APP | Kannagara
PLAYER INFO
Name/Nickname: Kuri
Age: 25
Journal: sub_textual
AIM/MSN/IM: in subtext / @sub_textual (plurk)
Email: in.subtext[at]gmail[dot]com
CHARACTER INFO
Character Name: Kusajishi Yachiru
Canon: Bleach
Point taken from canon: Chapter 473
Age: Looks about 7-8 years old. Approximately 50-100.
Gender: Female
Preferred Village: Wherever
Appearance: Yachiru is a tiny girl and looks about seven or eight years old, with bright pink hair and big brownish-pinkish eyes, and very rosy cheeks. A small skull crossbones pin is in her hair. She is usually dressed in a black shinigami uniform that consists of a black yukata and hakama, white obi, and white tabi socks with little straw waraji strapped on her feet. The insignia of the Eleventh Division's lieutenant seat is strapped onto her left bicep. She also carries a zanpakuto with a purple-ish scabbard and a pink flowered tsuka. Little wheels are installed at the end of the zanpakuto which allows her to run around and drag it behind her. Yachiru is usually seen smiling, and generally holds herself with confidence and ease.
Background: http://bleach.wikia.com/wiki/Yachiru_Kusajishi
Personality:
In a single word, Yachiru is childlike: bright, happy, and for the most part, carefree. There’s rarely a moment when you see her that she isn’t somehow enjoying herself -- whether she’s playing, giving people annoying nicknames, pulling a prank on someone (such as stealing gigantic koi from one fish pond to transport into another or infiltrating a certain someone's house and creating secret passageways), or gleefully watching Ken-chan (Zaraki Kenpachi) fight, she always seems to be somehow enjoying every moment of her life and making the most out of it. This pressing need to enjoy every moment and live in the present could be because of her early years growing up in poverty-stricken, crime-filled Rukongai. Her formative years as a child were spent watching adults die in terrible and violent ways -- Yachiru’s first memory is of the color red, of blood, and of people dying in the streets, where she crawled as an infant. It is possible that because of these early memories and experiences, Yachiru tries very hard to live and let live as much as she possibly can, because life is fleeting and fragile and at any moment, it might be extinguished.
Despite what may seem like a constant eagerness to enjoy life and seemingly carefree attitude to just about everything, Yachiru possesses a certain depth that is rarely ever seen by others, except in moments of vulnerability -- specifically related to her beloved Ken-chan, who is her world, as he gave her a name and saved her from what would have been a certain death in Rukongai. At one point she says to him, “I had no name. I had no parents. I was from the 79th District of North Rukongai, Kusajishi. I had never seen anything in colors other than bloody red. But then you appeared, from the 80th District of North Rukongai, Zaraki. Even deeper in the darkness. You demolished the chaotic world that was dyed in blood, then you gave me a name. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be here today.”
Because of her relationship with Kenpachi, who is more than simply a father figure due to his function as the source for her own contingency and existence, Yachiru frequently refuses to accept any idea of failure, defeat, or perceived weakness within Kenpachi, as evidenced by her reaction after he is defeated by Ichigo. Ken-chan, she insists, was beaten because Ichigo cheated -- in her eyes, there is no one stronger, more magnificent than Ken-chan, and therefore he can never be weaker than anyone, or ever truly defeated. As Kenpachi is determined to be the strongest shinigami in history, Yachiru, too, has adopted a decree to become strong and support Kenpachi’s goal. However, despite this commitment to support him, there are times when it seems that Yachiru worries or frets over her decision to stay out of his battles in order to allow Ken-chan to be “happy” and enjoy himself in a fight. This can be frequently seen whenever Kenpachi seems to be severely injured in the aftermath of battle. Yachiru is frequently by his side, making sure he has not died. So as much as Yachiru wants to let him fight and support his goal, it seems that she also, at times, wants to keep him safe -- which appears to be illustrated by the way in which she intentionally gives him incorrect directions and sends him running all over the place, but far away from actual battle. (Some people may interpret this as Yachiru simply having fun, but I believe that a plausible reading is that she wants to try and avoid letting Kenpachi get himself into a brutal battle which might result in severe injury, which is why she misdirects him as much as possible, to keep him out of the line of fire for as long as possible.)
Besides Ken-chan, Yachiru forms friendships easily with others. Because of her childish and adorable ways, many adults tend to cater to her whims, giving her snacks and letting her eat their food. Yachiru is frequently seen eating candy or some kind of food and asking to be fed. I think this may be a residue of her experiences in Rukongai, where she frequently went hungry or did not have enough to eat. (Her hording of food can also be seen as a result of her early experiences.) Food was not always readily available, and I think that the excesses to which Yachiru goes with things like food and play are because of the paucity of such things in Rukongai, as a child. When Yachiru does not get her way, she becomes very grumpy or generally annoyed, cranky, and even downright angry. It is probably not a good idea to make Yachiru angry, as things such as ridiculous pranking occurs as a result.
