Citadel App

[alwayswatching]

Player Information:
Name:Ally
Age:32
Contact info: Aim:Ravenpaw99 Plurk:Magicalmemories
Current characters: Shiranui Kyo walkinggunshow Akabane Kuroudou bloodyrain

Character Information:
Name: Susumu Yamazaki
Canon: Hakuouki Shinsengumi Kitan
Canon point: some point after the oavs but before episode 12
Age: 23
Appearance:

Yamzaki is known for two dress styles. One is a light green kimono with dark trim. What stood out on his kimono are the sleeves that seem to be sewn with thick cord. He wears black pants that tie around his ankles, underneath the kimono. He tends to wear this off duty.

The other is an all black outfit similar to a ninja that he uses when he’s on duty. He wears a metal headband, mask, and long black scarf with the outfit. He doesn’t wear the traditional wardrobe of the Shinsengumi.

He has short light brown hair with a long, thin pony tail that trails down to the lower part of his back. He also has purple eyes.

He carries with him Kodachii (a Japanese short sword) and throwing knives.

Background:

Before the Shinsengumi were formed, they were known as the Roshigumi, led by Serizawa. He was known to be a harsh leader and not well liked amongst the community. His presence was ruining the reputation of the Roshigumi, causing people to avoid them and think ill will of them. Factions began to form within the group: those supported Kondo Isami and those who supported Serizawa.

Yamazaki had been recruited about this time and Hijikata had asked Saitou to use Yamazaki in order to form more connections, knowing that it would be vital to gain an upper hand. He had to do this without Serizawa’s knowledge. When they were able to sneak away, Yamazaki introduced Saitou to various people he knew.

Yamazaki was also used to spy on Serizawa’s right hand man who was experimenting with a medicine known as the ochizumu. At first he was known as their advisor, but was forced to step down in order to concentrate on the medicine. The men didn’t like him abusing his power to implement the medicine as well. It also gave Hijikata’s side more power by allowing Sannan to become their adviser. Yamazaki would often report to Hijikata the news of what he was doing.

Yamazaki had also stated how he had a background in the medical field with his father being an acupuncturist. He was also studying under Doctor Matsumoto in his spare time. This also made him more valuable. When he wasn’t busy looking for information or delivering messages, he was able to help the wounded.

The group had to work hard in order to gain recognition and earn finances, but each time they moved up they were forced a step back due to Serizawa’s harsh ways. The citizen’s weren’t sure what to make of the Roshigumi.

Eventually, Serizawa was assassinated in order to end Serizawa’s tyranny. The Shinsengumi were then formed with Kondo Isami as the new leader. The Aizu clan had given the Roshigumi their new name feeling that they would live up to the history the Shinsengumi had in the past.

Later, Yamazaki was assigned to investigate the situation which led to the Ikedaya Jiken also known as the Ikedaya Affair.

This was during the Edo period where the Choshu and Tosu clans were heavily influenced by the sonno jui philosophy of getting rid of all western influences of Japan. However, Emperor Komei and the Aizu and Satsuma Clans wanted a unification of the bakufu and would assassinate each other. The Bakufu organized various groups, including the Shinsengumi, and used them to charge the Choshu and Tosu clans with arresting or killing them if they resisted.

Yamazaki had been going undercover for a few days trying to gather the information needed, when a young woman named Chizuru interrupted his interrogations. With her presence there it brought the Shinsengumi along as well, blowing his cover completely. The Shinsengumi were able to capture a Choshu spy, crime boss, and a few other people in the process.

Chizuru was a young woman the Shinsengumi brought in after she witnessed a scene she shouldn’t have seen. She was the first person outside the Shinsengumi to see what the ochizumu did to a person who took the medicine. They were going to kill her, but allowed her to stay within the compounds as long as she could keep what she witnessed a secret.

It turned out that the Shinsengumi were familiar with her father, whom she had been looking for. They eventually allow her to go on patrols with them and she could use that time to search for news about her father’s whereabouts. This was what she had been doing when she walked into the store Yamazaki was interrogating.

The Ikedaya Inn was the staging point for the attacks and during a method of interrogation from the vice-commander of the Shinsnegumi (Hijikata Toshizo) they learned that the clans had planned to set fire to Kyoto and capture the Emperor, the daimyo of the Aizu Clan (whose duties at the time was policing Kyoto).

With the new information, the leader of the Shinsengumni (Kondo Isami) had separated the Shinsengumi into two groups in order to arrest the two clans—unsure of the exact location. Thanks to Yamazaki’s information, they learned that it was at the Ikeyada Inn and the second group led by the vice commander headed them off. A total of 8 were killed and 23 arrested. The resolution of the battle gave the Shinsengumi the power of law, making them the leading police force.

During the Hamaguri Gate Rebellion, Yamazaki teamed up with Saitou Hajima (Shinsengumi captain). The rest of the Shinsengumi had split between Mount Ten`nou and Kuge Gate. Yamazaki had insisted on talking with the Aizu Clan, where Saitou was originally going to do it. However, the captain agreed and allowed Yamazaki to take the lead. He helped deal with the growing rivalry amongst the clans as they fought over who received the credit for the battle.

