078: hold my ground
AHAHAHA. For once, I'm doing an RP Meme not centered around Boris or Sharon. ... and this is one of the first few RP memes I've done in a while. WELL, LET'S SEE HERE.
The character in question? sweeperesque from Black Cat, who happens to be another one of those characters that I apped on a whim and ended up sticking. I picked her up back when Vatheon was juuuust off the ground, though she was only my second character there. Since then, I've developed her character some and took this meme as an opportunity to think more about her character siiiiiince the canon's already finished and we ended up with almost nothing on her. :D
Body and Appearance
1. Describe the character's height and build. Is she heavyset, thin, short, rangy?
Saya stands a slightly-on-the-shorter-side 5’3”, or more specifically, 162 centimeters. While more on the slender side, she can particularly be considered ‘thin’. Her body holds all the womanly curves you would expect, however that doesn’t mean she lacks the muscles at all. She has enough strength to punch out gangsters and criminals a head taller than her, also able to carry an unconscious grown man if the situation calls for it. Years of running after bounties and then burdened with the task of taking them in to the police alive have kept her well-excercised.
2. How old is she?
Before she died? She was 19. It isn’t hard to peg her to be around her late teens, but she has a bit more wisdom and etiquette. Not to mention her priorities probably aren’t the same as most people her age. Her birthday was on December 31st, and… this is where it gets just the slightest bit tricky. On the night of her death, there was a celebration with fireworks. She claims to have ‘almost forgotten’ something. Everyone in town was dressed in winter attire, so it was likely not the 4th of July (nor is it known if that is even celebrated in the Black Cat universe). It could be that she died on the night of her birthday, but was too preoccupied trying to contact Train to even notice that she was another year older. She may have been just on the verge of 20 before her life was ended.
3. Describe her posture. Does she carry herself well or does she slouch?
Her natural posture is a relaxed one. If her attire allows, she’ll put her hands in her pockets as she walks around town. The way she carries herself is very easy-going, not exerting any more energy than absolutely necessary. When making a first impression, she does make a little bit more of an effort to present herself well, but otherwise she isn’t particularly uptight. When on the job, she is tensed up just the slightest bit more and ready to react and break out into a run whenever necessary. However even when her guard is down, she reacts at the slightest hint of aggression and is always prepared to put up a fight.
4. How is her health? Is she fit or out of shape? Any illnesses or conditions? Any physical disabilities?
After taking the time to become a sweeper, she’s not about to let herself give in to all the delicious food she tries and become sloppy. So even if she’s a constant snacker, she’s on the job often enough that she gets exercise from chasing down criminals and even if she dares to take a vacation, she probably has enough contacts to spar with. It takes a considerable amount of muscle to fire a gun without flinching too.
While she lacks any illnesses, she had experienced severe physical trauma before, to the point that she was comatose for an unknown number of days. Her parents were abusive and took it out on her, and she awoke in a hospital bed when she was 10 years old. This can be most easily labeled as post-traumatic amnesia.
5. How does she move? Is she clumsy, graceful, tense, fluid?
…. Relaxed. Very easy-going. In fact, her guard is down almost all the time unless she has reason to be suspicious. However that said, her motions are quite fluid and smooth. Though she is prone to the occasional flailing in fits of anger, that fits in with that she is fond of big gestures. She’ll move her hands around and point fingers when making a statement, stomp her foot angrily to get someone’s attention, and so on and so forth.
However once her guard is up, she’s ready to spring into action. She moves with purpose and quickly. If she sees an opening for an attack, she’ll go for it. She’s a quick thinker and rather rigid when she’s using her gun. After all, for her technique to work properly, her aim needs to be absolutely perfect.
6. How attractive is this character physically? How does she perceive herself in the mirror?
Saya is rather attractive, with fair curves, though they are typically obscured by her yukata. Yet when she switches up her attire to match more ‘modern’ times, she fits right in and I wouldn’t doubt that she’s been hit on before. When she looks at herself in the mirror, she only wonders how she feels like dressing for the day. Does she want to fit in a little bit, or will she make a statement by wearing random Eastern garments? Her looks are what they are, and while she’s happy that she could possibly be considered ‘pretty’, if she were ugly, it wouldn’t change a thing.
However if the anime is to be acknowledged, Saya does seem the slightest bit more concerned with her appearance. She’ll wear a yukata because she thinks it’s cute and will fish for compliments concerning her fashion choice. ….. :| And people wonder why I ignore the anime.
7. Describe her complexion. Dark, light, clear, scarred?
I’d say that it’s… fair? She’ll spend lots of time outside, sure, but never gets anything more than a very light tan. So either she bulks up on the sunblock or… Well, I actually don’t have an answer for this one.
However it is my personal headcanon that the reason for Saya’s tendency to wear long-sleeved clothing and has her legs covered so consistently is because she has faint scars all over her body. Though her abdominal area probably has marks of bruises as opposed to cuts. She was abused as a child and those scars are proof of it. When she woke up in that hospital bed, I doubt that her relatives would have been very eager to explain what happened to her, and the solid proof of it would only be the marks left behind on her body. Of course, it had been approximately nine to ten years since the abuse stopped, so they had faded to nothing more than dull scars. A few scars are more recent if she got a little too sloppy on the job, but most of them can be accredited to abuse from her childhood.
8. Describe her hair: color, texture, style.
Saya’s hair seems like a black color, but when shining in the right light, it’s actually dark brown. Just a very, very, very dark brown and then with enough shine, it lights up to a very light brown. Her hair isn’t particularly thick, but even if it is, it’s slightly layered so it’s not evident. She keeps it short so that it doesn’t bother her during work or get tangled up. It’s easier to manage and she probably has a new stylist have their hand at it in every town, but it remains consistently short. When she first met Train, her short hair wasn’t layered but by the time three months went by, it changed a bit. Since she’s been in Vatheon, her hair doesn’t seem particularly different as she picked up a book, a pair of scissors and tried cutting it herself. Of course, she asked local NPCs for their opinion. After their advice and evening it out, she manages to recreate her original style.
9. What color are her eyes?
A very light blue. Her eyes aren’t particularly notable, and are actually one of the few pairs in the series that have a moderately normal color to them. However eyes are windows to the soul, as they say, and she conveys quite a bit of emotion with her eyes. They’re normally burning with confidence and passion, yet they dull out slightly when she’s in deep thought.
10. Does the character have any other noteworthy features?
Not particularly! Although a little tidbit is that the only accessories she seems to wear are necklaces or chokers around her neck. The only time she isn’t seen wearing one is when she already has a turtleneck and they would clash with her clothing. This could be seen as a bit of symbolism for her cat-like lifestyle, acting something like a collar. There is almost always something hanging around her neck, though she otherwise lacks any jewelry or accessory.
11. What are her chief tension centers?
Can’t say I particularly understand what this means, but I’d have to say her… legs? She does a considerable amount of running and jumping, after all. Especially in Vatheon, where she hasn’t been in a good fistfight in ages and only runs around chasing after Matthew. BLAH. I don’t get this question.
12. What is the character's wardrobe like? Casual, dressy, utilitarian? Bright colors, pastels, neutrals? Is it varied, or does she have six of the same suit?
Saya’s wardrobe is a mix of a little of everything. She’ll dress in any manner of clothes, though she normally makes it a point to stand out a little. If the clothes she sees are cute, she’ll wear them, even if they don’t match with the town and time. After all, she sees no problem wearing a yukata in the middle of a European-ish setting. She seems to be a fan of flower patterns and dresses, the two often coinciding. Her style of dress is very much affected by her hobbies, as she proclaims to love bargain shopping and thus ends up with a slightly older and lesser-used style.
Her arms are often covered in just about everything she wears. Shirts are accompanied by cardigans, and turtlenecks with additional coats. Clearly she enjoys layering things up as even when she wears a long-sleeved shirt, she finds a short-sleeved jacket to wear on top of it. Her legs also have some type of fabric covering them up, whether they be stockings to accompany shorts, pants, or just a very long skirt.
Even though a sweeper’s job is to always be prepared and ready for everything, the yukata is considered to be her ‘trademark’ and something that she wore often for work. Complete with the slippers! It seems a little silly, but she was good enough at what she did that even those clothes and footwear failed to hinder her. Whatever she is wearing is whatever she wanted to wear. It doesn’t matter if she stands out or is stuck with the crowd, because chances are that it’ll match her mood.
13. Do her clothes fit well? Does she seem comfortable in them?
Of course they fit well. Though whether or not they’re ‘comfortable’ is up for discussion. Sometimes she opts for baggier clothing and things that she can move around in, but they fit on her person well enough. However sometimes what she’s wearing is at contrasts with her goal. As mentioned above, she’ll wear a yukata and sandals when chasing down a criminal! However she doesn’t seem bothered by it at all and while she’s probably not at optimal performance then, she still manages well enough that she’s unbelievably hard to take down. After all, if she’s capable of flips in a yukata, then she’s probably okay against most common criminals.
14. Does she dress the same on the job as she does in her free time? If not, what are the differences?
She’ll dress however she wants! So… pretty much, yes, she dresses the same. The yukata is for daily outings as well as sweeper work, and the same can be said for just about everything else. She’s adaptable and can handle herself in just about every situation, in every type of attire.
Though if she’s aiming to just blend in for the day and go about a relaxing life, she’ll wear more subdued and earthy tones. Green, brown, and blue are her colors of choice when she’s aiming to just laze about and go sight-seeing. Yet her yukatas are primary white with accents of other light colors. However when she’s to neither wear a yukata nor aiming to blend in specifically, she’ll wear red (in multiple shades). Orange and yellow are nice colors for accents, but she wouldn’t wear something primarily those colors.
15. You knew it was coming: Boxers, briefs or commando?
Panties, bro.
Speech
1. What does this character's voice sound like? High-pitched, deep, hoarse?
…. Like a typical girl her age? Goodness, I don’t know. Just go watch maybe episode 2 or 3 of the English anime. The voices and music are the only things the anime is good for. Though I have to say the Japanese version has a more bubbly and perky pitch that I love.
2. How does she normally speak? Loud, soft, fast, evenly? Does she talk easily, or does she hesitate?
She speaks with very clear diction, and she talks with her hands. In order to be understood, she’ll speak evenly and make sure the other person in the conversation can keep up. Of course, she is prone to shouting and is the slightest bit louder when irritated. Her words come easily to her and she’ll say almost anything that comes to mind with someone she’s familiar with, but gauge her words just a little bit more when it’s someone she doesn’t know quite so well.
3. Does the character have a distinct accent or dialect? Any individual quirks of pronunciation? Any, like, you know, verbal tics?
