From Sailor Moon Flash!
| Sailor Uranus | |
|---|---|
 Sailor Uranus (Relia) | |
| Profile | |
| Name: | Futekino Kyouko |
| Birthday: | March 23 |
| Age: | 17 |
| Affiliation: | Lunars |
| Powers: | Wind |
| Player: | Skeiler |
Contents |
The Basics
Name: Kyouko is a rather common Japanese name, though it is usually from the kanji for "kyou" ("day") with the diminutive "-ko" on the end. I, however, am taking "kyouko" as from the kanji 強固, which translates to "firmness; stability; security; strength." Futeki is from the kanji 不敵 (+の), translating to "daring; fearless; intrepid; bold; tough." Roughly, "fearless strength"
Position: Sailor Uranus, Senshi of Wind. Also, a professional jockey based from the Tokyo Racecourse.
Appearance:
Hair : We'll start with the easy. Kyouko wears her hair short — it's barely cheek-length and layered for texture. Kyouko never lets her hair get longer than, say, her chin because long hair is a burden and the longer one's hair, the harder it is to get it all under her helmet. Color-wise, Kyouko's hair is very interesting. Kyouko is fond of colors and is also a seventeen year old girl with some seriously gurly tendencies hidden away somewhere. Kyouko's hair typically has two blue streaks on either side of her head, though for really important, high-profile races Kyouko will change her hair color to match the colors in her silks. Color coordination +++!
Face/Skin : Kyouko is a lovely girl. Her face is oval-shaped and her features are defined, giving her an intelligent expression, while at the same time making it painfully obvious that this girl is teh hawt. Kyouko might some day have rabid hordes of screaming fanguys like Take Yutaka has fangirls. ^_^ Kyouko's skin is similarly lovely, though like all teenage girls she develops the occasional blemish. Oh shock, a Sailor Scout with pimples! Makeup isn't a great concern for Kyouko. It's messy and silly. Guck.
Eyes : Eyes are easy. They're blue. A dark, murky sort of royal blue. They're intelligent eyes, prone to revealing Kyouko's sharpness of mind. But around her horses, Kyouko's eyes soften and seem... not so much sharp as friendly and understanding. Kyouko has very nicely shaped eyebrows despite their being a little thick. Her eyebrows have a sort of crook in them at the outside, giving her a somewhat sarcastic and skeptical expression when she raises them. Eyelashes? Yeah, she's got those. It's here that Kyouko does occasionally give in and wear makeup — though never when training or racing. In fact, she only wears makeup if she's going to be speaking with lots of other people, like at a party or similar event. Kyouko usually wears eyeliner and mascara because otherwise her eyelashes would look blonde and silly.
Build/Carriage : Kyouko is 5'2¼". Her frame is small and she generally weighs in at barely 100 lbs. But in Kyouko's case, looks are a bit deceiving. Yes, she is thin as a waif and yes, she does look like an anorexic 12-year-old, but that doesn't mean she still can't deck you. For her size, Kyouko remains surprisingly well-muscled, with powerful (though shapley!) arms and legs. Kyouko is not wholly flat-as-her-back and has very nice curves when they're not covered up by baggy racing silks. Kyouko is an athlete and she carries herself like one, with a paradoxical bearing that at once shows how proud she is and yet gives her an air of humility — specifically, Kyouko carries her head held high at all times, but when speaking about herself has the tendency to drop her head and hunch her shoulders.
I'd like to take a moment and say some more about Kyouko's build. She's small, yes, but she is strong because she has to be. Hundred-pound girls like Kyouko don't normally have the sort of muscle that Kyouko sports, and Kyouko works very, very hard to be sure that she is in tip-top physical form at all times. If her legs tire and quiver while she's in the saddle, it could cost her her mount, her race, perhaps even her life. Because of this very simple fact, Kyouko takes great care to be a remarkably buff and limber individual. Like Atsumi, Kyouko is HARDCORE and damned proud of it. Yeah, she can take you. You know it, too, don'tcha?
Clothes : Yay pants. Kyouko owns one dress — a charming blue number with matching heels — that she has worn approximately once since she bought it three years ago. The rest of Kyouko's closet is filled with jeans, slacks, and nylon running pants. Kyouko doesn't give a crap about fashion, so her shirt selections run toward simple button-up shirt (both long- and short-sleeved). Plain colors and plaid are equally represented. Kyouko is very low-key. When training, Kyouko favors cotton shirts to any kind of stretchy nylon get-up. When meeting with trainers and other people who need impressin', Kyouko typically wears black slacks and a white button-up long-sleeved shirt. Low-key.
