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Shiruku Mizuhiki
Everything is now fully updated! May shorten somewhat later.
Shiruku Mizuhiki is a soft-spoken Rean archer caught between two worlds — the modest traditions of Hingashi and the lavish excesses of Thanalan. Once a retainer's daughter, now an unwilling ornament of her father's pride, she clings to quiet ambition and the comfort of her crafts. Timid, sharp-eyed, and deadly at a distance, Shiruku seeks something more than survival: a life she can call her own.
Character reference carrd Here.
🍁●🍁Please read "Crimes" info in OOC before contact.🍁●🍁
Backstory
Born in Shirogane to a long line of loyal retainers, Shiruku Mizuhiki grew up in the shadow of tradition. Her early years were spent under the rule of a noble house once celebrated for its benevolence, where education and craft flourished. In this golden age, Shiruku was raised to serve with quiet dignity — expected to be useful, invisible, and perfect.Yet, the perfection others hoped for was not the perfection Shiruku could give. She struggled with the lessons that came easily to her peers, tripping over words and numbers in ways no one understood. Where her mind faltered, her hands soared: bowstrings, woodcraft, and embroidery all answered her touch with breathtaking skill. She became a master of the tangible, but not of the abstract, a child of instinct and patience rather than rote learning.When the noble house fell to ruin — torn apart from within by cruelty and ambition — Shiruku’s world collapsed alongside it. Her mother, once a favored servant turned discarded pawn, died quietly beneath the weight of the new lord’s abuses. To save her daughter from the same fate, Shiruku was sent across the sea to live with the father she had never known.In Thanalan, she found no safe haven. Her father, a narcissistic swindler with a taste for luxury, treated Shiruku not as kin but as an ornament to his false wealth. Dressed in silks she never chose, adorned in gold she never asked for, she became just another prize in his endless games of status. Her own earnings — gained through small mercenary jobs, her deadly skill with a bow — disappeared as quickly as she could gather them, stolen to fund his lies.Still, Shiruku endures. With the quiet tenacity born of a life spent masking discomfort, she holds fast to the few things that are hers: her craft, her bow, her dreams of something more. Though timid by nature and untested in the chaos of true battle, she stands ready to find her own path — one careful step at a time.
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Personality:
Shiruku Mizuhiki is a soft-spoken soul, more comfortable in silence than in conversation. Formal by habit and modest by upbringing, she often comes across as distant at first — not from pride, but from a quiet uncertainty in how to bridge the space between herself and others.Though timid and easily overwhelmed in new situations, Shiruku is fiercely observant, picking up small details others overlook. She masks her discomfort behind carefully practiced pleasantries: a polite smile, a bowed head, a gentle tone. It’s rare for her to raise her voice or make demands; instead, she prefers to help quietly, lending a steady hand without seeking recognition.Despite a life marked by betrayal and manipulation, she clings to an innate, cautious kindness. Shiruku believes in actions more than words — a mended cloak, a hand-carved toy, a perfectly loosed arrow when it matters most. For now, her world remains small: focused on cleaning up the wreckage her father leaves behind and navigating the treacherous ground beneath her feet.Beneath the layers of silk and duty, Shiruku remains resilient: a quiet force not of power, but of enduring will.
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About and Galllery
Strengths:
• Deadly precision with a bow — steady hands, sharp eyes
• Highly skilled crafter: woodworking, embroidery, weaving, goldsmithing (small, fine objects)
• Fiercely observant — notices subtle details others miss
• Natural endurance — quiet emotional resilience, even under pressure
• Support-focused mindset — excels in aiding and backing up othersWeaknesses:
• Poor at melee combat — physically weak in close-quarters fighting
• Struggles with traditional learning (dyslexia/processing struggles)
• Tends to mask discomfort — leading to bottling up stress
• Extremely shy in unfamiliar social settings
• Emotionally vulnerable to manipulation from authority figures (especially family)Quirks and Habits:
• Constantly fidgets with small objects (carving wood, sewing, knotting cords)
• Prefers sitting or standing near exits in public places
• Avoids direct confrontation whenever possible
• Softly hums traditional Hingan songs when focusing
• Very formal speech, even when casualness would be expected — still learning to relax
Immediate Goals:
• Take on small mercenary jobs to earn an independent income
• Pay down the debts her father has created — as much as she is able
• Stay unnoticed by her father's enemies and rivals
• Learn to navigate the harsh politics of Thanalan without drawing attention
• Protect herself quietly, without drawing suspicion or ireLong-Term Hopes:
• Find genuine companionship beyond transactional relationships
• Build a craft of her own — woodworking, bowmaking, or delicate goods
• Learn to live without masking constantly; to simply be herself
• Discover places beyond Thanalan and Hingashi — the world she's never seen
• Choose her own life, on her own terms — even if she doesn’t know how just yet
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Photos below are before Shiruku was revamped. They're pretty much what/how she was back when she was living in Hingashi, save the horns.
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Name Meaning:
Mizuhiki — A ceremonial knot made from fine, strong cords of silk. Durable, beautiful, meant to endure and honor life's most important moments.
Shiruku — "Silk," a nod to both her heritage and her delicate strength.
Build:
Lithe and lightly muscled from years of archery. Fine-boned, with strength in her arms and hands rather than her frame. A natural, understated beauty — often hidden behind extravagant silks and gold.
Current Residence: Thanalan (based out of Ul'dah)
Occupation: Mercenary (archery-focused) / Crafter of small fine goods (unofficial)
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Spicy Galllery!
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I hope you like! (More to come soon!)
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Hooks
1. Debt and Danger
Shiruku carries the weight of debts she never owed — and the predators her father left behind have sharp memories. She's a walking ledger to them, something to collect, use, or discard. Whether by blade, blackmail, or bargains made in desperation, danger stalks her steps. Those who cross her path might become her shield... or the next to profit from her misfortune.
2. Small Requests, Big Trouble
Shiruku seeks out work she can survive: stealthy errands, long-range tasks, anything that keeps danger at a distance. But not every job allows her that choice. When tasks spiral beyond what she can handle alone — monsters, ruin explorations, dangerous deliveries — she's left with few options. She’s willing to offer what little she has: coin, crafted goods, or quiet favors that carry their own silent weight.
3. A Crafter’s Quiet Dream
Shiruku’s craftsmanship is remarkable — delicate wooden carvings, finely embroidered silks, masterwork bows. Those in need of unique goods, repairs, or personal commissions may find a talented, if shy, artisan in her. But every piece she sells carries more than beauty: it’s survival carved into wood, desperation stitched into silk. In a world that weighs worth in coin, Shiruku’s craft has become the only safe thing she has left to barter for tomorrow.
4. Shadows from the East
The Gyoji clan still thrives — its wealth carved from fear, brutality, and the broken lives left in its wake. Shiruku bears its legacy whether she wills it or not, a thread tied to debts and bloodshed stitched long before she was born. In the right eyes, her blood is a claim to loyalty, to ownership, to power. She may walk free, but in Hingashi’s darker circles, the children of old names are rarely left untouched.
5. Silent Struggles
It’s easy to mistake Shiruku’s pleasant mask for peace. In a world that sharpens survival into silence, few look deeper — but those who do might glimpse the quiet fractures beneath her smile. A single act of kindness, freely given and without demand, could change the course of a life too long shaped by fear. Or it could reveal how far she’s already learned to endure alone.
6. Bargained Beauty
In a world that trades in appearances and illusions, Shiruku has become just another piece of her father’s false wealth. Promised as part of business deals, paraded for the admiration of strangers, her value is weighed in silk and silence. Some may seek to "acquire" her; others might wish to free her — but few ask what she wants.
