Main RP partners / Exclusives.

▮ I frequently practice having main rp partners. There are people I'll turn to first and foremost when speaking of/referencing a particular muse, and are formed through long time, frequent interaction both IC and OOC. Becoming a main with me is just as easy as interacting with me, honestly!

▮ On the flip side, I have no problem with doubles and I'm more than happy to interact with you!

▮ At the moment, I have a single exclusive in Soulburnings. This means that as much as I thank others for their interest in my girls, I am uninterested in interacting with any other portrayals of Takeru Homura/Soulburner and his ignis Flame aside from hers, with either of my muses. Kasa is the only exception to the doubles rule in any form.

▮ Furthermore, Soulburnings is also a major part of the girls' canons, both as their best friend and their ship partner. While they have their own lives to live and things they enjoy on their own, his role in their lives is undeniable and he may come up in conversation sometimes just as they'd speak of their families and jobs, whether or not it's in their particular ship verse. If any of their talk makes you uncomfortable, please come talk to me and we can work something out, within reason.

▮ Mako and Kiku are both heavily tied to another blog I run - That of the Vrains OCs Akahiko Homura, Mako's son with Takeru, and Kasumi Homura, Kikus daughter with Takeru. As a result of this, Hiko and/or Sumi may rarely appear as an NPC of sorts in their replies. When this happens they'll be tagged with 'LINKED - Valkyrianflame'.

▮ Occasionally, there may be times development might seem to jump ahead by leaps and bounds with certain partners. This is because development is happening with them off-dash, and being applied here. I will never do anything pertaining to your muse without checking it's okay first, nor force anything on you.

Shipping.

▮ Kiku is completely single-ship.

▮ Mako is very selectively multi-ship, though her ship status is 100% closed!

▮ Both Mako and Kiku are Vrains ship exclusive with Kasa's Takeru! This means that not only is her Takeru the only Takeru I'll interact with, he's also the only one the girls will ever have a romance with, as well as their one and only Vrains ship as a whole.

▮ However, while I'm not looking for more ships at this time and would prefer the girls make more friends, basic shipping rules still apply: Don't force ship or I'll drop threads, don't auto-assume a ship is going to happen without prior planning/talking, and there must be chemistry between the muses.

Following.

▮ This blog is a side blog, meaning I can't follow back from here. If I follow you back, it'll be from my main, Fireballofinsanity.

▮ While I'm semi-selective, I also suffer from anxiety and a cluttered dash is a source of it. As a result, I may not follow everyone back, but please don't assume this means I don't want to thread! I do! I simply need to keep my dash neat, for my own sake.

▮ The first thing I do on interacting is read your rules and about pages. I do occasionally go back and re-read these as well to keep myself up to date on them, regardless of if we follow each other or not. If we're threading, I'll be reading them.

NSFW.

▮ Despite the girls' being canonically underage and their current canon verses following them into adulthood, as well as I as mun being 21+, there will be no NSFW of a sexual nature here. I'm completely fine with this topic and it may be referenced to whenever applies, but the act itself won't be happening on this blog itself. That remains private and off-dash.

▮ I'm fine with most other touchier themes with a little plotting, from trauma to violence, but please throw me a message before including them, and I'll do the same for you. While I'll probably be okay with it being included, comfort is key and having super heavy themes suddenly appear out of nowhere, especially on certain topics, can be a bit unsettling.

▮ I have no super-specific triggers I need tagged, but if I reblog anything that you do need a tag on, please let me know and I'll add it in!

Artwork and Icons.

▮ 95% of the artwork and icons used here are not mine. I try to keep credit attached as much as possible, but if I reblog something that doesn't have credit and you know who it belongs to, lemme know and I'll add it in!

▮ Most of Mako's icons were found from various icon posts around tumblr, but all of Kiku's were cut, edited, and cropped by both myself and Soulburnings. Please do not take them without asking!

▮ My blog's theme was editied for me by Kasa; please do not take things from it, either! And infinite thanks to her, always, for it~!

Behind the muse!

▮ Howdy! I go by Lita and/or Pom, and I'm the mun here! I'm 21+ and usually near my computer, so I'm almost always about somewhere! My mun FC's Jaden/Judai Yuki, so if you're looking for my ooc posts, you'll find them marked with icons of him~!

I'm autistic and have made writing both my hobby and the thing I enjoy doing most often. Aside from that, I'm also a crafter and enjoy drawing,though writing is where my heart lies and has for most of my life. I've also been into YGO enough for the last 20 years to have amassed quite the card collection, and I have no intention of stopping as long as I can keep playing the game!

I've been rp'ing here on tumblr for about seven years now, across a wide range of blogs and fandoms. I've been here in the YGO rpc for about two years now, though, and I hover most about the GX, ARC-V, and Vrains sides of things, usually running OC blogs - Though I do have one for Yusho and Yoko Sakaki of ARC-V as well. Of course, my other active blogs can always be found under the 'other blogs' tab in my navigation, too!

Honestly, I'm just a complete goober wanting to have fun, and I'm totally harmless, I promise~!

