Odette, Rania [PRESTIGE SHINIGAMI]
Feb 28, 2016 19:57:17 GMT -5
Iko, Walkren Dekharr, and 1 more like this
Post by Rania Fujikagi on Feb 28, 2016 19:57:17 GMT -5
I, Rania Odette
❝I withstood another day again. Yesterday, that was a close call.❞
A story I've heard often
ACTUAL AGE: 228 (1 as spirit, 53 as Arrancar, 65 as Adjuchas, 87 as Gillian, 1 as plus, 21 as human)
APPARENT AGE: 21
BIRTHDAY: September 1, 1787
GENDER: Female
ETHNICITY: French
HEIGHT: 170 cm/5 ft 7 in
WEIGHT: 54 kg/120 lbs
GENERAL DESCRIPTION: Much of what has aesthetically defined Rania has remained the same. Long silky black hair, royal blue eyes, and porcelain skin, they are the same defining features that have always defined her since the beginning of her existence. Most days, Rania finds that her signature scowl is no longer ‘signature,’ finding comfort in a significantly warmer countenance. Facially, despite all of the trouble and toil, she has not aged and there is still a bit of stoicism in the way she carries herself. It is the same dignified aura that still stubbornly clings to her character, poised with still that touch of mystery. BIRTHDAY: September 1, 1787
GENDER: Female
ETHNICITY: French
HEIGHT: 170 cm/5 ft 7 in
WEIGHT: 54 kg/120 lbs
Over time, as Rania has integrated more and more into society, she more often than not dons the standard shihakusho as is standard for Shinigami part of the Gotei anyway. However, when she is off duty, Rania much prefers—and to this day has retained her simple taste for clothing—wearing an unadorned yukata, traditional, tied with a black obi sash.
Similarly, Rania’s spiritual energy, much like her appearance, feels just a little inscrutable. In spite of doing away with past ‘anchors’ and though still for the most part light and almost animated, Rania’s Reiatsu feels just a touch heavier nowadays, as if to reflect a departure from naiveté shed since she woke up on that dirt road in Rukongai.
Sky that pours light
Very notably, Rania has, in the past, tended to err toward extremes with regard to her personality, unable to reconcile it into a happy medium. When Disillusionment controlled her, she was emotional, unstable, and most obstinately unable to form lasting relationships and bonds. With that part of her life shed, it was time for Rania to start anew and at first, through fresh eyes, she finally saw the world through an unfettered mindset. Like a giddy child rich with hope, what Rania thought was once impossible had now returned: anything was possible. But even that too was a markedly dangerous red flag, if only because it was how she fell into Disillusionment in the first place.
It became quickly and seemingly apparent that she hadn’t at all learned from past mistakes and this saw Rania crash and burn headlong into a behavior much too similar to her past Hollow’s for comfort. Soon, she began lashing out, particularly toward those trying to help her move past the past. Emotional volatility seemed to take hold again and Rania was, once more, treading on the path towards ultimate death. However, after all of the suffering and pain and a desperately needed revelation about herself now finds Rania matured into a personality that is finally a blend of two extremes.
Though she may still be prone to reacting emotionally, Rania now possesses the tools to take a step back and observe when necessary. It makes her a much more levelheaded person and though still a bit impassive, is much more open to discussion and ideas, even those opposed to her own ideals. Subtle and quiet but not without a backbone to hold her own, it seems that Rania has finally learned to hone her personality into moderation and one that is fitting enough to allow her to function in society.
POSITIVE
≻ Curious
There's still a lot for Rania to learn out there. In spite of the many different lives she has lived—human, Hollow, now Shinigami—her mostly one track mind has disallowed a thirst for knowledge and nutrient-rich experiences until very recently. She recognizes that being challenged is necessary and even to a certain extent that it is mindfully stimulating. Therefore, Rania has taken to asking questions and actually listening to the answers she is given, analyzing and processing them to satisfy a prying desire to understand.
≻ Steadfast
Finding herself to now be a much more balanced person than before finds Rania able to become invested in a purpose or belief. Given the right set of reasons, Rania can become resolute in fighting for a cause she believes worth fighting for. That is not to say that she is unable to become dissuaded or persuaded otherwise but simply that Rania can, on her own, faithfully come to terms with a resolution based on her own reasoning.
