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[bluemikan]

Mun Name: Lucy! Livejournal/Dreamwidth Username: You E-mail: have AIM/MSN: this! Current Characters at Luceti: Ikki (Legend of Korra) / breezing Character Name: Nojiko. Fandom: One Piece. Gender: Female. Age: 20. Time Period: Chapter 440. Wing Color: Sky blue. History: Here! Personality: When she was a child, Nojiko's adoptive mother told her that she was a prudent girl - and probably the more adult of the two of them. This was after Bellemere had reacted badly to Nami's angry denial of being family with Nojiko during an argument, which Nojiko herself hadn't reacted that strongly to, just starting to throw back another remark, knowing Nami was only speaking in anger. Nojiko immediately forgot that she was annoyed with Nami, trying to intervene in the impending argument to keep the peace with little success. This level-headed nature stayed with her throughout the years, despite the tragedies that would follow. She's frequently shown to be very self-possessed and calm, from looking on with bland interest when actual fishmen show up after she stops a Gosa village child from attacking Usopp to remarking that she was surprised to see Nami strolling through town, "of all people". When Nami comes home after confronting the crew about Usopp (trying to make them leave) and breaks a bunch of glass and furniture in frustration, Nojiko only sighs and asks what's wrong. Nojiko strongly believes in living on. Even before she met Bellemere, Nojiko hadn't stopped walking, and had at some point picked up the infant Nami in the wreckage of their home. After Bellemere adopted the two orphans, this belief only strengthened, encouraged by her adoptive mother. When a Gosa village boy attempts to take revenge on a fishman she stops him, and speaks dismissively and a little cruelly about his desire for revenge, stating that "anyone who wants to die a dog's death can go ahead and die" for all she cares. Nojiko spends the eight years of Arlong's rule caring for Bellemere's mikan groves and providing a safe harbour for Nami whenever her sister returned home. Throughout all of this she did not break down or ask Nami to do anything differently, although she did make Nami promise to tell her everything, and reminds her sister of this when Nami holds back. Each and every one of the Cocoyasi villagers swore to endure as long as Nami wished them to do so, and Nojiko's opinions of those who won't endure the hard times for the promise of a better future are...less than stellar, to say the least. Each and every one of Bellemere's instructions on living still resonate with Nojiko. Don't let anyone beat you; even girls have to be strong; don't hate the world you were born under; it's all right if people don't compliment or praise you; never lose the strength to smile. There are memories behind each phrase, each rule for living, and these words combined with her past and own unique view add up to how and why Nojiko continues to live on beneath Arlong's reign without giving up. When Nojiko does eventually commit to fighting Arlong despite knowing she will die, it is when everyone in Cocoyasi comes to that conclusion together, after Nami's work is undone and they realize that even the fight of endurance will meet no end under Arlong. While she speaks bluntly to Chabo and yells at the Straw Hats once or twice, Usopp notes that Nojiko is actually a good person. She knocked Usopp out to save his life; she scolded Chabo in order to save his life, and reminded him that he had his mother at home, and she was most likely worried; and she explained Nami's story to the Straw Hats in an effort to help her sister - she realizes that Nami does not want these people to die, and she actively tries to convince them to leave for that reason. Her being a good person doesn't mean she's straight-laced, however; besides being perfectly at ease with her younger sister's piracy, Nojiko readily admits to being disappointed she can't tease Chabo about being naive any longer when he admits she was right and he's moving on after the Straw Hats free everyone from Arlong. When she was younger she joked about stealing without getting caught with Nami, but apparently was the best-behaved out of all three of their little family, doing nothing more scandalous than making boys cry with her sister when they insulted Bellemere's mikan. Nojiko notably never complained about being poor, and didn't seem to mind it as much as Nami did; this probably has something to do with her being able to recall the times before, and how bad things were before Bellemere had gotten them safely to Cocoyasi island. Compared to that nightmare, living in happy, comfortable poverty with Bellemere and Nami was a dream. Nami spent most of their childhood believing Bellemere had found her under a bridge, and Nojiko apparently never disabused her of the notion, wanting like Bellemere to protect the smile of the innocent child who had brought them together. Nojiko is shown to be extremely willing to put others before herself as a rule. Even when she was a small child she noted Bellemere seemed to be eating nothing but mikan, and correctly assumed this was because of the state of their household finances. Upon realizing this, Nojiko suggested that maybe she didn't have to eat as much, either (Nami had asked about Bellemere not eating, although she didn't seem to realize why Bellemere was eating less, being startled by Nojiko's comments). When Nako tells Nami and Nojiko they need to leave so Bellemere can survive, Nojiko agrees with a determined look on her face, offering up no questions about why and no protests. It doesn't work out, but she is honestly willing to leave the island with her sister in order for their mother to live on. Immediately after seeing her mother shot and killed, Nojiko still attacks a fishman