KIKU: CANON VERSES

Budding Chrysanthemum

Hibana, a quiet, seaside, country town, is all Kiku's ever known. Focused on her schoolwork and trying to decide what she wants in her life, she's motivated and determined, constantly taking new jobs to try and show her family she's capable of doing things on her own.

But regardless of her jobs and family obligations at her parents' harbor-side fish shop, she finds herself keeping after her best friend Takeru just as much. Unmotivated and closed off, the opposite of her eager social butterfly status, she's frequently chacking on him and trying to nudge him into actually attending school with her... Which he usually doesn't, much to her dismay. Rather, he doesn't do much aside from nap at the pier, and yet Kiku's quickly finding she likes that bit of peace he and their chats over the sunset bring her...

She's not sure where her path is going to lead her, but one thing's for certain: It's going to be on her time, in her way.

Blooming In Sunlight

Alone in Hibana with Takeru away in the city, Kiku is slowly coming to realize the countryside may be her home, but it's far from perfect. Her attempts to please everyone as well as herself are slowly beginning to backfire, while her parents' control is steadily growing tighter, starting to choke off any semblance of freedom Kiku thought her future would have... And she can't stand it.

Chats with her friends in the city have given her enough strength to put her plan into motion, and she begins by starting a fund for her own apartment. A delivery job even grants her a glimpse into how the local clinic works and runs, and ever so slowly, she starts to wonder about where her path is leading her. Hibana may not be as perfect as she once thought, but maybe, just maybe, it holds her path anyway...

Quietly looking into her options, Kiku begins taking steps towards her own change - And her own freedom, no matter what it takes to achieve!

Shining Flowerfalls

Default Main Verse.Regardless of Takeru's move to the city being to settle his own demons and reclaim his future, the strength and fire that drove him sparked one in Kiku, as well. Reunited with her friends, Kiku is walking her own path, with her own choices, and leading her own life, stading up to her parents and putting her foot down on the matter. Unwilling to spend her life selling fish, she's well on her way to saving for her own apartment... And with her friends back in town, she has the support needed to finally, fully, break free and look for a college to start heading towards a carrer as a nurse.

Content on her new road, Kiku allows Takeru to convince her to join him in Link VRAINS. Unlike her companions, she doesn't see the point in hiding who she is and happily forgoes any kind of fancy avatar or name, simply logging in as herself and quickly coming to find the very Soulburner she's been low-key following is the very boy she's called her best friend most of her life - And now, her fiance, someone she couldn't be prouder of!

With a deck gifted to her by friends in hand and those same friends standing by her side, Kiku walks her own path with her head held high. There's nothing in either world she'll allow to pull her down - This is her road and her life, and nobody's going to take that from her!

KIKU: AU VERSES

Fireflower

Alternate canon.A ship verse that sees Mako and Kiku as close friends, Kiku staying in the country while Mako attends school in the city alongside Takeru. Despite their separation, their friendship never seems to fade - In fact, it only seems to grow tighter with the addition of Takeru as their best friend, rounding out their duo into a trio.

But the girls quickly come to realize during one of Kiku's visits to the city there's something deeper in play. Something deeper in the form of shared romantic feelings for the boy they both call their best friend, discovered in conversation over making dinner. Despite Mako's willingness to back down and let Kiku try for his heart, Kiku refuses, deciding if she's going to try, then so will Mako, prompting a talk between them to work things out.

With their friendship stronger still for it, the girls decide to confess together and leave the choice up to Takeru, spending their time until then enjoying Kiku's visit. Whatever happens, they both know their friendship is strong enough to see it through to a future they're both ready to embrace no matter the outcome.

Heavily tied to Soulburnings.

Phoenix's Fire

A Priestess of the Temple of the Red Flame and the knight assigned to protect her, Kiku and Mako are used to the quiet inside the temple's walls. Despite Mako being a transfer and not raised there as Kiku was, the pair are tight and close friends, dedicated to their training and worship to their deity, the phoenix god, while further strengthening their friendship.

Eventually, the girls attract the attention of the phoenix himself, finding themselves claimed by the fiery deity. A claim that turns their world completely on its head; bound to Soulburner, they slowly begin shirking their temple duties more and more and slipping away to see him whenever possible, provided they can get to their hideaway without being followed. No longer dedicated to the temple, they turn to dedicating themselves to the god in question... And their hearts and lives.

Unfortunately for them, the world views the gods completely differently then they do, forcing both knight and priestess to keep their ties to Soulburner hidden while simultaneously showing him more of it. For this world is not kind to girls with their heads lost in the phoenix's fire, no matter how wrapped in it they may be...

Shipverse heavily bound to Soulburnings.

Appearance

▮ Standing at 5'3”, Mako has a fairly light, feminine build. She has a light layer of muscle built up from her active lifestyle, and her skin is of a slightly tanned tone. Usually hidden from view by clothing on the back of her right shoulder is a diagonal scar about two inches in length, and somewhat paler in color.

Her hair is golden brown in color, and often worn loose, falling about to her waist. Two shorter sections frame the sides of her face, the ends of which lay against the top of the front of her shoulders, while the rest of her bands part in the center, swept to either side and tucked or, on a bad hair day, pinned out of the way. If she ties her hair back, it's most commonly into a braid or a ponytail. Her eyes are a bright, vibrant shade of violet.

