Natsume Takashi

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Out Of Character Information
Name: Snarky
Age: 22
Time zone: whatever pixle's time zone is
Contact: Aim & plurk are both sargentsnarky
Anything we should know?:
oh god oh god what am I doing apping someone not persona here

In Character Information
Name: Takashi Natsume ; he generally goes by his surname, though.
Series: Natsume Yuujinchou / Natsume's Book of Friends [ note: I am basing him off of the anime, but I may supplement with details from the manga that do not contradict the anime. The anime is a close adaptation of the manga, so this should not present any major problems. ]
Canon Standing: Post season 4
Age: 17, I think?
Birthday & Astrology Sign: July 1st & Cancer
Arcana: Temperance

Personality:
"I see strange things from time to time. Ever since I was young... They're most likely what people call yokai." - Takashi, episode 1, season 1

As long as he can remember, Takashi has been able to see yokai and ayakashi - the spirits, gods, etc. of Japanese folklore. They come in all shapes and sizes and range from friendly to indifferent to outright malicious. However, with rare exception, they are invisible to most humans. It is this ability - and the lack of this ability in nearly everyone he has ever met - that has most shaped him and set him apart in both good ways and bad.

When Takashi was a child, he used to point out the monsters and things he saw to others both on purpse and unintentionally, such as when one terrified him or chased him down to try and eat him. However, as no one else could see them, they often assumed that he was either crazy/emotionally unstable or lying - that he was just trying to get attention. Consequently, he was often accused of lying and looked upon as a creepy, troublesome child. In part because of this, after his parents died when he was very young, Takashi was passed from relative to relative to relative. Some of his caretakers were neglectful, and some are implied to have been outright abusive, and he even is said to have spent a brief period of time in an orphanage. This lack of stability and being wanted and his inability to make friends is another huge part of what shaped him.

Because of his isolation, he has difficulty interacting with others - he can be a bit awkward, uncertain and reserved with other humans. He doesn't really know how to make small talk, and he doesn't want to drive people off or worry them with his strangeness or with his own problems. He is slow to open up even enough to laugh and smile openly, as he is used to supressing both his good and bad feelings about things in an effort to protect himself and to not trouble others. Not that he never opens up to others, because he will on occasion, but it's rare and difficult for him.

Furthermore, he feels very much in debt to the people who do care about him - particularly the Fujiwaras, who willingly took him into their home. Indeed, they are the only caretakers he's had who have actually wanted him, and that's gone a long way towards making him a happier person. In addition to that debt, he also has a strong desire to protect them.

(In the case of the Fujiwaras in particular, that desire to protect them extends even to not telling them that he can see yokai. After living with them for nearly two years, he is sure that they would believe him if he told them the truth, but he knows that from then on, they would only worry more. Every time he comes home out of breath or with dirty clothes or every time he gets sick they would worry something awful about if another yokai was bothering him and they would feel bad that there is nothing they can do to help. And Takashi doesn't want to put them through that, so he leaves them in ignorance.)

However, it should be noted that despite the loneliness and isolation he has endured (or perhaps because of it?), Takashi is nevertheless a very kind person - a bleeding heart, really. He is always willing to help others out, particularly yokai. He will often go to great lengths to help them out when they come to him with requests. Moreover, he does not hold yokai or humans as more important or worthy of help than the other. He values the lives and well being of both and often strives to help them achieve a happy medium, because he understands in part where each side is coming from and what both worlds are like.

In addition, he has some propensity to lie to himself and to others about how bad something is. He justifies the poor treatment he endured as a child by saying that his relatives and the other children he encountered who bullied him were actually good people - they've always been good people. It's okay, because it's not unusual for people to be wary of letting someone unfamiliar into their homes. This also can be somewhat more benign, as when he hides that he is sick orin pain to help out a friend.

Also of note - Takashi's behavior can differ significantly when he is just with yokai versus when he is with other humans - and he also behaves differently around other humans who can percieve yokai, such as exorcists. He seems to be less guarded and more willing to express emotions like anger and annoyance around such people and yokai. He is not so worried about what they think of him, because they know the truth.

Although back home he has learned to open up a little to his friends and family and he has learned how to have friends, he will probably regress a little in Hinoto-Ri. He will be homesick for what is probably the first time since he was a little kid, missing living with his father (whom he now barely remembers), and he will be suddenly dropped someplace with no one he knows - only unfamiliar humans, demons, other beings and (of course) unfamiliar yokai who also know nothing of him. Therefore, he will probably regress somewhat in openness and happiness, plastering his fake smile across his face to hide his loneliness and trying not to cause trouble.

However, the fact that Hinoto-Ri is such a strange place with so many unnatural things will probably help him to open up a little more readily, once he starts to make acquaintences and maybe even friends here.

