Makoto
Nakayama
even dust , if piled up, becomes a mountain
Balmung / Mateus | Crystal
EST / EDT
✓ walk ups. ✓ tells. ✓ mature RP.
A secretive samurai from the Far East, the man who oft introduces himself simply as Naka has recently cut a swath through the Eorzean Adventurers' Guild. Unlike many up-and-coming adventurers of the Seventh Astral Era, Naka appears to desire neither gold nor glory, but his occasionally abrasive nature suggests goodwill to be an equally insufficient motivation...
© carrd template by paletterph.
general.
name Makoto "Naka" Nakayama aliases Waiju Chūzan species Hyur Midlander age Mid-Thirties nameday Third Sun of the Fourth Astral Moon (7/3) gender Masculine height Five Fulms, Ten Ilms weight One Sixty Ponze
orientation Greysexual Homoromantic birth place Koshu, Hingashi residence ??? profession Adventurer | Rōnin affiliation ??? relationship status It's Complicated notable features A scar cutting along the right side of his face. A missing slice of cartilage from the same ear. A sleeve of irezumi on his left arm. Nothing in his eyes.
• strength ★★★★★★★☆☆☆
• dexterity ★★★★★★★★☆☆
• constitution ★★★★★★★☆☆☆
• intelligence ★★★★★★★★★☆
• wisdom ★★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
• charisma ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆
" If one meets a powerful person, ask them five questions: 'What power have you got? Where did you get it from? In whose interests do you exercise it? To whom are you accountable? And how can we get rid of you?' "
* ▊▊ voice claim: to be determined.
the soul.
the surface Naka is not a stereotypical samurai, or even what a Westerner might expect from their distant neighbours in the Far East. He has little interest in pretensions of honour and even less interest in tradition. He is blunt and impolite to the people he deigns to bring into his fold, and deceptive to those who only serve as a stepping stone to a larger purpose.It is not hard to see the Wandering Rōnin as a role he plays rather than lives, but one would be hard pressed to suggest why a man would do such a thing.Does it matter why someone does good? Does it matter why someone eschews harmful tradition, why someone rails against this is the way it's always been, why someone stands up when everyone else who could do something is content to kneel?Is it better to be perfect and do nothing, lest you commit an imperfection, or to be imperfect and do everything you can do to good, despite knowing you will never be perfect?
the depths It is easy to focus on an individual's flaws. Abrasive. Rude. Dismissive. Secretive.Naka chafes with anyone in authority, but his loyalty, once earned, makes him a fierce devotee. His aggression hides a passion for his work and his goals, almost as if he is embarrassed by his own earnestness. Any humour he expresses tends to be mean-spirited and wicked. He tries to temper a competitive streak with disinterest, but quiet nights often find him practicing needlework or cooking or some other skill he perceives a lack in.He prefers others to focus on his imperfections, as they obfuscate any attempt to derive meaning to what Naka could possibly be doing with any of his long term plans and who or what is actually important to him.He's paranoid, in short. Incredibly, irrationally paranoid. Like a lot of damaged men, Naka doesn't take well to healing anything that isn't plainly broken. The fact that he could be a genuinely warm, well-liked man on his own merits if he would stop being a bit of a prick is completely lost on him.There's hints of it, of course. There's always hints. The way he presses others to reëxamine themselves, the way he seeks out the truth no matter the method, the way his own life seems to be a means to an end... His ruthlessness belies a desire for something appropriating harmony.That is, of course, if that is the truth itself.
& key items.
important items commonly found in his inventory.
the blade
A weapon of some variety, usually a blade, but occasionally a bow or rifle. The weapon itself always radiates with aether and anima, recognizable to a Hannish alchemist or anyone attuned to soul magic. Anyone with such a talent could tell it is the same anima, no matter what form of weapon is on Naka's person.It is, naturally, most often extant in the form of a pair of daishō, as befits a samurai of Hingashi. It can, however, be as small as a simple knife hidden on his person, in a less-than-honourable fashion.
chocobo whistle
A heavily worn whistle used to call a chocobo. The particular chocobo it calls is an earthy brown, answering to the name Yuuta. It has a bag and an uchigatana strapped to its saddle.That's it. Not an overly fancy thing by itself.
the history.