Mako usually defaults to a wardrobe of comfortable and practical, tending to fall back on things like jeans and sweatshirts. She tends to avoid anything too snugly-fitting or revealing if she can help it, staying with things that grant a slightly looser fit and free movement. Her usual turn-to outfit is a pair of blue jeans, dark colored t-shirt, and a dark purple zippered hoodie over it, though she's also not above lounging in a pair of sweatpants, as well.

While she doesn't often do jewelry due to frequently forgetting about it, she has a small selection she never takes off: A set of three necklaces layered to hang one just bellow the other of a silver seashell studded in orange and red gems at top, half of a yin-yang pedant in dark blue opal with a bright red opal spot, and a small silver angel wing bearing a garnet, pink saphire, and blue tourmaline at the end of the wing's rib. She often wears a golden egyptian cat on a crescent moon pendant as a bracelet, and a gold and garnet engagement ring given to her by her fiance.

Only in her Fireflower verse does she add to the above with a black carbonite and blue opal ring, matching Kiku's pink opal and Takeru's fire opal, as well as a pink braided bracelet bealing a small charm of a pink and blue butterfly - A sign of her bond with Kiku.

She can often be found with a duel disk on her left arm, as well.

Hobbies, Interests, Jobs

▮ Mako loves cooking, and taught herself to do so at a rather young age. Instead of living off frozen TV dinners, she chose to get books and look up videos on how to cook things herself, taking the time over the course of years to hone her skills enough to be a rather good cook. On top of keeping her and her friends fed, it's a great way to clear her mind, and an activity she'll turn to when troubled for a bit of relaxation.

She also enjoys reading and can frequently be found with either a book in her possession, or with her nose in one, especially when she's alone. If her nose isn't in a book, it's likely in a video game – Two things she can easily get lost in and let the rest of the world melt away. Unfortunately, this also has the downside of her getting too lost in them and missing signs of danger, like being too focused on a book while walking and wandering past a 'do not cross' sign, or missing her bus stop due to playing a game.

While she tries to keep her backlog small, her games collection contains a wide array of games, ranging from long, story-driven plots to shorter, 'fluffier' games, like Cooking Mama and Minecraft. One of her more notable games is Beat Saber; originally bought solely to be a counter to her autophobia alongside DDR, Mako's managed to gain a fair amount of skill at it, and easily gets lost in the songs she plays. She stil fully believes she isn't good enough to participate in local tournaments, but she can still easily hold her own without problem – And be caught humming her chosen song for hours after!

As much as she hides her softer games, Mako loves sharing her collection with her friends, and further teaching them how to play, if they're interested in them. If they break her controllers, though, she's gonna make them pay for them-

Mako collects small crystal figurines and adds to her display of them once or twice every few months, though she's often moving them around her room to make room for her cat, Floof – A rescue she adopted off the street. Sweet and playful, she's always making sure Floof is happy and comfortable, spending lazy evenings alone playing with him the moment he so much as purrs at her. Unfortunately, moving back to her hometown has meant Floof's 'adoption' by one of her closest friends, Kiku, though she's still often able to keep him for the weekends.

While living in Den City, Mako holds a job at Cafe Nagi, working the truck's grill under Kusanagi's watchful eye. On moving back home to Hibana, she finds work in a local daycare, tending to snacktime and kids needing to be watched in the afternoons, until their parents return home from work.

As an adult, Mako is a first grade teacher at Den City's Elementary School.

Background

▮ Life has rarely been 'normal' for Makoto. As the daughter of a pair of archaeologists, she remembers nothing of the town she was born in, only the various temporary apartments and motorhomes that come with traveling with her parents. Every new dig and assignment came with a new place to stay and something new to learn from all over the world, making each move an adventure.

Yet life was far from glamorous. Despite the ability to learn things most would never get the chance to, her young age, coupled with her parents' busy schedule and digs frequently deemed too unsafe for her to visit, meant staying home alone quickly became the norm. Being homeschooled did little to help with that, and though she was often able to explore the various towns and cities their family stopped near, loneliness often settled in and stuck to the point even calling her cousin, Rin, and visits from her parents' colleagues and friends did little to help ease it.

Though she could usually find things to keep herself occupied, be it by learning to cook and duel or going into town, nothing could ever quite get rid of the weight of knowing she spent the majority of her days alone. The silence of her temporary homes soon became a hated sound she'd do anything to avoid, and Mako quickly learned how to counter it through noise, always on the lookout for something, anything, to take away the knowledge she was, essentially, raising herself among a world of silence.

Finally hitting the point she couldn't stand it anymore at the age of 14, Mako raised the problem to her parents on a rare day off. To her surprise, they agreed the lifestyle she'd been leading was unfair, and despite having brought her along with them in hopes of learning and growing together as a family, things had long since changed. Her schooling had begun to suffer without the time to dedicate to it, and with work growing increasingly more demanding of her parents' time, they had little of it to spend together.

