Sozenai
12-23-2008, 10:14 PM
Name: Matsugono Ninmae
(name loosely translates to 'messenger in the presence of the hour of death', which is essentially what a shinigami is. Gotta love kanji puns.)
Gender: Female
Age:190 (died 1835)
Appearance:
The farmer girl from the Kobe ricepaddies may be a respectable member of the shinigami forces of Sereitei now, but there's no erasing her origins. She started Academy as a tomboy, and a tomboy she will remain.
Ninmae still looks much as she did in life. She's straight up short on looks, with dark circles under her deepset wide brown eyes that never seem to fade, a snubby nose, and ears that stick out just a tad. Her skin is well-tanned and a little weatherbeaten, and her hair is a sooty black with the occasional touch of dark brown here and there. Ninmae's unkempt locks seriously need a trim; although she ties her hair back in a loose ponytail, enough strands get loose to dangle limply in her her face. She wears glasses now, as she discovered there was a cure for her horrible nearsightedness in life, much to her relief. They’re bronzerimmed oval frames that occasionally slip down her nose.
There's a certain coltish edge to her slim but strong form; it's very much the frame of a peasant girl that hasn't had quite enough to eat, ever, or burns through food so quickly she doesn't have the chance to put on any pounds. Several decades of Academy training have put muscles on her, giving her an athletic build tailor made for running and acrobatics. Her hands are wide, the fingers a tad short and stubby, coarsened by hard work in life. They're tailormade for handling a hoe or a rake, or digging into earth. They will never be graceful, but they serve well enough.
Ninmae does not sit as much as sprawl; while she knows how to sit seiza, she sees no reason to comport herself such a uncomfortable way when it's not necessary. She speaks in a rough, drawling Kansai-ben.
Personality:
Ninmae is the person everyone thinks of as 'just folks'. She's forthright, kind, and sensible, with a protective streak for children that’s a mile wide. She's got aspirations of becoming stronger (heck, all shinigami do) but no desire to lead. No, she's just happy being one of the army, and properly working for a living. She likes her job, which is keeping the world running and protecting both sides of the veil.
At her heart, Ninmae is afraid of failure. She watched her little brother die and get taken away because she wasn't quite strong enough to protect him, and even though she doesn't remember that, since then she's done her best to never let those around her down again. Give her a goal, and not only will she achieve it given time, but she'll be planning her next conquest soon. She only allows herself a hot second to rest on her laurels.
Never, *ever* call Ninmae a coward. You might want to call the 4th before you say the word around her, because you will be on one of their cots before the evening's over, courtesy of her fists (and anything else she feels the need to crack over your head). Every scar on her body proves her devotion to her motto 'first in, last out' when it comes to fighting. She will always have a teammate's or assigned charge’s back when it counts.
Biography:
There isn't much to Ninmae's history in life that is of note; she was born to farmers (whose name she doesn't even remember anymore) among the rice paddies of the Kobe area in the early 1800s. She was the eldest of four and was expected to help tend the family plot. She never married after she came of age; times were rough, and her family could never scrape together an appropriate dowry that would attract a husband her family would approve of.
Shortly after her 17th year, a famine struck Japan. Crops failed, and families went hungry as the government continued to demand their taxes in spite of entire villages being unable to feed themselves, much less pay the shogun. Epidemics followed in the famine's wake, cutting a swathe through the now weakened people. Ninmae was one of the casualties, but not before she watched her brother die.
She's still not sure exactly how she was able to see the shinigami who came to collect her younger brother Akio shortly after he drew his last breath. One of her teachers theorizes that perhaps being so close to death herself granted the young woman a brief glimpse into the next world...but that really didn't matter much to Ninmae back then. All she saw was someone with a sword and black robes drawing her four year-old brother to his feet and escorting him out the door. She called after them, reached out with what strength she had – and was told flatly by the shinigami "It's not your time yet," with a disdainful tone to his voice that made her grind her teeth.
Ninmae fixed the shinigami's features in her memory – if she ever saw him in this world or the next, she swore she would know exactly who he was, and she promised the fading spirit of her brother that she would find him no matter where he was. Those oaths were foremost in her mind when she died of fever a few days later.
The shinigami were busy that year, and didn't have time to give much attention to a single 17-year-old girl in the midst of all that death no matter how determined she was to have her answer. The one that sent her on to Soul Society gave her the most cursory spiel of what he was and where she was going now that she was dead. But, when he moved to give her konso and she blocked his hand – that gave him pause.
