Niina Yamada (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
northeworld) wrote2021-09-06 11:01 pm
northeworld) wrote2021-09-06 11:01 pm
Ryslig Application
OOC INFORMATION
Name: Yue
Contact: savingdaisydiva@plurk
Age: 30
Other Characters: N/A
CHARACTER INFORMATION
Character Name: Niina Yamada
Age: Sixteen
Canon: Blue Reflection Ray
Canon Point: Episode 17
Character Information: CW for Child Abuse, violence, and mentions of teenagers in the sex industry though Niina herself was never abused sexually or participated in it herself.
While there is a wiki, it's very threadbare and Niina herself doesn't even have a page yet. If this isn't enough I will provide more. As a side note, since the official subs eventually settled on 'Niina' instead of 'Nina' as in the wiki, I will be using Niina. Blue Reflection Ray is set, as far as can be gathered, after the events of the original Blue Reflection game though the 'original' timeline of the anime seemed to be happening at the same time as the game. Since the differences are a plot point, I will explain briefly the laws of that world as well as the reality that Niina is currently aware of.
Reflectors are magical girls that are supposed to protect the feelings of people. Strong feelings manifest as 'Fragments', crystalline objects that can be use to both strengthen a Reflector and can be used freely if the Reflector forms a bond with the owner of the Fragment. Fragments can only be interacted with in the 'Common', a sort of group subconscious where humanity's feelings reside. Reflectors also work better in pairs or, in the case of the game, a trio due to the ability to amplify each others powers through a special form of magic known as resonance. Demons and monsters known as Sephira would threaten Fragments and it was the role of Reflectors to defeat the Sephira.
At least, those were the rules of the original timeline in the game. Two Reflectors, Mio Hirahara and Momo Tanabe, and the civilians in the general vicinity all died when Mio stopped fighting in the middle of a battle with a Sephira. Niina was one of the girls that Mio had tried to stabilize the Fragment of but failed to, some time before this final battle. It's likely Niina died in this event as well. Yet, the timeline was reset. In the series itself the characters are unsure what happened but the end of the game has a possible answer. The protagonist of the game, Hinako, had defeated the last Sephira and the world was 'reset' back a few months with a new set of rules.
The new rules were the following: the Common was closed off to everyone including Reflectors, who could previously move between it and the normal world more easily. Hinako's former partners, Yuzu and Lime Shijou, were officially the protectors of the Common. Fragments now could be taken in the real world, effectively stealing the feelings of the original owner and would eventually lead them to fall into a deep sleep. Reflectors also can exchange feelings and memories between each other.
Another girl that Mio had encountered, Shino Mizusaki, recovered her memories of the original timeline. With the powers to intensify emotions, Shino sought out Mio to re-open the way to the Common. The conflict between Shino's group of Reflectors versus another group headed by Mio's younger sister, Hiori, is the main driving force in this setting. Shino's group (henceforth the red Reflectors due to their red rings) was more focused on stealing feelings so that Shino could enter the Common and reshape the world to a world without any feelings at all. Hiori's group (henceforth known as the blue Reflectors due to their blue rings) felt that this was too far since no one else has a right to tell someone what to feel since feelings belong to the person who feels them.
With those basics covered, here is a summary of Niina's history and role in this.
For much of Niina's life she lived with her abusive mother. We don't know much about her father other than her mother took Niina and ran away from him. Niina was forced to stay in the apartment, even if her mother almost never remembered to actually leave food for her. She never was enrolled in any schools and officially her mother never acknowledged that she even had a child. Niina was also physically abused and berated verbally. The only time she was really allowed to leave the apartment was when her mother brought home clients. It was during one of these times that one of her clients stabbed her to death. Niina was left homeless.
Niina left for an area where teenage runaways usually went to gain work in the sex trade. An older girl, Nozomi, found her and took her back to her apartment to keep her away from the woman in charge of the area, Saki. Niina lived with Nozomi for a short while but she grew close to the older girl. Until Nozomi suddenly disappeared one night and another girl calling her Nozomi showed up--the apartment belonging to the worker currently using the 'Nozomi' alias. She heard that Saki probably was the reason the girl Niina knew vanished. Niina took a switchblade and went to avenge her friend. In the original timeline, this was where her story ended. She presumably stabbed Saki and was arrested for it.
In the current timeline, however, Mio prevented it since she was under the impression that Niina's feelings could become a perfect Fragment to complete the door to the Common. She recruited Niina to be a red Reflector, eventually partnering her up with Uta. The duo collected many Fragments together. Then the blue Reflectors started becoming active, fighting against them. The other Reflectors managed to keep them from gathering some Fragments and eventually shattered Uta's sword, forcing her to rest for a while. Uta refused to rest even when Niina told her to and that strained their relationship to the point of Niina severing their partnership in favor of partnering up with Mio.