With that, the choice was made: Mako would return to the small town she was born in in Japan on her own, putting her closer to Rin and giving her a single, solid place to call home. Even if she'd still be alone, she'd be able to attend school and live a life like normal kids, albeit with her parents sending money and supplies, and visiting when able. It wasn't exactly ideal, but still far better than the lifestyle she'd been leading.

For two years, returning to Japan was the change she'd been looking for, allowing her to make friends and find the inspiration she needed to finally start moving in her life. Along with that inspiration and believing one of her friends to have the right idea, at 16 Mako further moved to Den City, choosing to no longer sit and coast through life, but find her own path and direction. Doing so further brought a job and more friends, but also deepened her bond with one in particular... A friend who would soon after call her attention to the fears she allowed to control her, giving her the courage to break free of them and change her world completely.

With her new outlook on life, Mako's focus shifts - While she still intends on following on her path, working towards her own future and what she wants her way, she also turns to aiding her friends as much as possible. Despite not knowing much in the least and keeping herself in a sideline role, she decides to become a shield for them and help protect them in their fight, providing whatever aid she can. After all they'd done for her, protecting them is the least she can do - Even if it means putting herself in danger to see to it they stay safe.

Now three months after their fight's end, Mako's moved back to her hometown of Hibana, settling herself into a far quieter lifestyle. Taking a job at a local daycare is just the first step towards her new dream of becoming a teacher, and with it, a choice to start looking into college that'll allow her to someday attain that dream. At this point, it's just a matter of holding her head high and keeping her eyes firmly set on the future-

And come ten years later, she's attained that goal, as well and doing a great deal of growing in the process. Now married to her best friend and the mother of a hyper five year old, she's finding new strengths in the every day, holding her head higher and higher with each that passes. Content and happy in her life, Mako continues to aim for that bright future... And now, she no longer has to fear being alone, for she's found her home.

Other Info

▮ Mako suffers from both social anxiety and autophobia. The former causes her to frequently overthink things and try her hardest to avoid bothering others, while the later is a fear of being completely, totally alone and oftentimes triggered by absolute silence, resulting, at worst, in an emotional and mental breakdown and driving her to seek out comfort in the form of her family and/or best friends. While she is actively working on both of these, fighting off her fears and working to be braver, and has multiple ways to combat them, she still from time to time has obvious slips back into them.

▮ Confirmation of her pregnancy at age 20 leads to Mako beginning therapy, as well as recieving an official diagnosis for her anxiety and autophobia, granting her an even stronger ability to work harder still on both.

▮ She absolutely loves decorating for every major holiday, and usually tends to go overboard. Ever seen an apartment lit up brighter than the christmas tree in it? Just look at hers!

▮ While she has no training, Mako's able to hold her own decently well in a street fight. While she's able to hold her own against two, possibly three opponents before getting overwhelmed and likely won't actually win, it's not stopping her from trying to help someone stand up against a bully.

▮ She enjoys sports from time to time and tries to stay active if she can, occasionally joining in on a game of soccer or volleyball if she's not at the arcade or busy with other things. Unfortunately, her stamina isn't the greatest, granting her only an hour or two of play before she needs a break.

▮ On quiet days with little to do and nobody to spend them with, it's easiest to find Mako in the local arcade for hours on end. It doesn't matter the game or how many players, she'll happily bounce between each one the arcade has to offer over the span of an entire afternoon, trying to beat her own personal high scores.

▮ If she's not off playing games, the second easiest place to find her is roaming around the bookstore, with the park and beach a close third.

▮ Though Beat Saber is a rhythm game initially picked up as a counter to her panic attacks on her cousin's suggestion, Mako's gained a fair bit of skill with it, and often plays both online and off. She doesn't think her skills are all that good and avoids local tournaments, but the game is steadily becoming something she enjoys more and more, and slowly learning she can talk about as such.

▮ Due to traveling the world with her parents from a young age, Mako's dabbled in multiple languages. She's only fluent in Japanese and English, though she knows key phrases in multiple others - the majority of which boil down to 'can you help me find my parents' and 'where's the bathroom?'.

▮ Mako enjoys building various decks for fun, largely because she's found a series or archetype she likes and wants to test out. While she's dedicated to her current deck and won't ever set it aside for anything else, she still loves to learn about other playstyles and even builds decks for friends and family, including one for her cousin and, with Takeru's help, one for Kiku.

▮ Out of a desire to keep her Link VRAINS account a secret, Mako runs a second, completely separate deck for duels offline: that of a Thunder Dragon build.

▮ Prior to her current deck, Mako ran a Lightsworn build focusing on a more beatdown style of play. This build featured cards she'd been collecting since her childhood, along with her first ace and a card that still remains incredibly close to her heart: Soul of Purity and Light.

▮ Alanna's speed duel skill within Link VRAINS, Light Shield, halves the damage she takes from a single attack. While her skill is active, she gains a faintly visible pair of fluffy white wings trimmed in gold, and sees them vanish in a flurry of feathers once her skill is used up.

▮ Mako has displayed an ability to see duel spirits while logged into Link VRAINS, though it's limited to cyberse monsters, and only those of either her own deck, or the decks of her closest companions. Despite this ability allowing her to form close bonds and hold conversations with the spirits in question, she's quickly learned to keep it a secret and won't speak ot it - or to them - unless she's completely positive she can trust those she's around, especially considering she has no idea how to explain it, or what caused it.

