Yagami Koji Character Question Meme

From Tumblr. I was going to post it there but it's doing something super funky...

Koji Yagami 

What do you know about this character now that s/he doesn’t yet know?A lot of Koji's childhood and past is missing, specifically in his own mind. His siblings and parents are perfectly aware of what's missing and that it's missing but will do everything in their power to keep him from knowing. Especially Nelly, his twin brother.

What is this character’s greatest flaw?
Koji is incapable of recognizing other people's needs to have secrets. He is fully aware that he has a laundry list of his own and would never tell anyone about them but would be the first to get angry when someone does the same. Noted, they're usually extreme secrets that shouldn't be kept anyway but the fact of the matter is he doesn't have to know everything. But that just pisses him off.
 
What do you know about this character that s/he would never admit?
While any good parent should accept their child for whatever they are, Koji might have...experience reasons he accepted Miru's coming out rather easily? Something he'd probably have told Nelly about. 

What is this character’s greatest asset?Well, when someone does confess to Koji that they were wronged, he probably has the best network in history on bringing about the justice. Lately, in stories past Yuki, he has become quite level-headed (aside from son-in-law bashing) and is one of the first people to comfort someone. In the past, he wasn't as compassionate or just too temperamental.

If this character could choose a different identity, who would s/he be?
I don't know if Koji would choose another 'identity', exactly. I think any time he wishes for something different in his life, he just wishes he could start over his own under another set of circumstances.
 
What music does this character sing to when no one else is around?
In a chapter of Step Towards the Future, Koji was listening to Maroon 5's "She Will Be Loved" which is probably about the most embarrassing thing he'd listen to. Honestly I can't imagine him singing it but that's about all, everything else is pretty hard metal and rap...
 
In what or whom does this character have the greatest faith?
Koji adores his wife but has expressed on several occasions that he's not sure how much faith he has in things she says after the Keiji Incident (Step Towards the Future) and, more recently, the Rosa Disaster (Yume). Thus I'd have to say most likely Nelly. Nelly is the first to go with Koji on a wild excursion and the one that offers the best advice. Nelly, under almost every circumstance, is Koji's closest confidant.
 
What is this character’s favorite movie?
Fearless starring Jet Li.
 
Does this character have a favorite article of clothing? Favorite shoes?In most every scene Koji appears when it's cold, he's wearing a black trench coat. I'd say that's probably his favorite and not because he appears menacing but it's probably something Popuri went out and bought for him to keep warm.

Does this character have a vice? Name it.Oh God, does he. Koji's the only character that consistently smokes within the series. While he has quit from time to time, he usually isn't above picking it back up. He doesn't seem very reliant on them as a stress reliever or anything, he just does it for some reason. His brand is Blacks, a cigarette packed with cloves, usually the menthol flavor. Aside from the smoking, Koji is an insane drinker. Under normal realistic circumstances he'd probably have liver diseases or, really, be dead. However, in Harvest Moon terms, he has grown an insane tolerance and is often quoted as walking around idly drinking a bottle of Everclear in his youth. Not the 151 proof either but the full 190.

Name this character’s favorite person (living or dead).His favorite person? Probably Popuri. Ever described as 'perfect', the two do overcome difficulties rather easily and though Popuri will scold endlessly for all Koji's nonsense, he probably does recognize that for the most part she lets him get away with it. They both understand each other pretty well, something Koji most likely marvels at since he's only had that sort of relationship with Nelly. Celebrity? He's expressed interest in Jenna Jameson, the porn star.

What is this character’s secret wish?That things just remain peaceful within his family just for a little while. But as his creator, I definitely know better. More tangibly, he wants all his relatives to live successfully and aids them in whatever way he can.

What is this character’s proudest achievement?I suppose his kids. While snips and pieces of Koji's adolescence are given, he probably never imagined he'd have four children nor wanted such a thing. But he takes great pride in them.

Describe this character’s most embarrassing moment.Upon describing his first encounter with Julia, which was just plain irresponsible, it was probably one of the first time in the series where he blushed in embarrassment. Nelly's going to tell one of his secrets already mentioned in this questionnaire to the whole family which will take the cake, however.
    
What is this character’s deepest regret?Koji regrets a lot, it seems, but his deepest one is not trying to understand Kaede defending Steiner. If he hadn't jumped to judging immediately he feels like he could have saved her and her unborn child from going through all that pain. His lighter regret is his promiscuity in his youth which he realizes was just something to do and not for any particular other reason.

What is this character’s greatest fear?Koji is petrified that something may happen to his family. There have been too many circumstances where someone he loves was close to dying and he can't stand not being able to do anything.