Jewelry : Once again let me state that Kyouko wears nothing on race days aside from her racing silks than a sports-bra and her thon— Fruit-o'-the-Looms. She wears about that much when training, running, or swimming. There is no room in the horse racing profession for dangly earrings and sparkly necklaces. That said, there IS room in Kyouko's life for them and sparklies are, like make-up, worn when Kyouko isn't training, racing, etc. Kyouko likes the sparklies. Both ears being pierced, Kyouko favors dangly-type earrings to studs — and by some wonderfully freakish attribute, Kyouko can got weeks, months, even years without wearing earrings and will never have to worry about her holes closing. Bracelets are not something Kyouko prefers to wear, though necklaces and rings abound in her jewelry box.
Voice : Kyouko has a delightfully mezzo soprano sort of voice, deep but also very feminine. Kyouko's voice is perfectly suited to her conversational manners — never one to follow convention, Kyouko talks back when it suits her yet retains the capacity to charm the pants off of any trainer looking to hire her. I really have no idea what I'm talking about.
Age/Birthday/Astrological Whatnot: We've got one 17 year old, born March 23rd. For sun we've got Aries — from this comes Kyouko's energetic and high-spirited nature, along with her fierce independence and preference to be first, not second. Kyouko's moon sign is in Cancer — making Kyouko secure emotionally, and generally a strong personality. Finally, we have Cancer again, this time as the rising sign — this reveals Kyouko's innermost attributes of self-confidence and life-long loyalty. Arrrrr.
Mundane Life
Friends and Family:
Futekino Koumaza (Koumaza — the Colt (constellation))
Futekino Koumaza was the second son of the legendary Futekino Taneuma. Unlike his older brother, also named Taneuma, Koumaza was born with a love of horses in his blood. He was a jockey for nearly ten years before a fall from a horse ended that career, and sent Koumaza in a new direction — owning and training horses. Koumaza took the money he had made from racing and bought his own stables, named them the Hiyorimi Kyuusha (hiyorimi — waiting and seeing (how the wind blows); sitting on the fence; straddle), and painted that wonderful old proverb above the entrance to the barn — "He o hitsu te shiri tsubome." There's no point squeezing your buttocks after you have farted; no use shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted. It was Koumaza's encouragement that led Kyouko to follow her dream and become a jockey, and he always has a horse for her to ride when she needs one.
Tall by both Japanese and jockey standards, the forty-eight year old Koumaza nevertheless has an air of smallness around him, especially when he is around his older brother. Generosity and empathy are Koumaza's chief traits. Kyouko is always welcome at the Hiyorimi Stables, and Koumaza treats her like his own daughter.
Futekino Kouma (Kouma — pony; colt)
Koumaza's son, like his father, was born to work with horses. Unlike his father and cousin, Kouma delayed the start of his career as a jockey to get a university degree in business, which has been put to much use by Kouma as he helps his father run the stables. Kouma's career as a jockey is not marked by as many successes as his cousin's, but he is nevertheless a very popular figure in the Japanese racing community.
Slightly taller than Kyouko, Kouma has a friendly, endearing demeanor and sturdy good looks. He is very generous, like his father, but known to be a bit more strict with the grooms. At twenty-eight, Kouma is a steadfast influence on Kyouko's life and they share a deep friendship that began when they were children and was only strengthened by Kyouko's apprenticeship under Kouma.
Futekino Taneuma (Taneuma — studhorse; stallion; breeding)
The great Futekino Taneuma's oldest son and namesake would not be caught dead on a horse. He detested them from the beginning, and his loathing of the animal only became greater when his father was killed by a fall during a race. Taneuma II left home to pursue his education in Tokyo, where he settled and married and became a banker. His life is extremely boring and he likes sumo.
Standing at 5'1", Kyouko finds it a source of never-ending amusement that she is taller than her father. You may have guessed by now that their relationship is not exactly what one would call "close." Point of fact, Kyouko rarely sees her parents because she broke Rule Number One: "no child of Futekino Taneuma II will EVER have anything to do with horses." It was only through Fuurin's hours of weeping and pleading that Kyouko was not entirely disowned.
Futekino Fuurin (Fuurin — wind chime; wind bell)
Kimura Fuurin was born in Kyoto, from whence she moved when she was eighteen. It was very soon after her arrival in the capital that she met a young banker as he was browsing through the book shelves in the store where she worked. They dated for nearly a year before they married, much to Fuurin's parents' joy.