▮ Mako's FC is Aika Fuwa, while Alanna's is Asuna Yuuki.

▮ Mako has a voice claim of Sailor Saturn (reference clip).

▮ In hopes of not attracting attention to him, Mako has a third, temporary version of her avatar she uses to follow around her son, Hiko, down the line. Dubbed Solar, this version is fully intended to keep her family out of the public's eye and especially off Hiko as a five year old boy with no clue who his parents' online personalities are. Regardless of the need for secrets having long since past, she wants to keep him safe and keep his bedtime stories something mystical.

Link VRAINS Profile

Account Name: Alanna

Deck Type: Fireshield

Ace Monster: Rasterliger; Apollousa, Bow of the Goddess

Play Style: Stall Burn

Skill: Light Shield

Mako as Alanna

▮ Mako's discovery of Link VRAINS came not long after she moved to Den City, and with it, the creation of her own player account, Alanna. Originally intended as an escape, Alanna granted Mako the ability to be everything she couldn't offline. Bold, outspoken, and impulsive, Alanna was a sense of freedom, a chance to express herself without fear of anyone she knew being offended or bothered, or questioning the 'wallflower' she tended to be otherwise.

For some time, Alanna stayed as such, finding friends in the VR world and beginning to take steps to conquer her fears with their urging, albeit mainly her fear of flying... And usually with poor results. Being unable to 'conquer' even her D-Board usually resulted in a huffy refusal to ever try again and amused companions, though she'd try again later in private - a routine that would continue until Mako's choice to change her life around.

With offline change came online, and Alanna's impulsive nature slowly began to even out, albeit just slightly. More determined and brighter, her focus has shifted more towards getting stronger on her own and proving to herself she's able to stand on her own two feet under her own strength, rather than relying on anyone else. Though she lends her help to Soulburner and Team Playmaker as a whole, making herself available to help should they - or anyone, honestly - need it, Alanna's focus is largely on herself and making herself better.

No longer willing to let life pass her by, she takes the initative to learn more about Link VRAINS and explore more, working on her skills as a duelist a little more each time she logs on by seeking out opponents, be they actual duelists or AI. This even extends to her D-Board; though she's still not exactly good at riding it, Alanna eventually learns how to keep herself steady and balanced enough to stay upright on it... Though getting off is both a completely different story and a show to watch!

...Until someone laughs. Then she's flinging her board at people.

Appearance

▮ At 5'4", Kiku is a petite girl with a rather thin build to match. Due to her active and oftentimes busy lifestyle, she bears the barest hint of a layer of muscle, with skin just barely on the tanned side.

Her hair is a raven black with a dark blue highlight, and while it falls to about mid-back when loose, keeping a bit of a wave to it, she perfers to keep it braided and pulled over her left shoulder. The loose end of her braid usually flare out into four very distinct points and lays against the front of her shoulder, while a small curl pokes free from the right side of her neck, up against the base of her head. Her bangs hold a bit of an M-shape, and fall over her right eyebrow and a slight bit of her left. Her eyes are a soft shade of honey brown.

Kiku is most commonly seen in her school uniform, though she's also partial to a modest wardrobe. Unwilling to wear anything tight-fighting or too short, she rather enjoys knee-length and longer dresses and skirts, and occasionally decently-fitting jeans and sweaters. Her favorite and most common go-to outfit is a sleeveless, knee-length pale yellow dress topped with a brighter yellow cardigan, though she's also partial to a pair of lounge pants and matching t-shirt when she's home and has no intention of leaving her room for the day.

Despite jewelry rarely being in the forefront of Kiku's mind when she'd getting ready in the mornings, she has a vibrant amethyst and diamonique butterfly ring she rarely takes off of her left index finger, as well as a gold and garnet engagement ring that never leaves her left ring finger, given to her by her fiance. Occasionally, she wears a pair of white flowered hairclips normally saved for special occasions, and a pale yellow teardrop-shapred pendant necklace that glows in the dark.

It's only in her Fireflower verse that she adds to this with a black carbonite and pink opal ring on her right ring finger, matching Mako's blue opal and Takeru's fire opal, as well as a lilac woven bracelet bearing a charm of a tan ferret face - a sign of her bond with Mako, and two pieces she'll never remove if she can help it.

Occasionally, she can also be found with a duel disk on her left arm, as well.

Hobbies, Interests, Jobs

▮ Unlike most people she knows, Kiku's rather fond of keeping herself busy. Be it with work of hobbies, she's always off doing something - Though one of her biggest hobbies and loves is gardening, and she can be found far too easily most of the year tending to a small garden beside her house. Half of her garden is dedicated to growing fruits and vegetables, changing with the seasons, while the other holds flowers of the brightest, boldest colors she can find. While she's very much in love with her namesake - Chrysanthemums - even she knows they won't grow year-round, and spends time at the start of every season picking out new blooms to add in place of the old, though with space for the old to grow back in the next year.

