Moku Tsurugi

Neural

* Kendra (grandmother equivalent)
* Wren Rose (7th cousins, 1st removed equivalent)
* Phoenix Esther (aunt equivalent)

"*Hi.. I'm Moku, I hope we can be friends.."*

*"If you need art, a friend to talk to, or someone to throw down in a battle with, you know where to find me~!"*

**Moku Tsurugi** is a quarter cephalopod, quarter human, and technically half vehicle. Like Kodachi, she has a Badge embedded on her chest leftover from her origins.

## History

Moku Tsurugi's history is thought to have started from the time she was granted sentience, but many historians claim to believe that the seeds were planted at least a year in advance for her presence. For example, Kodachi was shown to be very attached to the video game Moku's appearance is based off of, and had used it for extensive roleplay in other social circles. Due to the nature of Synaptum, of course this meant that it wouldn't be long before a persona would take her first breath.

Kodachi, like others of her race, had possessed a humanlike form after artificially gaining one from Kendra's internal body, reworking it to be her own in terms of aesthetic and ability. One day, her humanlike form became inaccessible, but could still switch into Kodachi's place. This would render the two of them as a subgroup, and thanks to Hana's help, they can function in separate bodies in Synaptum. Moku reworked her own form automatically, which was a drastic shift from the original form into something part cephalopod, part human.

What had happened in this situation was a case of mitosis.

## Personality

*"You can't spell heart without art!"*

Moku is shy and sweet, she's also quiet and can be described as a good listener. Although her sense of confidence has risen since first joining the collective, she has a hard time interacting with Earth without having a stutter or being able to make extended eye contact, although this may be an extension of other forms of neurodivergence than just shyness alone. Despite her shyness, she has a firm grasp on social skills thanks to the help of her friends. When around people she's comfortable with, she's hyper and excitable with a cartoonish personality to go with it akin to the rest of her siblings.

She has a sensitive streak, as she feels her emotions deeply to the point of having to disconnect from them to keep her from being overwhelmed, positive or negative. She's no stranger to displaying unbridled rage when there's an injustice, but she keeps it internalized among the collective. She also has trouble determining what's meant to be humorous and what's meant to make fun of her as a person - something she may have inherited. This is normal, as she needs to trust someone in order to tell the difference. She's also aversive to the idea of making anyone disappointed in her, and has gone out of her way several times to go the extra mile for someone she cares about just to hear some extra, but earned praise. She describes it as the difference between a friend being proud of you for being a friend, and a friend being proud of you for doing something extraordinary.

Her sensitive side gives her an edge when it comes to her artistic skill, as she tends to pour her whole heart into every piece ranging from the messiest of doodles to her more serious works. Her sensitive side can also make her prone to experiencing a wrathful side that will seek to end you if you make her angry, which is hard to do, unless you do something that makes her perceive you as someone who's abandoning or otherwise slighting her in a personal way.

## Relationships

### Wren Rose

*"He's really cool! He makes up for my inability to use ranged weaponry and he's super protective, and when he gets into that cowboy get up, how can I resist~?!"*

Moku looks up to Wren as her protector and lover, and has considered him to be her life partner. Out of the other idols she's had, Wren is the first and closest to her. The two of them spend the most time together when interacting with the alternate world, and work hard together at their job each day they go together, although he lets her take the reigns while he watches, keeping a protective watch over her. The two of them are mischief makers themselves and tend to be a curious pair, and will "stir the pot" given the opportunity. He gives her advice for when she's playing video games, and Moku acts as someone who can temper Wren's rage.

### Kodachi Tsurugi

*"I came from her, but I think that's why I feel like my own person than a clone. She champions self identity, after all. I can't think of someone better to have come from."*

The relationship between Kodachi and Moku can be described as sisterly, but some have gone as far to call it a mother/daughter relationship. Due to Moku's origins, she feels safer inhabiting Kodachi's internal mind during times of stress or when she needs to spend a prolonged amount of time sleeping. She looks up to Kodachi for her ability to lead so many people all at once and make sure things go smoothly in a collective as big as the Etheridge Collective has become. Moku has expressed the desire to become a leader like her one day - someone who can inspire others just by being around. Someone who can make someone feel like they can move mountains with the right praise and direction.

## Likes/dislikes

Likes

* Drawing digitally and traditionally
* Painting
* Music inspired by 1990's hip hop, Eurobeat, and Chiptune
* Her friends and family
* Video games
	+ Video games she can use melee weapons
		- Melee weaponry
			* Her Inkbrush
* Making others proud
* Her name
* Wearing hats, specifically tweed/newsboy styled caps

Dislikes

* The idea of disappointing anyone
* Being interrupted from her hyperfocus by Kendra's family
* Loss streaks/being unable to carry her team
* Ranged weaponry in video games
* Going to bed early
* Feeling/being abandoned or personally slighted

## Trivia

* The mitosis between her and Kodachi is the first ever example of a split taking place in the Etheridge Collective
* Like Kodachi, she dreams of opening her own art business.
* Moku's name is Japanese for the word, ink.
	+ Moku came to the group without a name of her own, and had gone by Kodachi for a little while before being discovered as her own person. Her name was suggested by Wren and a few others, and she accepted it. To this end, she finds it meaningful and treasures it.
	+ Kodachi used to main the same weapon Moku does, and had thought of the idea to name her weapon Moku.
* She shares her favorite hat type with Lumi