Empatheias Application

⌈ PLAYER SECTION ⌉
Player: Amanda
Contact: lineandcolor on Plurk
Age: 29
Current Characters: None


⌈ CHARACTER SECTION ⌉
Character: Alpha Hatsuseno
Age: Unknown (looks to be late 20s-early 30s?)
Canon: Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou
Canon Point: Chapter 6 of Volume 14

Background: Not much is known about Alpha’s past. All we have been able to find out, so far, is that she is an android of the A7 series and, more specifically, a prototype of the A7-M2 model (very few were in production) one of the first in the A7 series, thus her name Alpha. Her last name, Hatsuseno, is the last name of her owner who is never seen within the series (though heard in a dream once). However, this manga does not have a set plotline, instead choosing to show a slice of life within every chapter, though they still connect in the way that the two children Alpha meets grow up and move away throughout the manga. It is during their lives that Alpha matures and grows with her own life experiences with these kids, the environment around her, and her customers that she meets. The setting of this story is that some kind of catastrophe has happened long ago on the planet Earth and as a result, humanity is slowly, but surely, dying off. The planet itself is changing as seen in the lush scenery of flooded towns, roads, and nature taking back her land. However, humanity itself still thrives as they slowly die off, choosing to go out peacefully, rather than with the usual panic and mayhem we see in apocalyptic/post-apocalyptic settings.

Hopefully, this link will help? I apologize for the sparsity, but the manga is very slice of life, without much of a plot.

Personality: Unlike most cheerful characters, Alpha has the ability to be sweet without over doing it. She has a very pleasant demeanor that has won her several friends from just about everyone not to mention a few loyal customers that visit her Café. However, she is somewhat of a sheltered person and can be socially awkward due to her inexperience with other people and, in general, the life all around her. However, she was aware of this. When her owner left to travel, she opted to stay behind to look after the café. She wanted to experience more before she set out into the world, so to speak. She also grows attached to her human friends, from Ojisan and Sensei, to the little Takahiro and Maki. She continues to stay attached even as they grow older and move away to live their lives. Despite her inexperience, it’s fairly obvious that Alpha views the world in the Japanese tradition of what is known as “mono no aware”, the sadness of the transience of things. It’s due to her immortality as a robot and the sad fact that, while peacefully, humanity is dying. Soon only she and the other robots will be left along with Mother Nature as she takes back her land.

This decision benefitted her more than she realized, though she soon figured it out later on. As she learns and grows from the people she meets, she gains much more confidence in herself, allowing her to grow socially and not be so awkward. However, despite her awkwardness, she is quite thoughtful, often showing a maturity that is only seen during the chapters where she is alone, rather than with others. Whether this is due to the fact that she is immortal and thus thinks about the things around more than we realize or if it was due to her growth throughout the manga is up to the viewer (as with many things in this manga).

Alpha also has an amusing affinity for fish, often carving fish designs in her spare time. She also likes to tinker around machines, often cleaning her scooter or playing with an old plane engine. A unique thing about her is that her is that she is able to induce tears using her eye moisturizers, something she was not aware of until she was struck by lightning and found herself touched by the kindness she was given by Sensei (a doctor who treats both robots and humans) and Ojisan (he found her and brought her to Sensei). Of course, when her hair was redone due to the lightning strike and it hadn’t had time to settle she found another reason to cry. From embarrassment! Also, Alpha is unable to process animal protein of any kind. She can’t even have milk! Though her friend, Kokone, tried to help by giving her some rum and having her mix a little bit of milk in it. It worked, though only for a short while. Alpha over indulged a little (and she can’t handle liquor very well).

When her owner leaves and see sets out onto her first trip to Yokohama, that’s where she meets Ojisan, the owner of the gas station she stops at. This is where it is revealed that she likes being alone and doesn’t completely understand the world around her. But Ojisan takes a liking to her a vice-versa, she often stops at the gas station to have a chat with him.