Headcanon: Because, in some ways, her childhood was “stolen,” so to speak (insomuch as she could not possibly have a childhood growing up in an environment like Rukongai), Yachiru maintains not only a child-like demeanor, but also a child-like body. As I approximate her age to be between 50 and 100 years, she should have gone through puberty by now. Yet, she still remains tiny. This tinyness is not simply because she wishes to reclaim her childhood for herself and remain in a perpetual state of childhoodness -- but also because her smallness is important to her positionality to Kenpachi, whose left shoulder she frequently rides on. Her perpetual state of childishness is, in my opinion, the way in which she maintains what she believes is the important “balance” between herself and Kenpachi.
Abilities/Strengths:
In Bleach, Yachiru is the lieutenant of the Eleventh Division, the most powerful combat division in the Gotei 13. While we have never seen her use her zanpakuto, we do know that she has one, as she is frequently seen dragging it on wheels behind her. It is not clear what her shikai is, or whether she has a bankai. However, it is very clear that her subordinates are terrified of her -- when she is interrupted while watching Kenpachi fight, she demonstrates that she has incredibly powerful reiatsu which takes on the form of a huge pink cat.
She has also been seen to demonstrate super speed. Like many shinigami, she is proficient at shunpo, or flash step, which is a testament to her speed. She also has high powered reiatsu sensing abilities, as she is able to detect even the most minute levels of reiatsu (such as in situations when enemies think they have defeated Kenpachi), and incredible strength: despite her size, she picks up a very large Kenpachi with one hand and easily jumps up the side of a building to set him down on the roof.
Yachiru has also demonstrated remarkable infiltration and espionage abilities: she has dug tunnels underneath Seireitei and also managed to infiltrate Kuchiki Byakuya’s home with secret passageways and other hiding spots. Because she looks like a child and in every sense of the word, acts like a child, she frequently gets away with... just about everything. This means she is very good at manipulating people to get what she wants -- and therefore is quite proficient at deception and forms of subtle exploitation (even if she probably would not see it that way).
Headcanon: I believe that Yachiru has considerable prowess with swordsmanship for two reasons: 1.) her close proximity to Kenpachi would ensure that she would constantly train and want to become stronger and better, especially as she is the lieutenant of the Eleventh Division -- when Kenpachi is defeated she says to him, “Let’s get stronger.” The inclusiveness of the word “let’s” and “we” seems to suggest that they become stronger together; 2.) she once said that she would “clean up” the “other” bad guys. How would a little chibi be able to “clean up” bad guys without some level of fighting ability?
I also think that she uses her powerful reiatsu to suppress her growth and to maintain her body in a childish form. (As described in the section above.)
Weaknesses:
As mentioned in the Personality section, Yachiru has what would be considered a co-dependent relationship with Kenpachi. Without Kenpachi, she might be moody, less stable, more subject to outbursts and random troublemaking. Due to the smallness of her size and her relative childishness, Yachiru has always been taken care of -- as a result, she does not possess very good abilities to take care of herself (in terms of basic needs).
It is difficult to say what weaknesses beyond the limitations of her childishness or her size actually affect Yachiru, because she very rarely demonstrates “weakness” that is not related to Kenpachi. However, that being said, because of her childishness, Yachiru is easily distractable, difficult to keep in one place at any given time, and is terrible with responsibility. She also tends to gravitate towards violence and fights, which probably isn’t always a good thing.
Yachiru is also prone to extremely impulsive, irrational, and immature behavior which often results in troublemaking and general destruction.
Defining Quote(s): "We'll get stronger, Ken-chan. Together, let's get stronger. I know that Ken-chan is the best. So let's get stronger! You and me together."
"Since that day, you have become everything to me in this world." (To Kenpachi)
"No matter who the opponent is, Ken-chan won't ever lose!"
"BYAKUSHIIIIIIIIIII!"
Other: Biggest troll, ever.
Action Writing Sample: (ACCIDENTAL VIDEO)
[ Yachiru is sitting on the floor with a small rag doll that has spiky hair and little bells attached to it. It seems to be holding a silver steak knife. On a small plate a few inches away is a pineapple. Yachiru's little eyebrows pinch in a frown of concentration and then she shakes the Ken-chan doll a bit, and says in a gruff, Ken-chan voice:]
Oi, ya weak pineapple, I'm gonna kick yer ass~
[ Then she picks up the pineapple and menacingly lunges it in Ken-chan doll's direction, and says in a high-pitched squeak: ]
I'm stronger, you'll never beat me!
[ The Ken-chan doll's head tilts a little. Yachiru continues on in Ken-chan’s “gruff voice”:]
Yeah? We'll see 'bout that.
[ Yachiru charges the pineapple with the Ken-chan doll and proceeds to stab it to bits and pieces of gooey pineapple yummy-ness. Ken-chan doll stands over the defeated pineapple and waves around the steak knife. In typical Ken-chan fashion, she grunts out: ]
Heh, what'd I tell ya~
[ She jumps up and down then suddenly with the Ken-chan doll, hugging it to her chest and spinning around. ]
Yayyy! Ken-chan! You beat him up real good! Let’s go find stronger opponents to fight, ne? Ne? What’s that? Oh, you were bored? Yeah, I guess it was pretty boring, huh? Pineapple-kun wasn’t real strong so we gotta find somebody stronger!