Fuurin is a small, slender woman with the same beauty as Kyouko and a heart as big as Texas. Er. Yeah. She's always been supportive of all her children, and was only slightly disappointed that her three oldest daughters married as soon as they left school without even trying to develop a life of their own. Though she could never admit it to Taneuma, Fuurin is secretly very proud of her middle child.
Kojima Akemi (Akemi — bright; beautiful)
Akemi is the eldest of Taneuma and Fuurin's children. At 25, she is already married and has a small son. They, um, live in Tokyo and Kyouko rarely sees them.
Oshima Tomiko (Tomiko — child of wealth)
Taneuma and Fuurin's second child, Tomiko is 23 and also married and out on her own. She and her husband also live in Tokyo and are wholly unimportant in the grand high poobah plotliness of the game.
Tanaka Ume (Ume — plum blossom)
Ume is 20 and living with her fiancé, who is a banker like Ume's father. This makes Taneuma very happy, though the whole "living in sin" thing kinda sucks. Ume is the other nasty bitch sister from hell that Kyouko will only ever see by horrible, cruel coincidence or at a parent's funeral.
Futekino Mikiko (Miki — tree trunk)
Mikiko still lives at home and is a first-year at Chuo Gakuen. Mikiko is very sweet and obliging and generally a total push-over. She would never ever go against her papa's wishes, but like her mother she secretly thinks Kyouko is the coolest person ever. She is also tragically plain.
Futekino Susumu (Susumu — advancement)
And finally a son was born. <3 Susumu is his parents' pride and joy. A huge soccer fan and sports player, Susumu has the gall to make awesome grades and be dashingly handsome, the rogue. He recently celebrated his 15th birthday and broke up with his latest girlfriend. Susumu tends to be more like Kyouko, but hasn't got the gumption to follow in her footsteps of breaking teh rulez.
Futekino Sho (Sho — thriving; brilliant)
The baby of the family, Sho is an adorable 13-year-old. Like Kyouko, he loves horses and very much wishes to strike out on his own as Kyouko did. But again, Sho is afraid of getting disowned, like Kyouko almost did. Sho likes sports almost as much as Susumu, though he lacks Susumu's grades and good looks. But we love him anyway because he is tragically destined to end up in a job he dislikes while watching his sister succeed in the career of her choice.
Usual Daily Routine:
Background: Futekino Taneuma was one of the greatest race horse jockeys of his generation, and traveled constantly around the country — and the world — to compete in races. His earnings paid for the apartment his wife and two sons inhabited in Nagoya, and also paid his oldest son's college tuition, when it came to that. The transitory life led by their father had a different effect on the great jockey's two boys.
Koumaza adored his father, and rather than pursue an education, followed him into the horse-racing profession — much to his father's delight. The great Taneuma naturally expected his oldest son to do the same. But Taneuma II had a very different plan in mind — he announced over the phone to his father while that man was in America that he wanted to attend college and horse racing could be damned for all he cared. Saddened greatly by this, the great Taneuma nevertheless agreed to pay for his son's tuition, because the great Taneuma was a much better man than his son.
And then Taneuma II went to college and became a banker. Later he met Fuurin and they immediately got busy making babies. Three daughters were born in quick succession, though naturally what the Futekinos really wanted was a son. It was during Fuurin's last pregnancy that the horrible tragic accident occured which ended the life of the great Taneuma. It was, as would only be proper, a fall from a horse during a race. Taneuma II, still being the lesser man, steadfastly refused to attend his father's funeral and it was only through the quiet pleading of Fuurin that the great Taneuma's son decided to go.
That's how it happened that Kyouko was born in Nagoya, the day after her grandfather's funeral.
From the start, Kyouko was the most precocious and rebellious of the Futekino children. She refused to remain in dresses as a child, stripping to her diapers as soon as her parents looked away. The first years of her life were typical and boring, and center mainly around the birth of three more Futekino children — including the long-awaited for sons — and the fierce sibling rivalry that is the staple of most childrens' lives.
It was during the year following Kyouko's eighth birthday that she decided that she liked horses. Gasp, shock and amazement, Kyouko settled on liking the ONE thing her father had commanded her to stay away from. Was it that devilish middle-child-syndrome, or merely the stubbornness she had inherited from the very man she now found herself in contention with? Find out in our next exciting paragraph!
Truth be told, in the beginning it really WAS that pesky middle-child-syndrome. For the time being, Kyouko was content to spend her pocket money on magazines about racing and to hang posters in her room of Take Yutaka. And also buy Take Yutaka video games (there really are Take Yutaka SNES games, much to my surprise and amusement), t-shirts, stationary... you get the idea. This was damnably annoying to Taneuma, but he listened to Fuurin's quiet reminder that "this is only a phase." Sadly for both of them, it was not.