This attack was led by the Choshu Clan as they tried to take control of the Emperor himself. The Shogunate followed up the incident and was known as the First Choshu expedition. It led to a compromise with the Choshu Clan without having to fight and another victory for the Bakufu.

The Shinsengumi attempt to recruit more soldiers and were able bring in Itou Kashitarou who proceeds to ally as an adviser. Itou also comes with his own men. It’s clear most of the soldier’s aren’t happy with Itou’s presence. It also didn’t help that Itou was coming close to discovering the ochizumu, a secret medicine that the Shinsnegumi were testing.

Their adviser Sannan had finally used on himself. They covered up the incident by explaining that Sannan had committed seppuku. Yet, the incident is revealed when Itou stumbles upon Sannan’s presence, whom was very much alive at this point. Itou wasn’t too happy with how things were handled and requested to leave. At this point he took away with him some Shinsengumi he had managed to lure to his aide. Commanders Hiesuke and Saitou leave the Shinsengumi to follow Itou.

Hiesuke leaves feeling that he was responsible for bringing Itou in the first place, and also feels that he might have a place there. Saitou goes as a spy and warns the Shinsengumi later of Itou’s plot to assassinate Kondou Isami. In turn the Shinsengumi assassinate Itou…however it still doesn’t stop an attack on their leader who is gravely wounded on his route back to headquarters. Unable to do a whole lot for their leader, Yamazaki has him sent to Osaka to be healed properly by their Doctor Matsumoto.

As Chizuru becomes involved with the Shinsengumi, Yamazaki begins to appoint her with more tasks on how to care for them. He even entrusts her with the knowledge about Souji’s tuberculosis and that it was to be kept secret along with the other medical conditions the men may have.

She’s also informed more about the ochizumu, a special medicine that allows a human to heal quickly, but with violent and deadly consequences in the end. This was one of the many secrets that the Shinsengumi held. Another was that the medicine was being tested on their men. (Sannan was one of the first of the captains to take it.)

When Chizuru was off doing errands or delivering important information, Yamazaki was often at her side protecting her from possible attacks.
A group of oni (also known as demon) became involved with the Shinsengumi after they realized who Chizuru was. They made their presence known in the Ikeyada Affair and the Humgari Gate Rebellion. Chizuru had a secret herself, that she was an oni and was reluctant of admitting the fact or accepting she was one.

The leader of the gang of oni, Kazama, was extremely interested in her wanting her as a mate since female oni (especially pure ones) were considered rare. Kazama often clashed with the vice-commander and in one battled taunted him to the point where he took the ochizumu in his attempts to defeat Kazama.

Yet, Yamazaki realized that this wasn’t the way things should be and jumped into the battle impaling himself with Hijikata’s sword. Yamazaki had been escorting Chizuru at the time to help deliver a message. Another member of the Shinsengumi (Gen), had been killed in the process had Kazama not stepped in to stop them from attacking Chizuru. Hijikata had stepped in to avenge the Shinsengumi’s death.

Yanazaki had reminded the vice commander that if he lost his ways that the men around him would be lost. Hijikata withdrew from the fight only for Yamazaki to pass away a few days later in route to Edo. He left Chizuru his notebook and had her promise to take care of the men in his absence.

Personality:

Back when the Shinsengumi were still the Roshigumi, Yamazaki had explained that the reason why he joined the group was so he could someday become a samurai. He didn’t have a samurai status or a chance to become one, until he had learned of the Roshigumi. He spent a lot of his younger years pretending to be one. Like many of the Roshigumi he saw that he could have his dream come true by living it through Kondo and Hijikata.

Yamazaki tends to envy those who have an actual samurai status. One of Serizawa’s servants, named Ryuunosuke had such a status but choose to decline to become a samurai. When Yamazaki learned of this he chided him and engaged in a fight. It wasn’t clear on who won, but they did manage to come to terms with each other. This also shows that he’s not fond of those who aren’t very decisive and who don’t have any goals in life. He finds them weak.

He is extremely loyal to the vice-commander Hijikata having sacrificed himself for his cause. He also doesn’t waver in his job and will follow through with it to the best of his abilities.

The fact that Kondo and Hijikata allowed him to become part of them, has earned his undying loyalty. His ability to keep their secrets and reveal secrets made him a valuable player. The two captains even went as far as requesting a new section be created known as the inspectors-- where they wanted Yamazaki and Shimada for it. Shimada was another recruit they had picked up when Yamazaki had joined. The two usually spend a lot of time together in most cases.

He rarely speaks his mind, but when he does it’s considered worthwhile. Out of the Shinsengumi, Yamazaki has the ability to speak with people from commoners to the upper class and get them to reason. He uses the skills he relies on when gathering information in order to speak with the people. It gives him a leeway on what to expect instead of handling a conversation in a harsh manner that most of the Shinsengumi would have done.