"Kid, hang on to that will of yours," he said, when he heard Ninmae's hastily told story. "I can't say you'll find either person you're looking for, 'cause the world doesn't quite work that way...but that inner strength'll be your best weapon, regardless.” And, with a tap of the hilt of his sword to her forehead on she went to Soul Society.
The shinigami chose not to tell her that she'd probably forget pretty much everything about her life on earth once she crossed over. And that was what happened. However, shortly after she landed in Rukongai, Ninmae was taken in by a woman who needed an extra hand with the houseful of young children she’d adopted after their deaths. It kept her occupied for decades, but she was constantly plagued by a feeling that she was forgetting something rather important every time a little boy would come up to her and ask her to play or bandage a bloody knee.
She might have spent her long afterlife like this if not for the day one of her charges ran into the road while playing tag, and went right into the path of an oncoming cart. Ninmae dashed out to yank him out of the way…and somehow channeled spiritual energy for a split second, quickening her steps beyond what was normally possible. It wasn’t quite shunpo, but it was enough for a shinigami in the area to notice the power burst and investigate the source. A quick explanation later, and Ninmae was packed off to Seiretei to add her name to the academy rolls.
Academy was never smooth sailing for Ninmae. She ended up having a longer stay than the average student; she was functionally illiterate, which put her kidou classes on hold until her tutors brought her up to speed in reading and writing. However, she was a surprisingly quick student and ended up developing a talent for the magical arts after her studies were complete. After nearly another decade of training, she graduated from the Academy and was accepted into the 2nd division.
Division applying to: 2nd
Zanpakuto appearance:
In its sealed form, Ninmae's zanpakuto is a wakizashi that's about 50 cm (21 in) in length. It's sheathed in a black saya that's bound with gold knotted silk at the top and decorated with three silver tomoe evenly spaced down its length. The guard is an octagonal piece of silver-white steel illustrated with a black dog and a raven chasing a gold-embossed sun around the flat surface. When the sword is drawn, the kanji for 'jishinkaminarikajioyaji' -the saying 'Earthquakes, thunder, fires, fathers' can be seen in graceful calligraphy along the flat of the blade, with the kanji for 'thunder' standing out in gold.
Being in the 2nd division, Ninmae needs her hands free to fight, so she mostly uses a wide range of hakuda skills when in combat. Her movements are quick and circular, using lots of leg sweeps, joint locks, throws, and strikes when in melee range. All of it’s really just to get her into proper range to use her kidou skills.
Sample Mission:
(name loosely translates to 'messenger in the presence of the hour of death', which is essentially what a shinigami is. Gotta love kanji puns.)
Gender: Female
Age:190 (died 1835)
Appearance:
The farmer girl from the Kobe ricepaddies may be a respectable member of the shinigami forces of Sereitei now, but there's no erasing her origins. She started Academy as a tomboy, and a tomboy she will remain.
Ninmae still looks much as she did in life. She's straight up short on looks, with dark circles under her deepset wide brown eyes that never seem to fade, a snubby nose, and ears that stick out just a tad. Her skin is well-tanned and a little weatherbeaten, and her hair is a sooty black with the occasional touch of dark brown here and there. Ninmae's unkempt locks seriously need a trim; although she ties her hair back in a loose ponytail, enough strands get loose to dangle limply in her her face. She wears glasses now, as she discovered there was a cure for her horrible nearsightedness in life, much to her relief. They’re bronzerimmed oval frames that occasionally slip down her nose.
There's a certain coltish edge to her slim but strong form; it's very much the frame of a peasant girl that hasn't had quite enough to eat, ever, or burns through food so quickly she doesn't have the chance to put on any pounds. Several decades of Academy training have put muscles on her, giving her an athletic build tailor made for running and acrobatics. Her hands are wide, the fingers a tad short and stubby, coarsened by hard work in life. They're tailormade for handling a hoe or a rake, or digging into earth. They will never be graceful, but they serve well enough.
Ninmae does not sit as much as sprawl; while she knows how to sit seiza, she sees no reason to comport herself such a uncomfortable way when it's not necessary. She speaks in a rough, drawling Kansai-ben.
Personality:
Ninmae is the person everyone thinks of as 'just folks'. She's forthright, kind, and sensible, with a protective streak for children that’s a mile wide. She's got aspirations of becoming stronger (heck, all shinigami do) but no desire to lead. No, she's just happy being one of the army, and properly working for a living. She likes her job, which is keeping the world running and protecting both sides of the veil.
At her heart, Ninmae is afraid of failure. She watched her little brother die and get taken away because she wasn't quite strong enough to protect him, and even though she doesn't remember that, since then she's done her best to never let those around her down again. Give her a goal, and not only will she achieve it given time, but she'll be planning her next conquest soon. She only allows herself a hot second to rest on her laurels.