Mio agreed to partner up with her. They resonated with each other, letting Niina learn the truth of the first timeline: that Mio lost the will to fight the final Sephira after she accidentally shattered the Fragment of her younger sister, Hiori. Niina, despite what she said, had a hard time with this truth. Despite managing some victories against the blue Reflectors her jealousy and anger towards Hiori clashed with her desire to help Mio achieve her wishes. This lead to her Reflector powers being weakened.
After an unsuccessful attack on Momo, Mio's original partner, Niina went to Shino to get stronger. She received a ring that could magnify her powers in exchange for eliminating her feelings. When the red Reflectors made a move to complete the gate to the Common by capturing Hiori's Fragment something changed. It became clear that Shino was manipulating Mio and when Mio broke down after accidentally shattering Momo's fragment, Niina slipped this ring on to try to steal Hiori's fragment herself. Hiori managed to stabilize Niina's feelings and broke the ring. Making a stand against Uta and Shino, Niina was knocked out as Shino's true power was unleashed.
Niina reluctantly helped stabilize the Fragments of people as the line between the real world and the Common became blurred. Hiori eventually dragged Niina to the side of the blue Reflectors even as the red Reflectors gained more members themselves in the form of Amiru and Ryoka. After the first fight with the new red Reflectors, Niina shows Hiori the original timeline through the memories she had gained from Mio. This is from about where I'm taking Niina. If needed I'll continue the summary of her complete history.
Personality:
Niina is a very troubled young girl. Almost every aspect of her personality was formed from the many years of abuse she suffered at the hands of her frequently absent mother. The earliest memory we're shown of Niina's is her writing down a wish for tanabata. An older woman invited her to do so after Niina wandered off from her mother. Her mother found her before she was finished and dragged her of but what she wrote is key to understanding Niina. Her wish? 'I want my mom to call me a good girl'. (Well, she was in mid word of 'girl' but the point stands.) She didn't want to be free of her mother, not at that point, she wanted her praise. This need for affection and praise continued throughout her life.
Other aspects of her personality also grew from those years. From being left alone with just the television and magazines for company, a deep loneliness settled inside Niina. She never was a social butterfly but she does cling to whatever social bonds she does form. When she's with the red Reflectors, she's very defensive of their actions because it was the only place that she had felt she belonged. Even if, in the end, what that really meant was that 'Mio was there'. She only acknowledged Shino when it became clear that the younger girl was powerful and her relationship with Uta was never that good.
Another thing that grew from the abuse was Niina's anger. It was an anger born of helplessness and while she never acted on it for a long time, it was festering inside her. She never found a way to go against her mother, since she died before Niina could find the courage to runaway. Meeting Nozomi seemed to soothe those wounds for a while until Nozomi's disappearance. That anger mixed with her grief turning into a blind murderous rage fueled by despair. Her first act with that rage was to try to avenge Nozomi by killing Saki. Even when Mio interfered that rage never truly went away for good. At least, not while she was with the red Reflectors. That reason? Uta.
Niina's relationship with Uta was likely strained from the beginning. They had incredibly different views on life and their nature as Reflectors. They only became partners because Mio insisted upon it. Uta conceals her loneliness with a smile and seeks out pain as a self-proclaimed masochist. Niina found her proclamations that relationships were fake and pain was the only thing that was real to be less than impressive. What was even worse was the fact that Uta never seemed to do anything useful. She'd fail to get Fragments, she called Niina by her last name even when she was told not to, she'd tease Mio in front of Niina... I'm not going to defend her here but Niina would often use violence against Uta. Uta would respond by trying to rile her up more.
Yet, when she got to the point of wanting to join with Mio as partners Niina showed her vindictive nature could manifest in more ways than just violence. Niina stepped away. She calmed her voice and even grinned at Uta as she relayed just what she felt about her: that she was utterly average, probably even worth mocking. That thousands of others were just like her so Niina wouldn't get any stronger with a 'smiley pyscho girl' (as Niina called her) as a partner. Needless to say this soured their relationship instantly.
The problem with Uta was that while Uta was obsessed with Niina to the point of recording her tirades for later replay value, that wasn't the sort of relationship Niina wanted. She wanted affection and attention, yes, but in Niina's mind that wasn't what she was getting in her partnership with Uta. While both of them did look after each other during battle (with Uta trying to keep Niina from dueling the new Reflectors alone and Niina carrying Uta to safety when her sword was broken) that didn't seem to be enough for Niina. It really boiled down not to be an issue of Uta's competency as a Reflector but rather she felt frustrated with the fact that all Uta seemed to want out of her was her violent tendencies. After all, even if Uta felt that bonds between people were just an illusion that wasn't something that Niina agreed with. In fact, even when she was a red Reflector she believed quite the opposite: it was her desire to get closer to Mio that led her to the red Reflectors, after all.