When she’s emphasizing a point, she’ll rid her words of any conjunctions, not to mention she’ll repeat things for emphasis. If she’s gauging someone still, she’ll add in things to the end of her statements like ‘huh?’ or ‘right?’ to seem a little less insistent. However if she’s determined about a point, she’ll emphasize and state her opinions clearly. Past that… I don’t think there’s anything much to mention. She does use ‘ummmmmmm’ sometimes when she’s still processing a thought and was confronted with information about herself.
4. What language/s does she speak, and with how much fluency?
… English is the language they use in Black Cat, I believe. English or Japanese, respectively. WHATEVER LANGUAGE IT IS, she’s fluent in it. If she’s traveling out of the country, she may know a few key phrases so that she can communicate and do her job properly, but probably not enough to keep up a full conversation. Whatever she needs to learn, she’ll learn it, and if not… she’ll get by with hand gestures and drawings.
5. Does she switch languages or dialects in certain situations?
Seeing as she ‘tries to be on her best behavior’ with new people, she’s considerably less… mouthy in her speech. Her statements are more humble and she’ll cut back on insults completely. However once she gets past first impressions, she’s a lot more honest and direct.
6. Is she a good impromptu speaker, or does she have to think about her words?
Generally, she’s a pretty good impromptu speaker. Whatever comes to mind is what she says, and often it comes out pretty nicely. She’s used to consoling people and giving advice on the spot, depending on their situation, so she tries to say whatever cam make them feel best. She tries not to treat people as if their problems are all the same so there may be the slightest pause before she can deliver her best wishes and whatever else needs to be said.
7. Is she eloquent or inarticulate? Under what circumstances might this change?
Moderately eloquent. She’s very good at getting her point across, depending on who she’s talking to and tries her best to choose the most supportive words possible. However there are times when she’s at a loss for words, mostly when she’s embarrassed about something. Yet you’ll find that she has something to say about everything, even if not all of her words are polished.
Mental and Emotional
1. How intelligent is this character? Is she book-smart or street-smart?
Street-smart. Completely and totally street-smart. She knows almost nothing about what’s in books except for the bare fundamentals of things, though when she was in orphanages and still relearning about the world, she did read a few books, primarily books about countries and traveling, so chances are that she’s unable to weave complex math formulas or have much luck with science at all. Everything before age 10 was wiped clean, so she had to learn the basics of life over again.
However her street-smarts make up almost completely for that as she’s very, very adaptable and was determined to live life as she wanted. So she figured out how to take care of herself as soon as she stopped being passed around from orphanage to orphanage. Since then, she’d been on the move from town to town, taking care of herself and accepting all responsibilities. She takes care of herself with her own salary and catches on to things quickly. From experience, she knows how to deal with people and is familiar with how to appeal to them, charismatic as she is. Saya is capable to tell when a person is hurting and can even read them to the point that she can likely predict whether they’ll take her advice or not.
2. Does she think on her feet, or does she need time to deliberate?
Thinking on her feet, if only because she dislikes wasting any time. Especially when she’s on the job and plans on using the Reflect Shot, she needs to be able to adapt to the environment as the angles change depending on where she’s standing and angle assessment is pretty damn difficult if you can’t think quickly. Her mind moves as a very fast pace when confronted with a problem. She’s all about always being on the move and doesn’t waste a second. Of course, this causes problems for her sometimes as she could end up not considering something and paying for it dearly.
3. Describe the character's thought process. Is she more logical, or more intuitive? Idealistic or practical?
It’s a mix of everything, as seems typical with Saya. Even with only 9 years worth of memories, she knows the basics of the world. She knows that some people have the strength to give in and some people just don’t have what it takes. It’s a constant battle and you have to keep fighting in order to achieve happiness, and sometimes bad things happen to good people even then. In that sense, she is practical. But even when she knows that her advice has a chance of going in one ear and out the other, she’ll still continue to lend her hand and try to help. In this world of chaos and difficulty, it can be so easy to go under and fall in with the wrong crowd. But she believed that even if people made bad decisions, it doesn’t mean that they’re not worth the effort of trying to save. She thinks that if given the chance, anyone can change for the better.
Next, she goes more with her intuition. She always considers other people first and logic doesn’t cover emotion. Logic is far too cold for her, and she’s driven by her emotions quite a bit. Whatever she feels
4. What kind of education has the character had?
I imagine she went to school… before. You know, before she forgot everything. It was likely average though as time went on, she became less and less concerned with schoolwork since her home life was a lot more… pressing. But once she woke up in the hospital and started being passed through relatives and orphanages, she never stayed in a place long enough to really get to know much of the curriculm. So she probably learned a few random pieces of knowledge, but even those didn’t stick with her very well.
So everything that’s been of use to her since then has been entirely self-taught. She’s been to quite a number of libraries and has likely studied a bit concerning angles and ballistics. After all, the reflect shot is based entirely upon angles and utilizing them. However that’s likely as far as her book studies went, and she learned off the streets for just about everything else. She’s entirely capable and has shown to be very resourceful, so Saya probably knows how to navigate a sweeper bar and… just about everything else.
5. What are her areas of expertise? What, if anything, is she interested in learning more about?
… sweeper work, and in a more general way, helping people. Saya’s a fantastic sweeper and was very good at what she did, managing to catch a lot of targets and even bring down an entire crime syndicate that was ruling a town. She knows how to go about tackling things like that alone, and a lot of it just comes from experience. Then her other area of expertise… well, ‘helping people’? See, it’s even listed as one of her hobbies and she’s pretty good at it, too. While she can’t change everyone’s way of life, she’s met a lot of people and lends a hand to whoever she can. Whether or not it makes an impact or not depends on the person, but she managed to get an assassin to turn over a new leaf and that’s something!
As for what she’s interested in learning more about, it’d probably be the world in general. Only nine years worth of memories after all, so there’s probably a lot she still doesn’t isn’t familiar with. So she traveled so that she could see as much as she could, and by the time of her death, she seemed content with everything. However in Vatheon, she’s very curious when it comes to the worlds that everyone else is from. They vary in time, place, and customs, so she wants to find out as much as she can. She’ll take any knowledge she can get her hands on, so long as it’s interesting to her.
6. Is she an introvert or an extrovert?
… a beautiful mix of the two, if that is at all possible.
At first glance, Saya is an extrovert. She makes her leaving dealing with people, and she does it for the sake of helping other people. It takes her to many places, crowded and troubled towns where she can get to know the locals and do what she can to lend a hand. Seemingly, her entire life is built around people and trying to do whatever good she can for them. She loves interacting with them, and she’s good at forming friendships too. Without a doubt, she does have her extrovert tendencies, such as when she gives advice when thinking on her feet and doing a lot of talking to get her thoughts out. So it would be really easy to label Saya as an extrovert and leave it at that.
However another thing to consider is the fact that Saya… well, she’s a loner. She fights alone, travels alone, and has been alone for a long time. Often, she keeps things to herself and does all her serious thinking by herself. She’ll reach out to people so they can be saved, but she’d refuse a hand from anyone else because she doesn’t want their assistance or their constant company. Saya is so used to a free lifestyle, where she isn’t bound by anything or everyone and has to rely strictly on herself. When she does become close to people, she escapes because having another person around is strange, foreign, and moderately unwelcome. It may be subconscious, but she does have that tendency to up and leave whenever she believes it to suit her. Her lifestyle may be oriented around helping other people, but the true basis of it leaves Saya relying only on herself and keeping much of the burden to… solely herself.
7. Describe the character's temperament. Is she even-tempered or does she have mood swings? Cheerful or melancholy? Laid-back or driven?
When she’s with someone unfamiliar, she is polite. She may yell once or twice but it would only be for their benefit, such as a strict reprimanding that you shouldn’t get up when you’re filled with bullet holes like Swiss cheese. It’s a very difficult battle, but she makes it a point to remain well-mannered and not particularly pushy. However even then, her disposition is a cheerful one and she looks to uplift people whenever she can. She’s a little bit more ‘relaxed’ in a general sense, where she won’t push people to do things.
However certain personalities can set her off. If someone is immediately mouthy to her, there is a good chance that she’ll slip a little and mouth off to them, too. This was… fairly evident in her initial appearance in Vatheon where she was cordial to everyone else but had no problem taunting Matthew and deceiving him a little- but only after he pushed her straight into the coral. What a jerkface, even from the beginning. Then after someone’s spent a fair amount of time with her, or they’ve interacted enough, she doesn’t see much of a point to be polite to them. Perhaps she’s kinder when she doesn’t know the person, but the louder and fiery Saya is the truer of the two. She’s driven, motivated, and full of sass. This is clear when she’s on her sweeper duties, doing what she feels most comfortable, and making flashy entrances before knocking out whoever’s in her way.
Normally, it’s hard to get her any more upset than a neutral, taunting, and sarcastic state, and that’s what counts as her ‘bad mood’. But if you get her hopes up about something only to drop them down completely, she’s prone to reacting badly. Filled with rage, she’ll stomp around and make a fist, but that’s only if she really wanted something… like a good meal.
8. How does she respond to new people or situations? Is she suspicious, relaxed, timid, enthusiastic?
She is filled with so much energy, it’s a little strange. New things intrigue her, and she’s all for investigating them. Saya’s a little arrogant in thinking that she can handle whatever comes her way, and she’s not against a strategic retreat if it would let her keep her life if she’s in over her head. New people are welcomed and she’s always glad to make more connections, even if she’s determined to keep them as far away from her emotionally as possible (not that they’d have a clue about that). New situations are treated quite the same, as Saya loves having the chance to explore and learn new aspects of life (or in Vatheon, her post-life).
9. Is she more likely to act, or to react?
Obviously, she does both regularly. However… well, generally she acts most of the time. She’ll do things of her own volition without any prompting. No particular reason she’s going to go out and catch this criminal, it’s just because she feels like it. No particularly thing making her juggle apples in the middle of the marketplace (except for perhaps Cal and I plotting a bit too late into the night), it’s just… natural for her. She’s a free spirit, as many have described, and she’ll do whatever she pleases. Normally that encompasses acting for herself.
10. Which is her default: fight or flight?
Fight! Though it comes with one little detail- no innocent civilians can be around for the fight. She has the skill to avoid injuring anyone, but she doesn’t want to cause problems for other people emotionally or mentally by rashly fighting in the middle of the street. So by every means, she’ll tackle a problem head-on and deal with it by any means necessary, but she always thinks about whether or not it’ll hurt other people too.
11. Describe the character's sense of humor. Does she appreciate jokes? Puns? Gallows humor? Bathroom humor? Pranks?
She does appreciate jokes, and she’ll probably even find puns moderately amusing. Her sense of humor is pretty generous, though she tries to cut back on sarcasm and laughing at another’s person expense if they’re not too close. However once they become friends (being used as a general term, it’s really a tricky measure) Saya’s all for taunting and teasing the other person if they give her an opening. Sometimes her observations are humorous and she doesn’t even completely realize it. What do you mean Train didn’t have such a HADOCOAAA face? What do you mean you can’t see how Naoya’s a marshmallow or how Matthew’s totally a puppy? In her head, her comparisons are totally spot-on, but in general, they’re more of the humorously accurate variety. Putting it simply, “it’s funny because it’s true!”