[ The communicator continues to film Yachiru and the Ken-chan doll engaging in various “battles” with random objects that include: a larger pineapple, a stuffed teddy bear, and eventually another doll that looks a bit like a monster with a hole cut out in its chest. Ken-chan doll wins every time. ]
Third Person Writing Sample:
Being torn apart is not something Yachiru is familiar with, but Ken-chan enjoys it. It cracks his smile apart and shows his teeth, shiny and white and gleaming, like bones bleached white, like the armor of a Hollow, of an Arrancar, or the Espada Ken-chan fought in Hueco Mundo. White, the perfect color against which to paint and color with blood. She thinks maybe, for Ken-chan, the feeling of the tearing, of being ripped apart like when claws carved into his body and made him fall down to think about how to fight him, and for a moment she wasn't sure if Ken-chan would really get up after all, she thinks -- thinks that the tearing is somehow a rending of life itself. It is living, truly living, at that very moment when pain courses so violently that you think you are going to die this time, and your opponent is strong, and worthy of causing that pain.
Jyuuichibantai lives by this belief, lives to fight and breathes battle and the smell of sweat and blood and the sound of pain. It is exilirating, glorious, and Yachiru, Yachiru loves to watch it, loves to see it happen, see how it unfolds, watches when Ken-chan lives, watches every moment of that life. Because. Because, they began life together. When she was small, formless and nameless and he, too, was without a name he could call his own. They began their life at that moment. Together. And so. So, she watches him fight and watches when he truly lives in those moments. Watches him smile and how his teeth gleam bone-white, armor-white against the sun. A slash of white at night. White like the taichou's haori that he wears with the number of their squad on his back.
Every fight is to the death, or until the opponent cannot fight anymore. This is what they live by. What Ken-chan is always looking for, the next fight, the next moment to live. To breathe. To laugh and smile and show his teeth.
Sometimes Ken-chan is too strong, and the person is simply too weak. Yet they charge forward anyway. Those days are not fun. There is no fun in fighting a weakling. There is no challenge, no battle in that. But the days when there is a challenge and Ken-chan's teeth shine, those are the best days of all.
Other days, Yachiru finds moments of living away from the fight, away from the battle and the smell of blood and Ken-chan’s reiatsu exploding like stars. Like today. She has found herself in Rukongai, and a playmate with bright red hair and a smudge across his nose. She decided that he looked like a tomato, so Tomato-head is now his name!
"I'm Yachiru!"
This name that she has is the name that Ken-chan gave her. There was something very important about that act of naming, that which brings something into existence. It is painful to not have a name, to be nameless, to be a thing, to not have a place in the world. Yachiru's place is on Ken-chan's shoulder. He put her there, just like he gave her her name when before she was nothing, a being in a small body, and she was very aware of her smallness even if she could not understand it. She understood her smallness because of the largeness of the rest of the world, the streets of the Kusajishi district filled with the very large feet that moved on by, kicking up dust which made her cough and choke. Dust the color of the blood dried into it and the sounds of the screams from far, far overhead, which she could not see because she was always in the mud back then. Back then, before her name. She crawled. And she saw. She saw red. There was always so much of it. It was very pretty, especially when the sun set, and the puddles took on a kind of shine and glittered. This was her childhood, her tiny kingdom, her nameless one, for she did not have a name, and therefore she could not name anything either. She didn't even have the language or the vocabulary to describe her world, only colors. Only the red mud and the puddles and Ken-chan sitting like a god with his jeweled sword.
He gave her a name and he put her on his shoulder, and that is where Yachiru has been for a very, very long time. She has learned to love her smallness. Her smallness is, in fact, very important. It is attached to her name, and it is attached to his shoulder, and her place in his life. Ken-chan is large. Yachiru is small. This is how the world must be. This is their world, a world of moments. A world where they wait for the next battle. For the next thrill.
But right now...
Right now, Yachiru is distracted from the ever-constant search for battle and thrill because of the promise of sweet things. Chewy dango in mitarashi sauce on a stick. Candy. Maybe stolen right out of the stall in the dango shop so famous in Rukongai that the kids all want to eat at but can never really seem to afford.
“Let’s go steal some dango, ne!” Yachiru excitedly decides and grabs Tomato-head’s slightly dirty hand and drags him along towards the direction of the shop.
“Anou, Yachiru-chan... I don’t know if that’s a good idea...”
“What are you talking about, silly? Dango is always a good idea! C’mon, Tomato-head, let’s go get some.”
Sweet things, after all, are the second best thing to watching Ken-chan show his teeth. Maybe it’s because sweetness bursts on her tongue the way Ken-chan’s sword makes things burst too. Yachiru’s not sure, but today she’s determined to show Tomato-head just how fun living can be, when you are chewing on a stolen stick of dango.