Niina's blunt, messy break up with Uta not only hurt Uta but it would eventually come to bite Niina as well. Uta seemed to dedicate herself solely to hurt Niina and force her to realize that she was a better match for her than Mio after this. From telling the blue Reflectors what their plans were so that 'Sister wasn't the only one in despair', to explaining that Mio was in despair that she didn't manage to 'take the Fragment of her most dearest (Hiori)' she tried to wound Niina back for the harm she did. In the end, however, it didn't shake Niina's view of Mio. She went to the side of the blue Reflectors to protect Mio's feelings and when Uta asked her why she was bothering when all Mio wanted to do was use Niina? Niina replied that 'it didn't matter what Sister feels, her emotions are her own'. That is: it didn't matter to Niina that her feelings were unrequited or that she had been used, her feelings towards Mio were important enough that she didn't want to lose them.
Now that I've addressed Uta it's probably time to discuss Niina's relationships with Mio and Hiori Hirahara as well since the two sisters drive a lot of the decisions she made during her time as a Reflector. I'll start with Mio. Niina not only idolizes Mio for saving her from her despair but put her on a pedestal as the leader of the red Reflectors even if actuality it was Shino who ran the group. She went to her for assurance that they were still doing the right thing when the blue Reflectors showed up. She even would restate Mio's statement about how they (the red Reflectors) were different because they all had experienced real despair into a statement how the blue Reflectors were unfit because they didn't. Even despite the fact that Niina didn't even know Mio's real name at the time, Niina's affection and loyalty had placed her in the center of her universe. 'Sister' could do no wrong in her eyes. The untranslated term Niina uses is 'onee-sama', showing how deep her respect and admiration is.
However, that loyalty and admiration was used against Niina. Both Shino and Mio understood that eventually Niina would ask to become her partner. The fact was even if Niina declared her unwavering devotion afterwards, seeing Mio's memories of the original timeline shook Niina deeply. She even fell to the ground in shock. The fact Mio had accidentally caused so much destruction... the truth that Niina's rival, Hiori, was actually Mio's younger sister and she still adored her... the unbearable realization that Mio eventually died because of the (in Niina's opinion) pain that Hiori caused her? All of that was bad enough. Those facts combined with the realization that Mio's true wish was a 'kinder' world so that Hiori could live with her feelings safe? Something broke inside Niina. It ignited the already present anger she had into a blazing fire of rage and jealousy.
It was exactly as Shino and Mio planned. Niina didn't become disillusioned with Mio: those harsh truths had the exact opposite effect. She became even more devoted to her to the point that she wanted to eliminate the very thing that had hurt her 'sister' so much. Exactly like how she tried to kill Saki, Niina tried to kill Hiori. Mio stopped the fight and when she seemed to focus just on Niina even if Hiori was crying out for her? Well, Niina melted like butter. She was finally getting the acceptance she craved. Mio eventually even would call her by her first name. An act that made Niina declare that she would make sure that Mio's wish would come true... only for her Reflector powers to start backfiring on her.
Niina knew Mio was still working for Hiori's sake. She might not have admitted that to herself and Mio might have tried to hide it but the signs were there. It caused a rift in herself that even her growing love for Mio couldn't bridge. Jealousy. She even would try to cut Momo, Mio's former partner, out of Mio's life when they tried to come to an agreement. Niina yelled at Momo that she was Mio's little sister and that she was Mio's partner. It didn't go well.
Yet it was Hiori (plus Ruka) who would save Niina from herself. It wasn't just Reflector magic, either. Hiori didn't bring up the argument of whether feelings should be taken or not. Hiori appealed to a shared bond between them. Both of them cared for Mio and it was clear that Mio was hurting. She was reaching out to Niina not as an enemy but as an ally to help someone who was dear to them both. In the end, even if Mio had pushed Niina over the edge on purpose it was also Niina's feelings for Mio that were important enough for Niina to make a change of heart. For this reason, she doesn't consider going against the red Reflectors as disloyalty. She was there for Mio and if they were a threat to her? Then she'd fight them as well.
It was also Hiori that changed her mind on how to deal with Mio and Shino. After the first fight with Mio after the attack on the church, Niina noticed that Mio was much more like Shino. She couldn't sense her emotions. When Hiori followed her (and after weathering through Niina's attempts of scaring her away) Niina told her what she intended to do. She drew out the switchblade she once tried to kill Saki with and said that she was going to end Mio's suffering since she was no longer the person they knew. Hiori, naturally, wasn't going to have any of that. She insisted through her natural optimism that they could save Mio. That they shouldn't give up on her.
Even if Niina would say that she couldn't forgive Hiori for her part in the original timeline, she had more than spiteful reasons to show her the truth of that timeline. Niina would be the first to admit that she knew these memories would deeply hurt and unsettle her. Yet, she believed in Hiori. She needed to know those things so she could understand Mio's reasons. After all, how could Hiori help her if she didn't know the context of her pain?