12. Does the character have any diagnosable mental disorders? If yes, how does she deal with them?
… you know, I’m actually not sure where to slap amnesia. However if it counts here, and how she deals with it?
… she doesn’t. She accepted it a long time ago. Her memories never started to trickle back in slowly and she’s not about to get her hopes up that they will. Looks like her lost memories are permanent and… she doesn’t mind that, she really doesn’t! Honestly, she made peace with it forever ago and doesn’t particularly care about it. What she doesn’t know, she doesn’t know, but that’s why she’s on such a pursuit to learn, right? After all, she managed to learn that her parents were abusive and were the reason for her amnesia, and that was devastating enough on its own, so perhaps it’s better if she isn’t to remember the details about it. She believes that part of her life is entirely in the past, and even if she didn’t have a choice forgetting it, it’s almost completely forgotten.
What she told Train was that he should forget about her and live the rest of his life unburdened, though he later found that to be a form of running away. Saya does have a tendency of running away from things that are really, really good, or so bad that she just doesn’t know how to deal with it. Perhaps by forgetting about her past and living an otherwise happy and successful life, she ran away from it. However it’s shaped her to be as she is, and it’s why she thinks that forgetting things isn’t horrifying or a crime. Sometimes it’s the only way to move on, and maybe that’s weak of her… but she never dwells on that thought for long.
13. What moments in this character's life have defined her as a person?
Age > 10 : Parents turned abusive.
Age > 10 : Abused with enough force that whether as a self-defense mechanism or due to sheer blunt force trauma to the head, she forgot all about it.
Age 10 : Woke up in a hospital, an amnesiac.
Age 10 - approx. Age 15 : Moved constantly, passed around between relatives and different orphanages.
Age 10? - 15? : Became familiar with the Sweeper way of life, made the decision to become a sweeper.
Approx. Age 14 : Acquire a gun and began working on the Reflect Shot.
Age 15 : Acquired Sweeper’s License, began living as she wished.
Age 19 : Met Train Heartnet.
Age 19 (possibly 20) : Died.
14. What does she fear?
First off? …. Depending on people.
Saya can deal with just about everything, she can face death and danger just fine, she’s not afraid of the dark, and she can squish a spider without squealing about bug guts. However almost all serious fears revolve around being alone, and she has no issues with that. Ever since she was ten years old until just very recently, she had a feeling that she was all alone in the world. There were no attachments as she was passed around from relative to relative, orphanage to orphanage, and that’s how she learned. She had to rely on herself to remain happy and cheerful, and she loves the world as it is. She loves how people can form bonds, she loves the feeling of happiness, and she acknowledges that death and danger come to balance it all out. She also knows that bad things happen to good people. By all means, she’s perfectly well-rounded.
However, she will run from someone getting too close. Because when someone gets close to her, as Train did, she flees. Perhaps it’s not a conscious decision; I doubt she made the choice to leave the apartment building she shared with Train thinking, “Train’s smiling now! I have to get away, or else he may rank up to best friend status.” No, nothing like that. Saya embraces people, and she does things to make sure that they’re happy. And off of their happiness, she becomes happy herself because she wants everyone to succeed and manage in life as cheerfully as possible. However doesn’t that contradict a little with her choice to leave? Didn’t she think that Train would want the woman who reformed his way of life to stick around? It was probably a thought, and she probably would’ve kept up a stable connection with Train if she had gotten the chance to live past that night, but all the same, it wouldn’t have stopped her from moving.
To stay in the apartment with Train would be to take the risk of improving relations even more, and for her to be stationary again. Another fear of Saya’s is staying in one place, because that ‘s so foreign. What’s foreign isn’t understood, and what isn’t understood is frightening. So to Saya, having a person always there for her (whether she like them or not be damned) or remaining in one place is frightening, so she just… doesn’t do it. However this isn’t at all a conscious decision on her part and it’s only what she feels inclined to do. But if she ever had to take a moment to really think about her friendship with Train and why she suddenly felt like moving out, she’d have to confront the fact that while she welcomed having this friend (her only true friend), it was also a new experience that she, for one, was not interested in learning more about. Because visiting a new town is nothing like developing a real friendship, and the latter is something that she’ll likely continue to run from.
15. What are her hopes or aspirations?
…. Well, she’s dead in her canon, so I suppose I’ll take her Vatheon point of view here. Previously, her hopes and aspirations were… non-existent. She was perfectly content with life, and she would’ve probably spent the rest of her life traveling as she did, meeting people, taking out criminals, and helping out whoever she can. But in Vatheon, that’s clearly just not possible.
Vatheon is a bubble underwater, and she could probably travel across the whole bubble in a day if she was bored enough. So being trapped there, it really changes things for her. However being trapped there for so long has given her the chance that she didn’t have before- really getting to know people. Knowing them in general, knowing what they want, and not just knowing what needs to be fixed in their life. So she’s gotten to know these people, maybe start liking a few of them individually, but her biggest goal is to help them resolve whatever issues they may have with life (as best she can), and more importantly, get them out of Vatheon. The people she’s met all have lives, they still have a chance at being happy with the world and enjoying themselves. For herself… she’s grounded and she’s slowly being driven crazy by the lack of sun and inability to travel, however that doesn’t matter in comparison to the troubles that these other people have. Of course, she’s putting them first.
16. What is something she doesn't want anyone to find out about her?
… everything? Admittedly, if a person proves to be in her company enough, her guard goes down and there’s a good chance that they’ll be able to piece together that she’s an amnesiac. It’s not something that she’s ashamed of; she just doesn’t want the pity that comes with it. However if she’s certain that the person will treat her the same despite that, she’ll admit to being an amnesiac. Not to mention if they can piece it together for themselves, like Naoya or Matthew, then there’s no use in denying it.
If something will cause someone to treat her differently or with pity (she had enough of that as a child), she’ll probably never bring it up of her own volition. With prompting, she may answer the person. Yet she’d really rather not share with anyone that she’s an amnesiac or… the fact that she’s dead. Few people are aware of both in Vatheon, and she’d prefer to keep it that way. Even with some of the people that she trusts most in Vatheon, she hasn’t told them the whole story.
Relationships
1. Describe this character's relationship with her parents.
…. Unexplored in canon. Though considering the fact that they probably wouldn’t have let her see them again after the whole ‘waking up in the hospital’ bit. Considering Saya’s personality… she likely would’ve chalked it up as part of the ‘past’ and moved on, without really considering what happened to her parents. Maybe she made the effort to track them down, maybe she didn’t. It’s really rather… up in the air.
2. Does the character have any siblings? What is/was their relationship like?
Nope. Likely an only child, because I figure siblings would probably be mentioned if they existed.
3. Are there other blood relatives to whom she is close? Are there ones she can't stand?
She is neutral with all her other relatives, she may even like a few of them especially! They were kind to her, they opened their homes to her, even if they couldn’t keep her for long. Perhaps they were stand-offish, but she could understand that. It was the ones who were kind and understanding that made an impression on her, even if they didn’t stick around in her life for long. She doesn’t blame them for having to pass her around, she doesn’t blame them for not really wanting her.
4. Are there other, unrelated people whom she considers part of her family? What are her relationships with them?
Nope. No such things exists for Saya.
5. Who is/was the character's best friend? How did they meet?
………………………. Talk about a horribly easy and difficult question at the same time.
Train. Train Train Train. “The only one I ever really considered a friend… was you [Train].” Might have taken her until her death to admit it, but Saya doesn’t open up to people. However in three months, in those last three months she found her best and possibly only true friend.
You see, they’re alike. They’re cat-like, they want freedom. Saya saw Train wanting freedom. After all, what kind of assassin messes up on a job? He hesitated to shoot a child and instead ended up shot himself. He was left dying and bleeding all over a sidewalk. She just happened to come across him, dizzy from blood loss and all but resigned to die, and she would never regret it. The sweeper would carry the unconscious assassin to her apartment and treat his wounds, strike up idle conversation, and find a friend. What do you know that they lived in the same apartment building? It was an interesting turn of events, and it shaped Train. Train found happiness in Saya’s way of life and found that he didn’t fall in love with her, even if she was a precious friend, but instead with her way of life. So she spoke to him, told him that he needed to find a lifestyle to make him smile more, and encouraged him to stop being an assassin.
She would tell stories of how they met and her impressions of him to other people- she had no problem saying that she befriended the infamous Black Cat and that he was actually a nice guy underneath it all. He went from a scary, diabolical frowny-face to the easy-going Train who would go out with her to lunch. They were kindred spirits in the sense that they didn’t like to be bound, and they could cause just the slightest bit of trouble. So Saya freed Train from his shackles that tied him to Chronos and taught him the life that gave him choices. Obviously Saya did a lot for Train… but he did a lot for her too. He may have started as another little project of hers, someone she was just going to help again and try to get to smile, but it eventually… grew. Her feelings towards him are complicated, but she grew attached during the entire time she was helping him. All of the other people she helped were probably easy enough cases, if they had the tenacity to take her advice and make their own decisions. However Train took time, Train made her visit again constantly, Train… was a constant. Someone that she saw often, and she saw that she was getting attached, so she nipped it in the bud. She was going to move, she was ready to move and leave him behind. She did leave him behind… but instead of moving, she died. However he came to her ‘rescue’ and was the last person she saw before she died. It was… nice. Truly, he was the only friend she really had, because he was the only one stubborn enough to work his way into her life when she was struggling to be independent. Train was her friend because she wasn’t the only one helping him- she knew that he would do anything for her, too.
….. LMAO. Oh goodness, I fully admit I was coming up with it as I went and suddenly it makes a lot more sense now-
6. Does she have other close friends?
In her canon? When she was living? No, no she did not. This is undisputed fact. Saya has acquaintances, not friends, and especially not close friends.
However in Vatheon, this is isn’t exactly the case. There are a few people that she sees often enough, and seeing them frequently enough is forming a… strange type of attachment in itself. Yet even amongst those people, her relationship with Matthew crossed acquaintance territory, and he’s definitely a friend. Of course, they don’t meet up nearly as often as she did with Train, so perhaps that’s what’s keeping her from completely realizing that… yeah, Matthew is a friend, maybe she should do something about it before she ends up with a companion, before she ends up depending on him. That’s horrifying.
Naoya is… also something. Hard to say. Really, really hard to say. She’ll tell him just about everything, but they’re not close enough nor do the conversations engage her enough to make her feel like they’re really friends. He’s more of a confidant?
7. Does she make friends easily, or does she have trouble getting along with people?
She has an easy time making other people her friends. Sure, they can consider her a friend but she probably doesn’t think of them similarly. They get along and do all the things that friends do, but they’ll probably run the friendship the entire way through without them finding out a single thing about her. Saya does things for other people, so getting anything out of her or making her trust a person is almost entirely out of the question.