to try and free her younger sister, when the Arlong Pirates take Nami away the first time. This trend only continues into her adult years. Despite her many warnings to Usopp and others about opposing fishmen, Nojiko herself doesn't think twice about demanding an explanation from Arlong himself when he's about to kill Gen for collecting weapons, completely and hypocritically disregarding her own warnings (Gen telling everyone to stand down did get her to bite her tongue, but even acting that much was ill-advised). When trying to help Luffy get free from the stone beneath the ocean, Nojiko places herself between Sanji and a fishman in order to give him time to free the captain, although she realized she would be nothing more than a human shield - luckily for them the fishman didn't quite make it to them. Unlike Nami, Nojiko apparently doesn't hold anything against pirates or fishmen. While she obviously isn't overly fond of Arlong or his men - or wasn't overly fond of them, since they are no longer a concern in her timeline - she never seemed to show any distaste upon meeting the Straw Hats crew. Usopp himself introduced himself as a pirate captain, and the only negative reaction she had was to his attempt to attack one of the fishmen, which would have resulted in his death, in her opinion. She also seemed perfectly content with Nami's decision to join the crew; admittedly, this was after the Straw Hats had freed Cocoyasi, but it was fairly likely that Nojiko would have supported such a decision even if that hadn't been the case. Still, this was not originally the case; when they were younger Nojiko reacted very poorly to Nami's joining Arlong's Pirates, and she was originally uncertain about Nami's plan to buy the village, asking if it wouldn't be difficult to work under the person who had killed their mother. Since Nami was determined, however, Nojiko accepted her sister's plan. Strengths: physical; Nojiko can tote around large baskets of mikan without seeming to tire (and presumably managed to tote around Usopp with little assistance) and is shown to be an extremely capable swimmer, so it can be inferred that she's reasonably athletic. Other than "reasonably athletic", however, there isn't much to be said. Nojiko isn't a combatant and doesn't have super strength or abilities. She may have learned some self-defense in early childhood from Bellemere, but Nojiko then spent the next eight years on an island under the control of Arlong, where the villagers were not permitted to keep weapons - Gen gets in trouble for being found having weapons at one point - and so it can be inferred that Nojiko hasn't had much experience in that department. mental; Although she isn't a cartography genius like her younger sister, Nojiko seems reasonably intelligent. It's very likely that she's good with finances, as she managed to keep the mikan groves running and herself fed during the eight years Arlong was in control of Cocoyasi, all while having to pay tribute for herself. It is highly likely Nami assisted in the event Nojiko didn't make enough, but it is also likely Nojiko did everything she could so that this wasn't necessary, so that all the money could go towards Nami's dream of saving their village. Every month for eight years every single person in Cocoyasi managed to pay their tribute; if they hadn't, their village would have been destroyed like Gosa village was. emotional; Nojiko's emotional strength is where she truly shines. She's shown to be fairly sensitive to the moods of others multiple times throughout her appearances: she knows Nami only said they weren't sisters because she was so upset, not taking it seriously; she understood that Bellemere hadn't really meant her own reaction, either; after an initially impulsive reaction to hearing Nami had joined Arlong, Nojiko realized that the story Nami had told made no sense, and confronted her about it; she noticed Nami's pain over her tattoo, and immediately went out to get one of her own, saying she'd gotten it because it was "beautiful", and that they were now the same. There are other examples, all of which lend credence to the picture of a woman who is very in tune with other's emotions and motivations. She's also clearly very resilient emotionally. Nojiko was old enough to remember the battle that decimated the island she and Nami originated from, where the pirates and the marines and the villagers all clashed and many were left dead. Despite that, she seemed to be well-adjusted and cheerful throughout her childhood. After Bellemere's death and Nami's joining Arlong, Nojiko continued to remain a supportive and steady presence in her sister's life, and was emotionally stable enough to offer others advice and to look out for the other islanders. Weaknesses: physical; Although she once knocked Usopp out with a hammer to the head and shows reasonable athletic ability, Nojiko falls into the normal civilian category. She's not a trained combatant by anyone's standards, aside from the basics picked up during childhood with Bellemere and her teenage years living on an island under the fishmens' heel; Nami was the one who traveled around stealing from and outwitting pirates, whereas Nojiko remained on Cocoyasi island, maintaining their mother's mikan groves. Compared to most One Piece characters she couldn't really imagine holding her own, which is fine, since she's not a pirate. She owns a mikan business at home. That...doesn't really require top combat skills. Pretty much everyone currently in the OP cast has more experience and training than she does regarding combat, as does a good portion of Luceti's other residents. mental; Again, Nojiko is normal. She's not a genius by any standards, and while she received decent schooling during her childhood with Bellemere, she probably didn't have time for that sort of thing after Bellemere's