Her admiration and loyalty to Mio, however, weren't the only reasons driving her forward to steal Fragments. Niina empathized with at least a few of the people whose feelings she stole. The biggest example is that of Miyako, the girl that eventually would join the blue Reflectors on even if she didn't become a Reflector herself. When Uta originally failed in getting the Fragment, it was Niina who took point on trying again. Uta even mentioned that she was so eager to get it because she felt like Miyako was similar to her. The Fragment was the feelings Miyako had towards her mother who ignored her existence in favor of paying attention to her brother. Niina had realized they were similar, that they both wanted the love of their harmful mothers. She wanted to 'cut away the rotting abscess' that would keep her tied to her mother. Niina failed in getting the Fragment but she fiercely fought off both Hiori and Ruka to prevent them from stabilizing it.
Another example of her empathy alongside with guilt for her actions is Amiru. Amiru had unrequited feelings towards her childhood friend, Ryoka, and was hurting deeply because they didn't seem to feel the same way anymore. Niina had taken Amiru's Fragment and felt instant regret. Those bittersweet feelings of longing reminded her of her feelings for Mio. She tried to return them as soon as Uta's back was turned. The fact that Amiru and Ryoka both would become red Reflectors after Niina left the group would be a reminder of the actual harm her actions caused.
That wasn't the only reminder, either. Since Miyako worked with the blue Reflectors, she was a constant reminder as well. While Hiori wanted to work with her and Ruka was staying neutral on the subject? Miyako was firmly against Niina helping them. She didn't even want to be in the same building as her. The two girls constantly argued, from competing when sweeping to arguing on the proper way to prepare a meal. Yet, unlike Uta, Niina does seem to view this combative person as a proper teammate even if she doesn't have the powers of a Reflector. For example, Niina trusted Miyako to protect the unconscious Ruka and Hiori as she drew Uta away (even if there wasn't much Miyako could do). In time the feeling becomes mutual as later, past Niina's current canon point, Miyako feels comfortable enough with Niina to allow herself to be led to a quieter place after finding out the truth of Shino's backstory.
Niina is a lonely girl seeking approval from those she respects. She's incredibly loyal to them even if she's willing to fight them for their own good. She might become jealous when it's clear that her important people have more relationships than just her. She tries to keep people at a distance with her gruff, blunt personality even if it borderlines on cruelty but she doesn't consider herself a cruel person. After all, Niina can and will care about people beyond those important to her.
5-10 Key Character Traits:
-Lonely
-Short tempered
-Standoffish
-Blunt
-Affection starved
-Jealous
-Loyal
-Vindictive
-Empathetic
Would you prefer a monster that FITS your character’s personality, CONFLICTS with it, EITHER, or opt for 100% RANDOMIZATION? Fits
Opt-Outs: Lich, Faerie, Arachne, Shade, Vampire, Slime
Roleplay Sample: Have a TDM thread. However, since I changed her canon point I'll also provide a secondary sample here.
[Niina shoved her hands into the pockets of her purple hoodie. With the hood up she felt a little better about the fact that the locals were likely staring at her walking down the street. It didn't matter. Whenever someone caught her gaze she scowled back at them, snarling under her breath. Some part of herself felt that her anger towards them was irrational. She needed to keep herself calm--they were probably just afraid, after all.
Still, that didn't help the fact that she felt restless here. Niina was alone in this city, after all.]
That brat is still controlling Sister, too... [Niina mutters under her breath as she stops near a corner. She flicks her hood off as she leans against the wall of a building. Her chest felt heavy. Yet she wouldn't go looking for a useless fight now. After all, a random fight with a local wouldn't help Niina or anyone else. Her heart ached when she thought of 'home' but that was blocked off to her for now.
She just slipped her hands back into her pockets.]
What a load of crap. [So she was going to have find a new place, then. The idea was a bit daunting but what else did she have? Wander around until she collapsed from hunger (again) and some local decided to finish her? Niina's fingernails dug into her palms deeply as she clenched her fists in her pockets. Her eyes went up to the sky.]
Well, whatever. [She pushes herself off the wall. A smile tugged at her lips. It was more like a sneer than a real smile but, well. Whatever! She was here. She was alive. That was a start. It wasn't a good start, to be sure, but a start. Niina wasn't about to lose herself again. She couldn't.]
I'm a Reflector still, dammit. [Even without her powers she still has a duty. She might not be able to touch feelings anymore yet it's clear that Mio would have wanted to protect the people here, anyway.] I'm not going to just lay down and give up!
[Even as people stared, Niina continued walking down the street once more. She was going to have to get a lot stronger but that was fine. She had a goal. Her stomach growled loudly as she walked.]
