a being with one foot in the Spirit World, and one foot in the Material World....and it showed. She would often become scared of rooms and buildings due to the things she could see. This led to her being passed over for adoption many times due to her odd behavior.
Eventually, she learned that this wasn't normal, and started to hide her sight from the world. Her quest for approval grew manic, and she began to abandon what made her, well...her. Becoming what others around her wished her to be.
She was never adopted, but instead was Scouted by a model agency. She felt it was a perfect fit, due to how Empty she was. It also paid very well and sent her to school, so she was able to save up money. As soon as she had enough, she launched an investigation....
The abandonment that her mother put her through...she wanted to find Miku and ask her why...and she felt that Miku was still alive somewhere.
Events of Mt. Hikami
Miu had found Hisoka Kurasawa via word of mouth, and called her up to do an investigation on her mother. Hisoka did a reading, but when she had found that the Trace went up Mt. Hikami....advised Miu to drop the search due to knowing the history of the mountain and that Miku was likely deceased. Miu ignored this advice and searched the mountain herself.
She nearly ended up a Pillar herself, cornered by the malicious spirits that coveted her Spiritual Abilities.
A young girl had come to her rescue, pulling her from the Black Water and into the light. Pulled her out of the darkness and pit of despair into the arms of hope. She introduced herself as Yuri, Hisoka's assistant who had come up the mountain looking for Hisoka since she'd gone missing. Dazed and disoriented, Miu followed Yuri back down the mountain....where she fell into a deep sleep.
Dreaming of the foggy memories of her mother's touch and pale skin. Dreaming of the time at the orphanage, the emptiness of modeling. It was then that she felt the same power as her own; as Yuri accidentally intruded on her own memories and sleep. Instinctively, she reacted, turning that power on Yuri, and seeing the other girl's past instead.
Her heart hurt instantly. So similar yet so different....Yuri had lost her whole family, left alone in a similar way to Miu. But instead of comforting the other girl, habit caused her to push Yuri away.
Shortly after, Yuri vanished up the mountain. Lured by the spirits there and the sunset's glistening hues. Being left behind again hurt....and it caused Miu to really think about things.
Yuri had read her thoughts, her feelings on accident. Miu had turned and read the other's instead, and felt a kinship to the girl. They'd both lost everything, both held a power that those around them thought taboo. She could see the memories of Yuri in the doctor's office sobbing over the things she saw and being told they were just in her mind....and thought back to the time in the orphanage when Miu was told the same.
Miu came to a conclusion. Even if her mother wasn't on the mountain, Yuri was. Someone who could understand her was finally in sight and Miu wasn't going to let that go. She took the Camera Obscura that Yuri had left behind and made her way back up the mountain to save Yuri.
Along the way, she realized that her mother really had come up here. But for the first time, she pushed that thought back and focused her efforts on finding Yuri. For all she knew, her mother was long dead....as it had been years since she'd even been seen. But Yuri had been alive not hours ago. Miu located Yuri just in time...as the girl had been possessed and was attempting to drown herself. Desperately, Miu plunged into the lake, yanking Yuri back to shore...begging her not to leave. Vengeful spirits rose in anger at loosing their prey, chasing them down the mountain.
On the way back, she finally confided and told Yuri about her abilities. She apologized that she'd been so snippy and harsh, that she'd just learned over the years that she needed to keep people away in order to protect herself. She told Yuri that she'd had these powers since she'd been born, instead of gaining them through trauma...and as such things were so much clearer to her. Yuri accepted her apology...and the two sat in quiet comfort, enjoying the company of each other...of someone else who understood.
But when they got back to the shop, Yuri surprised Miu. Stubbornly, the other girl stated she would have to go back up the mountain. Her teacher was up there. She knew her teacher was up there....and she couldn't leave Hisoka alone. Miu understood...it had been the same reason why she'd gone after Yuri. Miu did not try to stop Yuri....instead, they worked together, prepared together. For Miu knew she needed to go back up the mountain herself.
The two of them ventured back up the mountain once preparing themselves, and then split paths. Miu was confident that Yuri would not falter in her own goal, and Miu needed to at the very least know the truth about her mother.
Miu knew her mother was up on the mountain somewhere. Be it as a Pillar, or as a body...she wasn't sure. Eventually though, she managed to find the box in which her mother had been placed...guarded by a haggard old shrine maiden. With tenacity, she managed to defeat the spirit, and pulled her mother from the box, guiding her down the mountain.
Miku was confused, dazed and unsure of what was going on....but alive. And did not seem to have aged a day since the fuzzy memory Miu had of her. Miu felt elated. She'd finally found her mother after all this time. After everyone telling her that she'd been abandoned, her mother was dead and so forth. Still, she couldn't help but feel angry at her mother for leaving her. She had so many questions for Miku...but upon returning to Kurosawa Antiques, she was too exhausted to ask them.
When she awoke again, her mother had vanished again...presumably back up the mountain. Anger filled Miu, and she ran after her. She was stopped by the same old maiden from before....who told her that her mother had chosen this fate, that she would make a good Pillar herself due to being a Shadow Born. But Miu refused. She fought back, and followed the traces of her mother using her power.
That power had a side-effect though. The lament of her mother was palpable in the air due to that power....and Miku's inner thoughts were laid bare for Miu to read. She learned of the regret Miku held, the deep longing for her family, how she felt abandoned by her brother after his sacrifice and ultimate refusal of her. Miu finally understood why her mother had left.
Miku had known her time was limited after Miu's birth. So instead of waiting to waste away and put Miu through so much pain....Miku chose to become an everlasting pillar so that she could choose her own death and be with her brother once more. Miku figured that instead of strengthening the area of Mt. Hikami, she would help Mafuyu strengthen the Hell Gate at Himuro Mansion, supporting him in his decision to support Kirie.
Miu finally understood. She was still angry....but she understood. As she caught up with Miku, she realized that Miku was only a shell of what she once was...her spirit barely holding on. Even still, Miu wanted to be selfish, and begged her mother to not leave her again. To cherish the amount of time they had left, together. Miku agreed, telling Miu that she was sorry that she put Miu through so much and that she wasn't going to leave again.
They returned to the Antique shop shortly after.
Playable Verses
Miu's only playable verse is her canon one. She continues her job as a model, but sticks near Kurosawa Antiques so that she may support Yuri, feeling a kinship with the girl. She also takes care of her mother, Miku.
Personal Triggers and Triggering Content
Miu is a very steadfast person, and doesn't really have a lot that triggers her. However, she has abandonment issues, and if she gets close to someone she will not want to be separated from them.
Triggers that may pop up when interacting with her: Abandonment, Suicide, Incestial Relations from her past, death idealization
Chitose does not have a set height, but it is believed that she was roughly around 6 years old when she died.
