Yūsei Miyazaki

Name: Yūsei Miyazaki (勇星 宮崎). Nicknames: Yūse, Yuu, Sei. Gender: Male. Age: 30. Place of birth: Sasebo, Imperial Japan. Date of birth: 27th of August, 1911. Height: 167 cm.

Physique: Lean and wiry rather than heavily muscular. Carries himself aggressively, chest slightly forward; however doesn't impose his presence on the room he's in.

Hair: Black hair, kept regulation-short length at the sides but longer on top, thick enough to resist staying properly combed for more than a few hours, usually brushed back neatly. The texture is thick, dense, and heavy, usually growing straight but with a slight natural bend near the ends from humidity and sea air.

Eyes: Narrow and almond-shaped, with low, half-hidden lids (一重). Their shape gives him a naturally severe expression even when he is calm. The outer corners tilt subtly upward, lending his stare a sharp, predatory look. His gaze is intense and suspicious, constantly studying others for weakness, deceit, or disrespect. Rarely appears relaxed, but neither does he appear furious.

Eyebrows: Thin, dark, and naturally straight, sitting low over his eyes in a way that gives him a permanent look of irritation. The outer ends taper sharply instead of rounding off.

Face: A lean, angular face defined by high cheekbones and a tense jaw. Yūsei looks both proud and intimidating.

Expressions: Upon finding something amusing, his thin lips will curl up in a crooked grin, as he has a habit of exposing one side of his teeth slightly while sneering. If relaxed, Yūsei remains looking suspicious, judgmental, displeased or mildly offended for no apparent reason. He is a person whose eyes stare through you, not at you. That habit only changes when he's happy, as his eyebrows lift subtly at the outer edges, reducing that permanently confrontational look, and for a moment, he appears much younger, his eyes looking away. His lips form that same crooked grin as he does when amused; however, the expression is more lively, still wary and tired, nevertheless, the brow remaining furrowed. If Yūsei is deeply upset, his eyebrows will lose their aggressive tension. Instead of angling downward in anger, they settle unevenly, creating an expression that looks tired and quietly wounded. His lips will tremble, tightly pressed, as he tries to stare the tears away. In general, he never looks very happy and unbothered, usually carrying the weight of his past behind his gaze, even if pleased. It feels as though something is always there to drag his joy down.

Skin tone: Light-to-medium warm beige tone. Facial hair: Clean-shaven. Race: Asian. Nationality: Japanese. Languages spoken: Japanese. Accent: Japanese middle-class. Smell: Plum, rice, lemon grass.

Specialisation: Engineer. Branch: Imperial Japanese Navy, Engineering department (機関科). Rank: Special Duty Lieutenant (Tokumu Tai-i / 特務大尉).

Headgear: A peaked naval officer cap with a black band and embroidered Japanese Imperial chrysanthemum-and-anchor emblem.

Uniform: Standard Imperial Japanese Navy officer’s dark navy wool uniform with a standing-collar tunic marked with lieutenant-grade gold sleeve stripes, a purple cloth placed as background to the cuff stripes, on both sides of the gold lace on the shoulder boards, and as longitudinal purple piping on the collar patches to show Yūsei is an engineer. Wears a black leather belt with a brass buckle bearing naval insignia. His trousers are the colour of navy dark indigo-black, made from wool, straight-cut trousers and tucked into his boots.

Hobbies and interests: Daifugo, Obake Karuta, Gomoku, playing local card and board games, Japanese naval doctrines, tinkering with mechanisms, engineering, basic cryptology, dream journaling and drinking sake.

Political ideology: Yūsei is more focused on his own self-preservation and interests than on the war at large. He's slightly invested in the Japanese political agenda due to his education and the spirit of the people around him, which causes him to harbour a grudge against the Americans and the "West". Dislikes democracy, thinks of it as "the rule of the weak". Drawn to systems that are totalitarian in nature, that allow him to hold a secure spot in power, as he dislikes being in a "submissive" position. Yūsei possesses a keen awareness of hierarchy and authority, quickly identifying where power lies within an organisation or social setting. He is most comfortable when he occupies a position of influence and dislikes being dependent on others. To him, hierarchy is not only natural but necessary, and he tends to respect strength, competence, and decisiveness above all else. Consequently, he can be openly dismissive of individuals he perceives as weak-willed and lacking the ability to assert themselves.

Prejudices: Personally believes that the United States is Japan's main obstacle to achieving territorial expansion and greatly dislikes Americans and their allies. Taught to dislike most "Westeners" after absorbing the spirit of the Imperial Japanese Navy Engineering School; however, he can tolerate Germans. Dislikes any religion, and if given the power, would have any other beliefs than his rigorously repressed.