Agh... [She hoped no one heard that. The first step, apparently, was to get food.]
Name: Yue
Contact: savingdaisydiva@plurk
Age: 30
Other Characters: N/A
CHARACTER INFORMATION
Character Name: Niina Yamada
Age: Sixteen
Canon: Blue Reflection Ray
Canon Point: Episode 17
Character Information: CW for Child Abuse, violence, and mentions of teenagers in the sex industry though Niina herself was never abused sexually or participated in it herself.
While there is a wiki, it's very threadbare and Niina herself doesn't even have a page yet. If this isn't enough I will provide more. As a side note, since the official subs eventually settled on 'Niina' instead of 'Nina' as in the wiki, I will be using Niina. Blue Reflection Ray is set, as far as can be gathered, after the events of the original Blue Reflection game though the 'original' timeline of the anime seemed to be happening at the same time as the game. Since the differences are a plot point, I will explain briefly the laws of that world as well as the reality that Niina is currently aware of.
Reflectors are magical girls that are supposed to protect the feelings of people. Strong feelings manifest as 'Fragments', crystalline objects that can be use to both strengthen a Reflector and can be used freely if the Reflector forms a bond with the owner of the Fragment. Fragments can only be interacted with in the 'Common', a sort of group subconscious where humanity's feelings reside. Reflectors also work better in pairs or, in the case of the game, a trio due to the ability to amplify each others powers through a special form of magic known as resonance. Demons and monsters known as Sephira would threaten Fragments and it was the role of Reflectors to defeat the Sephira.
At least, those were the rules of the original timeline in the game. Two Reflectors, Mio Hirahara and Momo Tanabe, and the civilians in the general vicinity all died when Mio stopped fighting in the middle of a battle with a Sephira. Niina was one of the girls that Mio had tried to stabilize the Fragment of but failed to, some time before this final battle. It's likely Niina died in this event as well. Yet, the timeline was reset. In the series itself the characters are unsure what happened but the end of the game has a possible answer. The protagonist of the game, Hinako, had defeated the last Sephira and the world was 'reset' back a few months with a new set of rules.
The new rules were the following: the Common was closed off to everyone including Reflectors, who could previously move between it and the normal world more easily. Hinako's former partners, Yuzu and Lime Shijou, were officially the protectors of the Common. Fragments now could be taken in the real world, effectively stealing the feelings of the original owner and would eventually lead them to fall into a deep sleep. Reflectors also can exchange feelings and memories between each other.
Another girl that Mio had encountered, Shino Mizusaki, recovered her memories of the original timeline. With the powers to intensify emotions, Shino sought out Mio to re-open the way to the Common. The conflict between Shino's group of Reflectors versus another group headed by Mio's younger sister, Hiori, is the main driving force in this setting. Shino's group (henceforth the red Reflectors due to their red rings) was more focused on stealing feelings so that Shino could enter the Common and reshape the world to a world without any feelings at all. Hiori's group (henceforth known as the blue Reflectors due to their blue rings) felt that this was too far since no one else has a right to tell someone what to feel since feelings belong to the person who feels them.
With those basics covered, here is a summary of Niina's history and role in this.
For much of Niina's life she lived with her abusive mother. We don't know much about her father other than her mother took Niina and ran away from him. Niina was forced to stay in the apartment, even if her mother almost never remembered to actually leave food for her. She never was enrolled in any schools and officially her mother never acknowledged that she even had a child. Niina was also physically abused and berated verbally. The only time she was really allowed to leave the apartment was when her mother brought home clients. It was during one of these times that one of her clients stabbed her to death. Niina was left homeless.
Niina left for an area where teenage runaways usually went to gain work in the sex trade. An older girl, Nozomi, found her and took her back to her apartment to keep her away from the woman in charge of the area, Saki. Niina lived with Nozomi for a short while but she grew close to the older girl. Until Nozomi suddenly disappeared one night and another girl calling her Nozomi showed up--the apartment belonging to the worker currently using the 'Nozomi' alias. She heard that Saki probably was the reason the girl Niina knew vanished. Niina took a switchblade and went to avenge her friend. In the original timeline, this was where her story ended. She presumably stabbed Saki and was arrested for it.
In the current timeline, however, Mio prevented it since she was under the impression that Niina's feelings could become a perfect Fragment to complete the door to the Common. She recruited Niina to be a red Reflector, eventually partnering her up with Uta. The duo collected many Fragments together. Then the blue Reflectors started becoming active, fighting against them. The other Reflectors managed to keep them from gathering some Fragments and eventually shattered Uta's sword, forcing her to rest for a while. Uta refused to rest even when Niina told her to and that strained their relationship to the point of Niina severing their partnership in favor of partnering up with Mio.