Through context clues we get through her diary and other literature throughout the village, It is heavily implied that Chitose was not particularly liked by her father.
There for she was likely mistreated. She spent most of her days in her room because she could not see very well, and easily got lost whenever she did venture out of it. This led her to be slightly reclusive and scared of the unknown.
All these factors indicate that while she was 6 years old, she likely was stunted due to lack of sunlight, good nutrition, and exercise.
The average height for a 6 year old is about 3'7"-3'11". But due to being stunted, I've decided to put Chitose at a wopping 3'2"-3'3".
He's absolutely soaked when he makes it back to his room at the inn. Unfortunately, his notebook seems to be soaked as well, so he's going to set it on the table to dry and get some much needed rest.
The following information is important to how Fuyuhi will be portrayed on this blog. Fuyuhi is heavily CANON DIVERGENT, so please read all the information here in order to be able to understand what is going on in her universe.
Below, there will be spoilers for Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water, please go forward at your own risk.
In this post there will be implications and mentions of suicide and depression. Read at your own risk.
Personality
Fuyuhi is a timid girl. She is extremely soft spoken, and her voice often goes unheard by the majority of people around her. As such, she has a lot of confidence issues. She tends to cling to anyone who is willing to hear her, will pay attention to her, and is easily swayed into doing things that she otherwise wouldn't do in fear of being left out.
Due to her confidence issues, she often feels like she isn't worth being around, or worth the time....and that people would be much happier, if they even noticed, if she was dead or gone.
History
Fuyuhi came from a relatively high standing family. She was able to go to good schools, and had very little want in life. However, she was a middle child, having an older sister who was extremely loud, and a younger brother who was also loud. Her household was often times very loud, and she became overstimulated very easily.
Fuyuhi found solace in Haruka, a girl from her school. They met very early, in kindergarten, and had been fast friends ever since. They grew up together, extremely close, and often times you would not see one without the other. Haruka gave Fuyuhi the attention she craved, and Fuyuhi gave Haruka the validation that she wanted.
Haruka's life wasn't far different than Fuyuhi's, though she was an only child. A lot of pressure to succeed was put on Haruka, while Fuyuhi had very little pressure due to being a middle child. As such, Haruka was easily influenced by those around her, whether it was to succeed or other things.
The two clung together for years, you could not find one without the other. Fuyuhi even stayed over at Haruka's house while there were renovations going on at her own....though her parents never realized since Fuyuhi was so soft spoken.
During their second year of high school, they made friends with a group of girls; Chiaki, Tsuyuno, and Natsuho. On the outside, the whole group just seemed like very close friends....but that was far from reality. Though they were close, all the girls had some sort of problem in their life. Similar to Haruka, Tsuyuno had a lot of expectations put on her to succeed the family business. Natsuho's mother was a model, so she had a lot of appearance insecurities. Chiaki had an abusive older brother who would taunt her and hit her.
One day while visiting the mountain, Chiaki became possessed by one of the Tainted Guardians after witnessing a suicidal drowning by accident. She returned to her friends and convinced all of them that their problems would be solved if they just....disappeared. Already believing her family would be better off if she died, Fuyuhi easily was swayed into taking part.
So all of them went to the mountain, and attempted a group suicide by drowning. Yet, by some miracle.....both Fuyuhi and Haruka survived.
This only served to strengthen Fuyuhi's complex, that she could do nothing right, couldn't even die right. But Haruka calmed her, and said that eventually, when the time was right, the two of them would go together. That it probably did not work because it wasn't just them. Fuyuhi believed her....but it didn't stave off the survivors guilt that ate away at her. She became even more reserved and quiet.
Both her and Haruka started frequenting Kurosawa Antiques and Cafe. Haruka enjoyed getting her fortune told from time to time, and the two of them would sit and have tea or coffee.
But then Haruka disappeared one day, and no matter what....Fuyuhi couldn't find her. No one listened to her. No one heard her. Her best friend, her light and life and vanished....and in her eyes...no one seemed to care.
The Events of Fatal Frame V: Maiden of Black Water
Haruka had only been missing a few weeks when Fuyuhi had put in the missing person request to Hisoka. She called, she wrote, she messaged....and did everything in her power to get in touch with Hisoka....But when she had gone to the cafe the next time, intending to ask Hisoka directly, instead she found Yuri.
Fuyuhi was frustrated. Distraught, even. First Haruka, and now Hisoka was missing. In a rare bout of confidence....or possibly desperation, Fuyuhi decided to look for Haruka herself. No one else seemed to want to even spare a moment. Haruka could be in a lot of trouble, hurt, stranded even....because Fuyuhi refused to believe that Haruka would break her promise, and leave her behind.
But upon reaching Mt Hikami.....she became lost, and confused. She wandered aimlessly, following her gut feelings until somehow Yuri found her. Someone had found her. Someone had cared enough to come looking for her. It was the first time someone other than Haruka had seemed to even care for her, and Fuyuhi was stunned. Dumbfounded. Yuri insisted that it wasn't safe on the mountain by herself, that it would be best if Fuyuhi waited at the Antique Shop for Hisoka to return and that they'd all look for Haruka together.
It left a warm feeling in her chest. She agreed. Besides, it would do no good to get lost on the mountain alone after dark. It was a good plan.....
But then a feeling struck her. A tug at her heart, one she normally only felt around Haruka. Everything around her vanished as her mind singled in on that one thought, and without realizing it she'd wandered away from Yuri. Wandered wherever that tug wanted her to go.
Ever since they were little, Fuyuhi had been able to tell where Haruka was. It was how she knew her friend was on Mt. Hikami. And now she felt it again.....
Yet, where that led her was not to Haruka. Instead, she found herself in a small forest clearing. Had she been following Haruka? Where as Yuri? Startled at how she'd come to this spot, she shuffled around and knocked into something metal.
A Tanto Blade. Old, Rusted. What was it doing there? Picking it up though....proved to be a mistake. For when she looked back up, a scene was playing out in front of her. A woman, dressed in a shrine maiden's kimono but with a rather strange headdress and blindfold on stood off to the side, and in front of Fuyuhi was a woman in a white kimono with a snowflake pattern. She was crying, sobbing her grievances to the mountain; about how no one cared for her, how her husband had cheated on her and there was nothing left for her. How she had come all the way here to do this.
And then she slit her own throat.
The action chilled Fuyuhi to the bone.....and yet she couldn't look away. How fascinating it was to watch that white kimono turn red. How would it feel to have it happen to her own dress? How would it feel to have that blade do the same to her? She'd be free, finally. No more looking for--
Fuyuhi instantly snapped to attention, realizing almost too late that she'd been possessed by the very spirit she'd just witnessed. But though she knew she was possessed, it was harder than she thought to stop her body from moving on it's own. The blade she'd picked up was being forcefully raised by her arm to her throat, and in a panic her other hand came up to grip the blade. It cut into her hand, but her other arm wouldn't stop.
She cried out, begged for help....but she was alone. She knew she was alone. And in that moment, she realized that she did not wish to die. Even if it was by Haruka's side.....she didn't want to die. She wanted to live, live with Haruka. Grow old with Haruka. Not die. Not here. Not now. But she couldn't stop it. Her body wouldn't listen to her. The blade reached her throat....and she was sure.
It was over.
The pain came....but death did not. There was a frantic voice, pressure being applied to the wound, but she was not dead. She had been saved. In the delirium of shock and blood loss, she found that the person who had saved her was Yuri. She'd managed to find Fuyuhi in the nick of time and though she was injured....she was alive.
Fuyuhi was rushed to the hospital, where she stayed for a few weeks, under the constant supervision of nurses and staff. During the first few days, she was in bad shape. Blood loss had required her to have a transfusion, and it left her delirious. However, during that time....she definitely remembered something strange.
Haruka had visited her hospital room. Fuyuhi remembered it was strange because Haruka had been sopping wet. Like she'd been in the rain all night. Her appearance had been disheveled, the makeup she always took such care in putting on running down her face. But she was smiling. She told Fuyuhi that she was so glad. So glad that Fuyuhi was alive. That she was proud of Fuyuhi for fighting, for looking for her even if she was never found.
"The truth is, I was hiding a secret from you. That day we survived....I knew you didn't see what I did. You didn't see the sunset the same way I did. And that's okay. That just means that you're going to be okay. You're going to keep fighting. Fighting for the both of us. That's what I want, okay? You have to keep fighting. Make your voice heard, just like you did this time. You can do it now."
Only a few days later did Yuri visit her hospital room to tell her that they had found Haruka. That she was already dead when they had found her. The news, despite having an inkling that it was going to happen due to the delirious dream she'd had, devastated Fuyuhi. But the words echoed in her head....and she decided.
She would keep living. She would live for the both of them....it might not be the best life, she knew that. But....Haruka had asked her to keep fighting. Even if it was hard...all she had to do was remember that.
Playable Verses
Fuyuhi only has one playable verse on this blog, and that is her canon divergent verse. Where she lives instead of being killed by the ghosts on the mountain.
In this verse, she has a massive scar on her neck that she normally hides with either a choker or a scarf. She also has trouble talking at a loud volume due to this injury. There is also a scar on her hand where she attempted to stop the possessed blade.
Personal Triggers and Triggering Content
Fuyuhi is triggered by heavy rain. She will stop what she's doing, and go to a window and sing the song that her and Haruka sang as children...and she will not stop until she has either passed out, the rain has stopped, or she can no longer see and hear it.
Being ignored or overlooked can cause her self-confidence issues and depression to become more apparent. She will withdraw into herself and quit trying to talk.
Triggers that may appear while interacting with Fuyuhi: depression, suicide, survivors guilt, attempted suicide
The following information and post will go over how Yuri is portrayed on this blog. She is Canon Compliant, as there is no big variation how one gets the endings....as well as the fact that she dies in the bad ending. The Only variance is the events with Fuyuhi, as Fuyuhi is canon divergent.
There will be major spoilers for the game play and story of Fatal Frame V: Maiden of Black Water.
There will be heavy themes of suicide and survivors guilt in this post, please bear this in mind when you read.
Personality
Yuri is rather soft spoken, but not necessarily reserved. She's naturally curious about those around her, but terrified of getting too close. When meeting new people, she can sort of stutter, and seem very flighty
At one time, Yuri was quite popular in her school. She was very outgoing and often tried new things. But after the event of loosing her entire family, she became withdrawn and depressed. She is still prone to bouts of depression, especially when viewing happy families.
History
Yuri grew up with her family in one of the many towns that bordered Mt. Hikami. She was very happy, the elder sister to a young brother, and doted on by her parents. She was popular at school, had many friends, and was, by all accounts, a very normal child.
That all changed in the blink of an eye when she and her family were involved in a rather bad traffic accident. A head-on collision from a runaway bus hit their vehicle. Yuri was the only survivor of her family, and even she barely made it out alive, she was in a coma for a few months.
When she woke up, the world was very different to her. She had to navigate living on without her family, but also something else. Since she had come so close to dieing, she developed a sixth sense, an ability to see the realm of the dead that moved along side the realm of the living. Ghosts, spirits, and the like that were trapped between this world and the afterlife....she could see them all. It terrified her to the point where she was once again hospitalized.
Her social life plummeted, she became reserved, teased, bullied. She went from the popular girl with lots of friends to the freak who could see the dead. No one reached their hand out to her, no one was there to help her through this dark moment, she had lost everything.
Her doctor put her on some medication, and she finally snapped, and lied, saying it was working. That she wasn't seeing anything anymore. She began to deny her sight, in a desperate attempt to regain some sense of normalcy. It worked to an extent.....but with no one to lean on, she couldn't keep it up.
She'd given up, and distanced herself from what few of her peers stayed by her side. And finally, she vanished without saying much of anything. A few days passed, and one of the girls from her school contacted Hisoka Kurosawa, who specialized in finding lost items and people. Against her better judgement, Hisoka took on the request, and went to look for the missing Yuri.
And found her moments before disaster.
Yuri, who had given up living in a world that was constantly scaring her, hurting her....had climbed Mt Hikami and was standing on a cliff, ready to step off. Be it luck or fate, Hisoka managed to stop her in time, and took her home with her.
There wasn't much Hisoka could do to heal Yuri's shattered heart, except offer a warm drink and a place to stay so she wouldn't be alone. Yuri took her up on that, and over time they grew quite close. Hisoka took her as an apprentice, after learning that Yuri had a talent in Shadow Reading.
The Events of Fatal Frame V
Yuri had been under Hisoka's care for a few years, settling in to the shop Hisoka ran, and training her budding sight. The two of them accepted a job by a man named Ren Hojo, who was a consistent customer of Hisoka's. She told Yuri once that the man was the descendant of a very influential spiritualist, who created a lot of the items that they used in Shadow Reading and documenting the spirit world....but because of that he was often targeted by spirits. Usually it was simple things; missing items or a lead on whatever he was researching at the time. This time it was both.
Ren had come across a Post-Mortum picture, or a photo of a dieing woman dressed as a bride. It was a custom native to the area of Mt Hikami, called Ghost Marriages; where shrine maidens would be given a husband to help them finish their duties in the other world and lonely or terminally ill men could have a married life in death. But the picture Ren had found was one of a set, and he had asked Hisoka to find the rest.
It had been a relatively easy job, so Hisoka let Yuri take the lead on it. She believed that the progress Yuri was making...both in Shadow Reading, and healing her own heart, was enough to let her attempt something on her own. And while they did find the rest of the photos....Hisoka learned that the scars on Yuri's heart were still very deep after the girl was attacked by a vengeful spirit. Luckily Yuri was able to drive it away....but the fear on her face and in her body was enough to make Hisoka realize she'd made a mistake.
After that, Hisoka did not take Yuri on any more jobs....and then vanished almost without a trace, leaving Yuri to run the store on her own. It's not a hard job, but it is....boring for Yuri. The shop didn't get too many customers, after all. She never did handle being along for too long well, and this was no different.
A customer does show up, though. A young lady named Fuyuhi, who had sent messages to Hisoka with requests to find her friend Haruka. When the girl learns that Hisoka has been away, she resolves herself to find her friend on her own, intending to head to Mt Hikami where she believed Haruka was. Unable to sit still any longer, and unwilling to let Fuyuhi go alone, Yuri follows behind, intent on bringing the girl back. She finds Fuyuhi, but also finds hints of Hisoka being up on the mountain......getting distracted and loosing sight of the other girl.
A sinking feeling in her chest, she searched intently for Fuyuhi, and spots her....but is almost too late. She watched as a spirit attempted to posses the girl, attempted to have her slit her own throat, and almost succeeded had it not been for a quick thinking attack with the Camera Obscura from Yuri. She managed to fend the spirit off, but there was damage done; while the knife had not hit anything vital, it had left a massive cut along Fuyuhi's neck. Yuri abandoned everything else, and quickly managed to get Fuyuhi down the mountain and too a hospital.
Once sure that Fuyuhi was safe, and under the supervision of the hospital, Yuri returned to Mt. Hikami to look for not only Hisoka, but also Haruka. Using a token she found in Haruka's file in Hisoka's room....she manages to locate Haruka in a reliquary under the Doll Shrine...but she is dazed and confused. When told that Fuyuhi was okay, alive and in the hospital waiting for her, Haruka began to weep, and claimed she couldn't bear to face Fuyuhi now, now that she had attempted to leave her behind. Yuri had no choice but to take her back to the shop and let her rest there. But Yuri did not rest well herself. Now knowing there were people that could be saved, she dug in Hisoka's room, in her files, to find all of the files she could....hoping that by finding the people that Hisoka had been looking for, she would find Hisoka.
The next morning, Yuri wakes to find that Haruka has vanished once again, and sets out to find Haruka, and the other case file Miu Hinasaki. While she does not find Haruka, she does find Miu and gets her back to the shop safely. While Miu is resting, Yuri noticed she seemed to be having a nightmare, and wondered if her abilities could help....and attempted to view the nightmare...only to find that Miu also seemed to have the same abilities that Yuri did, only stronger...having her own power turned against her. Shocked, Yuri jerked away, embarrassed and too dumbfounded to explain herself to Miu's harsh tones.
Still, Yuri was glad that she was able to save another person. But the Mountain now had a grip on her. It's power sank into her, and called to her own power, transfixing her and leading her away. She wasn't even aware of it until she felt a hand grip her arm harshly....coming too in the middle of a lake, Miu desperately clutching her arm and begging her not to keep going. Furious that it had failed, the vengeful spirit of a bride named Ouse Kurosawa rose from the water, and chased the two back down the mountain.
In the cable car that had taken them up the mountain, Miu finally speaks, apologizing for snapping at Yuri the night earlier. She explained that unlike Yuri who had gained her ability after the trauma of loosing her family and nearly dieing herself....Miu had always been able to see the other side. And see it far more clearly than Yuri could. She had come to the mountain looking for her mother, who had left when she was very young, and was sick and tired of being alone. The two confided in each other, brought together by the power that had caused them to be apart from the rest of the population.
Still....Yuri could not stay away from the mountain. She tried to explain it to Miu, how...she felt like Hisoka was on the other side of that lake, and that was why she had been trying to cross it....and Miu understood. Yuri returned to the mountain the next day, and managed to find a boat to lead her across the mountain lake. After much searching, she finally found Hisoka...but realized that Hisoka had become almost fully possessed by the mountain, by the spirit of a Shrine Maiden that had been entombed there. Hisoka, while possessed, still held care for Yuri, and tried to convince her to leave, to let Hisoka stay and become what was called a Pillar...but Yuri refused, fighting off the spirit and rescuing Hisoka, dragging her back to the shop.
Hisoka finally confided in Yuri, of the guilt she felt when she was unable to save people. There had been a girl, before Yuri, that Hisoka had been tasked to find. A girl that had thrown herself off the very cliff Yuri almost did. It was the reason that Hisoka had found Yuri when she did, but the guilt still ate away at her. Hearing the mother of that girl saying that it was better that way had broken Hisoka, and until that point the only thing keeping Hisoka sane had been Yuri. But once Hisoka had found out that the mountain wanted Yuri, Hisoka had set off to take her place.
Yuri finally understood why everything was happening. The mountain's pillars had failed, and it needed a person with a strong spiritual sight to correct the imbalance. Ouse had not been able to handle the painful memories of those who had died on the mountain when she became a Pillar, felt alone and scared, but still understood that she had a duty to protect the mountain. The spirit was doing it the only way it's twisted mind knew how; bring in more pillars. Now determined, Yuri set out back for the mountain, confronting Ouse with the intent on saving her as well as purifying her. Armed with the camera obscura, and her own Shadow Reading talent....Yuri fought the darkened spirit of Ouse until she was able to finally purify her by Glancing.
In the glance, Yuri saw everything. Saw all the death, all the destruction. All the pain and sorrow. Everything that the Shrine Maiden Ouse had taken in during her time as a maiden, and understood that it had been too much for the woman. But despite all the pain, there had been light for Ouse. A love that had been the only thing keeping her going all this time. She had wanted to live with him, be by his side. Not a bride in death...but a bride in life. That was what had caused her to fail in her duty, that because she had focused so much on that want to live, she had refused the pain and sorrow of those she had glanced. In the end, when she realized this, Ouse had merely wanted someone to know the pain she'd gone through. With Yuri's Glance, she was ready to fully partake in her role as a Main Pillar.
The curse of the mountain was lifted, and Yuri was left changed by the events. The pain, fear, sorrow, and death she had witnessed during all of this had strengthened her spiritual ability....and it would take time for her to get used to it. But there was....a stubbornness to her now. A determined air. She was still meek, still had problems looking at people, looking at the world around her.....but now she was willing to move forward.
Playable Verses
Yuri only has one playable verse. In this verse 90% of everything that happens in the game is canon. The only difference is that Fuyuhi survives the events of the game thanks to Yuri's quick thinking.
She is meek in meeting new people, but she's always willing to help those around her.
