App for Jigoku-cho 👹

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PLAYER INFORMATION

PLAYER: Mai
ARE YOU AT LEAST 18 YEARS OLD?: Yes.
CONTACT: Plurk: maiscribbles | Discord: Maiscribbles#6780
CHARACTERS PLAYED: N/A

CHARACTER INFORMATION

NAME: Marianna "Monts" Medina
CANON: Original Character
CANON REFERENCE: Background Write-Up.
CANON POINT: One year after she starts working at the Midnight Grind cafe.
CRAU HISTORY: N/A
AGE: 21
APPEARANCE: Monts is about 5'7 in height with a slender build and tan skin. Her hair is a short bob, sometimes worn as a ponytail. Her most notable feature are her blue-green eyes. In her complete monster form, her skin and hair loses all pigment and her eyes turn black with red pupils; the alien substance in her body clothes her, constantly moving like starry particles.

Reference #1, Refrence #2, and Reference #3, and Monster Form (explanation in powers section below).

CONTRACT PAYMENT: The Contract Payment that will be offered to Monts will be the entrance to the Midnight Grind cafe. Having access to the door will consequently lead her back home which is where she wants to return to the most.

QUESTIONNAIRE:

What are your greatest regrets, if you have any? What would you have done differently?

[OOC] This is the type of question that would give Marianna pause. Her answer would be along the lines of:

"I regret not picking up my grandpa's medicine or leaving food out for the cat. She'll get super cranky about it. And I wish I could have left a farewell note for everyone before finding myself in Hell."

It would simply be a glib and casual statement that isn't entirely false but does not paint a clear picture of what her thoughts truly are. She presents herself as pleasant and charming and someone who is moving on from her past mistakes. After the incident in which she went on a rampage and nearly killed multiple people before being stopped by the witch Iona J. Oakes, Monts is, in fact, trying to live a life with few regrets despite her uncertain future.

But when she finds herself thinking about the past, the monstrous side of her continues to wish she had murdered the former friends who had dumped her body, leaving her immobilized for hours thinking she was dead; it's justified, but morbid regret that plagues her. Monts is aware of her murderous urges towards anyone or anything that earns her utter loathing and tries to not dwell on it too much.

To a lesser degree, she has regrets about not making any attempts to reconnect with her father and older brother. They largely do not recognize her as daughter/sister due to the alien substance in her body and the innate sense that she was not human anymore. Her grandparents were able to raise her into a decent enough person, but because of her father and brother's outright rejection, she has yet to find any yearning to bridge the gap and foster a better relationship.

What is the most frightening thing you've ever done? What part of you did it test the most?

[OOC] CW: Body horror, self-harm.

Growing up was a constant trial in Monts having to draw boundaries around herself and others. Living with an unknowable substance in her body and no longer understanding physical pain, she learned quickly that she caused discomfort to others when she had unnatural reactions and mannerisms. Her grandparents had to instill lessons in her about taking care of herself instead of allowing her body to be damaged by carelessness or her curiosity about her physical limits.

Though this helped her live a mostly normal life, she grew up resentful, rebellious, and reckless, leading her to spend time with peer groups with whom she often got into trouble. It all eventually culminated in a heated argument and then with her accidental death when pushed down a flight of stairs and left for dead in the trash. Of course, she wasn't totally dead. She was even fully aware of what was happening all around her and she was not happy. Marianna hated this body that broke so easily, hated that she was killed in a foolish manner, and hated the people she tolerated as friends for throwing her away like a literal piece of trash. It wasn't much of a stretch for her to finally vent her frustration on the ones who had caused her the greatest agony for the first time in her life. She wanted to abandon the humanity that did not help strengthen her fragile self-perception and simply hated existing in a body that broke so easily; she was a thing that could not die but suffered terribly.

Over the next week or so, Monts stalked her former friends and terrorized them with her presence, fully intending to return the favor. No matter what damage they were able to do in retaliation, she got back up and some of them went mad with frenzy as she was near her peak of eldritch terror. Her rampage came to a complete stop when the local witch, Iona J. Oakes, and her golem, Oren confronted her. Iona faced off with the monster that fully took over Marianna and the witch's magic was able to disable her in the end and avoid the mass murder the monstrous girl would have engrossed herself in.

Now aware of what kind of monster she could be, Monts was at a loss of what to do. She wasn't human or anything even anyone in the magical and supernatural realm could identify. Thankfully, Iona offered her a place at the Midnight Grind where she could be among those who were not on the normal side of the tracks. In this place, connected to other worlds, Monts could grow into a person who could hate herself less and love other people more.

What is your favorite diversion? Hobbies, indulgences, vices? Would you put off important things for that diversion, or would you be more strict about how you spend your time and/or money?

[OOC] Her interests are fairly mundane, even for a young woman her age. Though she's not much of an artist, she likes journaling and doodling. Monts has a mild interest in taking care of potted plants and is known for decorating her room, her grandparent's house, and the cafe with a variety of greenery. Working at the Midnight Grind as a barista for the past year has vastly improved her coffee and tea-making skills and she'll often practice making different drinks at home for her own pleasure. Another hobby of hers is solving math puzzles and just working on all sorts of arithmetic problems in order to distract her mind (though she'll put it to good use when looking at the accounts for the Grind).

While Monts has grown more domestic and responsible over time (she's attentive to her grandparents and making sure she does her part to help take care of the home she shares with them), she hasn't completely shaken off her sense of fun and rebellion. She doesn't mind going to a crazy party every now and then even if most vices (eg. hard alcohol, recreational drugs) don't do much for her. It had largely been about escapism and the atmosphere. Nowadays, she's dialed back on attending parties considerably (since she doesn't hang out with the same group of friends anymore) and has mostly been enjoying life at her own pace. Working at the Midnight Grind has been a source of entertainment for her since she gets to serve customers from all different corners of different worlds. The way she spends her time and money has been shaping up to be more structured, a far cry from the person she was before meeting her witch boss. That isn't to say, she's grown predictable; she'll diverge from routine just for the hell of it, but not to a harmful extent.

You've worked with your Faction awhile now and you feel like the reward of your contract is within reach. But at the last moment, you are told you have even more service to pay beforehand, an obscure clause in the contract being exploited to keep you under your boss's thumb even longer. Your Faction Leader hasn't spoken on this and might be able to dispute it. Do you go to your leader? Do you argue the dispute yourself? Do you begrudgingly accept the additional work? Something else?

[OOC] In this hypothetical situation, Monts would surprisingly be pragmatic and willing to complete her contract, obscure clause and all. Her initial steps towards problem-solving tend to be more practical than not. At first, she would be apprehensive and annoyed about being held back so obviously. She would consult with her Faction Leader in order to understand the full scope of what this means for her in the long run and if there are any nasty surprises later. If this happened more than once, that's when Monts' patience starts wearing thin. She'll know when she's being taken advantage of and if it becomes a prolonged situation, more likely than not, she'll become a resentful, ticking timebomb. If she feels like she's totally alone in dealing with this problem, it's possible Marianna will choose to take desperate and reckless measures, unless someone can talk her out of it or help her in some manner where less danger is imminent.

POWERS & ABILITIES:

Monts has an extraterrestrial substance in her body that's existed in her since she was a child. It is of unknown origins. Normally, it rests on the back of her neck, looking like a floral tattoo. It makes her reacts to danger and threats by spreading itself throughout Monts like a living membrane and alters her appearance and behavior to varying degrees.

Partial take over is just the mark spreading itself throughout different parts of her body, reacting to an immediate danger. Her base personality and sense of self are still intact.

100% takeover mode is where the mark completely covers her body and Monts displays more aggression, cryptic eldritch verbiage, and some bloodlust. This form is rarely seen unless Monts is in a near-death state or is facing an emergency situation that she can't overcome normally. This form will be a regain for game purposes.

Healing Factor: As part of its self-preservation instinct, the creature has made Monts have a body that is nigh unkillable. Minor cuts, scrapes, burns, and bruises fade away near-instantly. Broken limbs and other physical injuries are restored within minutes and even bullet wounds seal themselves up. Based on experience, even a broken neck and spine can be restored thanks to her creature so it's confirmed that for the most part, she cannot truly die by some conventional means. Injury to the brain may disable her for a while, but that can also heal given time. She is also largely unaffected by poisons and most sicknesses.

Game Nerf: Instantaneous healing will be a regain. Major injuries or wounds will take a longer amount of time to heal by themselves and will need to be bandaged up. Broken bones will take a normal amount of time to mend.

Pain Insensitivity: Similar to a numbing agent, Monts' monster also causes her to feel little to no pain. She barely notices if she's gotten hurt due to her healing factor and even when injured heavily she only vaguely registers that her body is non-functioning for that period of time. It takes extreme and repetitive actions to make her aware of pain. Her sense of touch is affected to a lesser degree so she's still aware of sensations such as coldness and heat or moisture and dryness and other textures. Monts can also tell if she's being touched by something or someone else.

Enhanced Strength and Speed: Monts is fast and agile enough to outrun a speeding car or dodge bullets making her particularly tricky to hit. Her strength is enough to cause small craters in walls or the ground if she puts her fist into those, but she can't say, lift a building like Superman. But when she hits, she hits hard and could break walls and tear apart limbs with little effort.

Game Nerf: She will have weak to average strength and speed. The enhanced versions will be a regain.

Heightened Sixth Sense: The mark is particularly sensitive and alerts Monts of magic, psychic, and other supernatural auras. She can perceive things that aren't normal to the human eye, but this tends to not work if the person or object intentionally hides its aura. She can't really distinguish between auras and just categorizes things as "normal" to "not normal" and "strong" to "weak."

Game Nerf: Her sixth sense will not be active until it is regained.

While Monts refers to the alien blemish as a separate entity, in truth they are just one being; an oddity from the beyond fused with a human resulting in a being using the name Marianna "Monts" wearing a human shell and inhabiting her mind even if she struggles to come to terms with it. Although it has yet to be noticeable, Monts has an inkling that she will not age due to the creature's healing abilities.

It is worth noting that Monts is not a skillful fighter. She leans more on the side of a berserker especially when her creature completely takes over her body. One simply just has to be creative in being able to stop Monts in her tracks because otherwise, she will just keep getting back up.

And while this is mundane, it's worth noting that Monts is a barista so she knows how to make a large variety of cafe drinks. Nifty.

SUITABILITY:

Monts comes from a world of magic, espers, and other supernatural entities which she is only recently aware of. A year prior to her current state, Monts was a victim of accidental murder that triggered her fully monstrous form. After years of suppressing herself and dealing with internal loneliness, she went on a roaring rampage of revenge against her murderers, but thankfully she was defeated by a witch and a golem whom she now works for. The extreme trauma had Monts coming out of the other end relatively okay all things considered. She was fortunate enough to meet Iona J. Oakes, the witch who revealed to her a much bigger world(s) full of wonders, both awesome and frightening, just like her even if she is still considered a peculiar anomaly.

Being a Los Angeles native, urban life is what defined her growing up, so the supernatural-tinged environment of Jigoku-cho would help her adjust even faster than expected. A year of working at the Grind has exposed Monts to individuals of different worlds, some human, some not. Youkai happen to be among the latter crowd, though they are less common and her knowledge of the various kinds are not deep. Actually living in a new place without a means of return will unsettle her (especially since it relates to the Land of the Dead and her perception of death is muddled) because she's only recently gotten used to the security that the cafe offered of being able to meet different people without having to invest too deeply in them since they were just customers. She will be out of her element but have a natural curiosity in order to understand the new environment.

Before settling into a more peaceful routine at the Midnight Grind, Monts was very eager to explore various vices in order to see if she could acquire some sort of sensation. The crowd she hung out with was not the most honest or well-behaved, to say the least, and thus she's no stranger to drugs and sex or being in the vicinity of criminal/juvenile activity. Despite wanting to live more quietly, Monts would be able to learn the ropes and culture of Jigoku-cho and not be as shocked by the darker side of the circumstances the Lost Souls are embroiled in. Her time in the game will be an exploration to see how she handles stressful situations now compared to the person she used to be.

FACTION SUITABILITY:

THE SHUTEN CLAN

If Monts were to be part of the Shuten Clan, the clan's core philosophy of power may not seem to jive with her at first. She has shied away from being assertive or imposing because it ties into her deep-seated fear of becoming a true monster. She has physical strength and the means to intimidate when pushed far enough, it's just a matter of wanting to use it. She may have trouble when it comes to honesty too; she's more accustomed to acting subtly or only telling partial truths so that she is less inconvenienced. Because of the clan's strict honor code and structure, she may actually begin to feel secure because she can start to understand what is expected of her and know she can expect the same of the other clan members. As long as the Shuten Clan adheres to its belief about carrying power responsibly, that much could put Monts' mind at ease and be more willing to be part of the group, though she would only use violence as needed.

THE TAMAMO CLAN

When it comes to customer service, entertainment, and at the very least, basic companionship, Monts is able to offer all three in full. After working at the Midnight Grind cafe for a year as a barista, Monts has a genuine and sincere interest in interacting with a variety of individuals. Monts likes offering rest and recreation to others and giving them a place to feel welcome and cared for and particularly enjoys spoiling those who earn her favor. She would relish the freedom that comes with her being able to display what she feels is her best self whether she becomes a hostess or works at a cafe, bar, or restaurant. Monts found freedom in her world as she slowly met people who were able to accept her for who she was, an unknowable monster and all, building a connection with them over their own special abnormalities.

THE SUTOKU ALLIANCE

In the Sutoku Alliance, Monts would thrive by being able to gather information as needed. Her friendly and charming manner makes her innocuous enough in most situations and she is quite patient making her suited enough for long-term tasks and projects. She may view the Alliance's egalitarian systems with respect and would be able to treat others around her as equals instead of viewing herself in a lower or higher position. And if you need someone to look at your finances and keep your accounts straight, Monts is decent at making sure those are sorted out and well, accounted for.

DEPARTMENT OF ENMA

Within the Department of Enma, Monts could slip into an administrative role. She has an eye for detail especially when it comes to financial records and anything to do with numbers. Justice and order are all well and good, but mostly when it's in a material form Monts is able to manipulate and focus on. Any inconsistencies, she'd be able to report to higher-ups depending on where she's placed. Her time at the Grind may also come in handy when it comes to keeping the peace as well. Being a barista in a magical cafe is bound to have its bad days and that's when asserting her authority can kick in, in order to uphold any rules in place.

SAMPLES

❧ TDM Sample #1
❧ TDM Sample #2
❧ Meme Sample