There are expectations when your line is old, storied, and historically and contemporarily powerful. There are expectations culturally. There are expectations at an interpersonal level.Expectations stifle. They kill. They snuff out anything that dares escape.Sometimes you really do just have to run somewhere else, where no one knows you, to try and find out who you really are. The thing is, of course, is that people everywhere have expectations. They can't be avoided forever. So you have to decide: what false image of yourself are you more willing to abide?Sometimes it is easier to exploit someone's romantic ideal of who you could be, than live with the cold hard truth of who you are and what you've done. And what you'll continue to do, if someone doesn't stop you.That's assuming that they are right about who you are to begin with.
Once upon a time, there was a man and a woman who wanted a child very much. They struggled to conceive, but when they did, they bore a beautiful babe into the world. And then, when the child was but six years old, illness took her away.The couple mourned. But the woman's mother said, "If you should conceive within the year of a young child's passing, their soul will come back from heaven to you."Naturally, the couple balked. They had struggled the first time, and so knew their chances of seeing their child again were slim. But still they tried, and a miracle came to them. The miracle came in the form of a boy, but still they knew the truth, and so they gave him their first child's name: Makoto.
Born to a Hingan man of noble birth and a woman of mysterious origin, Naka's life was shrouded in 'don't ask questions, and you won't be told lies' from an early age. Of course, that just led to a quiet, cunning child seeking answers from the source rather than from someone's mouth. To say it caused trouble would be an understatement, given the sort of answers the boy sought.Something happened when Garlemald invaded Doma. His mother disappeared. His grandfather, still in control of the clan's political sway, argued against intervention. As it was the popular stance of the bakufu government, Hingashi remained neutral and the Nakayamas in her good graces.Naka did not. He proceeded into his childhood training with a religious fervour. Rumours say when the conquered Doma rose up in rebellion, Naka was on a ship sailing across the Ruby Sea, heedless of his father's warnings and threats.He eventually went even further afield, to Eorzea, as if to get as far away from the Far East as possible.
miscellaneous.
mbti INTJ-A alignment Chaotic Good (?) likes thunderstorms, the smell of paper, watching people trip dislikes ostentatiousness, authority figures, okra fears Growing attached. Never having attachments.
hobbies literature, ink wash painting, board games, getting very very very drunk, getting into fights while drunk... skills logistics, strategy, regular and irregular warfare, martial combat, deception, general scheming
" No one can be trusted with power. Any government will oppress its people if not constantly and inventively challenged. "
› FREQUENTED LOCATIONS
everywhere You know how wandering heroic types tend to end up places where ne'er-do-wells least want them? Yeah, funny thing, that... limsa lominsa A good hub of trade and travel, Limsa Lominsa is one of the better city states to center oneself in if one was a travelling sort of person. While Naka doesn't actually stay in the city for long, he has a tendency to return to it for its convenience, as well as the heavy drinking it enables.
The Nakayama Clan
The Nakayamas proudly trace their lineage back to a strong, cunning warlord and his clan during the Age of Blood. Historically, the family has controlled lucrative resources and trade routes, squashed peasant dissent, and forced anyone who wasn't a proud Hingan into becoming one or die screaming.You know. As pleasant, civilized folk do.The Nakayamas are known for a unique style of combat that favours that of the jizamurai, seeking to combine the training of a samurai and a ninja to create warriors suited to information warfare and counterintelligence. By this, they aim to reduce threats such as assassination attempts, a fear settled deep into their lineage.Unsurprisingly, the Nakayama clan traditionally supports Hingan isolationism. They advocated for standing idle during Garlemald's invasion of Doma, the subsequent rebellions, and rejecting the freed Doma in their proposed united front for the Far East.
the echo?