8. Which does she consider more important: family or friends?
… her first reaction would be to say ‘neither’. However considering how her acquaintances and friends treat her quite a bit better than her relatives did, she’d say that friends are more important to her. However for anyone else, she would advise a healthy balance of the two. Depend on who you want to depend on, though in Saya’s case, that would be no one.
9. Is the character single, married, divorced, widowed? Has she been married more than once?
Single. So very, very single. Relationships would tie her down, after all.
10. Is she currently in a romantic relationship with someone other than a spouse?
Of course not.
11. Who was her first crush? Who is her latest?
… HAHAHA. Ohmygoodness, I can’t even think about this. Let’s see… Saya’s first crush? I don’t… I don’t even know if this is an answerable question. She’s too preoccupied with her sweeper work and she moves around too much for her to have a crush, and when she was younger? She wouldn’t have even had time for that.
Except… well, it’s not hard to imagine younger 15-year-old Saya when she’s just starting off as a sweeper, finding one of the especially well-known sweepers and idolizing him. Except that’s more of a “goal for the future” than a crush, isn’t it?
Her latest crush, though? Non-existent. Her feelings towards Train, as far as my interpretation goes, were completely unromantic. He was her friend, and it took quite a while and a lot of work for him to even reach the level of friend, let alone a legitimate love interest.
12. What does she look for in a romantic partner?
… she doesn’t, that’s just it. Though from what the track record of notable and apparently shippable CR she’s had, it looks like she’s most comfortable with people who are looking for the same thing she is: detachment. However it only works in reverse and further bonds them together, because they figure it’s safe to speak frequently because they obviously won’t get attached if neither of them are planning on it, right? … Haha, wrong. Saya most enjoys company like that, the kind of guy who can keep up with her energy and wit, someone she can talk to for a long time without realizing it’d been a long time, and most importantly, they can’t smother her. They can develop a bond of sorts, but they can’t bring it up because that’s sappy and lame. No, really! She’d say that and they’d lose respect points. … well, maybe not the last thing, but she wouldn’t know how to deal with attention like that.
BASICALLY, she’d prefer someone who would keep their space, but be a fun person all the same. Of course, this isn’t something that she looks for, but they’d also have to know how to deal with her flight response to commitment.
... I look back at this a couple weeks later and now I’m wondering if I described her CR with Matthew. Crossing my fingers and hoping for not.
13. Does the character have children? Grandchildren? If yes, how does she relate to them? If no, does she want any?
Never considered it, and if she’s ever forced to think about it, she’d probably be unable to decide. Even the idea of getting married bugs her, so she thinks that’s a sign that it’s a bit too early to think about her plans like that.
In Vat? … lol, not like she has a choice in the matter anymore.
14. Does she have any rivals or enemies?
She does! No one that she considers an enemy, because considering how the rest of this meme is turning out, everything with Saya is looking to be one-sided. However the fact that was murdered should tip off the fact that someone clearly didn’t like her. Creed Diskenth has an unhealthy, one-sided hatred towards her because she changed Train’s life. Admittedly she didn’t question it and planned to fight him, and she just had a feeling that he was a bad person and would hurt a lot of people. Unfortunately, he won the fight and killed her off, though Saya isn’t upset or… even all that angry at him for it. It was her decision to fight, and she knew the risks. She was just sloppy.
15. What is the character's sexual orientation? Where does shea fall on the Kinsey scale?
She doesn’t particularly care? She’d run away from getting too close to both, though admittedly her guard around women is down a bit more since she’s accustomed to the dangerous ones being men, though she’s not about to think that a woman won’t stab her in the back either. Though if they prove friendly enough, she’ll probably be more open to getting to know a woman because she’s around them less, and she’s of the opinion that she is heterosexual. If asked, she’ll say she’s heterosexual, even if it’s been the longest since she remembers feeling romantically attached to someone.
I’d guess that she’d be… 0 on the Kinsey Scale, or 1 at most? It doesn’t cross her mind much, either way.
16. How does she feel about sex? How important is it to her?
Completely unimportant. She acknowledges that other people probably need it or feel more strongly about it, but she doesn’t care much for it. Sex drive, what is that--
17. What are her turn-ons? Turn-offs? Weird bedroom habits?
… never thought about it and I really would rather not think about it. Jokingly, I’m pretty goddamn sure that she’d top in a relationship.
Beliefs
1. Do you know your character's astrological (zodiac of choice) sign? How well does she fit type?
Hmm, looks like she’s a Capricorn and I’m refraining from finding her Chinese Zodiac sign because we’re never given an exact date of birth. But well, she… fits it to a certain degree. She is loyal, distrusting, ambitious, calm, so on and so forth… but that’s not her complete character. When it comes to important things, she is all of those traits, but she is typically a lot more flippant than that. So it’s kind of hard to gauge…
2. Is this character religious, spiritual, both, or neither? How important are these elements in her life?
I’d have to say neither. Saya doesn’t believe in higher things like that, or she never really spared much thought to it. She’s entirely focused on the matter at hand and what she can do for herself, and not very directed by religious or spiritual teachings.
3. Does this character have a personal code of morals or ethics? If so, how did that begin? What would it take to compromise it?
Personal? … hm, in a certain sense. She believes that everyone is entitled to having their own choices and making their own decisions for themselves, just so long as they accept the consequences that come with it. So if someone chooses to go down the life of crime, she won’t stop them, but she will do everything in her power to apprehend them. But if she feels like they’re still worth saving, she won’t turn them in and would try to change their way of thinking. However if they still decide to go into the life of crime after she makes her attempt, then that’s that, it’s sort of like an “everyone gets one” rule. She believes that no one is beyond saving, though it may take a long time and a lot of tenacity.
As for where this began… It’s probably because as she was moving around as a child, she didn’t get a say in it. It didn’t matter where she wanted to be or what she wanted to do, because she had no authority and if her foster family didn’t want her around, then she’d be gone in a heartbeat. So that’s where the desire for choices likely came from, as for where the “everyone deserves to be saved” thing…. Hm. That may be from her own amnesia, where she could have been beyond help and she was rather… lost for a while, but then she eventually found her way. Compassionate as she is, she likely wouldn’t anyone else to feel so lost, and is willing to extend her help to anyone and everyone now.
4. How does she regard beliefs that differ from hers? Is she tolerant, intolerant, curious, indifferent?
Of course she’s tolerant. She accepts everything and is willing to let everyone live as they please. It doesn’t matter to her at all, really, but if it’s important to someone else, then she won’t tread all over it. That’s pretty much just how it goes.
5. What prejudices does she hold? Are they irrational or does she have a good reason for them?
… she’s not a fan of drunks. My personal headcanon is that alcohol impaired her the judgment of her parents and lead to them beating her, whether or not they were alcoholics is still undecided though. But nonetheless, it’s alcohol that she has a grudge against because it ruins a person’s sense of judgment and they could make decisions that they’ll later regret.
Daily Life
1. What is the character's financial situation? Is she rich, poor, comfortable, in debt?
Comfortable! She probably has some extra money that she doesn’t know what to do with, really. She’s happy to get by with the bare essentials and then maybe splurge every month or so for her whims. As a sweeper, she does it to ensure the protection of other people and because she finds it enjoyable, not because of the money. So with money never really as her goal, she probably only spends big on good food.
2. What is her social status? Has this changed over time, and if so, how has the change affected her?
… average? She was an orphan, but whether or not she lived in a bad neighborhood or not isn’t really explored. Either way, she worked up the ranks from the child that everyone passed around to the comfortable and confident sweeper that she is now.
3. Where does she live? House, apartment, trailer? Is her home her castle or just a place to crash? What condition is it in? Does she share it with others?
Apartment. It’s simply a ‘base of operations’, seeing as she started her sweeper life in one city and then stuck there throughout the years. So it’s kind of the single constant in her life and a little reassuring in that sense, but she has no problem tossing that away too seeing as she was so ready to move too. She definitely lived alone, though. Sharing space isn’t something that she’s too used to and while she’ll open her home for a little while, she’s not okay with long-time sharing.
This is very much the same in Vatheon, where she just lives simply in an apartment, though this one has two bedrooms. Admittedly she picked this one because she liked having a spare room just for whatever, or if she picks up a stray person off the street and they’re not cool with crashing on the couch. : D However her couch has become a very popular area? Ragna got himself hurt once and ended up there, and then most recently after the zombie invasion, Matthew came around for a second visit and has been crashing on her couch since. It’s… kinda strange having him around, but she doesn’t think much of it, figuring that he’ll live when he feels like it.
4. Besides the basic necessities, what does she spend her money on?
… snacks. No, really. She’s off to go get a criminal and what does she plan to buy with the money? Food. Yummy food, according to her. Saya’s quite a bit of a snacker. Her last meal before her death? Rice crackers! Delish, I know.
Besides that… she spends her money on travel expenses, more bullets for her gun, and… well, that’s about it. Certainly she must have her moments of frivolous spending and she has the money to spare that she can tip an informant 2,000 dollars. Considering her personality, she more than likely has a couple random whims that she would want to act out, and would probably spend money on them. Yep.
5. What does she do for a living? Is she good at it? Does she enjoy it, or would she rather be doing something else?
She is a sweeper for a living, which is basically a bounty hunter job. She is excellent at it. And not only does she enjoy it, but her entire lifestyle is based around it. She can’t imagine living to an age where she can no longer do her work, and she can’t imagine not going along with the perks of being a sweeper- that is, can’t imagine not having an excuse to hop towns every time she wants to.
6. What are her interests or hobbies? How does she spend her free time?
Straight from her character profile, her hobbies are bargain shopping and… helping people. Really! She’ll look for any chance to lend a hand to another person or make someone’s life better. Sometimes she’ll do random things on her own time as she does in Vatheon, but she does like spending her time with someone she can assist or help. She makes for an excellent impromptu therapist.
7. What are her eating habits? Does she skip meals, eat out, drink alcohol, avoid certain foods?
…. Junk food. Her eating habits are quite simple in the sense that she will eat whatever she wants. Not very healthy, but she gets by. Her drink of choice is milk, and the only thing that she will never consume is alcohol. Bad memories lie with alcohol, so she avoids the drunk and being one of the drunk.
Associations
Which of the following do you associate with the character, or which is her favorite:
Mun - Muse
1. Color? Pastel Pink - Red
2. Smell? Vanilla
3. Time of day? Sunset - Midnight
4. Season? Spring
5. Book? Self-Help Book - N/A She doesn’t do much reading.
6. Music? Konoyo no Uta - Piano Instrumentals
7. Place? Big Ben Clock Tower - the first sweeper bar she went to
8. Substance? N/A?
9. Plant? Lily - N/A
10. Animal? Cat
END
{{ Get the HTML here so you can do it yourself. }}
... TOOK ME LIKE. A MONTH TO FINISH, AAAHHHHH.