It's also easy for her to get lost in the world of celebrities, often caught skimming through and buying magazines simply to read about their lives. While she recognizes there's a limit and won't go any further than swooning over them like a typical teenage girl, it's yet to stop her from hanging posters on her wall or reading just about anything she can get her hands on when it comes to her favorites!

Her interest also falls in the medical field, to the point she'll notice herself watching doctors and nurses whenever she's at the local clinic to study how they do things. Despite the fact she's not actively studying the medical field, she's learned enough between clinic trips and tending to her best friend to be able to take care of mild injuries without much trouble, and how to care for others when they're sick. It's steadily becoming more and more interesting to her, though, and she can't help but linger on medical programs on TV...

Kiku won't actively admit to it, but she's also becoming a small bit of a gamer herself, preferring to keep to casual games, and only usually with friends. Her favorite at the moment is Minecraft, albeit commonly with a multiplayer file she'll otherwise check in on at least once a week alone for a couple hours to play around with.

While she's not as into dueling as others she knows, she occasionally peeks into the goings-on of Link VRAINS, developing a very minor interest in its celebrities - Especially Soulburner. However, his true identity is something she only discovers after creating her own player account and logging in alongside her friends, and only makes her all the more willing to explore this new world alongside them. Having a deck in hnd they built for her, with her in mind, totally helps, too!

Kiku's held multiple jobs in her life, though her most common one is working in her family's fish shop by the harbor, doing anything from stocking shelves to manning the register. While she's there more often than not, usually requiring someone to walk her home after dark and spend time with her on slow, boring days, she's also held - and frequently goes out and gets - a wide array of other part time jobs, ranging from working in the local bakeries to stocking shelves at a market. If it's part time work, she can do it, and she needs to earn the money for something, she'll take it!

As an adult, however, Kiku holds a job in a local clinic as a nurse, loving every second of her job and the ability to help others.

Background

▮ The daughter of a fisherman, life in Hibana is all Kiku's ever known. Peaceful and quiet, she began learning how her parents' shop, where they sold the fish her father caught, ran at a very early age - Though being a child meant 'learning' was more 'running and playing', even if it quickly taught her the store's layout and when and where people would be, so as to not get in their way. Coupled with visits from an out of town friend, she wasn't sure she'd ever want her life to change.

Unfortunately, whether or not it did was a choice completely out of her hands. While the age of six brought her friend to town to live, it also marked the year her family turned 'helping out at the store' into actually learning how to run various parts of it, much to her slowly forming frustration. Games of hide and seek among containers of ice and crabs fell by the wayside in favor of stocking shelves and keeping an eye on the back room's stock, her parents determined to start setting her on the path to a brighter and better future.

Escape to her best friend was quickly becoming no longer an option; despite his move to town, Kiku steadily came to realize the boy she'd once known had fled, replaced with one determined to distance himself from everyone. Though initially hurt by his desire to pull away, she eventually accepted the turn their lives had taken, and settled into the place he offered beside him. She'd never ask what had happened to cause his sudden personality shift and he'd not explain, but she'd made up her mind: She'd not let him go through it alone. Not as long as she could help it.

As the years passed, Kiku's priorities began to shift away from the games of her youth, though not entirely by her own hand. While school became more of a focus, she lacked any real idea of what to do with her life, choosing instead to keep after her best friend and keep herself busy with varying part time jobs. Always antsy with nothing to do, she was constantly looking for a new hobby or an activity to keep her moving about, and turned to earning her own money for the things she wanted, gaining a sense of independance... And when she did finally choose to wind down and relax, it was oftentimes beside Takeru, watching the sunset from the pier.

Yet no matter what she chose to do, none of it seemed to be enough for her parents. Distrustful of Takeru and believing her lack of direction to be a mixture of his bad influence and her own 'desire to coast through life', her parents grew more and more controlling, deciding her life choices for her. Under their watchful eye and desires, she'd graduate high school and work in the shop full time - And nothing else.

Frustrated with having her hobies deemed trivial and being the only one with any faith in the boy who'd become her best friend, she slowly began to buck her parents' choices for her, no matter how small her fighting was. Trying to convince them and make them see her side of things rarely went according to plan, and Kiku began to focus on her own independance even more, buying even the smallest item with her own, hard-earned money. If they wouldn't listen to her, she'd just have to show them... Unfortunaely, though, to no avail.

At 16, her world found itself abruptly turned upside down with Takeru's choice to move to the city. While she wouldn't question him and even encouraged his choice, being alone afterwards hit her like a ton of bricks - Doubly so when their mutual friend of two years left, as well. With no support to back her up, Kiku slipped ino a funk for a few weeks, following her parents' desires to the letter.

It took a phone call from both friends to snap her free of her sullen mood and re-examine her life - And, more than displeased with how it'd been going, to finally stand up to her parents and fight for her freedom from underneath their thumb. She'd spent 16 years trying to please everyone along with herself, and it'd backfired; it was time for her to lead her own life, with her own choices and mistakes, on her time!

While her parents still actively fought her on the matter, refusing to let her 'lack of direction' be her 'downfall', she's countered by beginning to save a chunk of her pay towards getting her own place and working twice as hard to show her family she can lead her own life. It takes several months to even begin convincing her mother, but by the time her friends reutrn from the city, she's well on her way with the elder woman's (not very freely given) respect earned.