≻ Astute
This is a trait that Rania has been able to carry forward through multiple lives, always shrewd and discerning not only in someone’s else words but the way they say it too. Perhaps due to having her guard always raised just a little, Rania constantly searches for the true meaning behind actions and words not only limited to herself but everyone around her. This is honed by the fact that Rania is now much more analytical and observant than before.
≻ Equitable
Unlike certain Shinigami, possessing a quality that is pointblank deemed as ‘dangerous’ or ‘wrong’ is not cause enough for Rania to believe the same. This is most certainly due her rich background in that she might caution herself to a said quality but provide a just and fair trial before deciding what is ‘right’ and ‘wrong.’ Most notably, this pertains to the ongoing debate about Vaizard in Soul Society and to date, Rania has yet to form an opinion on whether they are truly evil or not. Reasonable and levelheaded seem to be the popular palette for Rania nowadays.
NEGATIVE
≻ Stoic
There is an aforementioned bit that Rania always has her guard raised just slightly and this is due to the stoicism brought forward from centuries of living. There is a bit of mystery that will always surround her and to those unfamiliar, may find it a bit off-putting and even uncomfortable to be around. That is not to say that she is unapproachable but that the expected reaction from Rania may not be as warm or as inviting as one would like. It is the lasting impression of someone who was raised to be poised and calm.
≻ Emotional
This may seem in direct contrast to her stoicism but reacting or behaving emotionally tends to the fact that Rania’s personality has always been divided between two extremes. When she has been pushed to the brink or becomes too distressed to act applicably reasonable, Rania is still very much prone to heatedly reacting. She is most susceptible to behaving as such when being prodded about a topic sensitive in nature specifically to or about herself.
≻ Provincial
You’d think for someone who has lived three lives that she’d a profound understanding and perspective about the world in which we live. However, as much sense as that makes, in spite of her vast experiences, Rania had mostly kept to herself. To have an overarching vision on the future, on how to properly lead and inspire subordinates and equals alike, these are all things that she is currently lacking. This is what makes her parochial but luckily for Rania, she has finally been given the right toolset to start expanding such narrow-mindedness.
≻ Candid
Usually truthfulness is viewed as a positive trait but in Rania’s case, she may be just a little too forthright. After all, she is blunt to the point of having even questioned the highest order of command in Seireitei for what to do if he is ever wrong. Under someone less tranquil will prove a dangerous combination for Rania and in time, she will have to learn to either reap the consequences or simply hold back when absolutely necessary.
Fly as if I'm dreaming
ZANPAKUTO SPIRIT
Reine often serves as a foil to Rania. She is often a sounding board as well as a teacher, bordering even on an older sister sort of personality, from which Rania learn. Though Reine, much like her Master, has also been rendered changed through this journey of change and self-discovery. The appearance of the spirit still and will always look like the last vestige of Rania’s Hollow past: wearing the same clothes she did as an Arrancar, possessing the same Hollow fragment over her right eye, but this is where the similarities begin and also end. Free from the shackles of her former Aspect of Disillusionment sees Reine, as well as Rania, freed from the crippling facets of paranoia and disenchantment. Both women are now much more stable making Zanpakuto spirit and Shinigami finally able to tap into the power they deserve.
INNER WORLD
Much of Rania’s Inner World has remained the same. It is still the same copy of eighteenth century Paris as Rania has remembered it. The cobblestone streets are still dark, enveloped in a perpetual night with an overlooking moon and lined with only a couple old-fashioned lamps lighting the way. What is markedly different, however, is the appearance of “Le Salle des Distingué” or “the Room of the Distinguished.” A once-prestigious ballroom that defined much of Rania’s human childhood had become torn down, old, and decrepit. Now, however, with a renewed vigor sees the ballroom also restored back to its former glory. It almost glows an incandescent gold in the night sky and the eerie music box music in the background sounds much more like serene and calming lullaby.