Spiritual beliefs: Despite his logical nature, he is drawn to mysticism and spiritual beliefs he doesn't understand. He rejects organised religions, theology, and metaphysical systems while simultaneously being utterly convinced that his own particular dreams have genuine meaning. At times, they do. Yūsei keeps a dream journal and writes down anything he finds interesting or remembers from the previous night, attempting to find coherent patterns. Believes that his dreams have meaning and come true.

Personality: Incredibly moody and usually grumpy, prone to snapping fast. Mentally stubborn, even hateful towards his enemies or those who disagree with his ideals. Superstitious. Prone to outbursts of violence. Used to be more "lively" when he was in his 20's, when his anger, jealousy and resentment served as his main guiding tool to life. Nevertheless, the negative emotions linger within him, and at times may rekindle; then, Yūsei's behaviour cannot be described as anything other than confrontational and excessively aggressive. He has burned himself out and currently has little capacity for any nonsense from his crew or anyone else. Possesses an awareness of the way he is and often chooses to do things alone to not be triggered by others' foolish behaviour. Yūsei is a solitary person by nature and will only "socialise" if alcohol is present.

Yūsei is described as "fun" when drunk. He never misses an opportunity to prank and make fun of his guests, colleagues or even friends when he has the energy to do so. For instance, when drunk, he often talks to his fellow seamen and asks them how many degrees they think it is outside. Both parties will then share their estimates, and then they’ll check the real temperature. Yūsei would then make his crew drink as many shots of sake as the number of degrees they were off by. This is, however, rare.

Avoidant in making bonds due to his jealousy, worried about being seen as vulnerable or less than his older brother, which he refuses to accept, even if it's a very uncomfortable topic for him. His outbursts of anger come by fast, but end as fast as they came. At times, it feels like Yūsei has lost the ability to play any role other than that of an angry and demanding Special Duty Lieutenant. His bluntness, valuable experience, and confidence often place him in a position of authority, whether formally appointed or not. In unfamiliar environments, he has little inclination to wait for instructions. Instead, he tends to take charge himself, directing others according to what he believes is the most effective course of action. Even when his leadership style is abrasive, few of his crew doubt his willingness to assume responsibility and make difficult, yet fast and decisive decisions. One of his weaknesses is the inability to read people's emotional states (or maybe his lack of a will to learn how to read his crewmates and those around him). Yūsei has given up on being understood a long time ago, or seen as anything but a supervisor, especially after Emiko left him. After all, his ex-wife was the only person whom he trusted fully.

Usually emotionally dull, burned out, or angry. Doesn't like to waste his energy on small, inconsequential things. Yūsei lacks tact and diplomacy in dealing with people, often displaying his intolerance of other people's shortcomings and weaknesses, especially if they are his crew. Good and "dominant" in individual interactions with people he already knows, a little shy and unwilling to speak to strangers who aren't his subordinates or supervisors.

Knowledgeable and interested in the latest Japanese naval doctrines, subscribes to the classic doctrine of "decisive battle" (艦隊決戦), which regards destroying the bulk of an enemy's naval strength in a single, large-scale fleet action.

Backstory: Born in April 1911 to the Miyazaki (宮崎) family, Yūsei (勇星) was the family's second son. Both his father and his Mother cared little for the boy, pouring most resources into the firstborn son, Hachirō (八郎). Hachirō has grown to be taller, more talented and more modest than his younger brother, as the local people described him as "as calm as a lazy river", disciplined, kind and polite. Yūsei was the opposite; his anger was great, burning at the sight of injustice or unfairness — a noble drive, which pushed the young man to serve in the navy. The Miyazaki were an educated middle-class family; however, they lived in Sasebo, which was a city with a naval tradition, located next to the Yellow Sea. Yūsei's childhood was uneventful, at least for the era. His Father may have beaten him a few times, but unless he misbehaved or embarrassed the family publicly, he was ignored by both the Mother and the Father. Most of the resources his Father has gathered while working for the Harbour Police were poured into Hachirō anyhow.

At the age of 16, in 1927, he enlisted in the Navy, attempting to at least "try" for his parents, while despising his brother, Hachirō, who had chosen a similar path, sent to a proper Imperial Japanese Naval Academy in Etajima (海軍兵学校). Yūsei became a Third-Class Seaman, working with a variety of equipment and staying at his parents' home, moving only at the age of 18, to attend the nearby Imperial Japanese Navy Engineering School (海軍機関学校) in Yokosuka.

Being a handsome man in a cadet navy uniform has given him a variety of women to choose from, all of whom have shown great interest in him. Sadly, Yūsei's stubborn, strict and moody personality drove most of them away, except for Emiko, who was a very outspoken woman by nature. While both of them had different ideas and argued often, the man found himself drawn to her confidence, passion, playfulness, and fire, even if irritated by it at times. The couple was a pair of misfits who enjoyed making fun of others or pranking their guests when the opportunity arose. To this day, if Yūsei is in a good mood, he may choose to joke with someone. They bonded over playing Daifugo, Karuta or Gomoku, as well as a variety of other local card and board games and drinking together. Emiko was described as someone who kept the man a little less concerned with his jealousy, and she always listened to his ideas with great interest.

Yūsei has finished the academy at the age of 20 and has been promoted several times, coming back to Sasebo to return to the fleet service as an engineering specialist. While absent, he wrote long letters to his sweetheart living in Yokosuka, filled with a drive and encrypted in a code only understood by Emiko, which they had both developed during their teenage years. Emiko was his first love, and he was deeply invested in their bond.

Soon, in 1932, Emiko and Yūsei were married, as both families found the marriage beneficial. However, when Japan began its military adventures in China in 1931, it was a society in turmoil. The parliamentary government failed to respond to the crises of the 1930s, and the public lost faith in party politics. Military leadership stepped into the political opening to execute a slow-moving takeover of the state, effectively transforming democracy into authoritarian rule, which Yūsei became a part of. Absent from the mainland, he served aboard several destroyers (駆逐艦). During his years of absence due to fleet service, Emiko grew closer to his older brother, Hachirō.

Even after years of training, Yūsei was never socially comparable to Hachirō and the other graduates of the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy. The jealousy and rage were eating at the man from the inside; he channelled that anger, often snapping at his wife and colleagues. This drove his wife to become even closer with his brother, soon, having an affair with what she claimed to be "the better man of the two", as Hachirō was a lot more likeable than Yūsei.

After three years of marriage, Yūsei has seen his wife kissing Hachirō in the family garden. Upon catching his wife having an affair, the man would start an argument which lasted hours. Emiko claimed in her defence that she had effectively lost the man she loved and treasured so dearly a long time ago. Apparently, the young Yūsei she met, wearing a cadet uniform, was now too concerned with work and strict hierarchies. Uncertain as to how he would behave or how antisocial (at times, emotionally unresponsive and dull) he would become after the affair, she begged for a divorce.

The husband drafted a letter, mikudarihan (三行半) and handed it to Emiko and her family. By 1935, Yūsei was officially a divorced bachelor, as his ex-wife returned to live with her family. The man didn't take the divorce well at all, throwing himself into a deeper rabbit hole of work and further hatred for his older brother, who didn't even wish to pursue Emiko after the affair, nor cared to marry her. When asked about the divorce, Yūsei will remain defensive, claiming that Emiko was "never a good wife to begin with", which is objectively untrue. Deep inside his heart, he feels guilty for letting his anger get the better of him and taking his rage out on anyone within his vicinity back when he was younger. Yūsei is certain that if he behaved better, his wife wouldn't have chosen his own brother before him. This incident is the reason for his avoidance of people in general, especially women (if possible) and his further hatred and jealousy for his older brother. Currently, he serves aboard the Japanese destroyer Yūgumo, the lead ship of the Yūgumo-class (夕雲), built in 1941. His living residence is in Maizuru (舞鶴市), which is halfway between where Emiko lived (Yokosuka) and his parents' humble residence (Sasebo).

Sexuality and Romance: Despite years passing, Yūsei is still closed off when it comes to love or friendship. His relationship with Emiko was intense and playful, but also romantic, as he wrote encrypted letters to her filled with kind words. Nowadays, that passion has been burned out, and if the man were to ever be in a relationship again, it would start slowly, with mostly Yūsei's partner putting in a little more work than him. At first, the relationship would be held together by a sense of common goals and purpose, then it would turn into a more romantic one, as Yūsei would begin to trust his new partner. At times, his jealousy would show; he is prone to checking on his partner often; however, a degree of trust will be given in due time. His partner must understand their “place” within a hierarchical social structure, as Yūsei prefers to take the lead in romance once he trusts the other person enough. Once the fire slowly rekindles, he'll be a more playful and passionate lover, although still strictly adhering to the norms and hierarchies expected of him. During sex, he is to be in a position of authority; he's not forceful if he trusts his partner and respects them.

Living quarters: Since he's currently spending most of his days aboard the Japanese destroyer Yūgumo, he doesn't set foot on the mainland that often. However, he has saved up enough money to purchase a small residence in Maizuru (舞鶴市). It's one main room with tatami flooring, a small kitchen, and a storage closet, with a separate washroom.

Yūsei's kimono: Brought out for special occasions only, such as festivals. It is a T-shaped robe with square sleeves and a rectangular body, worn left side over right, and traditionally paired with an obi (broad sash), zōri sandals, and tabi socks. It's a dark, solid-coloured navy kimono made of formal cotton with a subdued stripe pattern and a red obi belt, which catches the attention of the people near him.