Mio agreed to partner up with her. They resonated with each other, letting Niina learn the truth of the first timeline: that Mio lost the will to fight the final Sephira after she accidentally shattered the Fragment of her younger sister, Hiori. Niina, despite what she said, had a hard time with this truth. Despite managing some victories against the blue Reflectors her jealousy and anger towards Hiori clashed with her desire to help Mio achieve her wishes. This lead to her Reflector powers being weakened.
After an unsuccessful attack on Momo, Mio's original partner, Niina went to Shino to get stronger. She received a ring that could magnify her powers in exchange for eliminating her feelings. When the red Reflectors made a move to complete the gate to the Common by capturing Hiori's Fragment something changed. It became clear that Shino was manipulating Mio and when Mio broke down after accidentally shattering Momo's fragment, Niina slipped this ring on to try to steal Hiori's fragment herself. Hiori managed to stabilize Niina's feelings and broke the ring. Making a stand against Uta and Shino, Niina was knocked out as Shino's true power was unleashed.
Niina reluctantly helped stabilize the Fragments of people as the line between the real world and the Common became blurred. Hiori eventually dragged Niina to the side of the blue Reflectors even as the red Reflectors gained more members themselves in the form of Amiru and Ryoka. After the first fight with the new red Reflectors, Niina shows Hiori the original timeline through the memories she had gained from Mio. This is from about where I'm taking Niina. If needed I'll continue the summary of her complete history.
Personality:
Niina is a very troubled young girl. Almost every aspect of her personality was formed from the many years of abuse she suffered at the hands of her frequently absent mother. The earliest memory we're shown of Niina's is her writing down a wish for tanabata. An older woman invited her to do so after Niina wandered off from her mother. Her mother found her before she was finished and dragged her of but what she wrote is key to understanding Niina. Her wish? 'I want my mom to call me a good girl'. (Well, she was in mid word of 'girl' but the point stands.) She didn't want to be free of her mother, not at that point, she wanted her praise. This need for affection and praise continued throughout her life.
Other aspects of her personality also grew from those years. From being left alone with just the television and magazines for company, a deep loneliness settled inside Niina. She never was a social butterfly but she does cling to whatever social bonds she does form. When she's with the red Reflectors, she's very defensive of their actions because it was the only place that she had felt she belonged. Even if, in the end, what that really meant was that 'Mio was there'. She only acknowledged Shino when it became clear that the younger girl was powerful and her relationship with Uta was never that good.
Another thing that grew from the abuse was Niina's anger. It was an anger born of helplessness and while she never acted on it for a long time, it was festering inside her. She never found a way to go against her mother, since she died before Niina could find the courage to runaway. Meeting Nozomi seemed to soothe those wounds for a while until Nozomi's disappearance. That anger mixed with her grief turning into a blind murderous rage fueled by despair. Her first act with that rage was to try to avenge Nozomi by killing Saki. Even when Mio interfered that rage never truly went away for good. At least, not while she was with the red Reflectors. That reason? Uta.
Niina's relationship with Uta was likely strained from the beginning. They had incredibly different views on life and their nature as Reflectors. They only became partners because Mio insisted upon it. Uta conceals her loneliness with a smile and seeks out pain as a self-proclaimed masochist. Niina found her proclamations that relationships were fake and pain was the only thing that was real to be less than impressive. What was even worse was the fact that Uta never seemed to do anything useful. She'd fail to get Fragments, she called Niina by her last name even when she was told not to, she'd tease Mio in front of Niina... I'm not going to defend her here but Niina would often use violence against Uta. Uta would respond by trying to rile her up more.
Yet, when she got to the point of wanting to join with Mio as partners Niina showed her vindictive nature could manifest in more ways than just violence. Niina stepped away. She calmed her voice and even grinned at Uta as she relayed just what she felt about her: that she was utterly average, probably even worth mocking. That thousands of others were just like her so Niina wouldn't get any stronger with a 'smiley pyscho girl' (as Niina called her) as a partner. Needless to say this soured their relationship instantly.
The problem with Uta was that while Uta was obsessed with Niina to the point of recording her tirades for later replay value, that wasn't the sort of relationship Niina wanted. She wanted affection and attention, yes, but in Niina's mind that wasn't what she was getting in her partnership with Uta. While both of them did look after each other during battle (with Uta trying to keep Niina from dueling the new Reflectors alone and Niina carrying Uta to safety when her sword was broken) that didn't seem to be enough for Niina. It really boiled down not to be an issue of Uta's competency as a Reflector but rather she felt frustrated with the fact that all Uta seemed to want out of her was her violent tendencies. After all, even if Uta felt that bonds between people were just an illusion that wasn't something that Niina agreed with. In fact, even when she was a red Reflector she believed quite the opposite: it was her desire to get closer to Mio that led her to the red Reflectors, after all.