Describe this character’s most devastating moment.To date, finding out about what happened to Rosa through Chihaya. He can't believe that someone did that to his baby and was ultimately cleared of wrongdoing just because of his own power within the community. That, and that Rosa didn't tell him just made it hurt. While this does remain the most poignant devastating moments, Koji is going to be faced with an extremely close second.

Does this character have an obsession? Name it.
Koji is obsessed with sex, pretty much. Maybe obsessed is the wrong word but him and Popuri probably have the healthiest sex life within the series, even amongst the younger characters. If Koji had a secret obsession, I imagine it'd be something from his childhood that he hides from everyone like collecting Pokemon cards or playing a Gameboy in secret.
 
What is this character’s greatest disappointment?
That his family apparently thinks he's not stable enough to actually be a confidant. No matter how much he proves he's capable something always pops up and he hates it.

    What is this character’s worst nightmare?Aside from things happening to his family, probably the appearance of a love child. Koji's perfectly aware he had sex without protection with a ton of women back in the day so he's probably horrified that he's potentially fathered another child somewhere. And not for the 'usual' reasons but the fact that he has missed out entirely on that child's life and feels it'd be entirely his fault.

    Whom does this character most wish to please? Why?Koji's main problem is he wishes to please everyone. Why? Even Koji's a little naive and believes that if everyone is happy then there would be no issues. Alas, he does recognize that this is highly improbable. Out of any character he wishes to keep happy the most, however, is his wife. He doesn't seem very happy when Popuri is mad with him.

    Describe this character’s mother.Yagami Dana is the matriarch of the family, timeless and kind of saucy. Koji is surprisingly pretty snarky with her but that's only because he knows he'll get a rise out of her. He prefers her nagging him to babying him which she is prompt to do when the situation arises. Although their relationship is built up in this manner, Koji thinks the world of his mother and is probably the second person behind Popuri that he'd desire to keep happy. Dana, though a little critical of him, probably would say if forced that he's her 'favorite'.

    Describe this character’s father.
Yagami Yamada is the silent and intelligent patriarch of the family. Koji isn't really seen talking much to his father aside from a few miscellaneous remarks here and there. Yamada worked quite often in the hospital as a doctor and surgeon so none of the Yagami kids saw him very often. Specifically to Koji he seems like a mystery. He's aware they had a lot in common in both of their youths but he's not sure how to place that with the man he knows now. Ironically if Koji needed any aid that his father probably exceeded in, he'd probably wait until the last possible moment before he directly called him for help.

    If s/he had to choose, with whom would this character prefer to live?Koji is quite content to live alone with his wife. He seems to enjoy his children and grandchildren coming to stay with him from time to time but he's probably the last to have empty-nest syndrome. He might like Nelly to come live with him but that wouldn't last very long.

    Where does this character fall in birth order? What effect does this have?Koji is the second oldest, younger than Shin by one to two years, older than Nelly by about four to five minutes. As far as hierarchy, if Koji's in trouble, Shin will bail him out but it seems anyone below him that meets the same fate is his duty. However, he takes this duty on by himself most of the time, it's not expected of him. He enjoys being the protective "nii-chan" a bit too much, alas.

    Describe this character’s siblings or other close relatives.Shin and Koji have a close relationship despite the distance of the former from him. Koji knows well that if he ever requires Shin's assistance, he will do everything in his power to help him. Koji and Nelly are a pair, you usually can't have one without the other. Nelly is admittedly the clingy one in the pairing while Koji does aim for independence. Sometimes they seem a little 'incestuous', Nelly provoked to kiss Koji when drunk and the two's inability to sleep in the same bed without snuggling up, but it's something only they understand without warping it though Koji is easily disgruntled by the acts. Their running joke is 'who's the hot twin?' despite being completely identical in appearance. Koji and Tony are very rarely seen together. Koji seems to consider his younger brother a 'whore' and kind of dumb for getting caught up in his 'whoredom'. But like most of his sibling relationships, they get along well when together. Jill, as the only daughter and sister, is faced with Koji's (and all the brother's aside from Shaun) severe protectiveness. Koji admitted that he allowed his sister to believe men weren't interested in her when the fact was him and Nelly just beat up and threatened the many that had taken interest in her. While Koji allows her space to grow, he would be the first to come back and become overly protective given the opportunity. Since she got married, Koji has extremely calmed this down (probably because he redirected it to his daughters). However, he still gags and heckles her when she kisses Cliff in his presence or threatens the guy if they get too flirty. As with Tony, Shaun and Koji aren't together very often but they still get along.