Later on, she meets his grandson, Takahiro. He and his friend Maki are the kids she grows attached to the most, often going out with them to play by the beach or simply visiting them. They are the ones who seemingly teach Alpha how to act without the awkwardness as she learns (and is suitably amazed) but she displays a thoughtfulness that shows how observant she is. This is seen during the panels that show practically no dialogue, only scenes and scenery. She also learns more about herself as a robot after she meets Sensei, the doctor who took care of her when she was struck by lightning, because Sensei was involved in the creation of the A7 series. When around Sensei, she is usually very polite and formal, though she grows a little out of this the more times she spends with the older woman.

However, it’s Kokone, a fellow robot, that shows the true Alpha the most. It was here that she learns that having green hair and purple eyes was sign of being a robot thus quite strange (she didn’t think so until she met Kokone). All robots have different color hair like this. It’s also Kokone who becomes one of her best friends, telling her stories about the city that she lives in and more about humans. She also simply loves spending time with Kokone, as they have much more in common than anyone else Alpha has met.

Alpha is always eager to learn and grow, to experience new things and this is perhaps her motivating factor in life. She can tell when she won't be getting any customers and she doesn't mind, she will simply do what she wants during those days, whether its tuning up her scooter or going to the gas station to eat some watermelons with Ojisan.

To her customers, she's a bit of an odd barista. She will serve you probably the best coffee ever (or tea if she runs out of coffee beans) and then she will sit with you. Usually it's silent, but it always makes the customer question if she does this all the time. She will always laugh sheepishly but then a conversation is born. Once in awhile, she won't sit with her customers but quietly observe them. She simply loves to know more about who she serves and sometimes, simple watching is enough.

Abilities: None, she's a robot but seems to have capabilities similar to human. She eats, drinks, etc. I suppose the only extraordinary thing about her is that she is immortal and can do without food for much longer than an actual human. She can sometimes "feel" an electric charge when powering up her scooter and her tongue is capable of transferring files between robots (yes, this means she has to kiss them. It's every bit as awkward for her as it sounds) and viewing the photos on her unique Her camera (there's a cord she puts in her mouth).

Alignment: Aiada; she appreciates the lives of those she meets, despite knowing that she will watch them grow old and die while she remains her youthful self and has joked with Ojisan if they would like to trade places as he has already grown old

Other: None


⌈ SAMPLE SECTION ⌉

General Sample/Emotion Sample: Alpha had seen the request for help on the Taskboard, GT0509 for one Ally Jakobs. Poor thing, she was highly allergic to a flower on the way to the store so she needed help with groceries, something Alpha was more than willing to oblige. She hadn't been here long, but this new world was amazing. It seemed to be going through the opposite effect than what was going on at home. More people arrived all the time, more places being discovered or built while at home, people were slowly diminishing in numbers. Humanity entering its twilight as Alpha looked on through her robot eyes.

"Oof," She grunted as she picked up the bag, and she waved off the associate who reached out to help her. "No, no! It's okay. I just kind of forgot how heavy this would be, h-heh. But don't worry, I got it! Thank you so much, though."

It made her appreciate life all the more, seeing it thrive here. She only wished Kokone or Maruko could see it. Or maybe even Ojisan and Sensei, before they passed. The thought was a sobering one, she looked down at the bag of groceries she held, walking back to Miss Jakob's residence. A gentle breeze blew around her and the soft, sad sounds of a Gekkin being strung filled the air around her. It reminded her of the times she played the instrument for her friends, many who had grown and left or who were no longer in this world.

"I wonder..." She said to herself, beginning a thought aloud before trailing off and letting the thought fly away in the gentle breeze. Those were thoughts for another day.

But soon, the music turned to a more uplifting, if a bit bittersweet, as she remembered all the memories she had. All that she would cherish. No matter how long she was here or there, she figured she would be around until the twilight years ended and then maybe even after. The music faded as she reached up to wipe her eyes, suddenly realizing she had been crying softly and then knocked on the door, smiling brightly as it opened.

"Yo! I'm Alpha, I brought you your groceries!"

Questions: