application.

Character Info

Name: Kuchi
Age: Physically around 25, but she doesn't age as she's essentially just a memory reshaped (truly around 200 years old).
◎ Character's PB: 1

6'0", with a mouth in the back of her head, but it's always hidden until she chooses to reveal it. However, it can speak regardless of whether or not it's visible.

◎ Canon Point: Present - Rein era, 5th year
◎ Background/History:

So they say that the world began with the Creators. They pulled apart the land, piece by piece, creating spirits and the mortal from rock, from water, from land, from mountains. They became so obsessed with being worshipped by their creations that they took to making more and more until there was nothing left with which to make. There was a long time in which the world stagnated, the natural course of things taking over until no one recalled the nature of their origins. Of course, this was truly a dreadful thing for the deity-obsessed prideful Creators, yet that was not the only issue they dealt with. In the world, being "acknowledged" meant being "alive"; the Creators, of course, acknowledged their creations--they had made them, after all. However, no one acknowledged the Creators, for they had been absent for so long. With no other option left, they took to using their own bodies to try and extend the life they had. However, their obsessions took hold once more, and before they knew it they had nothing left to give. They had used their mind, their heart, their limbs; and they disappeared to the place where Creators disappear to, leaving relics of their own bodies to continue their presence and worship. Should there be no Creators, there would be no one to acknowledge the creations, and so the world would disappear.

While they had intended to "create" three individuals who had splits of their collective power, there was an unintended product left from the remains of their impulses. The remainder of the Creators' memories took form and, as a last ditch effort to keep itself alive, borrowed the form of a corpse of a woman on a ruined island, far from the mainland where the three "Creator Children" were having their own power struggle. While weak, the now reborn woman took to reviving the deceased land with her remaining power, pulling on what she could muster to bring life to the ruined country. Due to her efforts, a large forest grew. Calling it Isti and herself Mai, the remnant took refuge on the island, and made efforts to create her own separate world on the island, in order to survive and continue to exist. Unfortunately, there were limitations--while Mai was a remnant of the Creators, she had absolutely none of her own power, and could only shape what already existed. With no other option left, she made a choice: she would take the spirits of those dead in the mainland, lead them to Isti, and forge new individuals with a combination of that spirit and some kind of legend that circulated around the world. From there, Isti became a kind of makeshift "afterlife", protected from the mainland, Atlas, through sheer distance and the last of Mai's strength, and she pulled whatever scraps she could to build her kingdom piece by piece. The tale of the Creators over time became worn, leaving it as nothing more than a story as she separated herself from the world at large and the Creators' real descendants: Haara, Ars, and Mentis.

For a long time, the world was still.

Kuchi was born a few hundred years after the finding of Isti, a combination of a two girls' spirits and the legend of futakuchi-onna, seemingly normal women with mouths in the back of their head. As a result, Kuchi is... somewhat more normal looking than the rest of the individuals on Isti, barring Mai herself, due to her background. It serves her well, as there's a very conscious effort on her part to avoid standing out. Those crafted on Isti retain memories of whatever life they led before their being remade--and, in some cases, those memories comes with the individual's personality, though there are many that disconnect themselves completely from whoever they came from.

Kuchi's form originates from two individuals named Em and Rei, residents of the slums in the human settlement of Ost in Atlas. Surprisingly enough, there was nothing particularly spectacular about the girls--a point that made Kuchi question why Mai even picked these spirits to craft her with. Of course, getting better acquainted with their--her own--memories, made the point of why exactly they were chosen much clearer.

