APPLICATION :: VATHEON
APPLICATION
[ Player Name ] : Jake
[ Personal LJ ] : barrelrolls
[ Age ] : 20
[ Timezone ] : Central
[ Other Characters ] : N/A
[ Character's Name ] : CAPTAAAAAAAAAAAIN Minamitsu Murasa
[ Character's Age ] : Over 1000 years old, looks about 14.
[ Series ] : Touhou Project
[ Canon Point ] :Post-UFO (Unidentified Fantastic Object)
[ History ] :
HERE is her Touhou Wiki page, but it's pretty jumbled/sparse/has other information spread out all over the rest of the site, so I'll write up a couple paragraphs anyway. Also, since ZUN is a professional troll that rarely gives any of his characters a proper backstory, I'll supplement this section with headcanon indicated by italics.
In the distant past, a group of humans voyaged across a great ocean on a ship. The captain, a tough and capable man, had brought along his daughter Minamitsu to continue teaching her all about sailing. But, as is often the case at sea, the weather turned violent without warning; the ship was hurled into a black squall. Confusion and hysteria took hold of the passengers and the young girl lost sight of her father. Somehow, her feet became entangled in the anchor rope. As she tried to free herself, the ship rocked and the anchor tumbled over the side, dragging her along. Minamitsu fell overboard and drowned in the sea. But because she died full of attachment to the mortal world, Minamitsu simply became a ghost instead of passing on and was cursed to be bound to the ocean that she had drowned in. Consumed by rage at losing everything, she vented her misery by destroying passing ships and finding a cruel sort of fun in doing so. Humans began to deeply fear her, their terror turning her into a full youkai - a demon. They took to calling her "Murasa" (a name based on her original one, whatever it once was) and sought to restrict her freedom. Murasa continued to capsize any and all ships that came too near, fueled by anger and spite and despair.
This continued for years until, one day, her slaughter was brought to an end. The humans who were afraid of Murasa had called upon Byakuren Hijiri, a Buddhist monk of great magical power, to exterminate the hateful ghost once and for all. By now having grown used to feeding on the terror of humans and growing stronger with each ship she sank, Murasa was pleased by the challenge. Byakuren was very well-known, so Murasa saw the encounter as a chance to greatly increase her status as a youkai by sinking the monk's ship. However, there was another, secret reason for wanting to increase her power and reputation this way: she thought that perhaps, if she succeeded in sending Byakuren to the bottom of the sea, she'd become strong enough to seek out and attack a human that could free her from the ocean she was bound to. A few days later, Byakuren purposely sailed her ship into the waters that Murasa haunted. She wasn't alone; there were a few other humans with her. Murasa went at her with all of her strength, thinking that she'd need it to destroy the monk. But Byakuren seemed defenseless and responded only as a normal human would, and before Murasa could have second thoughts the ship was already sinking, its passengers floundering in the water. But Murasa only felt discouraged. She had been expecting more from Byakuren, and there was "no pride" in defeating someone who was actually so weak.
It was just as she thought this that Byakuren reappeared, floating above the ocean by the most unbelievable means; she had created a new, shining boat from her own powers. Furthermore, it wasn't the ship that Murasa had just sunk but a recreation of the very vessel from which Murasa had fallen overboard. Byakuren had figured out something about Murasa that Murasa herself hadn't - the ghost had been searching for her old ship all this time. Despite Murasa's past misdeeds, the monk extended her hand and offered the ghost the chance to be captain of the Palanquin ship - an act that freed Murasa from the curse of the ocean. Now, flash forward a few hundred years; Byakuren Hijiri, for all her efforts to get humans and youkai to co-exist peacefully, has been sealed away by humans, as was anything else associated with her; this included Murasa and the Palanquin ship. Another few hundred years would pass before Utsuho Reiuji would create the geyser that would accidentally expel the sealed youkai, the ship and Byakuren to the surface. When Murasa came to and realized that Byakuren was still sealed, she made a pledge to be the savior this time.....using the Palanquin ship that Byakuren had created for her.
Leading the others, she sought out Shou Toramaru, a disciple of Bishamonten and a follower of Byakuren who had been trying to run the Myouren Temple after Byakuren's disappearance. The regret-filled Shou decided to put all of her power into bringing Byakuren back and told Murasa's group how to lift the seal that kept the monk in limbo; the band of youkai would have to use the power of Myouren, Byakuren's long dead brother. The only remnants of his magic lay in a flying treasury and floating treasures. Using her Palanquin ship, Murasa and the rest set out to find these valuables, traveling to Hokkai - a place on the edges of Makai, a world connected to Gensokyo. Along the way, Murasa and her crew were inadvertently assisted by Reimu Hakurei, Marisa Kirisame and Sanae Kochiya; three girls who, for different reasons, ended up collecting the necessary fragments of the treasures before boarding the ship and who ultimately agreed to help revive Byakuren. After many boss battles and hoopla and oh god what I don't even, Byakuren was successfully unsealed and the entire incident was brought to a peaceful close. In the end, Murasa's ship landed near the Human Village and was renovated into a popular shrine named after Myouren.