They say Naka possesses the gift known as the Echo, the blessing of Light, transcendent power, however people want to phrase it.This includes the usual wheelhouse: the ability to understand languages, to view memories not one's own, and, just as importantly, to feel the way a person's aether moves. It makes him a dangerous foe on the battlefield, but also an unpredictable force in other ways. Whispers say the man knows things people are going to do and say before they even say them, or that he knows people before he's officially met them.(Note: this power will not be used to metagame. One could simply choose to inflict a memory on Naka if one had something in mind. In terms of combat, just imagine he has advantage; it's not a perfect solution if both rolls are bad, but it does allow him to take the slightly better path.)
Who is Waiju Chuuzan? *
"Waiju Chūzan" is a pen name used by Makoto Nakayama to publish a variety of literature titles, nearly all of which are controversial in some capacity. While Naka is not publicly known as Chūzan, his author persona is known for his biting wit and scathing social commentary, along with a highly critical opinion of the bakufu government.These books and treatises come in several forms. In nonfiction, "Chūzan" goes at length on subjects such as the caste system and the apathy of the highborn for the low and how 'tradition' is used to destroy its own ideals for the sake of indolence. In fiction, there is a combination of poetry and novels, many of which are known for being unashamed of depicting sexuality realistically and without judgement.While some of his books have been translated from the original Hingan, not all have, and there is a clear disparity in which ones were chosen by the publisher to sell to foreign markets. While many in Hingashi know him for his poetry and political commentary, most Eorzeans have only heard of his smut.
› NONFICTION WORK
to the great dignitary hashimoto as regards the bridge A long, detailed document that discusses a prominent dignitary's comment about using the inability to build a physical bridge to the mainland to justify Hingan isolationism... and why it is still a dangerous belief despite its stupidity. A stupid person who holds power may be stupid, but they do still hold power. the snake that devours its own shed A treatise criticizing calling the Sekiseigumi of Kugane 'progressive,' citing that the organization still upholds the very tradition and rigid social systems it claims to subvert. A samurai that upholds the fickle whims and indulgences of the elite is complacent in the abuse of the lower class, whether his katana used to be a plow or not.
› POETRY COLLECTIONS
to minoru A collection of poems dedicated to an unknown woman (allegedly named Minoru) detailing the author's myriad complicated feelings towards her. Some of the poems could be described as love poems, while others border on attempting to draw distance between the two maybe-lovers, and others still allude to something horrible that had happened between them. It is debated on whether or not it is the author's feelings towards a real woman, or two characters within a narrative. ōkagami The preface to the collection, only available in the original language, is written in Modern Hingan, explaining to the reader that these poems are the response to a rival writer's collection accusing the author of pretending to be more educated than he is. The poems within are written in a version of Ancient Hingan so old it would have to be translated for modern Hingans to understand it. Those who can enjoy it in its original form praise it for its authenticity to the era it emulates.
› NOVELS
against the river flow "The last heir of a betrayed lord is spared from being put to the sword. Without reputation or support, the resulting rōnin must reclaim honour and take vengeance, by any means necessary." Most known for its twist, where the presumed male main character turns out to be a woman. the blade between us and them "He was sworn to protect her. She was sworn to marry another. A samurai bodyguard and a foreign dignitary's daughter navigate duty, desire, and a looming political alliance." A favourite among upper and middle class women with eternally busy husbands. lanterns for the lost "He was a ghost in the palace halls. He was the light he never dared reached for. A romance between a secretive Hingan nobleman and a male Thavnairian dancer hired for a new year festival." A bestseller in Kugane. And Limsa Lominsa for some reason. the vows we make to each other "She was trained to charm. He was forbidden to feel. Love was never part of the contract. A man who sponsors a young geiko finds himself falling in love with her, even as the hour of his marriage draws closer and closer." Highly divisive in most hanamachi. silk and steel "She stitched his wounds. He unraveled her pain. A widowed seamstress and a wounded samurai find solace in each other, but duty threatens to tear them apart." A story known for balancing violence and love in a way that pleases many demographics. Received an unofficial sequel from a passionate, but anonymous, fan. letters from kugane "They were never meant to meet. But the ink told a different story. A forbidden correspondence between a noble Hingan woman and a foreign merchant, unfolding through secret letters and shared poetry." Eagle-eyed readers note that some of the poetry within is the same, or rewritten from, To Minoru. What that means within the story is a favoured debate amongst fans of Chūzan's library. lotus in the storm "A whirlwind romance between a Hingan calligraphery master and a visiting Doman scholar, both hiding truths that could cost them everything." Notable for being a romance between two older men. Not published widely, but has a dedicated fanbase. the red envelope "One letter. One lie. One chance to rewrite fate. A merchant's daughter and a lowborn courier exchange secret letters that threaten to expose a royal scandal." Not purely a romance, though notorious for a detailed sex scene involving hot wax and intricate word play.