Personal Triggers and Triggering Content
Yuri gets uneasy during evening time, especially sunsets. She becomes antsy and often times will close blinds and windows so that she doesn't have to see the sunset.
Earthquakes can set off her Spiritual Sense.
She is easily possessed during evening and during the time after earthquakes, so she often will seek out those who have a decent spiritual ability.
Being alone for a prolonged period of time can cause her to spiral into her depression.
Potential Triggers that may appear when interacting with Yuri: depression, suicide, attempted suicide, hero's sacrifice
How did Raven always get talked into this? Why did he have to be the one to look into the so-called haunted inn in Dahngrest. Sure, it was a one person job so only one person needed to go but it seriously didn't have to be him. Next time he was going to suggest drawing straws, and it had better not be rigged.
"You aren't seriously scared are you, old man?" Yuri's voice mockingly teased.
Me? Scared? A'course not!
"Then we can leave it to you, right?" Judith hummed in that heavenly tone of hers.
Anythin' for you, Judy-darlin'~!
❝ man, i'm so dumb... ❞
Raven plopped right down on the bed, leaning back on his arms and looking around the room. Everything seemed pretty normal upon first entry but he supposed it wasn't like things were gonna jump out at him the instant he was looking for it. He's sure nothing is going to happen and he just spent a few hundred gald for no actual reason.
The guy working the front desk did seem awfully hesitant to rent Raven the room, though, even knowing he was a member of a guild. The thought sent another shiver down his spine before he shook his head and slapped his hands to his cheeks.
❝ get it t'gether, raven! ❞ He was not scared of ghosts.
He'd resign to spending his couple of nights to prove that everyone was just over reacting to something else or maybe nothing entirely. Raven checked in pretty late so he figures he could do more investigating around the room the next day and maybe get more input from other people about what exactly was going on. In his mind it seemed pretty reasonable to find the sources of what people claimed to be hearing - the bells, the rustling, the children laughing.. hopefully.
It had been so quiet lately. The people who had come in did not stay long, merely long enough to clean up the room and leave. Itsuki preferred that, if he was honest...it meant it was safer for him and his sister.
But it also led him to be lost in his own thoughts far too much.
Chitose was the opposite, she seemed to have fun in the room with so many things that were unfamiliar to her. The bed was raised, and to her astonishment the people here didn't roll it up and put it away. A little table next to it with a drawer was an amazing idea. It fascinated her, and she constantly explored and played with the various items she wasn't familiar with, her laugh echoing out.
Ah, that probably was why the people had become more scarce, Itsuki realized. But it was fine. It was new for her. New for the both of them. The boy would be lieing if he didn't admit he was interested in some of the things he'd seen.
But that didn't matter at the moment. Besides, who on earth would he even ask? He was dead, and most people couldn't really perceive him anyways.
Right now, however.....there was someone in the room. Apparently, someone had rented the room. Rented it despite knowing the rumors, it seemed. Chitose's immediate distrust of people showed as she quickly hid the moment the man walked through the door, only the slightly ajar door to the closet a reminder that she'd just been playing a moment earlier. Itsuki, however did not immediately run and hide, though he did work to stay out of immediate sight. Call it instinct, or something else...he wasn't sure. Maybe he too, held too much distrust for other people.
It had been others that had sent his brother to his death, forced a ritual upon them, and condemned an entire village....after all.
Ah. The boy shook his head slowly, he was diving too much into his thoughts again. Instead, he eyed the newcomer. An older man, seeming to be slightly unkept....but his clothing looked....familiar. Similar to a Yukata? Until now, most of the clothes had not been familiar to Itsuki, strange and outlandish. But this was something he knew. Even if it was styled different, it was familiar enough to ease some of the tension in his shoulders.
Chitose shifted in her hiding place, her little bell ringing out as she grew even more scared when the person did not leave and obviously intended to stay the night.
"Who is he, big brother? Why won't he leave? No one's been here in a while, it was safe!" her small voice hissed out, quietly as to not be heard. He wasn't sure why she continued to insist in keeping so quiet, since no one else had been able to hear them speak. But he'd play along for now.
"I don't know." He replied just as softly. "But it's okay. It'll be okay."
The Abyss did as it pleased, Itsuki had figured that much out. After the ritual had failed (though he still wished to deny it, ignore it, forget it) The village had become something.....else. Something not of the world of the living, nor....of the dead. He wasn't sure exactly what the village had become anymore. It flickered in and out of existence like a candle caught in a breeze....struggling to keep itself grounded.
That girl....she'd been so like Yae. A spitting image.....He wanted to forget. Some days, he longed for the Abyss...for the Malice to take him like it had taken so many others, to loose himself in it to where he didn't have to think anymore.
Ah.....but that would mean abandoning Chitose, and he could never do that. Not again.
Why, then, was he thinking about all of this? Right.....because the Abyss had decided that it no longer needed him and spat his soul out somewhere unfamiliar.
The little bell ringing by his side reminded him that he wasn't alone, at least.
"....Brother....what are we going to do? Where are we going to go?" His little sister voiced his own concern, tiny hand gripping at his white kimono.
He knew full well what he was....but Chitose still didn't understand. Didn't understand that they weren't a part of the world of the living anymore. He'd learned quickly what his touch could do to a person by watching from his tiny cell....but Chitose could barely see on a good day. She didn't understand.
They were dead. Spirits, and spirits must have a anchor. Itsuki's had been his cell, his determination to not let the past repeat.....but he was unclear what his sister's was. They needed to find a place to anchor themselves.
At least they were near a town. No, a city. Culture shock aside, Itsuki tried his best to figure out a safe spot for them. People couldn't really see them either, so he supposed it was a bonus on that front. But where on earth could they stay? At least for a short time?
For that, logically one would assume an Inn....so taking Chitose's hand he carefully maneuvered the two of them to what looked to be an Inn. The two of them phasing through the door and through the lobby to an empty room.
"....We'll stay here for a little while. Take care to hide yourself if I'm not here, okay? Or if someone comes in."
For a while, this was where they stayed. Itsuki wasn't blind to the fact that for the first few weeks there were many visitors to the room....but as time went on the visitors dwindled. He knew it was because of them, customers complaining about hearing the sound of a bell, or a child laughing....the sound of rustling fabric and the feeling of being watched. They were all due to the two siblings. Itsuki knew they'd have to move soon.....but he was still confused, and still trying to figure out what to do from here. Freed from the village as they were.....
At least the room was quiet most days now, even the cheap cost (that the innkeeper had lowered considerably due to the new supposed haunting) wouldn't bring many people in. They were too superstitious....it reminded him of the village.
At least, that was the way he thought it was....he wasn't expecting someone to actually rent the room.
I became good at pretending.
I became so good that after a while
the lines blurred between my truth and fiction.