[ Personality ] :
Capable, responsible, easygoing and polite, it's almost impossible to tell at first glance that Murasa was once notorious for wrecking countless ships on a whim. Yet to those who give the ghost a closer look, Murasa may seem to be a muddle of self-contradictions. As a captain she's honest, well aware of her manners, practically unshakable and full of quiet authority......but her cheerful attitude, boundless energy and occasional brash arrogance belong more to a girl in the prime of her youth.
If you happen to find Murasa owing you one, she'll do all in her power to repay you. Just look at her steadfast loyalty to the monk who saved her from being eternally bound to the ocean and what the ghost went through to unseal her. And on that note, Murasa is a focused, driven person in her own way to the point of being a workaholic, although she might affect otherwise. She was the most proactive member of the group when it came to freeing Byakuren; the idea hadn't even occurred to Shou Toramaru, Byakuren's handpicked disciple, until Murasa suggested it.
But there are subtle hints here and there that point to Murasa not being as well-adjusted as she seems. On the character sheet for the Double Spoiler game, Murasa's description is "Miserable Depths of the Ocean". Not very cheery, huh? And in the same game, Aya Shameimaru has the following to say about the ghost: "Looks like she can't rest peacefully! I can sense unfathomable energy in the shadow of such a tragedy for this drowned spirit." Even ZUN, in his notes about her theme music, makes a comment that could indicate a certain superficiality when it comes to her amiable attitude: "I tried to give it a "captain" atmosphere, so it's a little too cool."
All this opens up the possibility that Murasa's cheerfulness isn't always a hundred percent genuine, and that there's a lot of dark, unhappy thoughts she keeps to herself. It wouldn't really be surprising if this was the case, either; she did have her life cut short by a tragedy and was then trapped in an ocean to spend several years essentially murdering humans and calling it "fun"....only to be granted a second chance and a new purpose despite her misdeeds. Byakuren's forgiveness (and acceptance) changed Murasa in a thousand and one ways - made her less angry, less despairing, less lonely - but it would just be naive to think that it could wipe clean Murasa's past, or that the ghost doesn't still harbor lingering regrets over it.
So! In essence: while she may very well have a drink or three with you (and keep your head out of the toilet later on) she won't take you into her confidence as easily as she will her cups.
[ Strengths/Weaknesses ] :
Strengths:
+ Murasa, like everyone else in Gensokyo, can fight with danmaku; non-lethal magical laser bullets....and lots of them, in pretty patterns!
+ She can fly.
+ Her signature ability is being able to cause shipwrecks, which she manages by either flooding boats with a huge amount of water or smashing them to pieces with her anchor.
+ Murasa is also incredibly physically strong; like I mentioned above, she can easily carry around a huge anchor and use it as a weapon, breaking entire ships with it.
+ She can take a pretty brutal beating.
Weaknesses:
+ For all her years, Murasa is still very much a young girl and thus isn't always the most mature, sensible or worldly person around.
+ She can be honor-bound and duty-driven to a ridiculous degree.
+ Her dark beginnings and bloody past remain uncomfortable buttons that will render her easily manipulated if pressed in the right way.
+ The setting alone will be enough to rattle Murasa's cage pretty badly on a daily basis, since the last thing she wants is to be trapped within/bound to an ocean again.
[ Other Important Facts ] :
Although everyone calls this girl "Murasa", it's not really her name. Apparently the word actually refers to a type of youkai. Yet for all intents and purposes, she'll be addressed as "Murasa."
NO GIANT FLOATING SHIP FOR THE CAPTAIN; she'll just be bringing her anchor, ladle and clothes.
[ Sample ] :
[Have a Murasa all up in your video feed! You can't see her eyes because she's pulled down the brim of her hat too far. (Why yes, that was intentional.) Her voice is calm, steady- but there's a nasty tension running under the surface and something in her face twitches.]
Well, this is new. Haven't seen an ocean from this perspective in a long, long time- how many years now? Ah, I've lost count....not like it matters. So! I guess this isn't some kind of joke, then? Hijiri could pull this off if she wanted to, but....ehhh, this doesn't really seem like "her thing". Oh, and before I forget my manners any further- I'm Captain Murasa, of the Palanquin Ship. It's not here right now, wherever here is, but that's probably for the best. I don't think that sky ships much like being underwater.
Anyway, is my crew out there? You know who you guys are, but let's get a roll call going anyway: Ichirin? Shou? Nazrin?.....Unzan? Even though I know you aren't really the talkative type....
C'mon, don't leave me hanging like this.
[ Questions? Comments? Concerns? ] : Nope!