ZANPAKUTO
Rania still wields a blade reminiscent of the modern day dueling sword, the épée. It is evolved from the Renaissance rapier and is a popular weapon used in the French sport of fencing. Though the heaviest and longest out of three main weapons in fencing, the French small-sword is still capable of being used for nimble barrages of quick attacks and jabs. The hilt of the sword is still a gold-encrusted guard with the sheathe, likewise, gold at both ends and patent black middle section.
RELEASE PHRASE
Metamorphose, Reine!
ZANPAKUTO POWER
Rania’s Shikai ability prevents the ability of blood clotting. Even just the smallest cut from her blade means the opponent cannot stop bleeding once started unless forcefully overpowered by another ability. Effectively, her Shikai induces hemophilia and even the most superficial of cuts is potentially fatal.
BANKAI APPEARANCE
Rania’s Bankai appearance is largely subtle and goes by unnoticed. There is no grand flash of light or explosive energy emanating from her when she changes into this form. While in Shikai, her blade becomes an even thinner form with a diamond exterior aesthetic, in Bankai, her blade actually reverts to how it looks in its original form when unreleased. In fact, the only other change is actually an interior change to her Zanpakuto spirit, Reine. She transforms into a being covered in a exoskeleton with a pair of bony wings held together by a sheen of royal blue Reiatsu. This is in deference to what would have been Rania’s Resurreccion form as an Arrancar and is otherwise undetectable except for those highly, highly versed in Reiatsu Perception.
My life is a beauty
≻ 1787 – Born September 1st to a middle class family in Paris, France
≻ 1808 – Dies on the battlefield representing the French navy
≻ 1809 to 1961 – Becomes a Hollow, roaming Hueco Mundo for many years before ripping off her mask
≻ 1961 to 2013 – Becomes an Arrancar while avoiding Las Noches due to her Aspect of Disillusionment
≻ 2013 to 2014 – Eventually rejoins Las Noches facing broken bonds
≻ 2014
- Battles a Shinigami named Shun Minamoto, eventually dying by his Zanpakuto
- Reborn as a Shinigami, waking up in Rukongai, and meeting the man who killed her
- Enters Seireitei under the guise of Shun’s ‘apprentice’
- Under his ‘tutelage,’ eventually unlocks Shikai
- Meets Takua again in this new form before her transformation is complete and crumbles
- Under a risky experiment prompted by Shun, touches souls with him in order to regain all of her memories
- Driven to escape Seireitei fighting not only herself, but also her Zanpakuto spirit as well as Shun
- During a fight against Shun, unlocks Bankai amidst a revelation that she has changed and comes to terms with that change
- After a dinner with the new Captain Commander, Tokiyo Fujikagi, finally joins the First Division becoming a Seated Officer
- Completes Shun’s Hollow Lens project after a revelation sparked by second meetings with Takua as well as Chinda Nagisa, the new Captain of the Fifth
There’s a familiar story here, one told many times over. It is about a girl who is born into a family like any other, just toggle the specifics for three older brothers and a mother and a father. 1787 was the year in Paris, France and on September 1 saw the birth of Rania Odette. The tale goes that this little girl grew up unhappily and hampered by her family’s insatiable appetite to raise their ranks into the stratosphere of the wealthy and powerful. Status was the one thing they craved and in Rania they saw a chance, an opportunity to use her in order to propel them to where they wanted to be.
But little Rania was defiant. This was no life to live so she rebelled, chased after what she wasn’t allowed to have: freedom. She was, however, defiant without a plan and that left her with nowhere to go and no one to turn to. Scorned and humiliated by her family for being “unladylike” meant they never wanted her back and there was when we found little Rania dead, life ended at the age of twenty-one years old.
Death, however, did not turn out to be a friend. Death was just a nightmare waiting to happen. The freedom that she sought never came to fruition and instead, Rania became imprisoned by an Aspect, an Aspect so crippling that it would dictate her destiny for over two centuries. First Hollow, then Arrancar. There were many meetings and partings, most of them useless in the face of her overwhelming distrust except for two. Two of these relationships were special and even then, Rania could not honour them in the end.
The first was Erasmus, a lover. In a time when she was so afraid, he had tried to help. He tried to help her move past the Disillusionment and for a while, it seemed to work. They seemed to work but the “I love you’s” and concept of togetherness were still much too terrifying. Even the simple thought of commitment made Rania want to retch and run away. After all, running away, it was the thing at which she was best. In the end, she would leave him. She would leave Erasmus who turned into Obsession. Some things, after all, were simply not meant to be.
