Relationships--families and toys!
Family: Misono has had a LOT of families. She remembers all of them the way you would remember your family--brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers. In very large families--like family compounds or living at Court--she might not remember specific names but she remembers the people 'third cousin, middle cousin from Auntie So-and-So's family', and the like. For the most part she has LOVED all of them...in the way, again, that any human loves their family. She has had homes that were not happy and families that she has not loved. There were a few that were downright bad.
She HAS left families of her own accord--but she has not, and probably WILL not, do so without somebody to go to. She cannot be without family for more than a couple of weeks.
She has been given to other families at some points in her life. It's rather like when you join two families by marrying off some of the children to each other--transferring Misono between two houses as a measure of respect, goodwill, and bonding means they didn't actually have to marry the children off. Misono approved each transfer because, well, she's a loon and found it kind of exciting.
Given that she remembers them all there are times she will think of them or reference them.
Mentioned so far (in mostly chronological order):
Third-Mama: Third Mama was the person who gave her a birthday.
Chichiue-sama: The leader of one of her earliest families. He was a master paper maker and is the reason why Misono loves the smell of the library. He's also the reason she's picky about paper.
Kouetsu-niichan: Is actually Hon'ami Kouetsu, a famous master calligrapher among many, many other things. He taught her to write (mostly to keep her out of the family swords).
Old Grandma: Old grandma was the oldest of the women in a minor branch of the Hatakeyama family. She told Misono that living on happily means carrying what you've loved inside of you. Her final instruction to Misono was to live on happily no matter what.
Asakura-daimyou. Asakura was family she lived with in Kyoto post-Onin War. The daimyou himself taught her specifics about 'bad things' and how to deal with them. Essentially, he helped her hone her innate ability to recognize 'that which intends to harm' to a very sharp point. It's for this reason that she can not only sense but also identify different magical beings.
Genuemon: The young man who brought her to America. They came by boat and it was a long trip. Genuemon bought Vampire Baby for her--in part because she had to leave almost everything she owned behind in Japan when they came across and in part because he was dying and did not want to leave her all alone.
Sayuri: A stripper she lived with in the late seventies/early eighters. She accompanied Sayuri-chan to work every night to keep her safe. She might have picked up some skills. Or some really twisted ideas. Who knows. Sayuri was, until Yesung, the last family she had who loved her. Sayuri eventually met/dated/married a man named Tomohito and he loved her too.
Mackenzie Okada: The woman she lived with at the start of the game. She called Nino to exorcise her. Misono had followed Mackenzie's grandparents to her home and just stayed--it's not like either of them wanted to be together. They didn't get along and Misono often felt lonely with her. But she still cared about her and loved her and believed that things would get better.
Toys: Misono does not actually have a lot of toys. There are several reasons for this but it can be boiled down to two main reasons: 1. She needs time to bond with each toy and wants it to feel special. 2. She can't actually be trusted in a toy store by herself. She's aware of this fact.
Each of the toys she DOES have has an epic backstory. A whole history in Misono's mind. Several of them have special and/or magical powers. Several are rather heroic. Some of them serve specific functions for her.
Pinch: Pinch is a three foot long stuffed lobster. He is bright red and now has bright blue stitches up his back. He was the only toy she brought with her from Japan. Pinch has a magical antenna--if you bite it, you will feel better. That's the magic. He is also very heroic, capable of hearing people in trouble with his heart (which is right where a lobster heart should be, btw). When rescuing people he is super strong and fast. Misono will throw him at people for this reason. He is both a protector and a comforter. Only Genuemon and Aiba have had permission to use Pinch's magic.
Vampire Baby: Is a 'telepathic' vampire baby doll. Genuemon bought her for Misono back in the fifties so that Misono would always have somebody to talk to. Vampire Baby can be harsh and scolding when Misono needs it but mostly acts as a sounding board who helps Misono understand her feelings as well as situations that have gone vastly wrong. Vampire Baby will listen to your feelings even if you don't talk to her out loud, as long as you want her to hear them.
See-Saw Mike: Is a stuffed toy neuron that she found in a grocery store parking lot. After two weeks with nobody to claim him, Misono took him home. All he does is cry. Seriously, all day, every day, all he does is cry. While Misono never does.
Flippy and Maureen: Is one toy that has split personalities. Half the time Flippy and Maureen is a raving bitch and half the time Flippy and Maureen is sweet and kind. This toy is also the one that can take on Pinch's powers whenever Pinch (and his antenna) is out of commission. Possibly this is WHY Flippy and Maureen has a split personality. It's hard to know when to play with Flippy and Maureen and Misono won't unless she feels several ways about something.
Yoda: A gift from Aiba, he's kind of like a cranky old grandpa--and Misono is his favorite grandchild. He's a bit of a pervert--but NOT to Misono--and he's just as likely to turn Misono in for an infraction as he is to cover for her. He's also likely to scold her about random things--like being a total lump and therefore a source of shame to the family. He's a huge sea turtle, roughly the same size as Pinch.
Kenichi: Is ALSO a gift from Aiba (Christmas, rather than birthday this time). He has feelings that attach to him and Misono can use him to say how she's feeling without saying anything. He's new, so not much is known about him. But he's a cloud and his favorite thing is sunshine. His twin brother is Aiba and Sho's baby elephant, Melvin.
She HAS left families of her own accord--but she has not, and probably WILL not, do so without somebody to go to. She cannot be without family for more than a couple of weeks.
She has been given to other families at some points in her life. It's rather like when you join two families by marrying off some of the children to each other--transferring Misono between two houses as a measure of respect, goodwill, and bonding means they didn't actually have to marry the children off. Misono approved each transfer because, well, she's a loon and found it kind of exciting.
Given that she remembers them all there are times she will think of them or reference them.
Mentioned so far (in mostly chronological order):
Third-Mama: Third Mama was the person who gave her a birthday.
Chichiue-sama: The leader of one of her earliest families. He was a master paper maker and is the reason why Misono loves the smell of the library. He's also the reason she's picky about paper.
Kouetsu-niichan: Is actually Hon'ami Kouetsu, a famous master calligrapher among many, many other things. He taught her to write (mostly to keep her out of the family swords).
Old Grandma: Old grandma was the oldest of the women in a minor branch of the Hatakeyama family. She told Misono that living on happily means carrying what you've loved inside of you. Her final instruction to Misono was to live on happily no matter what.
Asakura-daimyou. Asakura was family she lived with in Kyoto post-Onin War. The daimyou himself taught her specifics about 'bad things' and how to deal with them. Essentially, he helped her hone her innate ability to recognize 'that which intends to harm' to a very sharp point. It's for this reason that she can not only sense but also identify different magical beings.
Genuemon: The young man who brought her to America. They came by boat and it was a long trip. Genuemon bought Vampire Baby for her--in part because she had to leave almost everything she owned behind in Japan when they came across and in part because he was dying and did not want to leave her all alone.
Sayuri: A stripper she lived with in the late seventies/early eighters. She accompanied Sayuri-chan to work every night to keep her safe. She might have picked up some skills. Or some really twisted ideas. Who knows. Sayuri was, until Yesung, the last family she had who loved her. Sayuri eventually met/dated/married a man named Tomohito and he loved her too.
Mackenzie Okada: The woman she lived with at the start of the game. She called Nino to exorcise her. Misono had followed Mackenzie's grandparents to her home and just stayed--it's not like either of them wanted to be together. They didn't get along and Misono often felt lonely with her. But she still cared about her and loved her and believed that things would get better.
Toys: Misono does not actually have a lot of toys. There are several reasons for this but it can be boiled down to two main reasons: 1. She needs time to bond with each toy and wants it to feel special. 2. She can't actually be trusted in a toy store by herself. She's aware of this fact.
Each of the toys she DOES have has an epic backstory. A whole history in Misono's mind. Several of them have special and/or magical powers. Several are rather heroic. Some of them serve specific functions for her.
Pinch: Pinch is a three foot long stuffed lobster. He is bright red and now has bright blue stitches up his back. He was the only toy she brought with her from Japan. Pinch has a magical antenna--if you bite it, you will feel better. That's the magic. He is also very heroic, capable of hearing people in trouble with his heart (which is right where a lobster heart should be, btw). When rescuing people he is super strong and fast. Misono will throw him at people for this reason. He is both a protector and a comforter. Only Genuemon and Aiba have had permission to use Pinch's magic.
Vampire Baby: Is a 'telepathic' vampire baby doll. Genuemon bought her for Misono back in the fifties so that Misono would always have somebody to talk to. Vampire Baby can be harsh and scolding when Misono needs it but mostly acts as a sounding board who helps Misono understand her feelings as well as situations that have gone vastly wrong. Vampire Baby will listen to your feelings even if you don't talk to her out loud, as long as you want her to hear them.
See-Saw Mike: Is a stuffed toy neuron that she found in a grocery store parking lot. After two weeks with nobody to claim him, Misono took him home. All he does is cry. Seriously, all day, every day, all he does is cry. While Misono never does.
Flippy and Maureen: Is one toy that has split personalities. Half the time Flippy and Maureen is a raving bitch and half the time Flippy and Maureen is sweet and kind. This toy is also the one that can take on Pinch's powers whenever Pinch (and his antenna) is out of commission. Possibly this is WHY Flippy and Maureen has a split personality. It's hard to know when to play with Flippy and Maureen and Misono won't unless she feels several ways about something.
Yoda: A gift from Aiba, he's kind of like a cranky old grandpa--and Misono is his favorite grandchild. He's a bit of a pervert--but NOT to Misono--and he's just as likely to turn Misono in for an infraction as he is to cover for her. He's also likely to scold her about random things--like being a total lump and therefore a source of shame to the family. He's a huge sea turtle, roughly the same size as Pinch.
Kenichi: Is ALSO a gift from Aiba (Christmas, rather than birthday this time). He has feelings that attach to him and Misono can use him to say how she's feeling without saying anything. He's new, so not much is known about him. But he's a cloud and his favorite thing is sunshine. His twin brother is Aiba and Sho's baby elephant, Melvin.