As a largely solitary existence, Em had very little of note to mention to both herself and others. While seemingly kind, if not slightly anxious and awkward, Em's isolation was largely self-motivated and induced by a deep sense of superiority to cover up her own insecurities. Every move others made around her was met with a critical thought, and many people avoided her because of it. Later on in life, Em grew to blame others for her own isolation, finding solace in her twin sister Rei, who was co-dependant on her and, therefore, also had little to find in others. At their closest, they were inseparable. At their worst--which was during hard times at the pinnacle of their poverty--they grew to despise and blame each other for their faults, loneliness, and unfortunate incapability of moving forward. However, that wasn't the sole reason for Em's growing resentment for Rei. Their singular mother, attempting to support them, focused on fully nurturing one of the two instead of fully starving both, and Rei--who seemed much more put together with more of a chance of succeeding with the life given to her--was chosen as her focus, rather than Em. In Em's eyes, Rei had little to complain about when her misfortunes were largely self-inflected and a result of her own conscious choice to use Em as an anchor until it inconvenienced her; in Rei's eyes, Em would've had more of a chance if she wasn't so focused on redirecting blame from herself and onto others.

How the two died, Kuchi actually isn't sure--she never seemed to care too much about figuring that out. Upon seeing just how sad and pathetic her original story was, looking into any of her previous memories just wasn't a priority anymore. As far as she knows, Em died of starvation and Rei probably died being petty revenge-killed by Em--a story that Mai never bothered to confirm when asked. As far as Kuchi was concerned, Em and Rei were simply fractions of herself that she kept, as a reminder that anyone could be betrayed, and attachment was treasured until it could be an excuse.

All residents of Isti are required to participate in the consumption of souls for those unfit to be reshaped into another existence, and Kuchi is no exception. Considering her unassuming appearance and emotional allergy to attachment, however, Kuchi was given one additional duty: a scout for Mai, into Atlas. From the time she understood the foundations of her creation, Kuchi acted as Mai's eyes into the world the Descendants were building, in order to keep the "Land of Spirits" aware while driving attention away from Isti. Her human-looking appearance and lack of any real interaction with others made it so that she wasn't noticed and only stayed as much as she needed to, and for two hundred years she continued to make the trips that Mai required of her (only occasionally lingering in the slums of Ost, and only occasionally luring spirits that were not yet ready to die to Isti, in order to be consumed--by her, of course).

That is, of course, until the Descendants began to fight each other, yearn for completion through consumption of each other, and a group of people looking to stop the war looming on the horizon found Isti. From there, she was told to accompany the group, though her ultimate objective in doing so was the preservation of Mai's--and a result her own--existence.

◎ Personality:
" Assistance! I will provide that, yes, to the best of my abilities. It is my duty, as eyes and spirit of Lady Mai--you know, I am full of that. Eyes, duty and spirit. "

Meet Kuchi, the foundation of "normalcy" in the otherwise extremely eccentric Isti. There is nothing about her that stands out as particularly extravagant; where other spirits are loud, hanging off trees and laughing at the remnants of the "living" world full of struggle and strife, she is demure, sympathetic. Where others clung to the Lady of the forest, Mai, revering her... Kuchi is respectful but distant, treating her with the same amount of consideration that she treats others. Not that that's a low amount of consideration, mind you--it's still rather high, but it's equal, and that's the most baffling part about it.

Kuchi is even to everyone she meets. Kind, gentle, mature and wise with a tendency to act a little childish, at times--as a way of being playful. She makes quips, but never as an intent to be harmful... simply truthful. If someone asks her for assistance, she gives it without question regardless of the task. And that is, of course, the oddest part about her--where her treatment of everyone around her can be taken as a kind of non-discriminatory consideration for every individual she meets, it just comes across as a forceful way of seeming unassuming and neutral to everyone. There's a very clear down-to-earth appearance she wants to give off and it works, until it becomes... eerie, how even she is. How simple. Because Kuchi never attempts to make herself someone to be remembered, someone of note--she aims to be someone that people view favourably, but not someone that people view as important.

It doesn't work, and it's not for the reason one might expect. It's also important to note that her motivations are not truly malicious.

"How do I explain... That voice--she is my curse to carry, but your choice to ignore. Full of weak jokes, that one.

You're so full of shi--shy! We mean to say that I am shy!"