death. Her education is scattered and more practical than anything else as a result (i.e. she can read, write, and do math, and any advanced studies were things that would be of use in her actual everyday life, such as finances or horticultural knowledge). emotional; While she's much less inclined to impulsive action than either her foster mother or sister, Nojiko isn't immune to that sort of thing by any means. At twenty, after eight years of living under the military rule of Arlong's pirates, she has been through enough to be able to curb this even further, but emotional trauma will very much effect her and there are topics that will serve to get a reaction from her. When she was younger she was unable to hold back from attacking her sister when Nami returned from joining the Arlong pirates, not thinking straight in the moment. It was only immediately after yelling at Nami and knocking her down that Nojiko realized that joining the pirates was entirely out of character for her sister, and went directly to Nami to question the choice. Nojiko obviously cares very deeply for Nami, just as she did (and does) for Bellemere and Gen and the other villagers. Seeing the people she loves being hurt tends to upset her in her appearances more than anything else, although Nojiko is a little too contained to have that many outbursts; she's more likely to internalize things than she isn't. Samples First Person: I will happily do an additional Q&A if needed! video post; [ This seems like it's working now. Nojiko is already out of the New Feather dress, having managed to get directions to the Welcome Center, where she got a run-down of what was going on. That took most of the morning. The rest of the morning was spent finding her clothing, changing, and then sitting at a corner table in the bakery reading through the entirety of the new arrival guide. She also had breakfast. A muffin. It was a blessedly normal muffin. The breakfast was the only remotely normal part of the morning. Now that she feels educated (although...skeptical and still trying to hold all of this information in), it looks like it's time to attempt using the journal, as was suggested to her earlier. She's still at her little table in the bakery, the journal held open in front of her. ] Hello. [ just getting that greeting out of the way, before plunging onward. ] So, I understand that this is a way of talking to people here. [ The guide explained that, and she's sort of been checking out the last two or three entries, just figuring out how it works. ] And I'm also given to understand that there are people here from many worlds? I'm not asking for that explanation again. I'm just not sure how I'm meant to find anyone from my own world. [ ...Or if she wants to. It's not like being from her world automatically makes someone excellent company or someone she wants anything to do with. But. ] How do you know if you're from this world or that one? If there were a list of possibilities, I guess I might have a chance of picking home out. So I suppose I'm really just asking to be found. [ Dry laughter. Well, she's taken care of everything else, so...of course, there might not be anyone else. That had been covered, too. ] If you know Cocoyasi Village or the Conomi Islands, I'd be grateful for a quick word. [ Presumably anyone familiar with geography from home would be from home, right? A pause. Wow, she forgot something important, didn't she? ] My name is Nojiko, by the way. Thanks. [ Okay she'll just end that there, then, and see what's what. ] Third Person: Maybe I shouldn't have taken Gen-san that bag of mikans. That was the first thought to drift through Nojiko's mind as she drifted awake, rubbing at her eyes, drowsily. More thoughts followed it, registering details as she woke up further. She was sitting down - the dining room table? Her cheek was pressed against it, and she lifted her head, yawning - and was a little cold, and there was noise from other people - wait, that didn't quite make sense. Maybe she'd fallen asleep at the bar? But she hadn't gone there last night, and falling asleep at public places wasn't a problem Nojiko had ever had before. Gen's, maybe? She did remember visiting him, but she couldn't remember leaving. Despite the dawning confusion, there wasn't any intense panic as she sat up, stretching. Just pain at her back, and the vague, bleary attempts to try to figure out what she'd done recently that might have caused it. And that didn't make sense - she'd carried more than that bag before. Maybe her body was protesting falling asleep at the table. Sleep. She...actually didn't remember going to sleep. That wasn't incredibly strange - Nojiko had found herself drifting off over the households finances before, once or twice - but now that she was looking around Nojiko realized that the fact she didn't recall going to sleep aside, she really had no idea where she was. This wasn't her kitchen table, wasn't even the table at Gen's house or the local bar. Library, Nojiko finally thought, staring at the abundance of books around her. Cocoyasi didn't even have a library. Just a bookshop. And this wasn't that. Nor were these her clothes. That one registered after she stood, the skirt brushing against her thighs, and Nojiko was truly frowning now, trying to think. Try as she might, the last thing she remembered was that discussion with Gen, after dropping by. Nami's bounty, blown up on the wall, an actual smile being thrown over her shoulder from oceans away. The bag of mikan at Nojiko's feet. "Gen-san?" Nojiko didn't feel confident she would get a response, but it was worth a try. And even if she couldn't locate the person she'd been with before she apparently fell asleep, changed her clothes, and went to the library (possibly in a different order?) locating someone who was better informed seemed somewhat important.