Niina's blunt, messy break up with Uta not only hurt Uta but it would eventually come to bite Niina as well. Uta seemed to dedicate herself solely to hurt Niina and force her to realize that she was a better match for her than Mio after this. From telling the blue Reflectors what their plans were so that 'Sister wasn't the only one in despair', to explaining that Mio was in despair that she didn't manage to 'take the Fragment of her most dearest (Hiori)' she tried to wound Niina back for the harm she did. In the end, however, it didn't shake Niina's view of Mio. She went to the side of the blue Reflectors to protect Mio's feelings and when Uta asked her why she was bothering when all Mio wanted to do was use Niina? Niina replied that 'it didn't matter what Sister feels, her emotions are her own'. That is: it didn't matter to Niina that her feelings were unrequited or that she had been used, her feelings towards Mio were important enough that she didn't want to lose them.
Now that I've addressed Uta it's probably time to discuss Niina's relationships with Mio and Hiori Hirahara as well since the two sisters drive a lot of the decisions she made during her time as a Reflector. I'll start with Mio. Niina not only idolizes Mio for saving her from her despair but put her on a pedestal as the leader of the red Reflectors even if actuality it was Shino who ran the group. She went to her for assurance that they were still doing the right thing when the blue Reflectors showed up. She even would restate Mio's statement about how they (the red Reflectors) were different because they all had experienced real despair into a statement how the blue Reflectors were unfit because they didn't. Even despite the fact that Niina didn't even know Mio's real name at the time, Niina's affection and loyalty had placed her in the center of her universe. 'Sister' could do no wrong in her eyes. The untranslated term Niina uses is 'onee-sama', showing how deep her respect and admiration is.
However, that loyalty and admiration was used against Niina. Both Shino and Mio understood that eventually Niina would ask to become her partner. The fact was even if Niina declared her unwavering devotion afterwards, seeing Mio's memories of the original timeline shook Niina deeply. She even fell to the ground in shock. The fact Mio had accidentally caused so much destruction... the truth that Niina's rival, Hiori, was actually Mio's younger sister and she still adored her... the unbearable realization that Mio eventually died because of the (in Niina's opinion) pain that Hiori caused her? All of that was bad enough. Those facts combined with the realization that Mio's true wish was a 'kinder' world so that Hiori could live with her feelings safe? Something broke inside Niina. It ignited the already present anger she had into a blazing fire of rage and jealousy.
It was exactly as Shino and Mio planned. Niina didn't become disillusioned with Mio: those harsh truths had the exact opposite effect. She became even more devoted to her to the point that she wanted to eliminate the very thing that had hurt her 'sister' so much. Exactly like how she tried to kill Saki, Niina tried to kill Hiori. Mio stopped the fight and when she seemed to focus just on Niina even if Hiori was crying out for her? Well, Niina melted like butter. She was finally getting the acceptance she craved. Mio eventually even would call her by her first name. An act that made Niina declare that she would make sure that Mio's wish would come true... only for her Reflector powers to start backfiring on her.
Niina knew Mio was still working for Hiori's sake. She might not have admitted that to herself and Mio might have tried to hide it but the signs were there. It caused a rift in herself that even her growing love for Mio couldn't bridge. Jealousy. She even would try to cut Momo, Mio's former partner, out of Mio's life when they tried to come to an agreement. Niina yelled at Momo that she was Mio's little sister and that she was Mio's partner. It didn't go well.
Yet it was Hiori (plus Ruka) who would save Niina from herself. It wasn't just Reflector magic, either. Hiori didn't bring up the argument of whether feelings should be taken or not. Hiori appealed to a shared bond between them. Both of them cared for Mio and it was clear that Mio was hurting. She was reaching out to Niina not as an enemy but as an ally to help someone who was dear to them both. In the end, even if Mio had pushed Niina over the edge on purpose it was also Niina's feelings for Mio that were important enough for Niina to make a change of heart. For this reason, she doesn't consider going against the red Reflectors as disloyalty. She was there for Mio and if they were a threat to her? Then she'd fight them as well.
It was also Hiori that changed her mind on how to deal with Mio and Shino. After the first fight with Mio after the attack on the church, Niina noticed that Mio was much more like Shino. She couldn't sense her emotions. When Hiori followed her (and after weathering through Niina's attempts of scaring her away) Niina told her what she intended to do. She drew out the switchblade she once tried to kill Saki with and said that she was going to end Mio's suffering since she was no longer the person they knew. Hiori, naturally, wasn't going to have any of that. She insisted through her natural optimism that they could save Mio. That they shouldn't give up on her.
Even if Niina would say that she couldn't forgive Hiori for her part in the original timeline, she had more than spiteful reasons to show her the truth of that timeline. Niina would be the first to admit that she knew these memories would deeply hurt and unsettle her. Yet, she believed in Hiori. She needed to know those things so she could understand Mio's reasons. After all, how could Hiori help her if she didn't know the context of her pain?