And sometimes, when I did a really good job of
pretending, I even fooled myself.
The following post details how Chitose will be portrayed on this blog. She is HEAVILY CANON DIVERGENT, as in the original source material she is dead and a spirit. This post will detail what little is known about her past, my view of her past, the events of the game, and the verses that are playable.
There is potentially triggering content of the following in this post: murder, isolation, death, abandonment
Personality
Chitose is very shy. To most people, especially those she meets for the first time, she is non-verbal and chooses to hide, either running away or hiding behind her brother. New people frighten her and it takes a while for her to warm up to people other than her brothers. Since she is so shy, not many people know much about her. However, she is easily angered and often times holds on to grudges.
History
Chitose was born into the Tachibana family as a single child. However, something went wrong with her birthing, as it was very hard on her mother. As a result of a prolonged and early birth, Chitose's eyes were not fully developed. They never did develop completely, which left the child almost 75% blind.
Her world was very small, but was made brighter by her older brothers; Mutsuki and Itsuki. Chitose adored her brothers, and were the only people she really felt safe with. Her father frightened her, and her mother was ill most of the time.....the two brothers often spent time with her when they could. The two of them also gifted her a small bell that she immediately put on her wrist. This was just in case she decided to wander and got lost, or got afraid and hid....this was so that the two of them could always find her.
Then suddenly....Mutsuki went away, and Itsuki was...different. Though her eyes were not great, even she could tell when Itsuki somehow had white hair instead of black. She almost did not recognize him, hiding from him for his first few visits.
Once she had rewarmed up to him, she realized that not just his appearance had changed, but also his personality. He had become quiet....only looking at her with sad smiles and soft words. He would often come to her room and talk to himself, go over plans that made no sense to Chitose. He often spoke of the Kurosawa twins, his regret about making them go through what he has, and how he could get them out of the village. Chitose did not understand why Itsuki would want to get Sae and Yae out of the village, and she didn't understand where Mutsuki had gone.
Eventually she concluded that something the Kurosawa twins had done had caused her brother to go away and Itsuki to become sad.
A year passed and one day, Itsuki came to her room and gave her a letter. He told her that if something happened to him, his friend would come and she absolutely had to give him that letter. This was a huge important task, and she was the only one he trusted to do this.
But...only a few days later, her brother disappeared, just like Mutsuki did. Itsuki's friend came....but she was far too scared of what was going on, of strangers....that she could do nothing but hide. The village was very busy, and there were lots of people moving around, looking for something. She could see it out her window, hear the people talking. Something about the Kurosawa twins, having run away. Something about how Itsuki had helped them get out and was now paying for it.
Something about how Sae was the only one to return.
Her father came in and told her that she was to never see Itsuki again, and then left.....saying that if she wanted to blame someone, blame Yae. Yae had abandoned her role as a Twin Maiden, abandoned her sister, and abandoned the village.
Then suddenly....people were screaming. It got so very dark, and Chitose was very scared. She hid in the closet in her room, hoping that whatever was happening would pass her by. The ground shook, and she became trapped.
Desperately....she rang her bell. Rang it and hoped, prayed that someone would hear it, someone would help her.
But no one was left alive to help her.
The Events of Fatal Frame 2
Chitose did not understand that she was dead. She had died in that closet, trapped and struck down by the Repentance. What she did know was that when she became aware again, she found herself unable to leave the Tachibana House. Each time she did, she found herself back in her room.
For a long...long time, she roamed the house, hid from hostile presences, and rang her little bell.....calling out for her brothers to come and save her.
But they never answered her.
The only one who did.....was Mio. And yet, Chitose did not see this new girl as what she was, but as Yae.
Yae, the one who abandoned the village. Yae, the one who took her brother Itsuki away. Yae, the one her brother could not stop talking about. It was all her fault.
Multiple times....when her anger got the best of her, the Repentance and Malice digging in deep....she found herself attacking Mio, screaming at her to give her brother back, to accept her role.
Then she found herself in Mayu's presence. By that point, Mayu was already mostly possessed by Sae....and Chitose was scared. Scared of what Sae had become. Yae (Mio) was still what she remembered, soft and gentle but firm...but Sae had changed.
Mayu claimed that all she wanted was to be with her sister...but in order to do that, they needed Chitose's key. The one that was held by her bells. Chitose had to give Mio the key. She didn't have a choice.
Her anger bubbled away. All Chitose wanted was to be with Itsuki again. Mayu only wanted the same. Perhaps Yae couldn't be trusted....but Mayu could be. She would listen to Mayu Sae. And the next time she met Mio Yae, she allowed herself to be defeated, leaving behind the key needed.
Playable Verses
Chitose has two verses that are playable. One in which she is alive, and one in which she is a spirit.
In {The Girl in the Red Kimono}, Chitose is still a spirit that has attached itself to Mayu (Or Mio if Mayu has followed Canon). If she is attached to Mayu then she is often seen clinging to the girl's good leg by those with spiritual sight. She likes to play with balls and toys and is eternally a child. If she is attached to Mio then she is often seen hiding behind something, glaring at Mio. She attaches to either of these in order to be with her brother again, who has attached himself to Mio in an attempt to atone for what he's done. She has a dislike for Mio, who she still views as Yae at times, and will often mix up their names.
In {A Reborn Bell}, much like Itsuki she has been revived. She is adopted by Kei Amakura at the insistence of (to her surprise) Mio. Her view of Mio is still tainted, but in this verse she very rarely mixes Mio and Yae up. She enjoys the things a small child would often enjoy and is a lot more free. She's still chronically shy.
No matter the verse, she will always hold Sae in higher regard than Yae, which means she will be closer to Mayu than Mio.
Personal Triggers and Triggering Content
In most of her verses, she is a child dealing with the trauma of loosing not one, but both of her brothers...the people who she felt the closest too. As such she has separation anxiety and will become upset and sometimes hysteric if separated from Itsuki for too long.
It is good to note that she is mostly blind, and therefor far more reserved.
She is also a child, so many harder topics go over her head and she doesn't understand many of them.
Potential Triggers that may appear when interacting with Chitose: Isolation, death, anxiety, separation anxiety, blindness, tantrums, unnecessary hate
The following information is an explanation on how Itsuki Tachibana shall be portrayed on this blog. Itsuki is strictly CANON DIVERGENT, as in the original source material he is dead and a spirit. This post will go over how I perceive his past, the events in the game, and the verses that are playable. At the end there will be some trivia and possible triggers associated with my portrayal.
There is potential triggering content of the following in this post; murder, suicide, ritualistic murder, and isolation.
Personality
Itsuki is a reserved person. More so than any other muse on this blog. It's not that he's shy, he's just extremely introspective. He over thinks all of his actions, as well as the actions of those around him. He can seem a little obsessive when it comes to those around him, especially if it's someone he cares deeply for....always wanting to make sure that they are safe and cared for. However, since he is so reserved, it's hard to get a good read on his personality, and his motives.
