Shiragiku Ito

Shiragiku Ito (Sheer-a-G-coo E-toe)
White Chrysanthemum of Wisteria Fields

Shiragiku Ito
Tayuu
Gender	Female
Race	Au Ra
Clan	Raen
Citizenship	Doman refugee
Age	24
Height	5'2"
Nameday	17th Sun of the 4th Umbral Moon
Orientation	Hetero
Occupation	Courtesan

Basic OOC Information

This character is based off of a mix of Japan's Heian and Edo periods, historical courtesans (Tayuu/Oiran) and samurai.

The player of this character is a sexworker who studies sexwork in history- Any whorephobic, sexist comments or behavior on an OOC basis will result with an addition to my blacklist.
If you would like to learn more about courtesans in history and how to implement them in roleplay, please check out my guide on google documents here.

I welcome both planned and walk-up roleplay. If you have an idea you would like to use to connect our characters, please feel free to message me.

Appearance

If one had to choose just two words to describe Shiragiku, they would be "Doll-like".

While dainty to the other races, Shiragiku is considered tall for an Au Ra female at five foot two.
Her skin is porcelain white, so much so that it might as well be made of rice paper. Her scales are pale as well, a soft cream colour only a little darker than her skin.
Her face is round and soft, her nose long and thin, and her lips two halves of a circle.

Shiragiku's pitch-black hair is cut in a hime style- bangs cut just below her brows with the rest left long.

Almond-shaped eyes hold cucumber-green irises and misty-green limbal rings. They are always sleepy looking, turned down to stare through the floor more than at it. There is never a smile that can reach them; always a tinge of sadness.

Her make-up is traditional to her work- her face powdered white, her eyes and brows lined in black kohl, and red stains both her lips and the outer corners of her eyes.
Her clothing follows the theatrical theme of her appearance; not one, but three to four brightly coloured kimono are layered on top of one another, and a heavy obi tied in the front. Her naked feet fit into platformed okobo, a hidden bell in the heel tingling with each step.

Personality

White Chrysanthemum is like flower left to float down the stream of life- following the current listlessly.

Following the tenants of Bushido, Shiragiku is compassionate, respectful, loyal, and sincere in every aspect of her life.
She takes care to help those that she can, often devoting time and gil to charity. Her voice never rises above the volume one speaks to another beside them, and not a single cruel word passes through her lips. No promise is made lightly, and when she has taken a duty on- there is no going back, not even if it causes her pain.

While her words and actions might give the impression of joy and attentiveness, there is always a shadow of grief that seems to hang over her. She does not try to hide it, but she also will not reveal why she seems so heavy.

History

The Ito family were a vassal to a lesser Doman noble, bound by duty to them as warriors.
Shiragiku was raised from a young age to be an Onna-bugeisha; a female samurai.

When she was only four years old, White Chrysanthemum started her lessons in archery and swordsmanship.
At age thirteen, Shiragiku won a youth tournament in kyudo- a martial art based on form rather than function.
That same year, she broke her arm falling from a horse, and bruised her tail in a wooden-sword duel.

She was set to be a noble warrior, her skill in combat matching her skill in the arts.
The title was not awarded to her, however.

When she was fifteen, the noble family's older son took notice of Shiragiku. The affair was short, though had been true love.
He had been promised to a prominent family's daughter and when the young love had been discovered, both were disgraced. The bride's family called for the son to renounce Shiragiku, and for Shiragiku to be punished.
The vassal family disowned Shiragiku and sold her to a red-light city yoshiwara as punishment for dishonoring them, while their son was shipped off to his in-laws far away.

The yoshiwara was a cruel place.
Shiragiku was forced into servitude, becoming an underling to the brothel's head Tayuu. Cleaning the building, practicing flirtation, and being forced to work as Yujo, her spirit was broken along with her heart.

When the Garlean empire took control of Doma, Shiragiku fled with the other refugees to Eorzea.
Despite the misery that Shiragiku endured and the fact she could start anew, she has chosen to continue her work as a Tayuu in the new land; too many debts needing to be paid to leave the lucrative work.

Tayuu / Onna-Bugeisha

From age fifteen, Shiragiku was sold to a yoshiwara and trained as a Yujo and then a Tayuu.
She learned the arts of dance, drums, and song, as well as ikebana and calligraphy.

As a Tayuu in her yoshiwara, she was the most important and desired worker. When she was bestowed the title of Tayuu, she was paraded down the street in the finest clothing one could buy with a trail of Yujo and servants behind her. Her face was carved into wood for prints, as all other Tayuu had been, and was popular for her sorrowful, empty gaze.

Before her time as a Tayuu, Shiragiku was training to become an Onna-Bugeisha.
She is skilled in kyudo and kendo, along side more practical fighting techniques.