    Describe this character’s bedroom. Include three cherished items.I always envisioned his bedroom as dark for whatever reason with a big window. Koji and Popuri sleep in a four-post canopy style bed. Usually I imagine them having red sheets. The room's the biggest one in the house, completely fixed up with a huge armoire and a television and mostly unused desk. Koji wears most of his cherished items with the half heart necklace and his wedding ring. He's kind of a minimalist so I can't really fathom a third.

    What is this character’s birth date? How does this character manifest traits of his/her astrological sign?
Ha, Koji's probably a cusp between a Virgo and Libra (like myself! So date? September 23, 1982?). I would say he takes more from the zany Libra with his personality but also as a Virgo is quiet and kind of meticulous?

    If this character had to live in seclusion for six months, what six items would s/he bring?I doubt Koji could do it. He makes fun of Nelly for being so unable to be alone but after living his current life, Koji could probably only manage about two weeks before losing it. If he could bring ANYTHING, it'd be his family! But then, perhaps he could live with a few video games, some books, his laptop, his cell phone, a music player...and maybe something sexy.

    Why is this character angry?People distrusting him, taking advantage of his family, taking advantage of HIM, being treated like a child, and sometimes his own body being weak occasionally as a result of his immune deficiency.

    What calms this character?Popuri or Nelly.
    
Describe a recurring dream or nightmare this character might have.Koji probably dreams often of things that have occurred in life under 'what if' scenarios. What if he hadn't come back and spoke to Popuri? Or what if he hadn't graduated? These are kind of nightmares, I suppose, because he likes his life.

    What wakes this character in the middle of the night?He doesn't know yet. He has sensational memories but he doesn't know what they're from but they leave him rather shaken. Usually he doesn't tell Popuri about them and pretends he has to go work instead of going back to sleep and risking dealing with it happening again.

    How would a stranger describe this character?People that aren't acquainted well with Koji yet would call him 'tsundere' or cold and menacing. Chihaya even notes that Koji's kind of mysteriousness makes him seem like a gangster. As with Chihaya, he finds that though Koji is kind of snippy and biting with him the man still helps him regardless.
    
What does this character resolve to do differently every morning?I can't imagine Koji thinking that deeply. Not to say he's dense but he probably just wakes up, happy to start the day in whatever way he can. If he vows anything, it's probably to help anyone he can if the opportunity arises.

    Who depends on this character? Why?
I don't think any character is critically depended on Koji but him and Popuri have a united emotional dependence with each other. Same with Nelly.

    If this character knew s/he had exactly one month to live, what would s/he do?With Koji, he'd probably not sleep, spending his days or nights with the ones he loved and spending his free time trying to fight it. He has so many grandchildren and family members he wants to watch over and observe grow so he'd not take whatever has him dying lying down.

    How would a dear friend or relative describe this character?A family member may describe Koji as kind of trippy and hard to get to know. But they'd assure you that once you get underneath that odd shell of his, he will be one of the most caring characters. When you really get to know him, he'll be a really fun loving guy. He'll still be mysterious no matter how long you know him but you'll just want to keep getting more and more of his story.

    What is this character’s most noticeable physical attribute?Koji is described my multiple characters as just being overall sexy. However, he doesn't have any notable features being a dark-eyed brunette but I suppose the way his face is supposed to be composed would be his best attribute as well as his body...

    What is this character hiding from him/herself?
*See first answer

    Write one additional thing about your character.
As teenagers, Koji and Nelly used to dance quite a bit.

Yagami "Nelly" Nerimaru

Name: Nerimaru (given the Yagami family follows American middle name tradition, Daisuke) Yagami; Nickname: Nelly
Birth Year: 1981
Career: Farmer; Takes over family farm after Jill leaves
Wife: Elli (ex)
Connected to Harvest Moon series?: Based around HM64 and HM: BTN farmer
Known Likes: His family, liquor, hassling Koji
Known Dislikes: Initially any male that associates with his female family members, Elli at the moment

Description: Despite being twins, compared to Koji, Nelly has always been the more laid back leisurely good-natured one. Doesn't appear to have changed much personally from his teen years to his adulthood besides the obvious maturing. Unlike his twin, Nelly was never sickly, the healthier of the two. Nelly is a cheerful type of guy, often joking and messing around with everyone. That is, up until the events with Elli. After that, Nelly seems much more unstable, going into isolated depressions or having angry outbursts, a lot like Koji in a sense.

Nelly is affectionate with his family, to a certain extent. To a point he seems to view his sons as something of an extension of his brothers, treating them with hard tough love. Like Koji, he gets very firm with them if he thinks they are doing something that will bring harm to themselves or others.

