Uso

"Pick a god and pray."
Uso is a player from Week 13 of The Reaper's Game. She learned about the power of true happiness and friendship before the week, after a lifetime of child abuse and exploitation, only to once more have it all cruelly ripped away from her. Probably.
==Appearance==
Tiny slender girl. Waifish, in fact. Has the body of an eight-year-old, with many visible scars across her chest and back, including a few burn marks directly on her chest. She tends to wear loose, extremely thin white clothing, bruises incredibly easily, and if she holds herself right (or wears contacts) her eyes are a burning shade of red instead of extremely pale blue. Being albino, her skin has very little pigment to it, and if she puts herself in the right light, her long white hair can appear ethereal and translucent. Naturally, she was taught to take advantage of this as much as possible. 
In addition to her normal white dress and thin jacket, she wears an oversized black reaper hoodie with white noise decal she got from Grizz and keeps her pins clipped to that decal. Pippin gave her a long blue scarf she winds around and around herself, and Kei gave her his jacket, which is fancy, blue, and a few inches taller than her entire body. She keeps tripping over it. A monochrome stuffed python with a red underbelly and black/red eyes is wound around her neck at all times, courtesy of Sol. 
==Personality==
Generally, she's sweet and innocent, radiating an air of childishness and being easily made happy and excited by all the fun things going on around her. She has the emotional maturity of a small child, and reacts to even the slightest changes in her environment, but can't maintain an emotional state past the point of the environmental factors ceasing to influence it further. She deliberately plays up the childishness, wanting people to find her likable and worthy of protection. Everything she does is to make people sympathise more with and like her, being a master at building up trust and relationships incredibly, artificially fast. Yet, despite her naive persona, she understands a lot more of what is said and done around her than she ever lets on, memorising every last little detail of how people react to things and never letting herself forget it, even if she seems like she has. Never know what's gonna be important, after all. She's a skilled con artist who hates herself more than anyone and will unconditionally love anyone who shows her the slightest bit of true kindness. Her mother beat it into her that she was only a dirty liar, not worthy of anything, especially not love. Her entire personality is a persona shaped by her mother to make her more effective at cons. She has no idea who she is beyond that, beyond doing what people say. 
==History==
===Pre-Game===
[WARNING: CONTAINS RATHER A LOT OF CHILD ABUSE, ALSO SUICIDE, AND DRUGS]
When she was little, the other kids mistook her for a ghost a lot, this tiny girl who couldn't stand to be in bright light so kept to the shadows, moving around like a spooky white figure even when she was trying to play with them or join in on their activities. They'd bully her from time to time, after they realised she wasn't actually a ghost and they could catch her, grip her arm tight enough to leave hideous bruises on the pale white skin and give her some marks to make sure she couldn't fool anyone with her stupid ghost act. Never mind that it wasn't an act, that she didn't mean to. She started meaning to after about a year of that; got fast, got good at hiding, developed an interest in the supernatural and spent hours in the school library reading anything and everything she could find on spirits, undead, and ghosts.
She started pretending in earnest to be a ghost or some kind of supernatural being, a spirit-touched little girl. By the time her mother found out that anything was wrong, she'd been playing mean tricks on her classmates for a couple of months and managed to terrify at least half of them by promising that the school was haunted and she'd help the spirits get them. That got her the respect of most of the ones who weren't terrified, because hey, little kids are very impressionable and she did make good on a few of her promises by being tiny and sneaky and for all her whiteness, able to blend in well when she tried.
Her mother pulled her out for homeschooling and got the idea that perhaps Yuurei could use this ghostliness of hers to make money. She started trying to help her daughter out playing tricks on others and convincing them that there were spirits, talked to Yuurei about the spirits more and more to make sure Yuurei kept "believing" in them or at least being able to lie convincingly about them, because she saw the potential for a fine scam in her daughter's defence mechanism and achromia. 
Yuurei never knew her father, so it was just her and her beloved mother, working on this stage show. The two of them set up their neighbour's apartment to appear haunted using a variety of simple tricks until one day when the elderly man who lived there came over again for tea, Yuurei "happened" to overhear his conversation with her mother about the "spirits" that supposedly haunted him and like she'd been taught, she went over and smiled sweetly up at him and told him that the spirits were mad at him, didn't he know? they'd told her so, heehee.
Without ever having been told, she accurately described some of the things the man had been seeing or hearing in his home. He begged her to help him, called her Little Ghost cause that had been his nickname for her for a while, so she went over to his apartment and put on a bit of a show, pleading with and banishing the spirits using her "connection to the spiritual world", and then she and her mother stopped "haunting" the place. He told a few of his friends about the Little Ghost that had helped him out. Humans easily trick themselves into believing in ghosts or supernatural things.  Yuurei and her mother took advantage of this, playing up her supernatural-connection act around believers in the occult or anyone that elderly man had over, any guests to their apartment.
The little girl got good at fishing information out of people without having it seem like she'd done anything, making vague statements until someone related to one and filled in a few details on the truth. She studied famous mediums, charlatans, and frauds and kept up her act of a tiny ghost-white girl who was in contact with the spirit world, who would play games with and talk to the spirits. She can create and stick to elaborate lies and has never let herself be caught out in a falsehood because this is her life, this is a lie she's told so much and so often and acted out even while she's alone that even she believes it sometimes, even she is tricked into thinking she does see spirits, she is a ghost.
Her mother had her on a combination of hormone blockers and other drugs to keep her body from developing, and crushed her budding breasts with a hot brick, and hit her, to keep her in line and make it easier for her to play the part of the young innocent girl. She told Uso that this was bc the "curse" (albinism) made her sick and the drugs and brick would make the sickness go away. She was kept in a mat in the basement in thin clothing, never allowed to have possessions, anything, etc. And so Uso, who'd gotten good at lying, and pretending, and tricking herself into believing things, came up with this entire fantasy world to pretend she lived in while the drugs made her incredibly sick and prone to hallucinations. In reality, she was curled up and shaking on a tiny mat in the basement in winter, fevered and hallucinating and in pain.
She pretended she was the queen of a tundra in a game where she and all her friends lived, because her ghostliness made her special, made her have friends, and people loved her, and they built a snow castle with her. There was a giant monochrome snake she calls Python-kami who watched over this realm where all her friends lived, and of course it was cold, it was a tundra. The sickness was just Python-kami's way of punishing her for being bad, but it's okay because he loved her, and it would be okay, because he'd help her be good.
Her mother's behaviour grew more and more erratic and prone to hurting her, so she retreated more and more into that fantasy world, developing it in her head, using her hands to make shadow puppets on the wall. One cold winter night she got hold of a bunch of pills that her mother had used, saying they made the pain go away, and she took the entire bottle because she wanted the pain to go away. But in her fantasy world, these were the seeds of a special flower she'd read about, Angel's Trumpet, and she was dying because Python-kami needed a sacrifice, needed someone to die for the world, so it was okay, because she was dying for someone who loved her, and it was cold because it was a tundra, and nothing was sad, and she wasn't… alone...
---
After dying, she spent a couple months in the static before being abruptly spit out into the streets of Shibuya one day. Scared and confused about where she was and how to get back to her mother, she tried talking to various RG people, only to break down in tears when none of them could hear her. Kyoka and Grizz found her and explained that she was dead, and that she had a second chance to go home. She attached herself to Grizz and Pip, since the former swore to protect her and the second was being incredibly motherly, and went to live with Grizz and the other little girl April until the Game.
She became a princess of the realm, along with April and Nagito. Ama is the queen. Several others, including Sol, Grizz, Chris, and Yasei, became knights to protect them. Sol made her a monochrome/red stuffed snake with black/red beaded eyes. She made friends with Kaito, first in his ferret form, then for real when Grizz told her that this nice reaper was the ferret. Generally she tried to get along with everyone she met. Finding out she'd have to fight Grizz, whom she'd come to adore, was the hardest part for her.
The night before Day 0, a game of Truth or Dare resulted in her and Judai agreeing to team up during the Game for the express purpose of summoning elder beings into this realm. She then got Jean to transform into his Noise form and give her a piggyback ride.