The character in question? sweeperesque from Black Cat, who happens to be another one of those characters that I apped on a whim and ended up sticking. I picked her up back when Vatheon was juuuust off the ground, though she was only my second character there. Since then, I've developed her character some and took this meme as an opportunity to think more about her character siiiiiince the canon's already finished and we ended up with almost nothing on her. :D
Body and Appearance
1. Describe the character's height and build. Is she heavyset, thin, short, rangy?
Saya stands a slightly-on-the-shorter-side 5’3”, or more specifically, 162 centimeters. While more on the slender side, she can particularly be considered ‘thin’. Her body holds all the womanly curves you would expect, however that doesn’t mean she lacks the muscles at all. She has enough strength to punch out gangsters and criminals a head taller than her, also able to carry an unconscious grown man if the situation calls for it. Years of running after bounties and then burdened with the task of taking them in to the police alive have kept her well-excercised.
2. How old is she?
Before she died? She was 19. It isn’t hard to peg her to be around her late teens, but she has a bit more wisdom and etiquette. Not to mention her priorities probably aren’t the same as most people her age. Her birthday was on December 31st, and… this is where it gets just the slightest bit tricky. On the night of her death, there was a celebration with fireworks. She claims to have ‘almost forgotten’ something. Everyone in town was dressed in winter attire, so it was likely not the 4th of July (nor is it known if that is even celebrated in the Black Cat universe). It could be that she died on the night of her birthday, but was too preoccupied trying to contact Train to even notice that she was another year older. She may have been just on the verge of 20 before her life was ended.
3. Describe her posture. Does she carry herself well or does she slouch?
Her natural posture is a relaxed one. If her attire allows, she’ll put her hands in her pockets as she walks around town. The way she carries herself is very easy-going, not exerting any more energy than absolutely necessary. When making a first impression, she does make a little bit more of an effort to present herself well, but otherwise she isn’t particularly uptight. When on the job, she is tensed up just the slightest bit more and ready to react and break out into a run whenever necessary. However even when her guard is down, she reacts at the slightest hint of aggression and is always prepared to put up a fight.
4. How is her health? Is she fit or out of shape? Any illnesses or conditions? Any physical disabilities?
After taking the time to become a sweeper, she’s not about to let herself give in to all the delicious food she tries and become sloppy. So even if she’s a constant snacker, she’s on the job often enough that she gets exercise from chasing down criminals and even if she dares to take a vacation, she probably has enough contacts to spar with. It takes a considerable amount of muscle to fire a gun without flinching too.
While she lacks any illnesses, she had experienced severe physical trauma before, to the point that she was comatose for an unknown number of days. Her parents were abusive and took it out on her, and she awoke in a hospital bed when she was 10 years old. This can be most easily labeled as post-traumatic amnesia.
5. How does she move? Is she clumsy, graceful, tense, fluid?
…. Relaxed. Very easy-going. In fact, her guard is down almost all the time unless she has reason to be suspicious. However that said, her motions are quite fluid and smooth. Though she is prone to the occasional flailing in fits of anger, that fits in with that she is fond of big gestures. She’ll move her hands around and point fingers when making a statement, stomp her foot angrily to get someone’s attention, and so on and so forth.
However once her guard is up, she’s ready to spring into action. She moves with purpose and quickly. If she sees an opening for an attack, she’ll go for it. She’s a quick thinker and rather rigid when she’s using her gun. After all, for her technique to work properly, her aim needs to be absolutely perfect.
6. How attractive is this character physically? How does she perceive herself in the mirror?
Saya is rather attractive, with fair curves, though they are typically obscured by her yukata. Yet when she switches up her attire to match more ‘modern’ times, she fits right in and I wouldn’t doubt that she’s been hit on before. When she looks at herself in the mirror, she only wonders how she feels like dressing for the day. Does she want to fit in a little bit, or will she make a statement by wearing random Eastern garments? Her looks are what they are, and while she’s happy that she could possibly be considered ‘pretty’, if she were ugly, it wouldn’t change a thing.
However if the anime is to be acknowledged, Saya does seem the slightest bit more concerned with her appearance. She’ll wear a yukata because she thinks it’s cute and will fish for compliments concerning her fashion choice. ….. :| And people wonder why I ignore the anime.
7. Describe her complexion. Dark, light, clear, scarred?
I’d say that it’s… fair? She’ll spend lots of time outside, sure, but never gets anything more than a very light tan. So either she bulks up on the sunblock or… Well, I actually don’t have an answer for this one.
However it is my personal headcanon that the reason for Saya’s tendency to wear long-sleeved clothing and has her legs covered so consistently is because she has faint scars all over her body. Though her abdominal area probably has marks of bruises as opposed to cuts. She was abused as a child and those scars are proof of it. When she woke up in that hospital bed, I doubt that her relatives would have been very eager to explain what happened to her, and the solid proof of it would only be the marks left behind on her body. Of course, it had been approximately nine to ten years since the abuse stopped, so they had faded to nothing more than dull scars. A few scars are more recent if she got a little too sloppy on the job, but most of them can be accredited to abuse from her childhood.
8. Describe her hair: color, texture, style.
Saya’s hair seems like a black color, but when shining in the right light, it’s actually dark brown. Just a very, very, very dark brown and then with enough shine, it lights up to a very light brown. Her hair isn’t particularly thick, but even if it is, it’s slightly layered so it’s not evident. She keeps it short so that it doesn’t bother her during work or get tangled up. It’s easier to manage and she probably has a new stylist have their hand at it in every town, but it remains consistently short. When she first met Train, her short hair wasn’t layered but by the time three months went by, it changed a bit. Since she’s been in Vatheon, her hair doesn’t seem particularly different as she picked up a book, a pair of scissors and tried cutting it herself. Of course, she asked local NPCs for their opinion. After their advice and evening it out, she manages to recreate her original style.
9. What color are her eyes?
A very light blue. Her eyes aren’t particularly notable, and are actually one of the few pairs in the series that have a moderately normal color to them. However eyes are windows to the soul, as they say, and she conveys quite a bit of emotion with her eyes. They’re normally burning with confidence and passion, yet they dull out slightly when she’s in deep thought.
10. Does the character have any other noteworthy features?
Not particularly! Although a little tidbit is that the only accessories she seems to wear are necklaces or chokers around her neck. The only time she isn’t seen wearing one is when she already has a turtleneck and they would clash with her clothing. This could be seen as a bit of symbolism for her cat-like lifestyle, acting something like a collar. There is almost always something hanging around her neck, though she otherwise lacks any jewelry or accessory.
11. What are her chief tension centers?
Can’t say I particularly understand what this means, but I’d have to say her… legs? She does a considerable amount of running and jumping, after all. Especially in Vatheon, where she hasn’t been in a good fistfight in ages and only runs around chasing after Matthew. BLAH. I don’t get this question.
12. What is the character's wardrobe like? Casual, dressy, utilitarian? Bright colors, pastels, neutrals? Is it varied, or does she have six of the same suit?
Saya’s wardrobe is a mix of a little of everything. She’ll dress in any manner of clothes, though she normally makes it a point to stand out a little. If the clothes she sees are cute, she’ll wear them, even if they don’t match with the town and time. After all, she sees no problem wearing a yukata in the middle of a European-ish setting. She seems to be a fan of flower patterns and dresses, the two often coinciding. Her style of dress is very much affected by her hobbies, as she proclaims to love bargain shopping and thus ends up with a slightly older and lesser-used style.
Her arms are often covered in just about everything she wears. Shirts are accompanied by cardigans, and turtlenecks with additional coats. Clearly she enjoys layering things up as even when she wears a long-sleeved shirt, she finds a short-sleeved jacket to wear on top of it. Her legs also have some type of fabric covering them up, whether they be stockings to accompany shorts, pants, or just a very long skirt.
Even though a sweeper’s job is to always be prepared and ready for everything, the yukata is considered to be her ‘trademark’ and something that she wore often for work. Complete with the slippers! It seems a little silly, but she was good enough at what she did that even those clothes and footwear failed to hinder her. Whatever she is wearing is whatever she wanted to wear. It doesn’t matter if she stands out or is stuck with the crowd, because chances are that it’ll match her mood.
13. Do her clothes fit well? Does she seem comfortable in them?
Of course they fit well. Though whether or not they’re ‘comfortable’ is up for discussion. Sometimes she opts for baggier clothing and things that she can move around in, but they fit on her person well enough. However sometimes what she’s wearing is at contrasts with her goal. As mentioned above, she’ll wear a yukata and sandals when chasing down a criminal! However she doesn’t seem bothered by it at all and while she’s probably not at optimal performance then, she still manages well enough that she’s unbelievably hard to take down. After all, if she’s capable of flips in a yukata, then she’s probably okay against most common criminals.
14. Does she dress the same on the job as she does in her free time? If not, what are the differences?
She’ll dress however she wants! So… pretty much, yes, she dresses the same. The yukata is for daily outings as well as sweeper work, and the same can be said for just about everything else. She’s adaptable and can handle herself in just about every situation, in every type of attire.
Though if she’s aiming to just blend in for the day and go about a relaxing life, she’ll wear more subdued and earthy tones. Green, brown, and blue are her colors of choice when she’s aiming to just laze about and go sight-seeing. Yet her yukatas are primary white with accents of other light colors. However when she’s to neither wear a yukata nor aiming to blend in specifically, she’ll wear red (in multiple shades). Orange and yellow are nice colors for accents, but she wouldn’t wear something primarily those colors.
15. You knew it was coming: Boxers, briefs or commando?
Panties, bro.
Speech
1. What does this character's voice sound like? High-pitched, deep, hoarse?
…. Like a typical girl her age? Goodness, I don’t know. Just go watch maybe episode 2 or 3 of the English anime. The voices and music are the only things the anime is good for. Though I have to say the Japanese version has a more bubbly and perky pitch that I love.
2. How does she normally speak? Loud, soft, fast, evenly? Does she talk easily, or does she hesitate?
She speaks with very clear diction, and she talks with her hands. In order to be understood, she’ll speak evenly and make sure the other person in the conversation can keep up. Of course, she is prone to shouting and is the slightest bit louder when irritated. Her words come easily to her and she’ll say almost anything that comes to mind with someone she’s familiar with, but gauge her words just a little bit more when it’s someone she doesn’t know quite so well.
3. Does the character have a distinct accent or dialect? Any individual quirks of pronunciation? Any, like, you know, verbal tics?
When she’s emphasizing a point, she’ll rid her words of any conjunctions, not to mention she’ll repeat things for emphasis. If she’s gauging someone still, she’ll add in things to the end of her statements like ‘huh?’ or ‘right?’ to seem a little less insistent. However if she’s determined about a point, she’ll emphasize and state her opinions clearly. Past that… I don’t think there’s anything much to mention. She does use ‘ummmmmmm’ sometimes when she’s still processing a thought and was confronted with information about herself.