In her thirteenth year, Kyouko was told by her teachers that in about a year she'd have to take the entrance exam to attend high school. If she chose not to go to high school, she could become an apprentice in a trade. "Like horse racing?" asked Kyouko. "Well, yes. All jockeys serve a two-year apprenticeship," replied her teacher.
Soon after that, Kyouko snuck out of the house and rode the train out her Uncle Koumaza's stables on the far outskirts of Tokyo. After Kyouko carefully explained her plan of becoming a jockey like her grandfather, Koumaza told Kyouko two very important things — first that her father would be seriously displeased and probably never forgive her, and second that she should follow her own heart.
Kyouko chose to follow her heart and rather than continue on to high school, Kyouko gave her father the proverbial finger and went to live at the Hiyorimi Kyusha with her Uncle and "cousin." Ahem, that's cousin, without the quotation marks, thank YOU. Kyouko's uncle was very pleased to find that she had inherited the great Taneuma's affinity for riding horses and Kyouko took naturally to the dynamic imbalance and ballistic opportunity of a jockey's stance. Kouma, the son of Koumaza and Kyouko's cousin, was also pleased to have such a willing apprentice. AHEM, stop thinking "cousins," please. She trained her little heart out and in the end it paid off, for Kyouko was allowed to begin racing earlier than most apprentice jockeys. She was a hit from the beginning.
Following another year of apprenticeship, Kouma applied for Kyouko's riding license and was given it. Kyouko, aged sixteen, spent the first year of her career building a network of trainers who were willing to give her a mount and stunning the Japanese racing community by becoming one of the five highest earners. Uncle Koumaza was pleased. Father Taneuma disowned her.
Kyouko's desertion to the Hiyorimi Kyusha caused her father a great deal of pain, mostly from the dramatic spike in his blood pressure the day Fuurin went upstairs to wake Kyouko for school and found naught but a note pinned to her pillow. Taneuma was all in favor of forgetting he ever had a child named Kyouko to begin with, but Taneuma loved Furrin very much, and Fuurin made a valiant speech on the absent Kyouko's behalf. This valiant speech led to the resolution on Taneuma's part to never speak to his daughter again, unless she was dying. Fuurin and the other children, however, remained free to associate with The Bad Child at their will — and to this day Fuurin goes shopping and takes half her purchases to Kyouko's apartment (often leaving them anonymously).
After her sensational first year as a jockey, Kyouko earned a teeny tiny locker at the Tokyo Racecourse and decided to strike out on her own. She chose to move to Shinjuku-ku, close to the Shinjuku station that would take her in half an hour along the Keio line to the Tokyo Racecourse.
Kyouko's apartment is small, but well-appointed. She went to reclaim her Take Yutaka merchandise from home, but lo! it had been ripped up and tossed by her father. Therefore, Kyouko's walls have less Yutaka posters than before, and Kyouko doesn't mind this much as she is beginning to cover the walls with articles about herself instead. Vain? Oh, no, never. Kyouko shares her space with a mangy old cat named Oberon. Ahaha!
A Little More Specific
Quirks: "Making a living as a jockey is a dangerous proposition. Race horses can weigh up to 1,450 pounds. A racing Quarter Horse has a top speed of nearly 55 miles per hour; a racing Thoroughbred can sustain 40 mph for over a mile. While riding these speed machines, a jockey doesn't sit in the saddle. He stands poised on toes that are pinched into stirrups, the rest of his body hovering over the horse in a stance that University of North Carolina researchers have described as 'a situation of dynamic imbalance and ballistic opportunity.'" — Seabiscuit, An American Experience
Kyouko's life centers around the idea of dynamic imbalance and ballistic opportunity, though her body in the saddle is not the only thing liable to fall to the turf at any time. Kyouko relies on her notoriety and reputation to maintain the independence she fought for, and if she should ever stop getting calls about potential mounts, Kyouko might have to go back to living at home and give up the one thing she would prefer dying to losing. Kyouko is a fiercely independent soul, preferring to be a sort of lone wolf to allowing herself to become a part of any group. Her independence means everything to her, since living at home means sharing a house with a father who doesn't understand her, a mother who can't openly support her, and several siblings who envy her. Not a healthy combination. Kyouko's ability to make her own way in the world doing something that she LOVES is what keeps her going.