Thanks to being in a world where magic seemed real, she was a ghost, and she knew ghosts were 100% undeniably real, Uso lost even the last remnants of doubt that she was a liar instead of a true exorcist. All that had been keeping her doubting herself was her belief ghosts weren't real. If ghosts were real, and magic was real, then she must be able to do all the things she said she could. She remembers doing those things and saying those things, after all (even if they never worked, even if they weren't real, her broken mind and drug-addled memory helped to convince her they were). She knows she's a con artist and a liar because she remembers being taught lockpicking, to read facial expressions, to pick up on emotion from tone of voice, to lead people's statements, to pick pockets, and that sort of thing, and her mother calling her a filthy liar and con. She doesn't remember the exorcism itself (or seeing/talking to ghosts at all) was part of the con, and genuinely believes those parts are real.
===Week 13===
==== Day 0 ====
She went through the tutorial, generally sticking close to Judai, but otherwise not really playing a part in it.
==== Day 1 ====
She pacted with Judai almost right off the bat, fighting first a crab and then a pack of raptors with him and generally being ecstatic about her newfound fighting capabilities (aka manifesting her delusions of a snake god into a physical form). Jean wanted to know why Judai had picked such a partner if he was going to try to win, which crushed her, and sent her fleeing off to an alleyway. She was picked up by Nora and taken to Taboo. Judai and Nagi both eventually found her and managed to convince her to stay pacted to Judai and that things would be okay. For some definitions of okay, anyway.
Later that morning, Jean found her and apologised, then gave her another ride on his Noise form, which left her happy and giggling. During the mission, she befriended Kuroko, and spent a lot of it riding around on his back, up until she got into a fight to clear Kazuya's wall. At the end of the mission, she was happy to see Grizz, hugging him when he appeared... only for him to leave, an awful screaming to be heard, and her to run after him. She got there just in time to see the static monster soaring away and the body on the ground, whereupon she promptly went into shock and clung to Judai, insisting that the static ate Grizz to whomever would listen. He kept her in the Scramble, where all the players were locked down.
Pip showing up made her feel better, though after losing her memories of (and subsequently love for) her blood mother and then losing Grizz (her father figure she'd just started acknowledging as such) to the static, she attached to Pip as her new mom. Fighting a pig (Kei's promised reward) also made her feel better-- magical girl poses are fun!
After that, nothing much happened. She talked to Ama and Nagi (then Jean) about Noise forms, winding up deciding that her new goal in life is to become a reaper and stay with Pip forever... not that she's let on she wants this, of course. She doesn't think that would be seen as a good thing.
==== Day 2 ====
This started off with her getting Nagito to fight her and Judai again. Except this time with stronger raptors. Which nearly killed Judai. Oh, well. After winning that fight, she helped make sure her partner was okay before breaking into Cat's Cradle to have an impromptu sleepover with Ama.
She woke up and explored a few shops, picking up a new Blown Kiss pin and some food, and trying to make friends with several people and one bunny, before wandering back to the Scramble. Here she hung out with Keiss and Nora and listened to Kyoka's story, trying to make her feel better. Of course, she was also thoroughly distracted with Kazuya pulled her and Judai into a fight, but oh well.
The mission she was initially excited about, thinking they could easily go to Udagawa Back Streets and find the artwork Grizz told her about days before, but... once again, the objective was right back where they started. Crushed by her mistake (and terrified she'd be hated and punished for it), Uso clung to Judai for a long time. She let go of him to clear Pip's wall by throwing a pie at Kaito's face... but then promptly clung to Pip and had a mental breakdown when Kaito threatened to sic the raptors on a new target.
The plot distracted her when Seki appeared. April ran forward to get him to remember, and he started shifting into Grizz. Uso ran forward to try to help her, but was caught, and held back, just as he transformed into the static monster with Seki and Grizz's personalities both able to maintain control. After initially being hysterically distraught about it, she went back into her memorised lore, deciding that Static was a bad thing possessing the split personalities of Seki and Grizz. She managed to explain this to April and Nora. Kazuya was promising they'd be okay, so Uso called him on it, wanting to know how Seki/Grizz/Static would be handled, and what 'okay' meant. Kei stepped in, wrapping his jacket around her shoulders and explaining that 'okay' meant surviving and never giving up, a definition she could accept and got April to pink-y swear to.
At that point they were dragged into a fight with a ghost rabbit, which turned out to go down in only a few hits and was amazingly lucrative. She talked to Jean a bit, but mostly collapsed with Judai, talking idly to Takenaka about why they weren't military calibre until Takenaka was pulled into an unwinnable fight with Hawk. Uso figured that's an acceptable way to resolve their differences.
At some point, she also visited Ribbonshades and met Jing and Charles the Rabbit. She loves the latter and wants to apprentice to him to learn his sinister ways.
==== Day 3 ====
Once again, she and Judai started the day by fighting Nagito's Noise, though this time he threw a pair of penguins at them. Uso discovered to her horror that the enemy had figured out the trick of stunning them, but was delighted by her Blown Kiss pin kicking in to heal. She retreated once more to Cat's Cradle.
She woke up and managed to get up the nerve to approach Hawk to eat breakfast in his general vicinity. The two of them had a short conversation in which Uso learned about entry fees before Kai approached. She helped him discover that he'd lost his radio announcer voice as his entry fee, but motivated him to keep going and get it back regardless. Trying to apologise to Kaito, which led to him staring at her blankly, led to her passing out from hyperventilation due to being terrified of this man who was mad at her.
After that, she bought a Demon's Hatred pin at Paindemic, shyly asking Takumi for advice on how to use it and getting a pair of clip-on horns to help her with her demonic appearance. She continued her quest to befriend Eliot without success, but did meet a nice shopkeeper named Vanille who was much easier to befriend. So many new friends.
During the mission, she was initially too scared to participate in facecaking, despite knowing what to do. She tentatively smooshed her face into her cake, then ambushed Judai to get his. It was all going fairly well until Kazuya dragged Kai and Yasei into an unwinnable fight just as April tried to give them friendship bracelets. She and April clung to each other, scared and crying, and watched over the course of the next hour and a half as first Kai, then Yasei was erased. In a fit of childish fury, Uso hit Hikari with not one but two cakes, and clung to Pip and sobbed while the rest of the mission was cleared.
She talked to Kazuya after that, getting a better idea of what it meant to be a reaper, and realising he also thought he was a bad person. They promised to be friends and get a funeral together for the newly erased pair. Clinging to Ama for a while and crying helped, too. Ama is slowly becoming one of her best friends.
Fighting a pig that forced a bad joke to be told before any attack really helped improve her mood. Especially since not only Players but Reapers pitched in to help out, even Jean showing up after Rei told a dad joke. Good times. She ended the day in Cat's Cradle with Ama, cuddling her as she was read a bedtime story.
==Relationships==
=== Grizz (Kishi-sama) ===
One of the first two people she met in the UG, he loved her and promised to protect her, and she loved him as a father figure, though it wasn't until after he was gone she realised this. While she was in the UG pre-Week, she stayed at his apartment with April, and was given one of his reaper hoodies which she wears constantly. Believes with all her heart that he's the best person she's ever met and almost obsessively loves him. Refuses to consider the idea he might not come back.
=== Pippin (Lord-oka/Mom) ===
A reaper who immediately adopted her and has always been caring and maternal. Out of everyone she knows, Uso feels the safest when Pip is around, and latches onto her whenever she sees her. Wants to stay with her forever since she doesn't have any other parents left.
=== April (April-rin) ===
Considers April to pretty much be her sister, since Grizz adopted them both. Cares a lot about the other little girl and wants to make sure she's happy. Especially now that Grizz has been eaten.
=== Yoshi (Yoshi-rin) ===
=== Sol (Sol-nii) ===
=== Yasei (Yasei-rin) ===
=== Keiss (Keiss-rin) ===
=== Amaryllis (Ama-joou) ===
One of her best friends here; another scared, traumatised little dead girl who can certainly figure out where Uso's coming from on most things and be as sympathetic as possible. She considers Ama's store to be her temporary home and tends to feel better just being around the little Reaper girl.