From her conception, the glimpses Kuchi was given of her memories engraved in her a deep sense of hesitation towards attachment. While she doesn't find the concept of making close friendships useless (in fact, she yearns for them), her experiences and more cowardly side remind her of the risks involved in opening yourself up to someone. That is why, emotionally, she considers everyone present as an equal--no one is given a specific area in her mind. At her core, the human foundations of her that naturally push people away and tell a tale of dangerous co-dependency repulse her, and as a result she strives to associate herself with neither side. She comes across as a put together, amiable individual... but in reality she's incredibly detached, without being spiteful. Her pleasantries are a tad empty, though ideally she'd like to mean them. And she keeps all these thoughts as hidden as possible, to completely disassociate herself from the two hateful existences within her.

But they speak, and they speak loudly.

As a futakuchi-onna, Kuchi was born with a sometimes hidden, sometimes evident mouth at the back of her head. At times, a very loving voice she dubs "Em" comes out of it, spewing the words that Kuchi would like to have the guts to say, though that would mean having some kind of conscious opinion of whatever is set in front of her. With that, the front that Kuchi tries ever so hard to put forth is... actually quite useless, given how easily her "real" opinion comes out. It's actually a pretty humorous fact of life, in Isti--Kuchi will try to seem nice, passive and completely unassuming... as the voice literally coming from the back of her head swears a valley girl storm, and says basically everything she'd like to say. Yet Kuchi continues with her kind, even act--though somewhat nervously, now--and absolutely no one is fooled. She plays it off as Em's original thoughts separate from her own, but as all those on Isti fundamentally understand what it's like to be based on an individual different yet similar to you... no one really buys it.

"Sometimes I wish you would care more."

"We care much, much, muuuuch more than you know.
Don't bait me like that. I can't decide what I say--it's unfair."

So if there's one thing those in Isti can say that Kuchi is, honestly and completely... it's stubborn. Stupidly stubborn, and almost mind numbingly attached to her preconceptions, despite the fact she would like to come across as adaptive, unattached, and free from any idea of life but her own. But Em refuses to allow Kuchi to live that way, and she dislikes herself for it. At her most sincere, Kuchi is actually somewhat empty, tired and worn from Em disallowing her to live the way she'd like to, dishonest as it is. However, at her core--despite the fact that Kuchi tries incredibly hard to split her thoughts and the thoughts voiced by Em--all these thoughts are truly hers. This is something that, while she very easily denies, she also... easily admits, considering how she uses "us" to refer to herself at times. She isn't distant, controlled, or kind--she's more human than she'd like to be, and her time in the living world has intensified that humanity.

( It probably doesn't help that she partakes in a couple of snacks when she's there. Living snacks, as her perception of life is terribly twisted. No one is alive where she's from, after all, and if they cease to be, Mai simply puts them back together again. )

She acts as if any form of isolation she inflicts is a conscious choice she's making, and her entire demeanour is a choice, but in reality it's more like an excuse to hide her insecurities and unwillingness to step forward from her selfish and repulsive foundations. So, even with her appearances... Kuchi is somewhat selfish and self-serving, and even slightly antagonistic, considering the words Em spews out are very rarely kind ones... though sometimes they are. Despite her transparency she does try, because ultimately she would like to be a good person, even if her reasons for trying to seem nice is that being neutral is much less memorable than being vulgar and mean. She wants to keep herself at an arm's length, but the fact she continues her positive facade even when people know otherwise... means she at least somewhat yearns for companionship, a fact that Em also makes quite clear to her, and a fact that Em also makes quite clear to others.

At her best, Kuchi is slightly clumsy, awkward, but insincere. At her worst, she is hollow, cynical, but makes poor attempts to be what she wants to be regardless. As for Em, well... she's also Kuchi, but much more unreserved--everything she wishes to say, screamed. With how much she acts out, it strikes a balance with the more "zen" Kuchi... but really, it's all the same. Just be prepared for extreme yelling, and a complete lack of decency or bashfulness from the brutally honest voice that is Em. Or... well. Kuchi.