4. What language/s does she speak, and with how much fluency?
… English is the language they use in Black Cat, I believe. English or Japanese, respectively. WHATEVER LANGUAGE IT IS, she’s fluent in it. If she’s traveling out of the country, she may know a few key phrases so that she can communicate and do her job properly, but probably not enough to keep up a full conversation. Whatever she needs to learn, she’ll learn it, and if not… she’ll get by with hand gestures and drawings.
5. Does she switch languages or dialects in certain situations?
Seeing as she ‘tries to be on her best behavior’ with new people, she’s considerably less… mouthy in her speech. Her statements are more humble and she’ll cut back on insults completely. However once she gets past first impressions, she’s a lot more honest and direct.
6. Is she a good impromptu speaker, or does she have to think about her words?
Generally, she’s a pretty good impromptu speaker. Whatever comes to mind is what she says, and often it comes out pretty nicely. She’s used to consoling people and giving advice on the spot, depending on their situation, so she tries to say whatever cam make them feel best. She tries not to treat people as if their problems are all the same so there may be the slightest pause before she can deliver her best wishes and whatever else needs to be said.
7. Is she eloquent or inarticulate? Under what circumstances might this change?
Moderately eloquent. She’s very good at getting her point across, depending on who she’s talking to and tries her best to choose the most supportive words possible. However there are times when she’s at a loss for words, mostly when she’s embarrassed about something. Yet you’ll find that she has something to say about everything, even if not all of her words are polished.
Mental and Emotional
1. How intelligent is this character? Is she book-smart or street-smart?
Street-smart. Completely and totally street-smart. She knows almost nothing about what’s in books except for the bare fundamentals of things, though when she was in orphanages and still relearning about the world, she did read a few books, primarily books about countries and traveling, so chances are that she’s unable to weave complex math formulas or have much luck with science at all. Everything before age 10 was wiped clean, so she had to learn the basics of life over again.
However her street-smarts make up almost completely for that as she’s very, very adaptable and was determined to live life as she wanted. So she figured out how to take care of herself as soon as she stopped being passed around from orphanage to orphanage. Since then, she’d been on the move from town to town, taking care of herself and accepting all responsibilities. She takes care of herself with her own salary and catches on to things quickly. From experience, she knows how to deal with people and is familiar with how to appeal to them, charismatic as she is. Saya is capable to tell when a person is hurting and can even read them to the point that she can likely predict whether they’ll take her advice or not.
2. Does she think on her feet, or does she need time to deliberate?
Thinking on her feet, if only because she dislikes wasting any time. Especially when she’s on the job and plans on using the Reflect Shot, she needs to be able to adapt to the environment as the angles change depending on where she’s standing and angle assessment is pretty damn difficult if you can’t think quickly. Her mind moves as a very fast pace when confronted with a problem. She’s all about always being on the move and doesn’t waste a second. Of course, this causes problems for her sometimes as she could end up not considering something and paying for it dearly.
3. Describe the character's thought process. Is she more logical, or more intuitive? Idealistic or practical?
It’s a mix of everything, as seems typical with Saya. Even with only 9 years worth of memories, she knows the basics of the world. She knows that some people have the strength to give in and some people just don’t have what it takes. It’s a constant battle and you have to keep fighting in order to achieve happiness, and sometimes bad things happen to good people even then. In that sense, she is practical. But even when she knows that her advice has a chance of going in one ear and out the other, she’ll still continue to lend her hand and try to help. In this world of chaos and difficulty, it can be so easy to go under and fall in with the wrong crowd. But she believed that even if people made bad decisions, it doesn’t mean that they’re not worth the effort of trying to save. She thinks that if given the chance, anyone can change for the better.
Next, she goes more with her intuition. She always considers other people first and logic doesn’t cover emotion. Logic is far too cold for her, and she’s driven by her emotions quite a bit. Whatever she feels
4. What kind of education has the character had?
I imagine she went to school… before. You know, before she forgot everything. It was likely average though as time went on, she became less and less concerned with schoolwork since her home life was a lot more… pressing. But once she woke up in the hospital and started being passed through relatives and orphanages, she never stayed in a place long enough to really get to know much of the curriculm. So she probably learned a few random pieces of knowledge, but even those didn’t stick with her very well.
So everything that’s been of use to her since then has been entirely self-taught. She’s been to quite a number of libraries and has likely studied a bit concerning angles and ballistics. After all, the reflect shot is based entirely upon angles and utilizing them. However that’s likely as far as her book studies went, and she learned off the streets for just about everything else. She’s entirely capable and has shown to be very resourceful, so Saya probably knows how to navigate a sweeper bar and… just about everything else.
5. What are her areas of expertise? What, if anything, is she interested in learning more about?
… sweeper work, and in a more general way, helping people. Saya’s a fantastic sweeper and was very good at what she did, managing to catch a lot of targets and even bring down an entire crime syndicate that was ruling a town. She knows how to go about tackling things like that alone, and a lot of it just comes from experience. Then her other area of expertise… well, ‘helping people’? See, it’s even listed as one of her hobbies and she’s pretty good at it, too. While she can’t change everyone’s way of life, she’s met a lot of people and lends a hand to whoever she can. Whether or not it makes an impact or not depends on the person, but she managed to get an assassin to turn over a new leaf and that’s something!
As for what she’s interested in learning more about, it’d probably be the world in general. Only nine years worth of memories after all, so there’s probably a lot she still doesn’t isn’t familiar with. So she traveled so that she could see as much as she could, and by the time of her death, she seemed content with everything. However in Vatheon, she’s very curious when it comes to the worlds that everyone else is from. They vary in time, place, and customs, so she wants to find out as much as she can. She’ll take any knowledge she can get her hands on, so long as it’s interesting to her.
6. Is she an introvert or an extrovert?
… a beautiful mix of the two, if that is at all possible.
At first glance, Saya is an extrovert. She makes her leaving dealing with people, and she does it for the sake of helping other people. It takes her to many places, crowded and troubled towns where she can get to know the locals and do what she can to lend a hand. Seemingly, her entire life is built around people and trying to do whatever good she can for them. She loves interacting with them, and she’s good at forming friendships too. Without a doubt, she does have her extrovert tendencies, such as when she gives advice when thinking on her feet and doing a lot of talking to get her thoughts out. So it would be really easy to label Saya as an extrovert and leave it at that.
However another thing to consider is the fact that Saya… well, she’s a loner. She fights alone, travels alone, and has been alone for a long time. Often, she keeps things to herself and does all her serious thinking by herself. She’ll reach out to people so they can be saved, but she’d refuse a hand from anyone else because she doesn’t want their assistance or their constant company. Saya is so used to a free lifestyle, where she isn’t bound by anything or everyone and has to rely strictly on herself. When she does become close to people, she escapes because having another person around is strange, foreign, and moderately unwelcome. It may be subconscious, but she does have that tendency to up and leave whenever she believes it to suit her. Her lifestyle may be oriented around helping other people, but the true basis of it leaves Saya relying only on herself and keeping much of the burden to… solely herself.
7. Describe the character's temperament. Is she even-tempered or does she have mood swings? Cheerful or melancholy? Laid-back or driven?
When she’s with someone unfamiliar, she is polite. She may yell once or twice but it would only be for their benefit, such as a strict reprimanding that you shouldn’t get up when you’re filled with bullet holes like Swiss cheese. It’s a very difficult battle, but she makes it a point to remain well-mannered and not particularly pushy. However even then, her disposition is a cheerful one and she looks to uplift people whenever she can. She’s a little bit more ‘relaxed’ in a general sense, where she won’t push people to do things.
However certain personalities can set her off. If someone is immediately mouthy to her, there is a good chance that she’ll slip a little and mouth off to them, too. This was… fairly evident in her initial appearance in Vatheon where she was cordial to everyone else but had no problem taunting Matthew and deceiving him a little- but only after he pushed her straight into the coral. What a jerkface, even from the beginning. Then after someone’s spent a fair amount of time with her, or they’ve interacted enough, she doesn’t see much of a point to be polite to them. Perhaps she’s kinder when she doesn’t know the person, but the louder and fiery Saya is the truer of the two. She’s driven, motivated, and full of sass. This is clear when she’s on her sweeper duties, doing what she feels most comfortable, and making flashy entrances before knocking out whoever’s in her way.
Normally, it’s hard to get her any more upset than a neutral, taunting, and sarcastic state, and that’s what counts as her ‘bad mood’. But if you get her hopes up about something only to drop them down completely, she’s prone to reacting badly. Filled with rage, she’ll stomp around and make a fist, but that’s only if she really wanted something… like a good meal.
8. How does she respond to new people or situations? Is she suspicious, relaxed, timid, enthusiastic?
She is filled with so much energy, it’s a little strange. New things intrigue her, and she’s all for investigating them. Saya’s a little arrogant in thinking that she can handle whatever comes her way, and she’s not against a strategic retreat if it would let her keep her life if she’s in over her head. New people are welcomed and she’s always glad to make more connections, even if she’s determined to keep them as far away from her emotionally as possible (not that they’d have a clue about that). New situations are treated quite the same, as Saya loves having the chance to explore and learn new aspects of life (or in Vatheon, her post-life).
9. Is she more likely to act, or to react?
Obviously, she does both regularly. However… well, generally she acts most of the time. She’ll do things of her own volition without any prompting. No particular reason she’s going to go out and catch this criminal, it’s just because she feels like it. No particularly thing making her juggle apples in the middle of the marketplace (except for perhaps Cal and I plotting a bit too late into the night), it’s just… natural for her. She’s a free spirit, as many have described, and she’ll do whatever she pleases. Normally that encompasses acting for herself.
10. Which is her default: fight or flight?
Fight! Though it comes with one little detail- no innocent civilians can be around for the fight. She has the skill to avoid injuring anyone, but she doesn’t want to cause problems for other people emotionally or mentally by rashly fighting in the middle of the street. So by every means, she’ll tackle a problem head-on and deal with it by any means necessary, but she always thinks about whether or not it’ll hurt other people too.
11. Describe the character's sense of humor. Does she appreciate jokes? Puns? Gallows humor? Bathroom humor? Pranks?
She does appreciate jokes, and she’ll probably even find puns moderately amusing. Her sense of humor is pretty generous, though she tries to cut back on sarcasm and laughing at another’s person expense if they’re not too close. However once they become friends (being used as a general term, it’s really a tricky measure) Saya’s all for taunting and teasing the other person if they give her an opening. Sometimes her observations are humorous and she doesn’t even completely realize it. What do you mean Train didn’t have such a HADOCOAAA face? What do you mean you can’t see how Naoya’s a marshmallow or how Matthew’s totally a puppy? In her head, her comparisons are totally spot-on, but in general, they’re more of the humorously accurate variety. Putting it simply, “it’s funny because it’s true!”