But what of the second? Well, the second was Takua, different in that he was a friend—a true friend or as true of a friend as Rania could have had in her time of pain. He had been so similar and they bonded over that fact. He taught her, taught her to become a ‘better’ Arrancar, and for that, she was truly thankful. Perhaps, that was enough for then. Perhaps, Takua could have served as a pillar so that she might have stayed in Las Noches, but even then the meaning behind their friendship was not enough; because when faced with the choice of death, Rania did nothing to stop the fact except take it.
This is where we enter a particular Shinigami, one just doing his job. Shun Minamoto was his name and life would make sure Rania would never forget it. On the outside, it was as scripted of a fight as fights came. A Shinigami invaded Las Noches and Rania needed to protect it. She needed to make sure Shinigami stayed out of the world of Hollow-breed so she fought him but she did not fight him valiantly or bravely or anything remotely resembling heroic. Instead, in front of him, Rania crumbled. She fought him so that she could die. She fought him so that he could kill her and when asked for death, death was what she received.
The true end—or so she thought. Again, Rania would find that life was not so kind because when her eyes closed, she did not expect them to open again, and yet there she was, lying on some dirt road, ‘alive’ in all senses.
From human to Hollow to now Shinigami.
He was the last person she saw in death and in ‘life,’ he was the first person she saw again. Shun Minamoto, it was as if a red string of fate tied them together. She was drawn to him without knowing it and when she finally sought of him out, he was as equally as baffled as she was. This wasn’t supposed to have happened to Rania. He never intended it and neither did she and most uniquely of all, she still remembered it. She remembered it all, her pasts carried forward to the present.
So what did she do now?
Well, what was there left to do except to assimilate from thereon in? Try to survive, try to learn about the thing you became. Freedom from that Aspect was finally attained but the way it had dictated her life was the only way she knew how to live it. Gifted with an unbridled potential didn’t necessarily mean Rania knew how to wield it. She didn’t know how to use it at all and without much of a choice himself, Shun chose to teach her. Maybe things would be different this time.
Alongside his training, Rania seemed to slowly improve. The voice she kept hearing in her mind? She wasn’t going crazy. That was simply her Zanpakuto spirit and the familiarity of certain power at her fingertips was her body remembering skills in this new form that she didn’t quite have yet. Eventually, because of all of this hard work, Rania was able to unlock Shikai and even improve on some of the other ‘Shinigami’ aspects of her life. It was only uphill from here, right?
Wrong.
Any sign of progression or improvement was only superficial. Deep down, Rania was still shattered and this was made wholly apparent in a meeting with Takua in this new form. From the moment she locked eyes onto him, Rania broke once more. The memories that she remembered as her own took on a life of their own and soon, Rania was not Rania the Shinigami, but Rania the Shinigami with the mindset of an Arrancar.
She short-circuited and this short-circuit would nearly destroy everything she had with Shun.
Both were unwilling to talk about the recent past events so they would avoid the topic and pretend like nothing was wrong. They would let the walls build up with emotion until they couldn’t take it anymore and burst. Eventually, the two could no longer avoid the topic that was tearing the apart and yet when Rania tried being truthful with Shun, the exact thing that was tearing them apart really did do just that: it shattered them.
Why, oh why, did it always end up this way? Put back on track toward ultimate death found Rania being told even by Transcendental beings that she needed to wake up. She needed to wake up or die. That’s what Wishes warned her against and so instead of saying ‘no,’ as she usually did, Rania tried saying ‘yes’ this time. Shun had come up with a plan to bring all the memories back. Up until this point, she had only remembered a fraction of what she should have, bits and pieces coming back in waves, but that wasn’t reliable enough and neither was it fast enough. Rania didn’t have much time left. They had to force the remaining memories back into existence and this was why they embarked on the risky endeavour of touching souls.
In the end, it was successful. In fact, it was too successful. Not only did it bring all of her memories back, but she was able to see all of Shun’s just as he was able to see hers. But that wasn’t allowed. That wasn’t part of the plan. The memories were hers, not his. It was a violation and so she crumbled even more from it. She didn’t apologize. She never said sorry and instead, degenerated back to the thing that she was best at: running away.