The reality of what he's done, especially in regards to his brother Mutsuki, weighs heavily on him. It was only after the events that caused him to loose his brother that he became so introspective and quiet. He often feels like he isn't even worthy of the attention, but will look out for those around him none-the-less in a way of atoning for what he's done.
History
Itsuki grew up in the Minakami Village of the past, when it was still well populated and based so heavily on traditions and rituals. He was born as what the village considered the 'eldest' of a set of twins.
Even from a very young age, him and his brother Mutsuki were extremely close. Since they were twins, they were often avoided in either fear or reverence, and only had each other to lean on. The heads of the houses saw no issue with how close the twins were, and made sure they were very aware of their role in the future.
At first, the brothers were fully committed to their roles. Both Itsuki and Mutsuki understood the importance of what they had to do in protecting the prosperity of the village. At the age of 5, they were one of three pairs of twins; The Kiryu twins were only a few years older than them, and the Kurosawa twins were a year younger. The village, at this time, was suffering through a bad harvest, and earthquakes plagued the area. The two twins had been fairly close with the Kiryu twins....but they were suddenly isolated from the village for the upcoming ritual.
Itsuki and Mutsuki's perspective on their role and what they needed to do began to change after the Kiryu twins' Ritual. His brother had always had a softer spot for others, and the loss of Azami devastated him. Itsuki was more worried about Akane, however. The two girls had not been very old, and though the brothers were not super aware of what was going on....Itsuki could see the trauma that exhumed from the young girl. He saw how she barely moved, barely ate, cried almost constantly.
That was the first time that Itsuki wondered if he could do what he was supposed to do.
Over time, the two twins' relationship to each other grew stronger. Mutsuki fell ill one year, and Itsuki spent all his time by his brother's side. Mutsuki never fully recovered, his body was frail, and he often was confined to his room. Itsuki found that, as the years ticked by, he began to dread the Festival. He dreaded what he would have to do. He often dreamed of living his life without his brother by his side....and would wake up covered in sweat, frozen in fear and dread. Itsuki confided in his brother about all of this....about his hesitation, his reluctance to live without Mutsuki, the dread he felt....and was surprised when Mutsuki replied in kind.
However, Mutsuki had realized something that Itsuki had not. If the two of them did not complete this ritual...then Sae and Yae would be forced to do the same. If they could do this....then Sae and Yae would be able to live normal lives....since the village did not sacrifice all twins; and most who managed to live past the age of 20 were not sacrificed at all due to the belief that the love for each other had gotten too strong by that point.
When the two of them were 10, their mother gave birth to a young girl. The birth was hard, and as a result, the child born was very small and frail. The family learned by the girl's first year that she was not able to see very well...but considered it lucky that she had made it to a year and decided to name her Chitose. Both Mutsuki and Itsuki adored the small girl, and Itsuki made sure that she was cared for at all times...even going as far as giving her a bell to wear around her wrist so that if she got lost, someone would be able to find her.
The two took all measures to make sure that her, Sae, and Yae would be cared for after one of them was gone.
They had no choice, because they had to protect their younger counterparts.
So...despite their reluctance...despite the strain, the horror, the guilt....Itsuki carried out the ritual. Yet, Itsuki had always known that the ritual would fail. They had been warned early on that if they cared too deeply about each other then the Hellish Abyss would not be appeased. Itsuki loved Mutsuki with all his heart.
The ritual failed. Beset with grief, the stress of the entire event and loosing the one he cared for the most, his hair turned white. And he was struck with the horror that now, Sae and Yae would have to go through the same thing.
He vowed that he would not allow that to happen. Immediately, he wrote to a friend that he had met during his isolation period, Ryouzo...the assistant to a folklorist...asking him to come. The boy did come, bringing along his Master, Seijiro Makabe. Itsuki knew the head of the village would take the opportunity and make it to where neither of them could leave the village....but a miracle happened. Seijiro convinced the Head of the village to allow Ryouzo to leave. Before he left, he visited Itsuki and the two came up with a plan. Ryouzo would leave and make sure to set things up, and Itsuki would get both Sae and Yae to the front of the village for him to pick up.
As far as he knew....the plan went smoothly. Itsuki knew very well what would happen to him. He was caught, stalling for time as Sae and Yae ran ahead, into the wooded paths around the village. Thrown into the storehouse, confined.....he knew that the head of the village, Ryoukan Kurosawa would kill him. And he knew that...even if he did not die from that, he would die of the Repentance eventually. So he took matters into his own hands.
The Events of Fatal Frame 2
He had no idea that the Repentance would be spurred into action so quickly when Sae alone returned to the village and was ultimately sacrificed. All he knew was that he was dead, trapped in the storehouse, and unable to pass on. He longed to see Mutsuki again...but instead, he found himself guiding two young girls.
Two girls that reminded him so much of Sae and Yae that he mistook them for the two at first. He knew, since his soul was trapped in the storehouse, he could only offer them worded guidance....but maybe, maybe he could save them. Save them where he couldn't save Sae and Yae, couldn't save his brother.
Playable Verses
Itsuki has two verses that are interactable on this blog. One in which he is alive, and one in which he is a spirit.
In {The Boy In The Cell}, he is a spirit. In this verse, He has attached himself rather forcefully to Mio. He is a benevolent spirit, often helping Mio in some way or another with her day to day life. He also manages to keep other hostile spirits off of her, since after the events of Minakami Village, she has become weaker and more sensitive to the supernatural. He is amazed by how far the world has come, and will often ask her questions about various things.
In {The White Haired Twin}, Itsuki....by some stroke of fate, or magic, has been resurrected in his original state. Perhaps the Hellish Abyss took pity on the few benevolent souls within the village. Either way, he is adopted by Kei Amakura since Mio (and Mayu if alive in the rp) are adamant about never being away from him. He is thankful for this second chance....even if melancholy, since he still cannot be with his deceased brother. In this verse, both him and his little sister are present.
Personal Triggers and Triggering Content
Itsuki has self-deprecating attitudes and his death in canon was caused by suicide; he hung himself in the storehouse but could not escape the Repentance. He deals with ideals that he is not good enough, that he is a murderer since he took the life of his brother. In the verse that he has somehow come back to life, he is only held to the realm of the living as asked too by his sister and the Amakura twins (be it one or both of them)
Triggers that may appear while interacting with Itsuki: Suicide, depression, strangulation, murder
The following information is how Rei Kurosawa will be portrayed on this blog. There is no divergence in her canon, as Fatal Frame 3: The Tormented only has one extra ending. For the sake of having at least one character on this blog, this Rei will be from the extra ending. Nothing for her is changed, the only thing that is changed is Kei and Mio do not succumb to the Tattoo Curse.