O1
About the Player *
How's it going? I'm Vex, though you can call me pretty much whatever you want and I'll probably respond. I'm a disabled healthcare worker with ~25 years of writing and roleplay experience.I'm primarily a horror writer, and so my writing often contains not only dark topics, but frank discussions about human nature, psychological navel gazing, and enough detail about internal anatomy that once made a longtime buddy of mine get queasy. If anything, quite literally anything, makes you uncomfortable, you need to discuss it with me, or you might be in for a bad time. I try to warn people ahead of time when I anticipate things will come up, but I've recently run into issues where people appear to think I am kidding. I am not.That isn't to say that I don't RP lighter themes, but I like to manage expectations.I am here for a narrative experience. I have no triggers, nor squicks. I prefer partners that are similar, but as long as your list of necessary content warnings doesn't take an entire page, we'll probably be fine.
vex | he/him
ettiquette *
I generally don't approve of killing my character or causing permanent disfigurement without discussing it first. Typical courtesy would be nice. That said, I don't care otherwise. They're dolls. They're not real. Hurt his feelings. Punch him in the face. He probably deserves it.If you are an adult, you can be sexually forward with my character. (Whether it will work or not...) Please do not make moves on me OOC as a person unless approximately 500 business days have passed. I'm polyamorous, not easy.If you are a minor, I don't want to know. (I don't want to know any one random person's exact age, really. These are basic rules of the Internet. We are strangers.) I know anyone who's really determined, I can't stop from interacting with me. All I ask that you refrain from suggestive RP with me and please do not attempt to engage in anything sexual with me. I will be very upset.On a side note, if you call anything sexual, particularly things that are not your kink, 'degenerate,' stay away from me. That's the 'fa' we're supposed to be 'anti.'
O2
O3
preferred themes *
Cerebral themes, political intrigue, combat (honour-based is preferred, but rolls have their place), so on and so forth. It's been a while since I've RP'd publicly, I don't even know what people do anymore oh god.Anything listed on this carrd that gives you an idea, hit me with it. The hooks are more of a suggestion, really. The worst I can do is say no. We can workshop something out.(Note: while I am not opposed to romance RP, I prefer organic progression, often slow burns, and so I don't plan for them at all as a rule. While Naka's listed orientation is greysexual homoromantic, his sexuality and romantic interest is fluid if the chemistry is there.)
things to avoid *
I don't need everything to 'further the plot,' so to speak, but I tend to get bored if all RP ends up being purely slice of life. Low stakes is fine now and then, but doesn't appeal to me long term.
O4
the prodigal son
› requirements: the ability to travel within restricted sections of hingashi.
› difficulty: ★★★
In Eorzea, Naka is a worldly, but unknown, samurai, come to deliver aid as would a mythical knight errant.In Hingashi, Makoto Nakayama is a daimyō's disappeared son, whose safe return would make any bounty hunter rich enough to retire.The news of this and existence of such a reward are not well-known even in Hingashi, and utterly unheard of on the outside. A well-connected individual could conceivably hear about it, given enough time and effort, but how anyone who isn't Hingan would attempt to claim the reward is a headache all on its own. And that isn't even addressing how difficult it would be to actually catch the son of a bitch.
for shiny coin
› requirements: be in need.