The dynamic imbalance of Kyouko's life is that at any time it could stop. At any moment she could fall from a horse and break an arm, spend months in a cast and begin to get passed over in favor of other jockeys. Kyouko herself had a taste of this when she busted her collarbone, though luckily her uncle Koumaza helped her out. Kyouko knows full well that any sort of fall could injure her reputation, just like she knows that pissing the wrong person off can do the same thing. Against her will and sometimes against her better judgment, Kyouko finds herself sucking up to owners, trainers, and sometimes other jockeys. It's difficult for her to swallow her pride and do this, but she knows that the wrong word to the wrong person could end in her not getting that mount that would have gotten her noticed by the trainer looking for a new jockey for his Japan Derby horse.
Winning is another central focus in Kyouko's life, as she is very fond of being first and not second (or third or fourth, heaven forbid). Kyouko is a good jockey, and is gaining quite a reputation as a truly gifted jockey who knows how to handle a troublesome horse and how to handle a troublesome owner. Her uncle Koumaza gave her her start in the Japanese racing world when he allowed her to be apprenticed to his son, Kouma, who was already a rather popular jockey. During the first two years, Kyouko was introduced to many of the leading stable-owners and trainers on the Japan circuit, and raced in both local and national races. Now that she's out on her own, Kyouko is approached to ride in races all across Japan, though she will still refuse lucrative offers when her uncle asks her to ride one of his horses.
But even though Kyouko is a good jockey, she does still lose. Each loss keeps Kyouko up at night as she goes over and over every movement she made, every decision, every opponent's movement, and even the trainer's decisions regarding the horse — all in the desperate hope of finding out what caused her to lose the race so that she can fix it next time. The occasional loss is acceptable to Kyouko, but in the end failure is not an option.
Just like her avid (one might say "rabid") dislike of losing, Kyouko hates to be second-guessed or contradicted. The trainers that work most often with Kyouko know that she knows horses and knows how to handle them. Trainers new to Kyouko's way of doing things often get into conflicts over Kyouko's methods and she has taken to being wary when meeting a new trainer. The few friends Kyouko has made throughout the years are not able to get away with contradicting her any more than a trainer is, and many's the time that Kyouko and a friend fought because they took different sides.
Kyouko's dislike of losing and contradiction may stem from her horrible horrible vanity. That's right, Kyouko is as vain as a peacock. Remember how I mentioned that Kyouko doesn't wear much make-up oh-no-wait-she-actually-does? This is a good example. Kyouko is very realistic about the demands of a jockey's life and knows full well that sweat + make-up = ew, ew, gross and bad. BUT when she isn't racing, training, or doing some other athletic activity, Kyouko is never seen without some eyeliner and mascara — because she doesn't have dark lashes naturally, and her blonde lashes look rather silly around her dark eyes. Kyouko's hair is another source of her vanity, and she has tried just about every hair dye on the market to find the ones that are least harsh on her hair while still giving her a vibrant color, and Kyouko goes so far as to coordinate her hair color with the silks she's wearing in a race.
Kyouko is no stranger to pain. In her three years as a jockey (two as an apprentice, and one out on her own) Kyouko has broken her right collarbone, two fingers, and ruptured a tendon in her leg. Pain isn't something Kyouko fears, and in point of fact one could count the number of things she DOES fear on one hand. Kyouko is a tough nut, and neither fire nor robbers keep Kyouko up at night. Even those things that she does fear are easily conquered by Kyouko by sheer force of will alone — heights, for example, make Kyouko dizzy and queasy, but Kyouko can overcome all this if the reward is great enough.
Ballistic opportunity is a nice way to describe Kyouko's fast-paced and busy life. Horse racing takes up most of Kyouko's time. The only thing she does that isn't directly connected to racing is reading, and even that isn't entirely unrelated. Kyouko subscribes to several Japanese, American, and British equestrian magazines, and devours them from cover to cover as soon as they arrive. However, her favorite book is not Black Stallion, and it actually doesn't concern horses at all (in case you were wondering, its Wuthering Heights).
Ballistic opportunity could also describe the tendency Kyouko has to throw things (punches included, ahaha!) when she's angry. Kyouko's temper is very short, but she is able to reign herself in when around others by dint of will alone — at least until she's alone and can throw things, scream, and otherwise go ballistic (ahaha!) to her heart's content. Kyouko is quick to anger and quick to act, and often the one precedes the other. In a group or a battle, there needs to be a voice of reason to keep Kyouko or Uranus from going off half-cocked, as she is likely to do. While Kyouko is quick to anger, she isn't quick to forgive, and in fact is prone to lingering resentment and is known to hold a grudge — though this probably stems more from true-blue stubbornness than any sort of a vengeful nature.
Kyouko's independence and short temper are a dangerous combination. Kyouko moved out before she began her apprenticeship with her cousin, and the reason she left home was an argument she had with her father. She told him her intentions of becoming a jockey and, unsurprisingly, her dad flipped out. Kyouko likes making authority figures either blink disbelievingly or downright angry. She pushes buttons with her wildly colored hair and I'm-on-the-verge-of-telling-you-to-F-yourself attitude. If it wouldn't get her banned from racing for life, Kyouko would probably experiment with every drug on the market in a rather shallow attempt to rebel. But more than her desire to tear her father's world apart, Kyouko is a jockey and she always keeps the demands of that profession uppermost in her mind.
This brings us back to Kyouko's job and ties in her absolute love of it and her tenaciously stubborn nature. Kyouko is a jockey. Kyouko is a good jockey, not just because she knows how to deal with a pugnacious horse and has the wind at her back, but because she is dedicated to her profession and puts all her energy into it because it means something to her. When you think about it, her career is really all she has. This will change, of course, once she becomes Sailor Uranus. Then her attention will change from 99% horse racing, 1% reading and whether or not her mission as a Lunarian senshi will damage her career as a jockey is yet to be seen.
When I said earlier that Kyouko was more of a lone wolf, I meant it. She isn't given to becoming part of a team easily, but in time she will allow herself to be accepted and will become a steadfast friend, even if she doesn't show it. Kyouko isn't given to many displays of emotion and goes so far as to look down on excessive emotion in others — even though everyone knows she's a big ol' horse-and-puppy-loving softy at heart. Kyouko's loyalty to her friends is unwavering and lifelong, and once she becomes a full-fledged member of the Cool Kids Club she will work her ass off to further the interests of her Princess and team. Psssst, here's a secret: making Kyouko feel like it was her idea is a great way to get Kyouko to do something.
Earlier I mentioned that for Kyouko failure is not an option. I've said Kyouko likes to disregard authority and go her own way, but in the end she will see that her mission as a senshi is a sacred trust and she WILL NOT FAIL. Even if she sometimes disagrees with her fellow scouts, Kyouko will crusade to see that their job is done. I feel that this is very disjointed. FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION.
Darkest Secret:
Reactions to Sudden Hugs:
Virtues and Vices: Loves her job; realistic; strong-willed; fearless; loyal; driven to succeed; big ol' horse-and-puppy-loving softy. Vain; holds grudges; reckless; impulsive; I'm-on-the-verge-of-telling-you-to-F-yourself blunt; rebellious.
Badassery
Power Sphere: Wind.
Asswhoopery:
Uber-jockey Sense of Doom : Kyouko knows horses. She can read a horse by the swish of its tail and knows how to handle especially problematic horses — she could probably get Rock Hard Ten in the gate on race day if she wanted to. XD Kyouko is so good at reading horses, and other animals, that she has learned how to read men the same way — by the swish of their tails. I mean, uh, by their little idioms. Kyouko has an inner sense that helps her to predict what a horse is going to do, and she has learned to use this when dealing with humans.
Natural Intelligence : Kyouko is quite clever, naturally. High school be damned. She'll never be as educated as she could be, but it doesn't matter because she excels at the one thing she really loves. Sometimes she misses the clever allusions dropped in more educated conversation, and that really burns. But Kyouko knows in the end that she is as smart as she needs to be.
Super-nose : As crazy as it may sound, Kyouko has a super-sensitive nose. She can smell the tiniest bit of fragrance on a woman and it drives her BONKERS. Kyouko is adverse to overpowering smells because of this, and really really hates her dependence on public transportation.
Stealth +++ : Kyouko is quiet, but Uranus is REALLY, REALLY quiet and able to slip in and through places with nary a sound. This is a function of her imitating a soft breeze. Sometimes I try to be poetic. ;_;
The Wind at her Back : I will now tell you the secret to Kyouko's success as a horse jockey. Kyouko always has the wind in her favor, pushing her and horse faster than the rest of the pack. This propulsion is the key to Kyouko's natural swiftness on foot or in the saddle and wouldn't Stewart Elliott liked to have had that at the Belmont, poor soul? XD Though she has this nice little boost to her speed, Kyouko has no way of controlling it or making it change directions as she needs it. It just perpetually blows on her and messes with her hair.