He can get pretty snarky when someone pushes the right buttons as well. Souji is one of the few that can do that, as Yamazaki often has to badger the other to take his medicine. Souji is also known to raid the vice commander’s room as well and Yamazaki often has to figure out a way to return the stolen articles back.

Even though he’s very good about sneaking up on others or watching people from a distance, he can never seem to do this with Saitou. Saitou tends to be the one to sneak up on him, never ceasing to surprise him. While, Yamazaki doesn’t have a route in the games, he is often paired up with Saitou. Often, Saitou trusts Yamazaki’s judgment without a question and allows him to do what he requests. The Hamaguri Gate Rebellion is an example of this. The two seem to have a good understanding of one another and don’t need to say a lot to get the job accomplished.

Aside from the ability to gather information, he has a background in medicine as well. His father was an acupuncturist, in which Yamazaki learned a few things from him and then also studied under Doctor Matsumoto. Often, he could be found aiding the wounded or attending to the sick. He has a notebook that he keeps with him all the valuable information on the men in the Shinsengumi. The only other person he entrusts this too is Chizuru after she was able to gain his respect and trust.

It’s not often that he gets carried away on his job, but at one point when protecting Chizuru he got carried away with his story and went as far as flipping a tantami mat into a person who tried to take advantage of Chizuru. He even called Chizuru a princess. At the time Chizuru was dressed as a geiko in order to gather information for the Shinsengumi. He was pretty embarrassed by his performance later and had a hard time seeing Chizuru as a fellow comrade afterward. The image of her as a geiko replaced the usual male clothing Chizuru was requested to maintain while in the presence of the Shinsnegumi.


Previous Game History: N/a

Skills and Powers:
Aside from the ability to fight, Yamazaki has the knowledge to heal using herbal medicines and acupuncture. While they are considered raw skills, it’ll be enough to tie the person over till they can get proper help. He's also very good at stealth, which comes in handy for spying and delivering messages.

Yamazaki has the ability to use the kodachii and throwing knives. He doesn’t wield the two katanas that samurai are known to use. He’s more known to be their information gather and deliver messages.

Items:
He’ll have with him his notebook of medical records of the Shinsengumi, his kodachii, and throwing knives.


Mirror

Writing samples:
Action:

[A young man appeared on screen dressed in light green kimono with dark trim. He had short light brown hair with a long thin pony tail in the back. At his side was a sheathed, short sword. His sober expression was mixed with confusion.

It’s clear that he doesn’t realize the mirror had turned on and was recording him. Only when he realized it was on, there was a tint of red in his face and he cleared his throat. When he speaks it’s in a soft and quiet voice.]

My name is Susumu Yamazaki. I’ve realized that upon my arrival that a lot of things happened to L’arcen Reves and that parties are still locating each other and finding new homes. It would be greatly appreciated if anyone can tell me if they heard of or seen the Shinsengumi. It is vital that I know where they are -- I must report to them. Thank you.

[Yamazaki then gave a low bow before ending the feed. He only hoped that the vice-commander wouldn’t get upset at him for making such a post and drawing their attention through public means. This was the only way he could figure out how to contact them through all the chaos going on.]


Third Person Prose:
Yamazaki had found L’arcen Reves a strange and confusing place. It was going to take a good while before he could adapt to the world. The cultures were different and crammed in with no sense of order. Nor, did it help as well things were perpetually changing, never remaining the same.

Every so often he thought he saw glimpses of home --whether it was the food or clothing or decor. It brought a sense of nostalgia. Yet people gave him strange looks for wandering around in his green kimono…and knew eventually he would have blend in with their world--especially, if he wanted to continue to spy for the Shinsengumi.

The problem was finding where the Shinsengumi were. He had heard snippets of conversation that they were indeed here. So it gave him some hope. Where here was….was a different story. Nova Glinn wasn’t much of a help as most of the land had been closed off. There were too many islands to even think of exploring each one. He had been trying to contact people through the lume, but it wasn’t cooperating or he still hadn’t figure out how to work it. He still didn’t trust the strange device and had a feeling the others didn’t too.

There were few times that he was ever truly frustrated…and this was one of those times. This was taking a true test of his knowledge and skills. He proceeded to explore the land he was on and ask questions when he could. Most of the time he came out empty handed and often in his case most searches ended up that way. He wasn’t always lucky. His observations were often more helpful than the questions.

Yamazaki at one point did find the old dojo that had been their original location from standing on the bridges in Prani. He frowned at the empty building that seemed cold and distant. If only he had arrived sooner. If anything this was proof they were here. He wondered idly who it was and hoped that everyone was okay and keeping their wits about themselves. The latter was the part he was more concerned on. If one vital person went missing, their group tended to spiral downhill.

He proceeded to pull out his lume once more and try to get it to work and to his surprise he finally got it to turn on. He stared back unsure of what to do or say at this point as he was still getting over the fact that he got it to work.