› difficulty: ★☆☆
First and foremost, Naka is an adventurer. Any job left with the Adventurers' Guild or with, say, Clan Centurio, has a chance to be picked up by him, as well as anyone extroverted enough to approach him with a task. A notice on a board is enough to gain his attention, but something as esoteric as rumours through the grapevine is not out of the question.It is not entirely uncommon for Naka to simply show up where trouble is occurring. He doesn't tend to disclose how or why he knows his presence might be needed, only that he knew to something was bound to happen.
it's... it's for research!
› requirements: have something to say.
› difficulty: ★☆☆
While Naka exploits the foreign exoticism of the imagery surrounding the Eastern warrior-scholar, his passion for knowledge and the arts is still very much real. It motivates him and affects his worldview; any new experience is a potential vector to information, furthering his understanding of the world. After all, one cannot hope to comprehend the Spoken condition without first living it.His desire to learn more about people leads him to seek out those from all walks of life. Particular to his interests are those that society would prefer to forget: the common, the poor, the orphaned, those punished for the crime of circumstance...But just so, the elite of each nation have much to say as to why things must be the way they are. One might not agree, but must understand the workings of society to properly rage against injustice.From the pit of man's fears, to the summit of his knowledge.
the fighting drunk
› requirements: gumption.
› difficulty: ★★☆
Do you frequent bars? Do you like drinking? Do you like drinking at bars? Fantastic.Naka also likes imbibing. The problem, you see, is that he's an angry, feisty drunk who gets kicked out of establishments when they recognize he's starting to get rowdy. Which puts a man whose instinct is to rage against situations he doesn't like into a very strange and alcohol-less position. So he's going to fight someone about it.You made eye contact while watching a grown man get kicked out of a tavern? Or maybe you fancy yourself a peacekeeper? I hope you're good at blocking punches.
you. i remember you. of course it was you.
› requirements: aether sensitivity or an aether assessment device.
› difficulty: ★★☆
There's something fucking wrong with this guy, okayThere's nothing in his eyes. People's eyes reflect light. That's just physics. But Naka's eyes don't. They're black pits—dark, unyielding, all-consuming. Something old watches you from within; it finds you lacking. They say the man possesses the Echo, the blessing of Light, but surely that would put life in his visage instead of leave it a uncaring void?That's unsettling enough for most people. But for anyone with aether sensitivity, or aethersight, the man very noticeably does not have the aether of a man. There's aether there, yes, as it lives and moves and behaves, but a student of aetherology would note it is more the signature of a field blowing in the wind or the clusters of crystals left in the wake of Dalamud's fall rather than the form of a Spoken. And yet he is, very decidedly, a man.
obsessive compulsive
› requirements: a strong stomach.
› difficulty: ★★★★
Something to note about Naka is that he's obsessive when it comes to his goals. That obsession can extend to people, if the proper criteria are met.You see, Naka doesn't really act like anything in his life has meaning, real meaning. Hasn't in a while. But someone? A real, breathing person? That could give him purpose. That person would enjoy the benefits of a quiet, serious, strong man at their side... while also having themselves in the sudden and unenviable position of maintaining that man's unravelling sanity.Oh, and have fun never having boundaries again.
Althea Faerwyn
A complicated woman from the Shroud, Althea and Naka appear to initially have nothing in common. That, of course, fades on any pass deeper than superficial. Spurred by the clear and disillusioned intelligence presented within her, Naka encourages Althea to push the boundaries and limits set by her blockheaded minders... even if such limits were placed for a reason.
relationship type acquiantance
Hana Martrvje
Sometimes broken people fit together like puzzle pieces. Slightly inebriated, morally dubious puzzle pieces. Hana and Naka understand each other in the way soldiers do when they come home from war and don't know how to fit into a world that has fundamentally changed. But you still have to try.
relationship type it's VERY complicated