Like his twin, Nelly will usually rile his mother up somehow, usually because he's involved in something Koji started. Nelly doesn't seem as close with his mother as others, however, not even calling her to tell her about him and Elli's predicament, the woman finding out through other sources. Nelly is not often seen associating with his father but him and his siblings all respect the man greatly. Nelly respects Shin quite a bit, like Koji, and even jokes with his sons that if it weren't for Shin bailing him and Koji out, they'd have been in prison to that moment. Nelly is very sensitive to Koji, worrying about his twin more than perhaps any of the other family. Nelly differs from Koji in that he didn't really count on Koji wanting to be independent from him. An often mentioned story is that upon their birth, Koji and Nelly were separated and Nelly cried endlessly until he was finally put beside Koji. Indeed this reflects that Nelly is much more dependent on Koji, not understanding things like why his brother would go to a different college and confessing to him that he was worried when he moved to Mineral upon marrying Popuri. Also, Nelly controls a deep secret about Koji, often changing the subject of their early childhood as not to irk up something. Seems to feel he's responsible for this and even believes that Elli could be karma for what happened, shockingly observing that even what happened wouldn't be enough to make up for it. Outside of that, Koji and Nelly have a very jostling close relationship and still prone to making trouble even in late adulthood when with each other.

Nelly has a super unseen relationship with Tony. He, though amused, scolds Koji for saying that he views Tony as the "crazy, slutty type", declaring that's their little brother, denoting some affection though a few sentences later declaring Tony's an idiot. Nelly, much like Koji, had trouble handling Jill's entry into maintaining relationships. In general, like all the male siblings save for Shaun, isn't comfortable with Jill's sexuality and is the first to freak upon seeing her dressed scantily in a club. Along with Koji, they used to threaten and do bodily harm to Jill's potential suitors before their presence was known, thus leading Jill to believe that men just weren't interested in her. However, unlike Koji, Nelly seems largely to have resolved his issue with Jill being married and isn't often seen seething over them being romantic. Like Tony, Nelly doesn't seem to associate with Shaun much but probably views him in the same light.

Nelly's relationship with his oldest son, Jyun, has been described as characters as more of a friendly one. Kyo and Hoshiko observe that Nelly sees Jyun as an adult and more someone he can confide in than his "two babies". Indeed Nelly does seem to have more faith in Jyun, upset but not concerned when Jyun leaves the country rather erratically because he knows his son is level headed and that he just needed time to himself. However, as much as he sees Jyun as an equal, he's just as likely to scold or punish him for silly behavior, such as when Jyun drunkenly mixes pills and liquor, causing Nelly to punch him for doing something so dangerous. Also, he does worry as when Jyun blacks out as a result, tells him to be more careful. Nelly likes Roomi quite a bit, like Koji, taking her in as another daughter, indeed treating her very much like any of his children, indistinguishably. He doesn't even make a big deal out of what happened between her and Jyun or when she makes a unkind assertion about him and Elli, very forgiving of his daughter-in-law.

Kyo is something of a different case though Nelly doesn't seem to have much command with his middle child, Kyo often running off and disappearing. At some point, Nelly just doesn't seem to care, almost using it as a point to how 'bad' his children are. He does however worry a lot more about Kyo doing stupid things as he's apt to do. This is why Nelly is heartbroken with the events of the last few chapters of Lessons in Life as the cause wasn't because Kyo did anything wrong but in fact because he was doing everything he should have been. Much like Roomi, Nelly treats Gwen like one of his own, soothing any concerns she may have had. However in one incident he did slightly "turn" on her when he was the one presented with the harrowing decision about Kyo, wanting to know why it wasn't her choice.

With Hoshiko, Nelly takes on more of a Koji vibe, protective of her as his only daughter. Nelly often punished Kyo and Jyun for their cruel treatment of her growing up. After Hoji's attempt, Nelly actually had Shin break the law and allow him into prison along with Koji for retribution, Nelly actually being the only close family member Hoshiko told about what happened. But strangely, Nelly was only hard on Julius early on and only shortly as Julius was able to take anything Nelly dished out. Upon finding out about Nelly and Hoshiko's engagement, he was a little upset but shook Julius' hand and told him he was going to be a very weird son-in-law. Bizarrely keeps Jyun and Kyo from railing on Julius too much, telling them often to give it a rest. However, he does almost knock Julius over with a "pat on the back" when he finds out Hoshiko's pregnant.

While Nelly is on the same level as Koji sexually wise, it is not often seen in the series. Elli in fact tells him at one point when he's flirting that his "playboy words don't work on her anymore". After the incident, he doesn't even get involved with anyone for five years and is practically forced to when he does. He does have relations with Eve for a time but a series of events lead them to no longer see each other. He laments over it and feels he has no reason to trust or love anyone again, unhappy.