After all, in the end he - like so many others - is just a lonely kid who wants to be loved and wanted.


Backstory:
A general summary here with links also to episode summaries.
Also here is a page just on Takashi himself.

If you'd like me to write up a proper summary of the series as a whole, let me know. It's pretty slice of life, albeit with recurring characters and stuff that gets foreshadowed and crops up later, but all the same there is very little in terms of any overarching plot.

Canon Powers:
Strong Spiritual Powers! Yes, that's pretty vague, so I'll go into specifics.
> See the Unseen: Takashi can see and hear yokai, ayakashi and other beings that are normally invisible to ordinary humans. He can also physically interact with them where other humans often just feel them as a chill wind passing by, if they notice anything at all. There are some who can just sense supernatural things, but Takashi sees them absolutely clearly and can sense things like an approaching wave of purification or if there's a strong presence. [mind?]
> Punching the Lights Out! In conjunction with being able to interact with them, his strong spiritual power enables Takashi to do a lot more damage with a single punch to a yokai than you would expect. One punch often knocks them out or at least severely hurts. Of course, punching a normal human does nothing more than a normal punch, but punches against more spiritual beings are super-charged! [mind + physical - specifically towards spiritual / nonhuman things]
> Exorcism stuff! He is able to help out with exorcism rituals and sealing things away, though he's not particularly trained in them. [idk... light? mind?]

> Seeing Dreams/Memories: He is capable of seeing memories of yokai when they let him, when one who is troubled is sleeping in the same room as him and when he returns a name to a yokai. This may apply to demons too? (see below) [mind]

Using the Book of Friends!
The book is a collection of names of various yokai and ayakashi that Reiko (Takashi's grandmother) gained from defeating them. Each page has a name on it. If the name is harmed, then that will also harm the yokai it belongs to, so you need to be careful with it!

> Summoning and Controlling / Commanding Yokai: If Natsume knows the name and appearance of a yokai, he can use the name in the book, a bit of his blood and a properly drawn glyph to summon the yokai to him. And also, if it's in the book of friends, and he knows the name, Nastume can command a given yokai. For example, if yokai Bob was standing nearby, and Natsume said, "Bob, do this," then Bob would have to. However, if Natsume doesn't use the name but just requests it, Bob wouldn't be compelled. [m..ind? only works to call a yokai in during the 13th hour]

> Returning Names: Because of the power that a name has, many of the yokai would like their names back, and Natsume is generally willing to do so. The steps to do so are as follows:
Visualize the form. Open the book. Concentrate. The book will automatically flip through its pages until the appropriate name is found. It sticks straight up, and Natsume can tear it out. He needs saliva and breath, so he puts the paper in his mouth and blows out. The name leaves the paper and returns to the yokai, and often Natsume will see a memory of how the yokai first lost its name to his grandmother to begin with. This is quite exhausting for Natsume. [Mind?]


Canon Weapons|Items:
The Book of Friends (see powers for description of what this does / lets him do)

Canon Allies:
Nyanko-sensei (No, he is actually appable in his own right, so nope.)

Canon Baggage:
> The Book of Friends
> A box of his grandmother's things
> His clothing and school things
> Some bottles of sake Nyanko-sensei left around
> The pictures and special things he keeps in his closet
> of note, a photograph of his parents and also a second photograph of the Fujiwaras, himself and Nyanko-sensei.
> the key to his father's house

Persona
[MANEKI-NEKO]
LVL (1) | TEMPERANCE

Fire	Lightning	Earth	Water	Ice	Wind	Dark	Light	Physical	Mind
-	-	-	-	-	-	Wk	-	Wk	Abs

SUPPORT SKILLS
►  Destiny String ( Allows you to see other visitor's Destiny Strings.
►  Basic Analysis ( Reveals an target's personas.)
►  Distraction ( Allows allies are escape from battle successfully by distracting the enemy.)
►  Media (Recovers a small amount of HP to all allies. )
▷  Mediarama (Recovers a medium amount of HP of all allies. (Requires a small healing skill))
▷  Moneybags (Always gains an item after a battle with a creature (most common item, then normal roll for the rare))
▷  Healing Amp (All healing spells are 1.5 times more effective.)
▷  Evade Physical (Triples evasion against Physical attacks.)
★   Nyanko Beam (A bright white light shines from the cat's forehead, forcibly dismissing all enemy's personas and sealing them for 1 to 2 turns)

COMBAT SKILLS
►  Arm Chopper (Inflicts a small amount of Physical damage twice with a 10% chance of Fear on one enemy.)
▷  Hama (30% chance of instant KO from the power of Light on one enemy.)
▷  Navas Nebula (Inflicts a medium amount of Physical damage with a 10% chance of Exhaustion on all enemies.)


Writing Sample
Test drive meme!