12. Does the character have any diagnosable mental disorders? If yes, how does she deal with them?
… you know, I’m actually not sure where to slap amnesia. However if it counts here, and how she deals with it?
… she doesn’t. She accepted it a long time ago. Her memories never started to trickle back in slowly and she’s not about to get her hopes up that they will. Looks like her lost memories are permanent and… she doesn’t mind that, she really doesn’t! Honestly, she made peace with it forever ago and doesn’t particularly care about it. What she doesn’t know, she doesn’t know, but that’s why she’s on such a pursuit to learn, right? After all, she managed to learn that her parents were abusive and were the reason for her amnesia, and that was devastating enough on its own, so perhaps it’s better if she isn’t to remember the details about it. She believes that part of her life is entirely in the past, and even if she didn’t have a choice forgetting it, it’s almost completely forgotten.
What she told Train was that he should forget about her and live the rest of his life unburdened, though he later found that to be a form of running away. Saya does have a tendency of running away from things that are really, really good, or so bad that she just doesn’t know how to deal with it. Perhaps by forgetting about her past and living an otherwise happy and successful life, she ran away from it. However it’s shaped her to be as she is, and it’s why she thinks that forgetting things isn’t horrifying or a crime. Sometimes it’s the only way to move on, and maybe that’s weak of her… but she never dwells on that thought for long.
13. What moments in this character's life have defined her as a person?
Age > 10 : Parents turned abusive.
Age > 10 : Abused with enough force that whether as a self-defense mechanism or due to sheer blunt force trauma to the head, she forgot all about it.
Age 10 : Woke up in a hospital, an amnesiac.
Age 10 - approx. Age 15 : Moved constantly, passed around between relatives and different orphanages.
Age 10? - 15? : Became familiar with the Sweeper way of life, made the decision to become a sweeper.
Approx. Age 14 : Acquire a gun and began working on the Reflect Shot.
Age 15 : Acquired Sweeper’s License, began living as she wished.
Age 19 : Met Train Heartnet.
Age 19 (possibly 20) : Died.
14. What does she fear?
First off? …. Depending on people.
Saya can deal with just about everything, she can face death and danger just fine, she’s not afraid of the dark, and she can squish a spider without squealing about bug guts. However almost all serious fears revolve around being alone, and she has no issues with that. Ever since she was ten years old until just very recently, she had a feeling that she was all alone in the world. There were no attachments as she was passed around from relative to relative, orphanage to orphanage, and that’s how she learned. She had to rely on herself to remain happy and cheerful, and she loves the world as it is. She loves how people can form bonds, she loves the feeling of happiness, and she acknowledges that death and danger come to balance it all out. She also knows that bad things happen to good people. By all means, she’s perfectly well-rounded.
However, she will run from someone getting too close. Because when someone gets close to her, as Train did, she flees. Perhaps it’s not a conscious decision; I doubt she made the choice to leave the apartment building she shared with Train thinking, “Train’s smiling now! I have to get away, or else he may rank up to best friend status.” No, nothing like that. Saya embraces people, and she does things to make sure that they’re happy. And off of their happiness, she becomes happy herself because she wants everyone to succeed and manage in life as cheerfully as possible. However doesn’t that contradict a little with her choice to leave? Didn’t she think that Train would want the woman who reformed his way of life to stick around? It was probably a thought, and she probably would’ve kept up a stable connection with Train if she had gotten the chance to live past that night, but all the same, it wouldn’t have stopped her from moving.
To stay in the apartment with Train would be to take the risk of improving relations even more, and for her to be stationary again. Another fear of Saya’s is staying in one place, because that ‘s so foreign. What’s foreign isn’t understood, and what isn’t understood is frightening. So to Saya, having a person always there for her (whether she like them or not be damned) or remaining in one place is frightening, so she just… doesn’t do it. However this isn’t at all a conscious decision on her part and it’s only what she feels inclined to do. But if she ever had to take a moment to really think about her friendship with Train and why she suddenly felt like moving out, she’d have to confront the fact that while she welcomed having this friend (her only true friend), it was also a new experience that she, for one, was not interested in learning more about. Because visiting a new town is nothing like developing a real friendship, and the latter is something that she’ll likely continue to run from.
15. What are her hopes or aspirations?
…. Well, she’s dead in her canon, so I suppose I’ll take her Vatheon point of view here. Previously, her hopes and aspirations were… non-existent. She was perfectly content with life, and she would’ve probably spent the rest of her life traveling as she did, meeting people, taking out criminals, and helping out whoever she can. But in Vatheon, that’s clearly just not possible.
Vatheon is a bubble underwater, and she could probably travel across the whole bubble in a day if she was bored enough. So being trapped there, it really changes things for her. However being trapped there for so long has given her the chance that she didn’t have before- really getting to know people. Knowing them in general, knowing what they want, and not just knowing what needs to be fixed in their life. So she’s gotten to know these people, maybe start liking a few of them individually, but her biggest goal is to help them resolve whatever issues they may have with life (as best she can), and more importantly, get them out of Vatheon. The people she’s met all have lives, they still have a chance at being happy with the world and enjoying themselves. For herself… she’s grounded and she’s slowly being driven crazy by the lack of sun and inability to travel, however that doesn’t matter in comparison to the troubles that these other people have. Of course, she’s putting them first.
16. What is something she doesn't want anyone to find out about her?
… everything? Admittedly, if a person proves to be in her company enough, her guard goes down and there’s a good chance that they’ll be able to piece together that she’s an amnesiac. It’s not something that she’s ashamed of; she just doesn’t want the pity that comes with it. However if she’s certain that the person will treat her the same despite that, she’ll admit to being an amnesiac. Not to mention if they can piece it together for themselves, like Naoya or Matthew, then there’s no use in denying it.
If something will cause someone to treat her differently or with pity (she had enough of that as a child), she’ll probably never bring it up of her own volition. With prompting, she may answer the person. Yet she’d really rather not share with anyone that she’s an amnesiac or… the fact that she’s dead. Few people are aware of both in Vatheon, and she’d prefer to keep it that way. Even with some of the people that she trusts most in Vatheon, she hasn’t told them the whole story.
Relationships
1. Describe this character's relationship with her parents.
…. Unexplored in canon. Though considering the fact that they probably wouldn’t have let her see them again after the whole ‘waking up in the hospital’ bit. Considering Saya’s personality… she likely would’ve chalked it up as part of the ‘past’ and moved on, without really considering what happened to her parents. Maybe she made the effort to track them down, maybe she didn’t. It’s really rather… up in the air.
2. Does the character have any siblings? What is/was their relationship like?
Nope. Likely an only child, because I figure siblings would probably be mentioned if they existed.
3. Are there other blood relatives to whom she is close? Are there ones she can't stand?
She is neutral with all her other relatives, she may even like a few of them especially! They were kind to her, they opened their homes to her, even if they couldn’t keep her for long. Perhaps they were stand-offish, but she could understand that. It was the ones who were kind and understanding that made an impression on her, even if they didn’t stick around in her life for long. She doesn’t blame them for having to pass her around, she doesn’t blame them for not really wanting her.
4. Are there other, unrelated people whom she considers part of her family? What are her relationships with them?
Nope. No such things exists for Saya.
5. Who is/was the character's best friend? How did they meet?
………………………. Talk about a horribly easy and difficult question at the same time.
Train. Train Train Train. “The only one I ever really considered a friend… was you [Train].” Might have taken her until her death to admit it, but Saya doesn’t open up to people. However in three months, in those last three months she found her best and possibly only true friend.
You see, they’re alike. They’re cat-like, they want freedom. Saya saw Train wanting freedom. After all, what kind of assassin messes up on a job? He hesitated to shoot a child and instead ended up shot himself. He was left dying and bleeding all over a sidewalk. She just happened to come across him, dizzy from blood loss and all but resigned to die, and she would never regret it. The sweeper would carry the unconscious assassin to her apartment and treat his wounds, strike up idle conversation, and find a friend. What do you know that they lived in the same apartment building? It was an interesting turn of events, and it shaped Train. Train found happiness in Saya’s way of life and found that he didn’t fall in love with her, even if she was a precious friend, but instead with her way of life. So she spoke to him, told him that he needed to find a lifestyle to make him smile more, and encouraged him to stop being an assassin.
She would tell stories of how they met and her impressions of him to other people- she had no problem saying that she befriended the infamous Black Cat and that he was actually a nice guy underneath it all. He went from a scary, diabolical frowny-face to the easy-going Train who would go out with her to lunch. They were kindred spirits in the sense that they didn’t like to be bound, and they could cause just the slightest bit of trouble. So Saya freed Train from his shackles that tied him to Chronos and taught him the life that gave him choices. Obviously Saya did a lot for Train… but he did a lot for her too. He may have started as another little project of hers, someone she was just going to help again and try to get to smile, but it eventually… grew. Her feelings towards him are complicated, but she grew attached during the entire time she was helping him. All of the other people she helped were probably easy enough cases, if they had the tenacity to take her advice and make their own decisions. However Train took time, Train made her visit again constantly, Train… was a constant. Someone that she saw often, and she saw that she was getting attached, so she nipped it in the bud. She was going to move, she was ready to move and leave him behind. She did leave him behind… but instead of moving, she died. However he came to her ‘rescue’ and was the last person she saw before she died. It was… nice. Truly, he was the only friend she really had, because he was the only one stubborn enough to work his way into her life when she was struggling to be independent. Train was her friend because she wasn’t the only one helping him- she knew that he would do anything for her, too.
….. LMAO. Oh goodness, I fully admit I was coming up with it as I went and suddenly it makes a lot more sense now-
6. Does she have other close friends?
In her canon? When she was living? No, no she did not. This is undisputed fact. Saya has acquaintances, not friends, and especially not close friends.
However in Vatheon, this is isn’t exactly the case. There are a few people that she sees often enough, and seeing them frequently enough is forming a… strange type of attachment in itself. Yet even amongst those people, her relationship with Matthew crossed acquaintance territory, and he’s definitely a friend. Of course, they don’t meet up nearly as often as she did with Train, so perhaps that’s what’s keeping her from completely realizing that… yeah, Matthew is a friend, maybe she should do something about it before she ends up with a companion, before she ends up depending on him. That’s horrifying.
Naoya is… also something. Hard to say. Really, really hard to say. She’ll tell him just about everything, but they’re not close enough nor do the conversations engage her enough to make her feel like they’re really friends. He’s more of a confidant?
7. Does she make friends easily, or does she have trouble getting along with people?
She has an easy time making other people her friends. Sure, they can consider her a friend but she probably doesn’t think of them similarly. They get along and do all the things that friends do, but they’ll probably run the friendship the entire way through without them finding out a single thing about her. Saya does things for other people, so getting anything out of her or making her trust a person is almost entirely out of the question.
8. Which does she consider more important: family or friends?
… her first reaction would be to say ‘neither’. However considering how her acquaintances and friends treat her quite a bit better than her relatives did, she’d say that friends are more important to her. However for anyone else, she would advise a healthy balance of the two. Depend on who you want to depend on, though in Saya’s case, that would be no one.
9. Is the character single, married, divorced, widowed? Has she been married more than once?
Single. So very, very single. Relationships would tie her down, after all.
10. Is she currently in a romantic relationship with someone other than a spouse?
Of course not.
11. Who was her first crush? Who is her latest?
… HAHAHA. Ohmygoodness, I can’t even think about this. Let’s see… Saya’s first crush? I don’t… I don’t even know if this is an answerable question. She’s too preoccupied with her sweeper work and she moves around too much for her to have a crush, and when she was younger? She wouldn’t have even had time for that.
Except… well, it’s not hard to imagine younger 15-year-old Saya when she’s just starting off as a sweeper, finding one of the especially well-known sweepers and idolizing him. Except that’s more of a “goal for the future” than a crush, isn’t it?
Her latest crush, though? Non-existent. Her feelings towards Train, as far as my interpretation goes, were completely unromantic. He was her friend, and it took quite a while and a lot of work for him to even reach the level of friend, let alone a legitimate love interest.
12. What does she look for in a romantic partner?
… she doesn’t, that’s just it. Though from what the track record of notable and apparently shippable CR she’s had, it looks like she’s most comfortable with people who are looking for the same thing she is: detachment. However it only works in reverse and further bonds them together, because they figure it’s safe to speak frequently because they obviously won’t get attached if neither of them are planning on it, right? … Haha, wrong. Saya most enjoys company like that, the kind of guy who can keep up with her energy and wit, someone she can talk to for a long time without realizing it’d been a long time, and most importantly, they can’t smother her. They can develop a bond of sorts, but they can’t bring it up because that’s sappy and lame. No, really! She’d say that and they’d lose respect points. … well, maybe not the last thing, but she wouldn’t know how to deal with attention like that.
BASICALLY, she’d prefer someone who would keep their space, but be a fun person all the same. Of course, this isn’t something that she looks for, but they’d also have to know how to deal with her flight response to commitment.
... I look back at this a couple weeks later and now I’m wondering if I described her CR with Matthew. Crossing my fingers and hoping for not.
13. Does the character have children? Grandchildren? If yes, how does she relate to them? If no, does she want any?
Never considered it, and if she’s ever forced to think about it, she’d probably be unable to decide. Even the idea of getting married bugs her, so she thinks that’s a sign that it’s a bit too early to think about her plans like that.
In Vat? … lol, not like she has a choice in the matter anymore.
14. Does she have any rivals or enemies?
She does! No one that she considers an enemy, because considering how the rest of this meme is turning out, everything with Saya is looking to be one-sided. However the fact that was murdered should tip off the fact that someone clearly didn’t like her. Creed Diskenth has an unhealthy, one-sided hatred towards her because she changed Train’s life. Admittedly she didn’t question it and planned to fight him, and she just had a feeling that he was a bad person and would hurt a lot of people. Unfortunately, he won the fight and killed her off, though Saya isn’t upset or… even all that angry at him for it. It was her decision to fight, and she knew the risks. She was just sloppy.
15. What is the character's sexual orientation? Where does shea fall on the Kinsey scale?
She doesn’t particularly care? She’d run away from getting too close to both, though admittedly her guard around women is down a bit more since she’s accustomed to the dangerous ones being men, though she’s not about to think that a woman won’t stab her in the back either. Though if they prove friendly enough, she’ll probably be more open to getting to know a woman because she’s around them less, and she’s of the opinion that she is heterosexual. If asked, she’ll say she’s heterosexual, even if it’s been the longest since she remembers feeling romantically attached to someone.
I’d guess that she’d be… 0 on the Kinsey Scale, or 1 at most? It doesn’t cross her mind much, either way.
16. How does she feel about sex? How important is it to her?
Completely unimportant. She acknowledges that other people probably need it or feel more strongly about it, but she doesn’t care much for it. Sex drive, what is that--
17. What are her turn-ons? Turn-offs? Weird bedroom habits?
… never thought about it and I really would rather not think about it. Jokingly, I’m pretty goddamn sure that she’d top in a relationship.
Beliefs
1. Do you know your character's astrological (zodiac of choice) sign? How well does she fit type?
Hmm, looks like she’s a Capricorn and I’m refraining from finding her Chinese Zodiac sign because we’re never given an exact date of birth. But well, she… fits it to a certain degree. She is loyal, distrusting, ambitious, calm, so on and so forth… but that’s not her complete character. When it comes to important things, she is all of those traits, but she is typically a lot more flippant than that. So it’s kind of hard to gauge…
2. Is this character religious, spiritual, both, or neither? How important are these elements in her life?
I’d have to say neither. Saya doesn’t believe in higher things like that, or she never really spared much thought to it. She’s entirely focused on the matter at hand and what she can do for herself, and not very directed by religious or spiritual teachings.
3. Does this character have a personal code of morals or ethics? If so, how did that begin? What would it take to compromise it?
Personal? … hm, in a certain sense. She believes that everyone is entitled to having their own choices and making their own decisions for themselves, just so long as they accept the consequences that come with it. So if someone chooses to go down the life of crime, she won’t stop them, but she will do everything in her power to apprehend them. But if she feels like they’re still worth saving, she won’t turn them in and would try to change their way of thinking. However if they still decide to go into the life of crime after she makes her attempt, then that’s that, it’s sort of like an “everyone gets one” rule. She believes that no one is beyond saving, though it may take a long time and a lot of tenacity.
As for where this began… It’s probably because as she was moving around as a child, she didn’t get a say in it. It didn’t matter where she wanted to be or what she wanted to do, because she had no authority and if her foster family didn’t want her around, then she’d be gone in a heartbeat. So that’s where the desire for choices likely came from, as for where the “everyone deserves to be saved” thing…. Hm. That may be from her own amnesia, where she could have been beyond help and she was rather… lost for a while, but then she eventually found her way. Compassionate as she is, she likely wouldn’t anyone else to feel so lost, and is willing to extend her help to anyone and everyone now.
4. How does she regard beliefs that differ from hers? Is she tolerant, intolerant, curious, indifferent?
Of course she’s tolerant. She accepts everything and is willing to let everyone live as they please. It doesn’t matter to her at all, really, but if it’s important to someone else, then she won’t tread all over it. That’s pretty much just how it goes.
5. What prejudices does she hold? Are they irrational or does she have a good reason for them?
… she’s not a fan of drunks. My personal headcanon is that alcohol impaired her the judgment of her parents and lead to them beating her, whether or not they were alcoholics is still undecided though. But nonetheless, it’s alcohol that she has a grudge against because it ruins a person’s sense of judgment and they could make decisions that they’ll later regret.
Daily Life
1. What is the character's financial situation? Is she rich, poor, comfortable, in debt?
Comfortable! She probably has some extra money that she doesn’t know what to do with, really. She’s happy to get by with the bare essentials and then maybe splurge every month or so for her whims. As a sweeper, she does it to ensure the protection of other people and because she finds it enjoyable, not because of the money. So with money never really as her goal, she probably only spends big on good food.
2. What is her social status? Has this changed over time, and if so, how has the change affected her?
… average? She was an orphan, but whether or not she lived in a bad neighborhood or not isn’t really explored. Either way, she worked up the ranks from the child that everyone passed around to the comfortable and confident sweeper that she is now.
3. Where does she live? House, apartment, trailer? Is her home her castle or just a place to crash? What condition is it in? Does she share it with others?
Apartment. It’s simply a ‘base of operations’, seeing as she started her sweeper life in one city and then stuck there throughout the years. So it’s kind of the single constant in her life and a little reassuring in that sense, but she has no problem tossing that away too seeing as she was so ready to move too. She definitely lived alone, though. Sharing space isn’t something that she’s too used to and while she’ll open her home for a little while, she’s not okay with long-time sharing.
This is very much the same in Vatheon, where she just lives simply in an apartment, though this one has two bedrooms. Admittedly she picked this one because she liked having a spare room just for whatever, or if she picks up a stray person off the street and they’re not cool with crashing on the couch. : D However her couch has become a very popular area? Ragna got himself hurt once and ended up there, and then most recently after the zombie invasion, Matthew came around for a second visit and has been crashing on her couch since. It’s… kinda strange having him around, but she doesn’t think much of it, figuring that he’ll live when he feels like it.
4. Besides the basic necessities, what does she spend her money on?
… snacks. No, really. She’s off to go get a criminal and what does she plan to buy with the money? Food. Yummy food, according to her. Saya’s quite a bit of a snacker. Her last meal before her death? Rice crackers! Delish, I know.
Besides that… she spends her money on travel expenses, more bullets for her gun, and… well, that’s about it. Certainly she must have her moments of frivolous spending and she has the money to spare that she can tip an informant 2,000 dollars. Considering her personality, she more than likely has a couple random whims that she would want to act out, and would probably spend money on them. Yep.
5. What does she do for a living? Is she good at it? Does she enjoy it, or would she rather be doing something else?
She is a sweeper for a living, which is basically a bounty hunter job. She is excellent at it. And not only does she enjoy it, but her entire lifestyle is based around it. She can’t imagine living to an age where she can no longer do her work, and she can’t imagine not going along with the perks of being a sweeper- that is, can’t imagine not having an excuse to hop towns every time she wants to.
6. What are her interests or hobbies? How does she spend her free time?
Straight from her character profile, her hobbies are bargain shopping and… helping people. Really! She’ll look for any chance to lend a hand to another person or make someone’s life better. Sometimes she’ll do random things on her own time as she does in Vatheon, but she does like spending her time with someone she can assist or help. She makes for an excellent impromptu therapist.
7. What are her eating habits? Does she skip meals, eat out, drink alcohol, avoid certain foods?
…. Junk food. Her eating habits are quite simple in the sense that she will eat whatever she wants. Not very healthy, but she gets by. Her drink of choice is milk, and the only thing that she will never consume is alcohol. Bad memories lie with alcohol, so she avoids the drunk and being one of the drunk.
Associations
Which of the following do you associate with the character, or which is her favorite:
Mun - Muse
1. Color? Pastel Pink - Red
2. Smell? Vanilla
3. Time of day? Sunset - Midnight
4. Season? Spring
5. Book? Self-Help Book - N/A She doesn’t do much reading.
6. Music? Konoyo no Uta - Piano Instrumentals
7. Place? Big Ben Clock Tower - the first sweeper bar she went to
8. Substance? N/A?
9. Plant? Lily - N/A
10. Animal? Cat
END
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... TOOK ME LIKE. A MONTH TO FINISH, AAAHHHHH.