Her admiration and loyalty to Mio, however, weren't the only reasons driving her forward to steal Fragments. Niina empathized with at least a few of the people whose feelings she stole. The biggest example is that of Miyako, the girl that eventually would join the blue Reflectors on even if she didn't become a Reflector herself. When Uta originally failed in getting the Fragment, it was Niina who took point on trying again. Uta even mentioned that she was so eager to get it because she felt like Miyako was similar to her. The Fragment was the feelings Miyako had towards her mother who ignored her existence in favor of paying attention to her brother. Niina had realized they were similar, that they both wanted the love of their harmful mothers. She wanted to 'cut away the rotting abscess' that would keep her tied to her mother. Niina failed in getting the Fragment but she fiercely fought off both Hiori and Ruka to prevent them from stabilizing it.
Another example of her empathy alongside with guilt for her actions is Amiru. Amiru had unrequited feelings towards her childhood friend, Ryoka, and was hurting deeply because they didn't seem to feel the same way anymore. Niina had taken Amiru's Fragment and felt instant regret. Those bittersweet feelings of longing reminded her of her feelings for Mio. She tried to return them as soon as Uta's back was turned. The fact that Amiru and Ryoka both would become red Reflectors after Niina left the group would be a reminder of the actual harm her actions caused.
That wasn't the only reminder, either. Since Miyako worked with the blue Reflectors, she was a constant reminder as well. While Hiori wanted to work with her and Ruka was staying neutral on the subject? Miyako was firmly against Niina helping them. She didn't even want to be in the same building as her. The two girls constantly argued, from competing when sweeping to arguing on the proper way to prepare a meal. Yet, unlike Uta, Niina does seem to view this combative person as a proper teammate even if she doesn't have the powers of a Reflector. For example, Niina trusted Miyako to protect the unconscious Ruka and Hiori as she drew Uta away (even if there wasn't much Miyako could do). In time the feeling becomes mutual as later, past Niina's current canon point, Miyako feels comfortable enough with Niina to allow herself to be led to a quieter place after finding out the truth of Shino's backstory.
Niina is a lonely girl seeking approval from those she respects. She's incredibly loyal to them even if she's willing to fight them for their own good. She might become jealous when it's clear that her important people have more relationships than just her. She tries to keep people at a distance with her gruff, blunt personality even if it borderlines on cruelty but she doesn't consider herself a cruel person. After all, Niina can and will care about people beyond those important to her.
5-10 Key Character Traits:
-Lonely
-Short tempered
-Standoffish
-Blunt
-Affection starved
-Jealous
-Loyal
-Vindictive
-Empathetic
Would you prefer a monster that FITS your character’s personality, CONFLICTS with it, EITHER, or opt for 100% RANDOMIZATION? Fits
Opt-Outs: Lich, Faerie, Arachne, Shade, Vampire, Slime
Roleplay Sample: Have a TDM thread. However, since I changed her canon point I'll also provide a secondary sample here.
[Niina shoved her hands into the pockets of her purple hoodie. With the hood up she felt a little better about the fact that the locals were likely staring at her walking down the street. It didn't matter. Whenever someone caught her gaze she scowled back at them, snarling under her breath. Some part of herself felt that her anger towards them was irrational. She needed to keep herself calm--they were probably just afraid, after all.
Still, that didn't help the fact that she felt restless here. Niina was alone in this city, after all.]
That brat is still controlling Sister, too... [Niina mutters under her breath as she stops near a corner. She flicks her hood off as she leans against the wall of a building. Her chest felt heavy. Yet she wouldn't go looking for a useless fight now. After all, a random fight with a local wouldn't help Niina or anyone else. Her heart ached when she thought of 'home' but that was blocked off to her for now.
She just slipped her hands back into her pockets.]
What a load of crap. [So she was going to have find a new place, then. The idea was a bit daunting but what else did she have? Wander around until she collapsed from hunger (again) and some local decided to finish her? Niina's fingernails dug into her palms deeply as she clenched her fists in her pockets. Her eyes went up to the sky.]
Well, whatever. [She pushes herself off the wall. A smile tugged at her lips. It was more like a sneer than a real smile but, well. Whatever! She was here. She was alive. That was a start. It wasn't a good start, to be sure, but a start. Niina wasn't about to lose herself again. She couldn't.]
I'm a Reflector still, dammit. [Even without her powers she still has a duty. She might not be able to touch feelings anymore yet it's clear that Mio would have wanted to protect the people here, anyway.] I'm not going to just lay down and give up!
[Even as people stared, Niina continued walking down the street once more. She was going to have to get a lot stronger but that was fine. She had a goal. Her stomach growled loudly as she walked.]
Agh... [She hoped no one heard that. The first step, apparently, was to get food.]