Rania ran away from him in the only way she knew how. Her light had dimmed so much so that Reine had to take over lest she wanted Rania to die right then and there. Reine was furious. She was furious at Rania for being so weak after all this time. Just as they begun in this Shinigami world, they would end in the same as well. Reine and Rania were always fighting. Neither was ready to accept the other and Rania always kept on running away. It wasn’t until Shinigami faced Zanpakuto spirit that an innate understanding finally formed. There was only silence between the two and all they did was look at each other and yet there it was: the last piece of the puzzle that was missing to fill Rania’s void.
A realization that they could and should work together.
A realization that she herself was no longer toxic.
A realization of control and a realization of what she now was.
No more poison because both of them were ready to move on now.
But the newly discovered control had to be honed and most importantly of all, Rania had amends to make. She had so many amends to make with just about everyone who mattered and that started with Shun. Words she should have said right away to him, ‘I’m sorry,’ were said to him much too late but better late than never, right? An apology, the first of many, was finally voiced and sometimes, an apology was all that was needed.
This became immediately evident in certain other individuals she hadn’t made the best first impression upon. Rania, amidst the whirlwind of happenings occurring in Seireitei, set off to accomplish a number of goals she could finally achieve with this newfound freedom; one of which was to join a division and another of which was to make amends with the then-Acting Captain of the Fifth Division, Chinda Nagisa. The two had gotten off to a rocky start because of a simple misunderstanding and to her, Rania apologized as well and again, an apology was all that was needed there too. It opened up a new chapter between two women, one of potential friendship, in that Nagisa trusted Rania enough to train her and vice versa, Rania trusted Nagisa enough—the only known Vaizard in Seireitei now—to tell her about her Arrancar past.
But second meetings didn’t stop there. Shun’s friend and new Captain Commander of Seireitei, Tokiyo Fujikagi, quickly becomes something of a pillar to Rania when he asks her to dinner, a dinner in which they discuss Rania’s future as well as Tokiyo’s vision for Seireitei’s future. Though at first formal and forced, they are able to reconcile as two people acting with facades dropped around each other. It was, for Rania at least, a welcome change and much needed respite from the way she still had her guard raised around everyone else. In the end, through Tokiyo, Rania was also able to achieve a goal of joining a division, the First Division, his division, making him not only her Captain Commander but also her Captain. Small steps, perhaps, but steps that were necessary for her.
The final test of her mettle eventually culminates in another meeting with Takua, the man who broke her before she could even heal from past wounds opened again. How does she react now? Will this prove that Rania has finally changed or will it tell the same old tale of superficial change? Rania is initially optimistic but this optimism is quickly challenged when she can’t help but react emotionally to him again; however, this time, she does not break and instead holds in his presence, a shaky start but not one without its merits.
It is here where Reine proposes they bring Takua to her Inner World. He could finally say goodbye to the closest thing of the Rania he once knew and Reine could finally find closure in the longing for him in her heart. The meeting of spirit and Arrancar is cut short but that meeting was all that Rania needed. It concretely reaffirmed for her that she is indeed different now. The change she discovered was permanent change and that she truly was a new person with soul and body finally running in tandem. She might never reconcile the confusion that she feels about him but in the end, Rania resolves to simply start over. A fresh slate, they could start over to fit together again in the way that they did not anymore.
In fact, this revelation is powerful enough to serve as the impetus for completion for a project that Rania had been working on over time: Shun’s Hollow lens. Through Nagisa and through evaluation of her past Arrancar and current Shinigami soul, Rania realizes that the way to detect Vaizard is through the soul. Their soul was different because in it inhabited not only a Zanpakuto spirit but also an Inner Hollow; however, with its successful completion opens up a door of foreign territory for Rania.
Where will she go now? Given the fork in the road, which one will she take or will Rania forge her own path? Seireitei. Vaizard. Love. Everything. Where will Rania’s journey take her now?
OOC
PLAYER ALIAS: Mika
OTHER CHARACTERS: Minamoto Sayuri