Knuckle Sandwich : Failing the ability to kick your ass with her sword or awesome spheres of golden energy, Uranus is NOT above simply punching things in the face (and/or kicking them in the balls, as the case may be). Kyouko's arms are REALLY REALLY muscled and she CAN and WILL deck you in a heartbeat. This may make me sound a little twink, but it is true that Kyouko has buffly arms and legs. And she has a short temper and sometimes punching someone is better than going through all that swirling twirling golden-energy crap.
Sword-fu : Uranus has a sword. And she knows how to use it. Uranus will never be able to wield a sword with the power or precision of Kunzite or Galaxia, but Uranus knows more about sword-play than "the pointy end goes into the other man." That is, she's quite able to not look like an idiot or manage to stab herself.
Greatest Weakness:
Attacks:
World Shaking
Execution : The screen goes black. In the center of the darkened expanse, a gold light flashes before fading into the blackness again. As Uranus flicks her hand up to grab it, the light flashes again and Uranus yells the phrase "World Shaking!" At this cue, the light forms into a golden-colored ringed-ball, expanding to surround and cover her hand. Uranus twirls it down and up in an arc, pausing to hold the ball above her head before bringing it slamming to the ground. Light crashes down to surround Uranus as she lets the ball run charging toward her opponent.
Damage : Ouch, ouch, ouch and ouch. World Shaking is a great big ball of smack (no, not the kind you inject intravenously) and it's flying RIGHT AT YOU. The ball packs a real punch when it hits, but as it is aimed at a single enemy, it is easily dodged — it's just about as likely to go crashing into the building behind it, burning rubber all the way. However, when it DOES hit its like a cosmic punch in the gut. And, erm, stuff.
Space Sword Blaster Execution : Uranus holds her right hand up above her head. The camera pans around it and backs away to reveal Uranus standing, legs apart. The Space Sword forms in her hand as Uranus shouts "Space Sword Blaster!" Sword in hand, Uranus swings her arm back behind her head and slashes in a downward arc from right to left, sending a blade-shaped arc of energy toward her opponent.
Damage : Multiple flicks of Uranus' wrist create multiple blade-shaped arcs of energy, each of which go slicing through Uranus' enemies like a hot knife through butter. Okay, maybe not quite like a hot knife through butter, but I think you see where I'm going with this. It's quite possible to dodge these, like World Shaking, but since there can be up to about twenty of them, there's a pretty good chance an enemy can't dodge ALL of them. I know not the exact statistics. There is a cap on the number of arcs Uranus can deal out before, um, running out. The max is around 20, depending on how much energy she has expended before dealing this smack (to small children on street-corners. Oh no, wait).
Space Turbulence Execution : Uranus crosses her arms at the wrists in front of her forehead. "SPACE!" she shouts as she brings her arms down in an arc from right to left. Following the movement of her arms, Uranus makes a sharp pirouette as a ring of flaming golden energy forms around her waist. When she completes the pirouette, the circle disappears as the background becomes a mass of crackling energy. Coming out of her pirouette, Uranus turns her body slightly to the left and raises her arms above her head so that her left arm is straight and her right arm is bent so that her right wrist crosses her left elbow. "TURBULENCE!" Uranus shouts to release the wave of golden energy pent up behind her. It really is a lot more graceful than I make it sound. ;_;
Damage : This is, like Neptune's Violent Tide, is an area attack that will hit anyone in its path. And that ain't nice. The crackling yellow energy is crackling yellow lightning-like energy, and when a rolling wave of that hits an enemy... well, I'm sure you can imagine the sound a youma's flesh makes as it gets fried. Since this is a very wide-range attack, it does hit a lot of stuff — friends, enemies, innocent bystanders and buildings. It will fry them all, and is not dodgeable. Uranus' attitude toward this particular attack is one of the "hey this is cool to threaten people with" variety. Grrrrr, don't make me use this!
Weapon: The Space Sword — Again, I'll be going mostly by the manga version, which I think is much prettier and more dignified that that tacky anime thing, what with its jewels embedded in the blade and all. ^_^v
Slashy-slashy! : The Space Sword is, duh, a sword. It has sharp sides and a sharp point. It can cut stuff. In appearance, it most resembles a rapier — long blade, ornate handle with basket over the forte, yadda yadda. It's shiny and sharp. Uranus can call the Sword out of henshin-space at will and try to jab and poke at enemies with it, though Uranus is FAR, FAR AWAY from being a Kunzite or Galaxia in terms of sword-fu. The pointy end goes into the other man.