Now three months after Takeru and Mako's return, Kiku's looking into colleges for becoming a nurse, deciding her medical skills are something she'd like to make a carrer out of. She's still yet to earn her parent's blessing, or her father's respect on the matter, yet she doesn't care - She's found her path, and there's nothing that's going to knock her off it...

And come ten years later, she's succeeded in making that goal a reality. Married to her best friend and the mother of an infant daughter, Kiku's achieved her dream of becoming a nurse, finding work in Hibana's local clinic and breaking free to live her life, her way, on her time,with her parents' blessing. Bessed with constant smiles and a strength found in both herself and her family and loved ones, Kiku continues walking her path towards a bright and happy future - Especially now that she's learned to hold her head high, and found the best home to come back to.

Other Info

▮ While Kiku doesn't duel much, she runs an Aroma deck built for her by her best friends, with her love of gardening in mind. She's not quite sure just yet how to really play the game, and definitely not like them, but that's not stopped her from counting her deck as a prized possession, making her smile every time she looks at it.

▮ Still, Kiku's discovered herself a favorite card: Aromage Rosemary and her synchro version, Aromaseraphy Rosemary.

▮ Just like her namesake, Kiku's favorite flower is a chrysanthemum! Whenever they're in season, she's either growing them in her garden or keeps a vase of them on the windowsill of her bedroom, where she can look at the every day - And if she can't get chrysanthemums, then she'll fill her vase with a mix of the most vibrant purple and blue flowers she can find. Anything to give her room an extra pop of color and reasons to smile.

▮ While she loves the pier, especially at sunset, she's very much fond of the beach as a whole, and loves to wander along the shoreline both early in the morning, and just after dusk. There's a sense of peace that comes with those two times, a feeling of being in a completely other world, that she just can't really get enough of...

▮ Kiku hates fighting. It doesn't matter if she's been brought up around it and the local gangs of her hometown, she hates the senselessness of it, and the fact that one tiny slip, or one hit to the wrong area, could rob the world of a life... And that's never more obvious wth her than when a loved one fights. Just because she understands doesn't mean she has to like it.

▮ She can speak fluent Japanese, and nearly fluent English - She just has to sometimes stop and remind herself of words before she replies to someone in the later!

▮ Though she doesn't realize she wants to be a nurse until later on, Kiku keeps a moderately-sized first aid kit on her at all times. She never knows when someone's going to need a little patching up, and it makes her feel better having it on her on the off chance she gets hurt, too.

▮ Kiku regularly gets some of the highest scores in her class, with her favorite (and best) subjects being math and history.

▮ She loves shopping, and keeps a note in her phone's callendar of what stores have sales when. Being a social butterfly usually helps her find the best deals, but keeping her away from them is about as easy as keeping a fish from water!

▮ Kiku won't admit it, nor will she ever let herself be found doing it, but occasionally on rainy evenings, she'll put on a show in her bedroom. Dressed up in her bathrobe and PJ's, she'll turn on music videos and put on a 'fashion show' before breaking into song into her hairbrush - A moment of silliness she'd probably crawl into a hole for a year over if anyone found out!

▮ Whenever she's nervous, fretting, or fussy, she tends to pace and fiddle with anything she can get her fingers on, usually the hem of her shirt. Despite the fact he'll actively deny she frets even when she's in the middle of it, it's usually easy to tell - But calling her on it is also usually a bad idea, too. Not unless you want a huffy butterfly on your hands.

Kiku Relationships.

Takeru Homura

Meeting at the age of four, Takeru has been Kiku's best friend for as long as she can remember. Regardless of the things life's thrown at them, Takeru has always been someone Kiku trusts with everything - From every secret to her hopes, dreams, and even her life, Takeru is the first to hear it, and oftentimes the only, despite his originally closed off nature. Always there and always supportive of her, however, she's never seen any problem with their relationship growing closer by the day, even when it started to come with cuddles and holding hands, as well.

It wouldn't be until Takeru's choice to change him life around and move to the city that she'd realize she'd fallen in love, though that was also a discovery she'd wait several months to share with him, both out of hopes she'd not interrupt anything he had going on, and that she'd be able to persue a relationship despite being stuck under her family's thumb. Willing to wait for him, she turned her attention to her own fight for freedom - A fight that would be fueled by Takeru's support and offerings of strength, though whether or not he knows just how much he's done for her, even Kiku isn't aware. All she knows is that she'd never have been able to do it without him, and is beyond thankful for his place in her life.

Upon his return home, their relationship is finally able to take flight, first with a confession, then an engagement later on in the year. Steadily, they've been making up for lost time, much to Kiku's utter glee, and she's been given a chance to learn even more about the boy she's called her best friend for the last 12 years... THough ever so slowly, she's been catching hints there's more to him and she's ever thought, despite her unwillingness to push him on the matter. If their road should lead to her learning more, then it will - She won't force fate's hand.

Instead, said hand leads them later to a marriage, and at the age of 26, the birth of their daughter Sumi. Being with Takeru has meant a life much like a rollercoaster with its ups and downs, but it's given her the one thing she never thought she'd have: A life and a family she loves, lived out by the side of her best friend and closest confidant. Her road has given her a place she wants to spend the rest of her days... Caught in an inferno named Takeru Homura.

Makoto Takuma

Though Mako has only been a part of Kiku's life for going on three years, nothing has been able to stop them from forming a bond closer than that of family. The first one willing to step in and introduce herself to Mako, Kiku was more than willing to play tour guide to the transfer, sharing not only her knowledge of their hometown, but also of everything Mako wasn't used to as a regular student. But tour guide soon turned to friends, and further to something akin to sisters in ittle time at all, and by the time Mako chose to follow their mutual friend to the city, the two girls had a bond deeper than they could put words to.

Even with the distance between them, it did little to come between their friendship, Kiku ensuring that she spoke to her best friends at least once a week. Whether or not they were together in person had little to do with their meetings, and the two continued even their weekend movie nights, albeit through video calls rather than each others' living rooms. Kiku even found herself continuing to play middle man between Mako and Takeru - A sense of normalcy that while she needed, Kiku has yet to admit helped to drive her in her own fight.

And with theirs complete, Kiku pleaded with Mako to return to Hibana, overjoyed to find her request granted and both Takeru and Mako back by her side in only a matter of weeks after requesting it. Their time together has resumed as if they'd never been apart, and Kiku's never been happier - She has her sister, her best friend, home again, and she won't ever let them be apart again. Not when she definitely can't drink an entire jumbo milkshake on her own!

In their Fireflower verse, their road has taken them even further: To that of being actual family. With their relationships with Takeru leading into marriage with him for them both, they've formed a tight-knit family and by the age of 26, settled into a comfortable life with their children and husband. Sharing a bond tighter than that of family, Kiku refuses to give Mako up for anything - She's become her absolute best friend alongside Takeru, and she'll treasure her forever.

Akahiko Homura

Akahiko, nicknamed Hiko, is Mako's son with Takeru and a boy Kiku sees as her own nephew. Bright, bubbly, and warm, he reminds her far too much of his father at his age - Albeit with a love of lions the elder never really shared. He's so warm, in fact, Kiku can't help but be drawn to Hiko and his hyperactive nature, wanting to protect and support him much the same as his father does before him. His innocence and kindness is a breath of fresh air, and Kiku absolutely loves to babysit whenever the family is in Hibana, taking the chance to spoil him as much as possible.

In their Fireflower verse, Kiku instead sees Hiko as her adoptive son, as she, Mako, and Takeru are in a relationship together. Even so, it doesn't change just how much she loves Hiko and his warmth, aside from allowing her to see him and his brght smile every day, instead. Always available to their little lion, shes free to let him pull her around on advantures far more often - just as long as he doesn't get them stuck on another tiny dry spot in the middle of a rushing river again while reminding her how much cats hate water!

Kasumi Homura

Kasumi, Sumi for short, is Kiku's daughter with Takeru. Though she's no more than a baby, born to a pair of 26 year olds, Sumi is a brilliant spot of light Kiku had never thought she'd ever have in her life; always soft and sweet, she catches herself simply sitting by her daughter's crib on the regular, amazed at the tiny life the world's seen fit to give her. Sumi seems to have inherited her mother's love of making others happy, as well, and while even Kiku doubts the infant knows just what she's doing by offering up her bunny to her parents, she knows one thing: The goal is to see them happy, and she's always succeeding.

Kiku very much treasures Sumi and can't see her life without her, though she's also just as worried; will she continue to be a good mother? Will Sumi grow up safe, healthy, and happy? Kiku isn't sure, but she's got faith in their family to pull through everything and anything... Just as long as they do it together. As long as they do, she's positive Sumi'll be a happy little girl, and that's all Kiku could ever ask for.

Soulburner

Phoenix's Fire. Everything her training had taught her and every lesson from the temple did little to prepare Kiku for the truth: That the phoenix, the very god the temple she resided in worshiped, was little different from the very humans they lived among. Warm and charming, his interest in befriending both Mako and Kiku won them both over rather quickly, forming a tight trio that somehow managed to keep his existence among humankind a secret... Though Kiku is completely unaware of how they managed to do it in the first place!

Eventually moving their meetings to an abandonded cabin in the woods after Soulburner's nearly caught trying to visit them has allowed for them to have the peace and time they need to grow closer, slowly sliding into a relationship. Residing in the cabin has given Kiku a chance to live a life outside of the temple's walls for really the first time, and she's coming to see the world for what it is: An open adventure full of excitement and brightness the temple's tried to tell her doesn't exist. Combined with Soulburner's gentle touch easing her out of her shadow, she's slowly realizing perhaps, just perhaps, her life isn't meant to be lived within those walls... But out beside the phoenix who's claimed her heart and shown her a world she'd never known existed.

Slowly shifting her allegiences from the temple to Soulburner and her best friend, Mako, Kiku is slowly working her way out of her shell, keeping an eye on the two she considers her family along with it. Her place is with them, she's found, and the life and world she's been shown - And she'll give anything to stand with her phoenix and see him at his happiest, always.