Below there will be spoilers for Fatal Frame 3.
There will be mentions of death, survivor's guilt, and impalement in her story, and associated with her character. Read with caution.
Personality
Rei is a mature young woman who works in freelance photography. She is typically a quiet person, and doesn't let other people know if she's hurting or in pain of any sorts, including emotional. She keeps too herself, and puts on a facade so that people won't worry about her. She is prone to bouts of melancholy and depression, and when these hit she typically throws herself into her work. She is definitely a workaholic, and will often lock herself in the Red Room and develop picture after picture from her camera. Despite this, she is a very caring person, and is quite empathic when it comes to those she is close with. She's willing to go into the darkest of depths for her friends and family.
History
Rei's family was quite affluent growing up. She had a normal, mundane life as a child, her parents were supportive of her choices. At an early age she became fascinated with cameras and photography, finding joy in depicting every day life. However, she very rarely took pictures of people, and chose to take them of animals and scenary.
Rei went into college for freelancing photography, and it was there that she met Yuu Asou. At first they tended to butt heads, He was taking Anthropology and Folklore, which often required the Freelancing Photography classes cooperation. It took time, but they eventually grew close, with Yuu proposing at the end of their college years.
Because she was quite close with Yuu, she was also close with his good friends Mafuyu Hinasaki and Kei Amakura. All three of the men were studying Folklore and Anthropology together....but each for different reasons. Mafuyu was tight lipped, and only spoke that he was studying to help his sister out, though never really went into details about it. Kei was a little more open, saying he was absolutely fascinated by Folklore since their family had grown up in a region that was still quite superstitious.
Rei and Yuu moved into together after putting the money on a house. They'd planned on getting married quite soon, but suddenly Mafuyu went missing. Miku Hinasaki, his sister, showed up on their doorstep one day, crying and saying her brother was 'gone' but couldn't ever get up the nerve to say how he was gone, or why. Yuu admitted that Mafuyu had expected something like this to happen eventually, and that he'd asked if Yuu could look after Miku if it ever did. Rei did not mind in the slightest, and they took Miku in. Eventually the visible wounds on her heart healed, and she took her place as Rei's assistant on many photo shoots.
It was shortly after this that both Rei and Yuu were returning from a late night class. Rei had gone to pick Yuu up, since it was pouring down rain....but due to the curvy nature of the roads and the slick pavement....the car hydroplaned. In an effort to avoid a passing car, Rei jerked on the wheel hard, which caused it to flip. Rei survived the crash....but Yuu was killed upon impact.
Rei nearly lost herself in grief. It was only Miku's continuous efforts to pull her out of depression that helped her pull through. Rei felt crushing guilt since she had been the one who was driving, she had been the one to jerk on the wheel, she'd been the one who insisted that Yuu go to classes that day despite the forecast. But she refused to let Miku worry about her....so she hid what she felt.
The Events of Fatal Frame 3: The Tormented
Rei was determined to get herself back into shape, back into work....and so, one day, she and Miku went on a trip around the area to photograph supposedly haunted buildings. Most of the places they'd visited seemed to be just rumors, but gave a good excuse to get out of the house and get some decent shots of ethereal buildings. However, as they were finishing up and Rei was taking the last few pictures, she suddenly gets a vision of her deceased fiance. He was just standing there, at the edge of her vision......
Without even thinking about it, Rei dropped everything and followed him. Followed him into another world, finding herself inside a snow-covered manor that twisted and turned with each passing moment....and a strange woman who seemed to be covered head to toe in a vivid blue tattoo.
Miku brought her back to the present, and she shoved the vision off as if it had never happened, as if it had all been a grief induced hallucination.
Yet it wasn't. That night, in her dreams, she found herself back there, in that manor....beset by spirits and the strange tattooed woman. And during her waking hours, she was left cringing in pain as a similar tattoo painted itself on her skin. She'd been caught by the Manor of Sleep, weakened by her grief and desperate want to see her love again.
It wasn't long after that first night, that Rei learned that Miku was also affected by whatever curse this was. Her empathic nature allowed her to see the Manor through the eyes of Miku, and she learned she was desperately trying to find and get in contact with her brother, Mafuyu.
Unnerved and desperate, Rei reached out to Kei, to see if he had any information on this. They'd lost contact for a while due to Kei having to take in his neice after her sister vanished....but he suddenly appeared shortly after Rei sending word to him. As it turned out, his niece was also a victim of this curse.
Through their combined efforts, though tragically Kei and Mio were lost to the curse, Rei was able to understand the workings of the Manor of Sleep and it's Priestess, Reika.
Reika had been the survivor of a massive disaster, and had been sent to become a Tattooed Priestess to take on the grief and sadness of those in the region. However, she had learned to love again, which endangered her ability to perform her duty, and her love was killed in front of her eyes. This caused her to become vengeful, and pull anyone who felt survivors guilt into a warped space. All the woman wanted was to be with her love, but thought it was impossible, and so she began to inflict her own pain on those who were already hurting.
Rei found a way to cross Reika's soul to the other side, so that the spirit could be with the one she loved. But she had ventured too close to the land of the dead, and was half dead herself. It was here that she was able to meet Yuu again, who had been looking over her the entire time, protecting her. He took the cursed Tattoo from Rei, and demanded that she live, live in his place, live life to the fullest for him, and that he would meet her again when she had done so.....and that he did not blame her in the slightest for her feelings of guilt, understanding them and telling her that it was okay for her to feel like that.
Though only her and Miku survived the curse, they both finally understood that while their loved ones had been taken from them, they were allowed to keep living so that their lives could be intertwined and felt by those around them and those in the afterlife. To live for the deceased, and make their sacrifice not in vain.
Playable Verses
The only verse that currently is playable is the verse after the events of the game, where Rei has accepted Yuu's death. In this verse, Miku has left being her assistant, and she continues to persue her dream of being a popular freelance photographer.
While she has not completely gotten over her slight phobia/dislike of taking images of living people, she is starting to accept jobs with them in it. She has taken a few Wedding Photography jobs, and makes a decently good salary in order to keep up the house Yuu left her.
Personal Triggers and Triggering Content
Rei does not like the rain, and becomes depressed when it rains. If it is storming, then she is likely pacing and if the storm is too bad she may start crying. This is because she associates the rain and storms with the night that Yuu died.
Rei refuses to drive cars due to the fact that it was while she was driving that Yuu died. She can be in a car just fine, but if she's put behind the steering wheel she has panic attacks. This is the same with any drivable vehicle.
Triggers that may pop up while interacting with Rei: Death, Suicide Ideation, Loss, Survivors Guilt (more to be added as she is further developed)