Fuku: I will start at the bottom and work my way upwards. Uranus' boots are navy blue and reach about a quarter of the way up her thigh. They'd probably reach higher if she pulled them up, but instead they sag and fold. Sag and fold. We get to skim up her legs to where her navy blue skirt swishes around her hips, held in place by a white fold of cloth (belt?). Uranus wears a long navy ribbon from the small of her back, the ends dangling to the back of her knees. Bodysuit is standard white, and in the center of her chest is a navy-blue heart-shaped locket, surrounded by a golden yellow bow and holding in place Uranus' navy-blue sailor collar, which sports a single white stripe. At her shoulders are two folds of white cloth over a triangular fold of transparent cloth. Uranus' gloves are short, ending just above the wrist in three folds of navy cloth. Around Uranus' neck is a navy-blue choker with a gold star set in the front. On her head is the standard sailor tiara, with a navy blue stone set in the center.
Henshin: Uranus holds her henshin wand high above her head as she shouts "Uranus Crystal Power, Make-up!" From the end of the wand comes some bright gold light that fades as the camera pulls away to reveal Uranus is naked avatar form. Oh my, nudity! Can we show that on this show? Uranus pirouettes in a circle twice, preceded by the arm holding her wand. On the second turn a circle of .... fire? Lightning? Golden energy! A circle of golden energy forms around her feet and burns for a moment as Uranus completes her turn to face away from the camera. Arms crossed across her chest, golden energy flares up to surround and obscure Uranus. When it clears she is wearing her white bodysuit. Blue lighting forms from the small of her back as a field of blue grows to fill the screen. Uranus' gloved hand appears on its journey to smooth back from her forehead through her hair. Uranus flips her head as her arm falls back behind her head. After opening her eyes, Uranus stares steadfastly at the camera for a moment, then as it pans back she hunches her torso and crosses her arms across her shoulders, the better to elegantly stretch them upward before pirouetting once and snapping into her final position, the background a dramatic space-scape — Uranus' right hand is on her hip, cocked at a swarthy angle, while her left hand is throw out dramatically to the side. Yar.
Connections
Kyouri
Eternal optimism is all well and good, but if Kia tries to pull any of this "oh, there's a silver lining to your loss today, Kyouko-san" crap, Kyouko will get downright angry. But still, Kia is such a kind soul that she will remind Kyouko of a little puppy dog — accordingly, Kyouko will show Kia her I-love-ponies-and-puppies side and might forget to treat her as a princess. All in all: Kia's unfailing kindness will help to bring Kyouko closer in to the group, though Kyouko might still view the princess as someone to be coddled.
Oki
Kyouko and Oki share a love of reading, so it is entirely plausible that they may cross paths in the library or something along those lines. Personality-wise, Kyouko will find some points of similarity with Oki, and allow a grudging respect for the Senshi no Mizu's intellect. Oki's dislike of school is another area where she and Kyouko will see eye to eye — Kyouko left school herself. All in all: they won't be the BEST of friends, but they won't be bitter enemies.
Atarimae
Mae is blunt. Kyouko is rather blunt. Initially there will be some head-butting, but Kyouko will undoubtedly eventually be completely awed by Mae's, in Kyouko's opinion, magical mystical hoodoo voodoo. Kyouko has issues with father-figures of ANY type, and Mae's tendency to take that stance may cause some more contention. All in all: it is likely they will meet without someone else introducing them, and once they DO meet there may be a fair amount of Mae acting all dad-like and Kyouko giving her the I'm-on-the-verge-of-telling-you-to-F-yourself attitude.
Misao
Misao is sweet and will undoubtedly remind Kyouko of her own dear mother, who has the extra key to Kyouko's flat and leaves anonymous gifts of food. Kyouko likes having a constant "mom" figure, so All in all: Kyouko and Misao should get along pretty well, once they've met.
Atsumi
Atsumi is elegance personified and Kyouko is far from that kind of elegance — though in a way Atsumi and Kyouko are very much alike: Atsumi relies on her grace and precision in her dancing, while Kyouko relies on her grace and precision to keep from falling and breaking her neck. Other than that, there isn't much that would bring these two together and it is unlikely that they would form a friendship naturally. They may meet and interact at a swimming pool, but Kyouko probably won't be inviting Atsumi over to watch the Blue Wave on TV. Neptune's calm assurance is the obvious choice for the "voice of reason" desperately needed to keep Uranus from going off half-cocked. All in all: Atsumi might prove to be the voice of reason Kyouko needs, but there will be no Atsumi x Kyouko OTP.
Yuriko
Kyouko will admire Yuriko for her maturity, having matured rather early herself. Kyouko will envy Yuriko's close relationship with her father, and even though Yuriko is a dark, brooding little thing, Kyouko will find herself rather liking Yuriko. All in all: close friendship? Who can say.