◎ Powers/Abilities:

As a result of her origins, Kuchi has a mouth at the back of her head. This mouth is capable of speech (mostly negative but incredibly truthful thoughts--fragments of Em's personality) and eating (which counts as Kuchi herself eating). This mouth opens up when Kuchi chooses to reveal it, or if it's forcibly revealed through someone having an incredibly high perception towards the supernatural. Her hair is also alive, and moves, though the form it takes is never sharp enough to injure someone. She mostly uses this to grasp and feed the mouth behind her (and sometimes it just feeds itself), but she can also use this as a form of attack.

Due to her being born from Mai and therefore being granted a small fraction of her power, Kuchi can also tap into "memories". How this manifests on her end is an ability to pull things back into a former state--though only to very recent former states. She mostly uses this as a (minor) healing tool, but she also utilizes it to feed the very hungry mouth at the back of her head without spending too much money while on Atlas, as she can essentially make one food last forever with such a skill.

Besides that, she's a very strong hand-to-hand combat specialist and, while she is much more durable than the standard human, she's by no means immortal. When killed, her spirit and concept break apart until reconstructed by Mai or, in this case, CERES... so it's entirely possible to injure her to the point of nonexistence. Because she is essentially just a "memory" she has no need to breathe, or even to eat (though sleep, while unnecessary as well, does serve to refresh her... even if she doesn't get much of it)--"Em" simply screams and annoys her if she doesn't, as she entirely wants to pretend to still be human.

Inventory:
(1) ornate wooden whistle - a small whistle used to call upon a fox spirit, but it's incapable of doing it here and therefore has no practical use (besides probably being really annoying to people who can hear it...).
(2) a seemingly endless bag of Wishps - plain salted chips from Ost.
(3) Two decorative daggers, with engravings of vines along the blade.
(4) A feather hanging on a necklace
(5) and a small pouch.


Samples

◎ First-Person Sample:

Dear Lady Mai HELP ME, MY LADY Dear MY LADY Mai,

They say you are gone, but I don't quite understand. I am here and continue to await your direction, though if your direction is that I find my own, I shall accept that as well. I am writing this with the hope that my thoughts, if more concentrated AND NOT SCATTERED ALL OVER THE PLACE, STOP IGNORING ME, I HATE YOUR TESTS

That was Em, who continues to scream if I don't allow her in the letter. As I was saying, we are writing this with the hope that our thoughts, if more concentrated, will reach you where our scattered ones did not. As always, we refer to you together, though where our thoughts begin to separate from each other should be clear. If not, we've provided visual indications to lessen the hassle for all of us. Specifically: Em's are the large, capital screaming words, tearing through the paper. It hurts our hands to write, but we hope you appreciate the effort we put forth to make this letter easier (or harder) to read for you.

Allow me to summarize what I know. Where are are: as the locals say--Cerealia SHIT TOWN, a settlement with some resemblance to Ost, though much more advanced (it seems). The majority of individuals here are HUMAN, rob...utts? ROBOTS and others that seem an odd mix of Dweller and Nymph. There are no Dames and there are no Shade, though the Robutts seem to act somewhat like them at times. They are lifeless and REALLY ODD, but have no knowledge of Mentis.

I really do think I'm much farther than I'm meant to be. IT'S FRIGHTENING It's manageable, as most things are, but if this is one of your whims I'd request that you could perhaps... cease, and grant me passage back to Isti. The people here are even odder than the ones there, and I mean that in the most... respectful way.

ROBOTS HAVE AN ATROCIOUS TASTE. I FAILED TO MENTION THAT.

Moving on. Pretending to die is an interesting turn, even for you, but we're all well aware that such a thing isn't possible. Why are you so whimsical? Remember your responsibilities to all of us.

We're ready to return. Really, really ready--so I ask that you respond. As they say here, ASAN: AS SOON AS NOW.

Not yours, so please don't request I end my letter with that as payment for allowing me to come back WE'RE YOURS:
Kuchi