=== Nagito (Nagi-hime) ===
Actually thinks that Nagi is kind and helpful, even with his oft-abrasive manner of speaking. He says things she understands and can relate to. Thinks of him as another princess, but the one who'll take the throne after Ama stops being queen.
===Tendie (Judai-nii)===
Judai is her partner. They promised to pact with each other in order to summon Cthulhu. She considers him a big brother figure and trusts him to protect her, though is very worried about his well-being and wants to keep him safe.
=== Kai (Kai-rin) ===
Has been weirdly attached to him from the moment she found him, mostly because she found him, when he was newly dead and didn't know where he was. She feels a sort of responsibility there and wants to explain things to him and help him do well. Is furious about his death, but determined to get a radio in order to listen to it in memory of him.
=== Lt. Gen Takenaka (Sir Take-sama) ===
Was initially wary about him, since her mother told her never to talk to anyone in a uniform or authority figure. Quickly warmed up to him though, being quite happy to receive a rank of her own, and trusting him completely. Even if she's still bad about taking orders. Was devastated at the thought of losing him to martyrdom, though didn't let it show.
=== Jean (Jean-usa) ===
Absolutely loves Jean's Noise form and thinks he's generally really cool and powerful. Got over being highly intimidated by him to consider him a friend, and values his opinion, since she thinks he really knows what he's talking about. Thinks he needs all of the hugs.
=== Kuroko (Kurokitty) ===
=== Kaito (Kaito-rin) ===
Is absolutely determined to be Kaito's friend. She met him in his ferret shape and fell in love with the cute ferret very quickly, Grizz's prompting getting her to consider the possibility of 'Kai-san' being a reaper. Fed him cookies and promised she'd be his friend even if she met him in person shape, then immediately started trying to be Kaito's friend once Grizz told her he was the ferret. He mostly seems confused by her. She will keep trying. Even though she's terrified he'll hurt her or be mad again.
=== Chris (Chris-kishi) ===
=== Nora (Nora-san) ===
=== Kazuya (Kazuya-rin) ===
==Trivia==
*She has the entire Necronomicon memorised, as well as anything else that hinted at rituals of exorcism or summoning, or spoke of ways to contact the dead.
*She's an incredibly skilled storyteller. Her favourite story is [Paradise Story], but she also knows its sequel, [Paradise Lost]. Both of these she herself wrote. Themes of her stories always include the knight who protects the princess, and are set up like the epitome of all fairytales, but cruelly and unnervingly subverted.
*She has a fixation on the concept of the knight who protects the princess, desperately wanting someone to protect and love her unconditionally like that. In her delusions, an imaginary friend was created for that purpose, a boy named Hikawa Shouji. 
*She speaks both Japanese and English fluently, and can pronounce strange Eldritch ramblings, but is nearly unable to read thanks to low visual acuity from improperly developed fovea making it hard for her to distinguish the strokes of the kanji.
*She's genderfluid, and if allowed to explore more about her identity, or meeting someone else who was genderfluid, would realise she feels like a boy sometimes. If allowed to continue exploring her own identity, she'd want to get rid of her name, because she hates it. Instead, she'd like to replace it with Hikawa Noa when she's a girl, and Hikawa Aoi when she's a boy. Much better names!
*She can mimic people's voices and body language almost perfectly. Not only that, but she can alter her own voice to seem more echoey, and drop it far lower than she looks like she should be able to, going from a high childish soprano down to near-bass. This provides an alarmingly demonic effect... which of course she was trained into.
==Gallery==
uso1.png|Uso's normal appearance.
uso2.png|Uso with red eyes.
uso3.png|Uso's fighing style, feat. Python-kami.
uso4.png|Uso's corpse.
Category:Players
Category:Week 13
Category:Reapers
Category:Active Reaper
Category:Week 14
Category:Week 15
Category:Shopkeeper