Never, *ever* call Ninmae a coward. You might want to call the 4th before you say the word around her, because you will be on one of their cots before the evening's over, courtesy of her fists (and anything else she feels the need to crack over your head). Every scar on her body proves her devotion to her motto 'first in, last out' when it comes to fighting. She will always have a teammate's or assigned charge’s back when it counts.
Biography:
There isn't much to Ninmae's history in life that is of note; she was born to farmers (whose name she doesn't even remember anymore) among the rice paddies of the Kobe area in the early 1800s. She was the eldest of four and was expected to help tend the family plot. She never married after she came of age; times were rough, and her family could never scrape together an appropriate dowry that would attract a husband her family would approve of.
Shortly after her 17th year, a famine struck Japan. Crops failed, and families went hungry as the government continued to demand their taxes in spite of entire villages being unable to feed themselves, much less pay the shogun. Epidemics followed in the famine's wake, cutting a swathe through the now weakened people. Ninmae was one of the casualties, but not before she watched her brother die.
She's still not sure exactly how she was able to see the shinigami who came to collect her younger brother Akio shortly after he drew his last breath. One of her teachers theorizes that perhaps being so close to death herself granted the young woman a brief glimpse into the next world...but that really didn't matter much to Ninmae back then. All she saw was someone with a sword and black robes drawing her four year-old brother to his feet and escorting him out the door. She called after them, reached out with what strength she had – and was told flatly by the shinigami "It's not your time yet," with a disdainful tone to his voice that made her grind her teeth.
Ninmae fixed the shinigami's features in her memory – if she ever saw him in this world or the next, she swore she would know exactly who he was, and she promised the fading spirit of her brother that she would find him no matter where he was. Those oaths were foremost in her mind when she died of fever a few days later.
The shinigami were busy that year, and didn't have time to give much attention to a single 17-year-old girl in the midst of all that death no matter how determined she was to have her answer. The one that sent her on to Soul Society gave her the most cursory spiel of what he was and where she was going now that she was dead. But, when he moved to give her konso and she blocked his hand – that gave him pause.
"Kid, hang on to that will of yours," he said, when he heard Ninmae's hastily told story. "I can't say you'll find either person you're looking for, 'cause the world doesn't quite work that way...but that inner strength'll be your best weapon, regardless.” And, with a tap of the hilt of his sword to her forehead on she went to Soul Society.
The shinigami chose not to tell her that she'd probably forget pretty much everything about her life on earth once she crossed over. And that was what happened. However, shortly after she landed in Rukongai, Ninmae was taken in by a woman who needed an extra hand with the houseful of young children she’d adopted after their deaths. It kept her occupied for decades, but she was constantly plagued by a feeling that she was forgetting something rather important every time a little boy would come up to her and ask her to play or bandage a bloody knee.
She might have spent her long afterlife like this if not for the day one of her charges ran into the road while playing tag, and went right into the path of an oncoming cart. Ninmae dashed out to yank him out of the way…and somehow channeled spiritual energy for a split second, quickening her steps beyond what was normally possible. It wasn’t quite shunpo, but it was enough for a shinigami in the area to notice the power burst and investigate the source. A quick explanation later, and Ninmae was packed off to Seiretei to add her name to the academy rolls.
Academy was never smooth sailing for Ninmae. She ended up having a longer stay than the average student; she was functionally illiterate, which put her kidou classes on hold until her tutors brought her up to speed in reading and writing. However, she was a surprisingly quick student and ended up developing a talent for the magical arts after her studies were complete. After nearly another decade of training, she graduated from the Academy and was accepted into the 2nd division.
Division applying to: 2nd
Zanpakuto appearance:
In its sealed form, Ninmae's zanpakuto is a wakizashi that's about 50 cm (21 in) in length. It's sheathed in a black saya that's bound with gold knotted silk at the top and decorated with three silver tomoe evenly spaced down its length. The guard is an octagonal piece of silver-white steel illustrated with a black dog and a raven chasing a gold-embossed sun around the flat surface. When the sword is drawn, the kanji for 'jishinkaminarikajioyaji' -the saying 'Earthquakes, thunder, fires, fathers' can be seen in graceful calligraphy along the flat of the blade, with the kanji for 'thunder' standing out in gold.
Being in the 2nd division, Ninmae needs her hands free to fight, so she mostly uses a wide range of hakuda skills when in combat. Her movements are quick and circular, using lots of leg sweeps, joint locks, throws, and strikes when in melee range. All of it’s really just to get her into proper range to use her kidou skills.
Sample Mission: