弱音ハク//Yowane Haku

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□ Name: JeniOctavia
□ Age: 28
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jenioctavia | PLURK
□ Journal: jenioctavia
□ Do you play anyone in Ariel?: Rin Okumura (keepsthefire)

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□ Name: Haku Yowane | 弱音ハク
□ Series: Vocaloid
□ Canon point: About 5 years after initial activation
□ History:

Note: Vocaloids as "mascots" for their respective voice banks do not have any real set canon as a whole. They're given some basic personality for the sake of illustration, and in the case of the most recognizable - Hatsune Miku - a little bit more personality for advertisement campaigns. Notable ones being the very strange 7-11 adverts in Japan, or the "Toyota Miku" campaign in America, but it's pretty obvious any of these are in conflict with one another and hardly stand alone as a set personality for Miku. The only thing that comes close to giving them any sort of personality is the extensive series of rhythm games by Sega called 初音ミク -Project DIVA- (Hatsune Miku : Project Diva). More information about the series can be found here (music will auto play when you click the link, so speakers might need to be turned down).

After discussing with a mod (here) I'm going to use Project Diva as a basis as best as I can for Haku, taking in to account her "progression" over the release of the games, but starting with her history in 2008 (though with a preface about the start of Vocaloid and Hatsune Miku).

And following an apology for that very long winded explanation, please let me know if there's anything you'd like further explained, edited, or changed.

Thank you.

--

Earth, 2007. A new technological marvel had been created, and the whole world was sitting up to take notice. Extremely advanced androids with the programmed ability to sing, dance, play instruments, perform and even learn had become a sensation over night with the release of Vocaloid Hatsune Miku, and everyone wanted a piece of the action.

Well... that was part of the story. Vocaloid as a program, an idea and as prototype and working models of androids had been around since the early 2000’s, but it was Miku’s release that thrust her, Vocaloid, and the companies that created Vocaloid in to the lime light.

The unfortunate fact was that not everyone could be a part of this amazing movement. Only the company that had made Miku, Crypton, had succeeded where so many others had failed. Others had come before them, some from over seas and some locally, but they were rough and barely holding a candle to the five that Crypton had made. MEIKO, Kaito, Miku, and the twin units Rin and Len Kagamine were the ones everyone were all a-buzz about after Miku’s release, and with good reason - they had stumbled on something that made them stand alone from others - the ability to be as human-like as possible. Though Crypton was secretive as to how they had accomplished such a thing, it was clear they were ahead of their time, and their Vocaloids in particular were nearly indistinguishable from normal human idols.

Some people, though, were just desperate enough to find a way to steal the secrets and begin the attempt at making Vocaloids for themselves, regardless of what Crypton wanted. A rag tag group of techs and designers led by an unscrupulous music producer decided to take matters in to their own hands, and through several back handed and under the table deals managed to illegally secure Crypton property. Blueprints, parts and plans were taken, but they were still lacking the much higher technical know-how to make it work like Crypton's techs has been able to.

Yowane Haku was their first failed attempt, followed by Akita Neru, both modeled after their predecessor and the one everyone wanted to have, Hatsune Miku. What they turned out was horribly disappointing. Neither girls had the clear, clean voice that Miku had, and no amount of tweaking or fiddling with their vocal systems seemed to help. They also seemed to lack decent performance skills as well, barely able to put together enough rhythm to even dance properly. To make matters worse, their personalities were completely on opposite ends of the spectrum from perky, happy Miku. Neru simply didn’t care what her masters wanted and ignored them more often than not, and Haku quickly fell in to depression at her inability to do anything properly, and was found more often than not at the end of a sake bottle, trying to drink her cares away. How a robot could get drunk, they weren't even sure, but it seemed to be just another one of her flaws.

Being driven by the producer who was determined to make his millions off this idea, others were worked on, but in the end all attempts utterly failed. They were beginning to hemorrhage money from their own failures and repeated attempts and soon enough they found it better to quit while they were ahead and keep what they had, hoping that some how they’d eventually find a use for them. Their only real "successes" and assets seemed to be Dell Honne, who was a surprisingly dedicated song writer and manager rather than a singer, and Haku, who was basically walking, talking, poor-singing “fanservice”.

When decent music had failed the company completely, they simply decided to work with what they had, using Haku as she was the only one willing to work when she was sober enough. Mostly it was just making videos with her poor singing skills that highlighted other aspects of her body and garnered a lot of underground fans throughout Japan, though the word "tsumanne" (boring) came up several times in video comments. This only drove Haku further in to depression, and the producer often turned his anger on her, turning verbally abusive and merely adding to the already worthless sense of self Haku had.

Eventually the failed attempts at Vocaloids and the thefts were later found out by the original company thanks to the videos they had produced with Haku and some of the others. After a lengthy lawsuit, the company was put entirely out of business, the techs left thoroughly ostracized, and the producer was thrown in jail. The failed variations were adopted by Crypton to be part of their original line up. Even those that had no real musical skills were given a place, working in other departments in the company, like Dell who was put in to a more managerial position along with his song writing duties.

Meeting Miku for the first time was a terribly nerve wracking experience for Haku, who had been told for so long that she was nothing like the original and never would be. In her mind, Miku was some great, amazing idol, put on a pedestal by all. She really didn’t know what the other Vocaloid was going to think of her given all that, and was convinced Miku would hate her, or treat her like dirt just like her original producer had.

But she was pleasantly surprised to find that Miku’s hyper bubbly personality was more than just a public act. She was the kindest, sweetest person Haku had ever met, and instantly accepted the “younger” Vocaloid as her sister, instantly taking to calling her “Haku Haku-nee”. The others responded well in turn, the older ones taking her and her kind under their wing within the company while the younger ones clung like little siblings to new adopted family.

But even for an android, depression wasn't going to be easy to shake. Every little mistake Haku made was cause for dramatics, dropping to her knees and begging for forgiveness. Sake was in ready supply since MEIKO was fond of the drink herself, and the new environment, while certainly healthier for her, wasn't doing much to banish old habits. Several times the producers of Crypton asked her kindly if she wanted to participate in activities with the other Vocaloids, such as appearances or even small benefit concerts, but more often than not, Haku turned them down and remained in her room, huddled in a dark corner.

Nearly a year after her activation, some six months after being adopted by Crypton, Miku came to Haku on the day of her activation (November 21st) with a small cake and a present. Haku was genuinely shocked and touched that Miku knew the date at all, and found herself reduced to happy tears over the gesture. The present - a black Taylor acoustic guitar with a purple strap that matched the purple Haku often wore - was given to her because Miku remembered a conversation some months back where Haku admitted guitars were her favorite instrument because of how much she loved the sound.

Haku nearly declined the gift, saying it would merely gather dust in a corner because she would never be able to learn how to play. Miku disagreed, and said that all her brothers and sisters were capable of learning, even Haku. She hugged Haku, and said she wished so much that Haku would be a proper part of the family, and that no one was ever going to reject her or yell at her again.

Again, Haku cried, but this time it was tears of sorrow and relief. She knew it was true already, but hearing it from Miku was something she needed to believe it. Miku spent the rest of the day with Haku in her room, talking, laughing, eating cake, even teaching her a few simple cords on the guitar. At the end of the night she was finally pulled out of her room for the first time in weeks and greeted by an even bigger cake on a table, surrounded by her "siblings".

It was this encouragement and the warmth of the others that started to pull Haku away from drinking away her depression, a quiet urging in her heart telling her she could maybe, just maybe, be more than what she had started out as. Miku believed in her more than anyone ever had, and that was more than enough to convince her to at least try. Miku insisted she start practicing with her, in dance, singing and playing, and over time Haku’s skills slowly grew and became better. Her fan base only grew as her skills did and her appearances became more frequent, Crypton releasing new videos with her that quickly gained popularity. Those that had been fans from her rocky start remained, excited to see the return of the busty, shy but "cute" Haku Yowane, and new fans began appearing along side them to cheer her on.

She was never quite on par with Miku, nor was she ever going to be as popular, but she was good enough for fans to start taking notice, and soon even people who once pegged Haku as ‘tsumanne’ (boring/useless) began changing their tune. She had enough of a fan following that Crypton officially changed her status (as well as Neru’s) from “variation” to “officially adopted”, and when she wasn’t with Vocaloid vocally she was often backing them up via guitar at performances.

About a year after that night in Haku's bedroom, good news came their way. They were beginning to get sponsors. Companies like Sony, Toyota and many more wanted them as mascots for advertising and the like, and beyond that Sega even wanted to make a rhythm based video game featuring the Vocaloids and their music. Crypton agreed and signed them all on, even working out a deal where Haku and Neru would appear in the game. The game featured them in their own PVs (promotional videos) produced for the game as well as extra features like alternate costumes, and a Diva Room where people could customize rooms for the individual Vocaloids to hang out in. It was appropriately titled Hatsune Miku: Project Diva, as she was the one at the forefront of it all It was a massive hit with the fans, spawning several sequels and versions made for multiple game systems, with improvements like attachments, "Happiness meter", having more than one Vocaloid on the screen at a time, and by the time the Sony Vita was released, touch screen features and Altered Reality camera.

Minor stardom had become intense fame at last for everyone involved, even the one once considered a failure. Haku had tasted success, and it was far sweeter than any bitter sake had ever been.

Crypton had eventually allowed their technology to be released to other, legitimate companies for a price, and many other Vocaloids (and an off shoot- UTAU, a subset that were made by more amateur creators) were produced. To keep up with the demands and the constantly growing technology, older Vocaloids started to get upgrades, starting with Miku’s “Append” upgrade and moving in to Appends for Len, Rin, and Kaito. Haku and Neru were also gifted upgrades, but their systems didn't allow for ones as advanced as Appends. They sounded much better than they had at the start, but as always it wasn't going to nearly be on the level of the others. Not that they minded - Haku at least was happy to get any kind treatment, even if it was a less-than-perfect upgrade.

Really, Haku was having a good life with Crypton. She may not have been the happiest android around, and her insecurities and shyness were always going to be an issue, but she was on a long road to becoming something better. And for the time being that was enough for her.

□ Personality:

Note: As stated above, I'm mostly using Project Diva as the basis for Haku's personality, with the history used to expand on it.

In Project Diva 2nd and Project Diva Extend where the "happiness meter" was implemented, on the main character choosing screen Haku's "happiness" is depicted as such:

When HAPPY, she puts her palms together while bending down slightly and looking downwards. (image)
When GOOD, she stands more relaxed with her hands clasped at her middle, looking up. (image)
When BAD, she cradles her head in her hands.

Two video examples of her progression from Project Diva 2 to Project Diva Extend:

Project Diva 2nd - Notice she sighs and says "tsumanne" at one point, repeating the thoughts she has about being "boring".

Project Diva Extend - much happier, but prone to little fits.

--

Once upon a time, Haku was an angst bucket to the ‘nth degree. Her way of dealing with existing was to try to find meaning at the bottom of a sake bottle, but that only ever resulted in drunkenness and more depression. Not that it mattered to her - being drunk was better than being sober and having to listen to the producer do nothing but berate her and leave her in tears. There was really no complexity about it - from the first time she sang and her creators found out what they had made was NOT what they wanted, she was treated as nothing more than an inferior piece of equipment that was taking up space. Her first year of existence she was told she was useless, therefore she believed she was useless.

Thankfully being rescued by Crypton, given a proper home, a proper family, and a chance to grow and hone her lacking skills at her own pace with encouragement rather than harshness has helped her a great deal for growing out of this. But as with any change, especially emotional and psychological change, it's been slow going.

She’s still naturally quiet, shy, and while she enjoys conversation she does so with a soft spoken tone and a bowed head as if meeting some one's gaze is simply too difficult for her. She can smile and be happy, of course, but it takes a bit of effort to drag her out of her shell.

But that in mind, she wants friends, she wants to be loved and wants to be able to trust people just like any other human that's been hurt in the past. She probably trusts too easily, often a bit too naive for her own good, and has difficulty detecting when people are being deceptive or untruthful. She doesn't quite get nuance and subtlety and can be kind of "people dumb", leading her to be easily deceived. For as much abuse as she endured, she was also terribly sheltered from the rest of the worlds.

Unfortunately what intelligence she does have is basically the result of information being downloaded directly in to her robotic brain. To say she's "stupid" would be a misnomer - it's more like ill-informed and lacking common sense. She has the ability to learn, of course, but many things will just sort of... fly right over her head.

This worldly naivete coupled with a strong desire to do things right and not be a failure also leads her to agree with damn near anything some one tells her. She has a very, very hard time saying no to anyone, especially if she thinks that by doing so she'll be letting some one down. It doesn't matter what she's being asked to do, chances are high that she's going to agree.

But she's very easy to hurt emotionally. It doesn't take much to make her feel bad. Failures, letting some one down, even little mistakes while often send her flailing in to apologies, or bemoaning how terrible she is. She strives so hard to not be what she was before that it's often two steps forward, three steps back. On the reverse of that, though, success makes her swell up with joy, and particularly good events make her cheer and bounce around like a child (even though she really shouldn't with that chest, silly girl).

While she's often the one in the background doing the least amount of socializing in a crowd, she does well with people one on one, and attaches herself to people rather quickly. Haku is big on the concept of family, and people aren’t just close friends to her - they’re other brothers and sisters. She feels big, and she loves just as big. Once she opens up she’s warm, affectionate, caring and is the kind of person that would try to go the extra mile for some one she cares about just because she can. Unfortunately this means she also worries big, and she’s empathetic enough that when her family is hurting, she’s hurting, too. It's clear her emotions range on the extreme, but growth is also learning to tame these feelings, which is something she's still working on.

She still lacks confidence. She hasn’t gained nearly as much as she would like, and often feels her skills “aren’t good enough”. More often than not before she performs, she’ll apologize for not being as good as her sister (hell, she apologizes for APOLOGIZING sometimes. She’s got Colette Brunel Syndrome) even when she’s tried her best. Compliments make her blush, praise makes her flail, and trying to call her ‘cute’ will just have her red-faced and hiding behind her hands. Ironically comments about her more attractive features or relative hotness will either be met with much less resistance. It’s ‘cute’ or variations there of that seems to get her blushing more often than not.

Haku didn’t start out complex, but four years is a long time for an AI to learn and grow, and she’s fully aware she’s got a lot more learning to do before her life, however long it is, is finally over.

□ Age: 5/Appears and acts around 25

□ Gender: Female

□ Appearance:

Haku, in spite of a build that looks like it should be taller, is only 5'3" in height, and has a body that reflects this short stature with noticeable curves. The first most people focus on is her... impressive chest size. Being built as an android excluded her from silly human limitations like gravity and back problems, so Haku was oh so generously gifted with rather large breasts. From there she's built relatively average, with a little more "meat" on her, giving her a curved waist and hips that are at least a little more reasonable than her upper features.

And for reasons unknown to even her, she was given a nearly Albino look when she was created - thick silver-white hair that's nearly long enough to touch the back of her calves, normally pulled back in to a low pony tail at the nape of her neck, with messy slightly wavy bangs that curl over bright blood-red eyes.

Even with the Albino-like features, though, her skin is more pale-cream than truly washed out or pigment-less. On her right arm, the letters DTM are tattooed permanently in red ink. The letters apparently stand for "Desktop Music" though no one knows why that was chosen for her "call number".

She can and does wear a variety of clothes, most of them that are somewhat figure-hugging or at least cleavage/belly showing, but she has a "default" set consisting of a large black and purple striped hair bow, black and purple LED headphones with a microphone that's more often up than it is down, a short gray sleeveless button down with a purple tie, and black hip hugger pants with a purple stripe, and a single checkered purple suspender strap worn down at her hip attached to a purple belt. On this outfit are also detachable black sleeves with various computer panel readouts on either arm. Her boots are white, with purple soles, and only go up ankle high beneath her pants.

While this is the main outfit she's seen in during appearances, she does have other outfits, but will often keep her signature bow on regardless of what she's in.

How Haku is depicted in Project Diva: Arcade

□ Abilities/Powers:

Aside from originally being a very realistic human-like android with a computer brain that can sing and play instruments (favoring the acoustic and electric guitar), Haku doesn’t have any powers. She’s just plain ol’ Vocaloid. Well, knock off Vocaloid. -- well, human now, which is going to take a lot of getting used to.

A lot of getting used to.

So aside from being a barely passable performer she's pretty much lacking in the way of skills.

□ Personal Items:

✔ One (1) beat up black Taylor acoustic guitar with a purple strap

✔ One (1) "Cyber Dive" outfit

✔ One (1) "Purple Gothic" outfit with hat, shoes, nylons and gloves

✔ A "family" portrait of her, Neru and the other Crypton Vocaloids with Kamui Gakupo and GUMI included.

✔ Two (2) very large bottles of cheap sake

✔ A (no longer functioning) simple purple flip phone. Clipped on it is a small keychain set with a little pink... fluff ball thing, a white cat (with a bow that looks suspiciously like hers) and a small hand strap that's patterned like the suspender she wears.

✔ A simple brown shoulder bag with the following items: three notebooks containing sheet music and stickie-notes, a small black wallet with a Crypton Media Inc ID, a couple of photos and about 500 in yen, a couple of other scattered pieces of paper with various dates, times, names and some phone numbers and a single purple ink pen.

✔ A thick, tasseled purple scarf.

✔

□ First Person Sample:

□ Third Person Sample:

Castle in the Mist: intro post
Castle in the Mist: Haku talks to AU!Duo Maxwell about being afraid of the castle's Shadow creatures and general feelings of uselessness