Nelly's relationship with Elli is a source of some confusion. Elli is the one that led to their separation however a majority of their run-ins afterwards are a result of her. Nelly never leaves these meetings without being hurt and for some reason Elli almost seems to be stringing him along.


Appearance

Nelly and EVERYONE'S height changes SO effin' much but for a definite height I'd say 6'1". He's probably a lot more muscular than Koji as he's spent so many years doing hard labor on the farm. Nelly's got a darker complexion than his twin and his hair is a little lighter brunette with brown eyes. Nelly is 1/4 American and despite being a majority Japanese I always viewed him as having mostly Caucasian features with a little bit of Asian. His hair, like Koji's, seems to always be around his shoulders or shorter.
  
Origins

If Koji's a staple character, then Nelly is as well.  So I guess people are wondering...well, people that are acquainted with this guy...

Is Nelly named after HIM? Nelly is typically an effeminate name, or at least sounds effeminate to me, so why...? And isn't this guy supposed to be Asian, like, what?

Well, you know how when you like something you try to get other people to like it with you? I was just getting into Harvest Moon and I only had one file at the time, the "Koji" file where he was married to Popuri. I decided that I wanted my cousins to play with me so I thought I'd start a file for them. One of my particular cousins lived like three states down from me and I was talking to her about it over the phone. Naturally she wasn't interested, I'm the only Harvest Moon person (though the inspiration of Tony played it almost more extensively than I did...) but I told her to give me a name for the male character. I think she gave me weird names like Devon and Steve...I was like, whatever, and was going to go with it. I told her that I was going to give her the chick that made cakes and she seemed enthused about pastries... upon telling her the characters name, Elli, she said in a sentence I can remember to this day from ten years ago "Wait...if she's Elli, then shouldn't he be Nelly?"

So...was he? I guess. I'm sure that was her inspiration for it. I laughed about it and agreed...then when I started writing I naturally realized why the hell would a Japanese guy be called 'Nelly'? So I "changed" his name to Neri...however, no matter WHAT I did, nothing could convince me to write his name that way. I always would accidentally type 'Nelly'. Finally, I gave up, and that became his staple name. In the old series, his name was just 'Neri' but in the series I tacked on a "-maru".

I attempted to base Nelly around this particular cousin, we were super close back then. And it worked, to an extent. Nonetheless, as Koji started to drift from Nelly in seeking independence, I drifted from her so that's where that came into play....but Nelly indeed started to deviate from his original formulation. My cousin and I did foil each other so I guess at least that stayed in tact.

Nelly admittedly played second fiddle to Koji and Jill (and their children) for a long time. But with this three children's storyline, the whole formation of the series started to change. And with the addition of his own issues, things started taking a newer darker turn. Hmm, when will we find out what happened with Elli? I have five pages of Answers written so soon :)

What Stays True to Nelly of 2004-2011?

Protective: As with Koji, I was prepared to say Nelly wasn't anywhere as protective as he is in the new series but naturally, that's a laugh. He's really never been AS protective of his kids or family as Koji but regardless, he cares about them and their safety deeply. And he's a WEE bit extra protective of Hoshiko as seen in Jewel in the Rough.

Playboy: Like Koji, Nelly has a long history of being a man whore. In fact, as reflected on in Yume, Jill and Tony agreed that Nelly definitely had been promiscuous longer than Koji. While Nelly doesn't seem to have any apparent reason to be like this, it's most likely just because he can. He knows he's attractive, he knows it's fun, he knows he can get away with it. Despite this, he seems a lot less interested in returning to this lifestyle after the divorce, disdainful of the idea and being one of his initial reasons not to begin dating.

Nelly Can't Stand Being Without His Futago!: More aggressive than in the current series but Nelly and Koji had violent fights over Koji's attempts to identify himself as more of an individual than 'Nelly's twin'. Nelly never has been able to stand this for whatever reason, most likely because Koji believes that he must gain this independence through separating himself from Nelly.

What DOESN'T Stay True to Nelly of 2004-2011?

Nelly in a Gang: Lol, yea, sounds sketchy considering where his name came from and all but Nelly of course tagged along with Koji and joined this gang. Uh, yea...

No Sex?: Koji and Nelly, shockingly, just dated a lot. They seemingly even expressed that they wouldn't have sex before marriage... o.O Oddly, probably a result of my more conservative youth but it just seems funny now...

Cursing...: Koji and Nelly actually scolded each other for cursing. Lol, pretty hilarious, the two are like sailors now.

Nelly's Family Tree