- Posting Speed
- 1-3 posts per week
- Online Availability
- 3PM CST - 9 PM CST
- Writing Levels
- Intermediate
- Adept
- Advanced
- Adaptable
- Preferred Character Gender
- Male
- Female
- No Preferences
- Genres
- Fantasy, Scifi, Urban Fantasy, Horror
[fieldbox="Minori Tachibana: 8th division - 2nd Seat, goldenrod, solid, Abril Fatface"]
[/fieldbox]
- Basics
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•Name: Minori Tachibana
•Age: Chronologically, 360; Physically, 32
•Gender: Female
•Height: 4'11"
•Division: 8th
•Rank: 2nd - Personal Info
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•Appearance: Minori is a tiny woman with an extremely slight frame. With practically no bust and a set of slightly wide hips, it wouldn't be a stretch to mistake her for a young girl, a fact she has bemoaned. Often, she is seen wearing a fantastically embroidered robe underneath her haori, just parsed down enough to allow for range of movement and battle-readiness. Her hair is more often than not fashioned in a traditional style, usually done up and out of the way. Her hair, when loose, is almost waist-length, and if her hair is seen down, there is a real emergency afoot. Minori also wears traditional make-up as well, her skin pale as paper and eyes rounded off with red and black. It is a very rare occasion to see her without her 'get-up', as she calls it.
•Personality: Minori is, more than anything else, chipper to a fault. Enthusiastic, bright, and a whirlwind of energy, the lieutenant is known for her peppy mood and professionalism. It is not unusual to see her bustling around her headquarters, chattering away as she investigates. The little lady very rarely seems gloomy or downcast, always ready to share this piece of gossip or that piece of news. She is also energetic, often bouncing from one place to the next in a bustle to get paperwork done. Rarely does Minori seem out of breath or out of her depth, easily multitasking throughout the day. To top it off, Minori is a playful tease who loves to pick on the people she has a good rapport with. It isn't that she doesn't take things seriously - just that she won't if she doesn't have to. Her natural charisma ensures that her jests aren't taken to heart, though she can throw a few barbs now and again when she's in a bad mood.
However, Minori also has a habit of being incredibly private. Often, while in conversation, a person will realize that they did most of the talking, walking away from the discussion knowing little to nothing new about Minori. Her personal life is a heavily guarded secret, and most people only know that her family is of a noble house and nothing more. Her hobbies, her living situation, even the names of her parents are held close to the vest. While this would not be so bad, she is also frustratingly impartial, able to 'sell out' fellow Shinigami. It is no secret that Lt. Tachibana holds no allegiances, keeps no real 'friends' - only contacts. As such, the lieutenant hides a certain amount of loneliness. As part of Internal Affairs, she cannot let her personal feelings or relationships interfere with a possible investigation - not even from those within her division. Minori also has a bad habit of being flippant, sometimes not taking care of issues when they first arise and letting them snowball. She is managing well so far, but she is still working through prioritizing small issues as much as big ones.
•Biography: Minori was born to the noble house of the Tachibana, and she largely lived a charmed life within the clan compound. As she grew older, Minori became curious of the outside world, though she was more or less resigned to a political marriage to further her parents' allegiances. At around adolescence, she was acquainted with boy from a rival clan, the Wara, and they struck up a romance. Their tryst was considered anathema to both sides, and their meetings were soon conducted in secret in the outer districts of the Rukongai.
Seeing the plight of those living on the outskirts, the boy, Ame, took it upon himself to help them by supplying them in his spare time even when he and Minori were separated, though Minori thought this was a lost cause. However, his compassion only drew her closer to him. Even when Minori was engaged to another man from an allied clan, Minori continued to see Ame. At some point, she is sure, she was found out - and conveniently, Ame was shived to death in the Rukongai.
Distraught by his death, Minori went into seclusion and cut off the engagement to her fiance. Her family demanded some sort of answer, considering the insult she'd paid the other clan, and finally Minori said she would not marry - but instead join the Shino'o Academy to became a Soul Reaper. She had always had a strong reiatsu, befitting a noble house, and her mother and father allowed it. She passed through without much to-do.
She first began in the 3rd Division as part of a Recon team, and that first trip to the World of the Living changed her somehow. Tirelessly, she made longer and longer trips to the World of the Living, and finally, Aiji Miyamoto - then the 2nd seat of the division - intervened. Aware that she was putting subordinates in danger, Nori transitioned into the 8th division. Since then, she has climbed the ranks and held the position of Lieutenant for over a hundred years. It has been a point of contention with some of her superiors that she did not take the Captain seat when possible despite her obvious abilities, but Minori seems content to remain the 2nd seat for her own reasons. - Shinigami Skillset
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•Skills:
Kido Spells: Bakudo (expert), #1-89; Hado (intermediate) #1-30
[tab]Other Skills:
[tab]Swordsmanship: Proficient enough for a lieutenant, though this is not her main focus.
Hakuda: An expert. She largely specialized in close quarter combat with other humanoids.
Kido: An expert. Her favorite is the basic kido genki, which she can perform discretely and from a distance to subdue others in sensitive situations.
Shunpo: Proficient enough for a lieutenant, though this is not her main focus.
Interpersonal Skills: Nori oozes charisma and often uses her personality and poise to disarm others (as well as calm angry 11th div offenders).
Networking: Nori has a large pool of friends from whom she pulls information on other Shinigami, mostly from the inner Rukongai and some in the outer districts.[/tab][/tab]
•Zanpakuto: A katana measuring exactly 23.5 inches, Kuzue-biko is possibly the shortest of the unreleased Zanpakuto. The handle is lacquered black, with a black woven rope around the handle. The tsuba is of a peacock feather design in gold on black iron. The blade is the typical iron, with a one-sided blade. The Zanpakuto spirit is of a skeleton wearing tattered, though ornate, robes who laughs quite a lot and is especially mocking.
•Shikai Release: "Kuzue-biko, lengthen my gaze" - Upon the release command, Kuzue-biko becomes a bladeless nodachi hilt without a guard, made of carved whalebone showing a broken man crawling across the ground. Minori's Shikai ability is that the blade of her sword is actually its shadow, which appears as if there is a real blade attached to the hilt. Whatever the shadow-blade encounters - physical or shadow - it cuts or stabs as if by a physical blade. This extends to buildings, fixtures, and objects. As such, the blade is practically weightless while a shadow, and blindingly fast. However, because there is no physical blade, Minori does not have the ability to block attacks - only to dodge them.
Minori's shadow has the same ability as well - if her shadow were to punch somebody else's shadow, an injury would appear on the opponent's person. Minori is also omniscient within her own shadow, which includes telepathy. While an opponent is in her shadow, she can momentarily 'riffle' through the mind, but the shorter the interval, the less she gets. However, she cannot read more than two opponents at a time, as it is very disorienting.
When Minori steps into a shadow - such as that of a building - the nodachi's blade reappears at its full 45 inches in length. At this point, her shadowplay abilities are no longer in effect, and the nodachi can interact with other objects normally. While tangible, the nodachi is both much heavier and able to block attacks.
•Other: Minori cannot cook. She can barely make ice. As such, she has eaten at every single restaurant in the Seireitei, and she has a favorite dish at each. Additionally, because of her size and her high reiatsu, she eats like a truck. - Writing Sample
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•Writing Sample: The streets of the Rukongai were oddly quiet at this time of day, but this was the 86th ward. It was not exactly known for its popularity or its bustle. The small woman had foregone her usual uniform for something marginally simpler, though anyone with an eye for fashion would recognize her outfit as still far more expensive than the norm in this part of the Rukongai. Her face was shaded by a large straw hat, and worn-looking souls parted before her as she seemed to glide through the street.
Finally, she stopped at a cart where another Shinigami happened to be ordering as well. She recognized his face - Morzai Uchaba, the 5th seat for the 4th division, a doctor. He was slight, with a thin mustache and long hair to his shoulders, obviously not the fighting type. Minori sidled alongside him and waited patiently for him to finish ordering.
"...and rice please," he tacked on, and the vendor nodded his head. The fish salesman turned to Minori, and he flinched momentarily at the presence of noble in his midst.
"I'll just have five of your soy fish on a stick," she said simply with a simple smile, gesturing with a sleeved hand. "If it's no trouble."
"N-no! Absolutely, absolutely," the vendor said, rushing to get both their orders.
Morzai looked down at the small woman with raised eyebrows.
"A little far from the Noble Houses aren't you?" he asked gently.
"Sometimes I like to go for a nice, long walk, and the courtyards get stuffy," Minori stated, tilting her head towards Morzai as if this were a secret. The doctor nodded his head in understanding.
"You yourself aren't exactly in your wheelhouse. That badge is for the fourth division, isn't it?" Minori asked, leaning to look at the armband with the character shi on it.
Morzai gave a wan smile in return.
"I need a bit of a walk myself. It's been very busy."
"Oh, I've heard," Minori said. "I have some friends who are Shinigami, and they say there was a big scuffle between the 6th division and the 12th over some... I'm not a bright woman, you know, so I'm not sure I understand all of it, but it sounds a lot like kidnapping? And from the 4th division's patients, too!"
"Oh, it's worse than that," Morzai mumbled, looking down at Minori. "We pride ourselves on protecting patients. And someone dropped the ball there."
"Oh, so the 12th division was the one who authorized all of this? How heinous..." Minori lamented, shaking her head as the vendor came back to give Morzai his box. "Though I have heard that there was someone on the inside who let the 12th division 7th seat into the building..."
Morzai gripped the box of food with a hold stronger than was perhaps necessary, and Minori gracefully waited for the vendor to come with her own food.
"You know, you look very familiar, Lady. Have I seen you before?" Morzai asked.
"Oh, I get around. I like to gossip, so you may have seen me here and there," Minori admitted gleefully, clapping her hands as the last of her own dish was prepared.
"Well... it was nice to get to meet you," he said as he turned to walk away, but he was abruptly rooted to the spot, a red light flashing around his form momentarily. His eyes widened, and Minori accepted her food with her left hand, her right still holding the sign for genki. She had performed it so quickly and discreetly, he had not even noticed her make the motions for the spell. She took a bite out of the fish, humming appreciatively. This stall was always a good pick.
"You haven't been doing so well financially, have you, Morzai? That gambling addiction is a hard one to kick. Unfortunately, that's no excuse. You're not an easy man to find, though I didn't think you would so brazenly wear your Shinigami uniform out in public so soon..." Minori said in the same chipper tone she'd kept throughout the whole conversation. "Ah, well."
"You..." he managed to grit out. Minori took his bento box delightfully.
"Let's put it this way," Minori stated, taking another indelicate bite out of her treat. "If you cooperate, we can make this all go away. I don't suggest you make me riffle through your mind. It isn't very pleasant for either of us."
Morzai looked down at the woman as she paid the stall owner, who was unaware of what was transpiring, for both of their meals, and she swallowed her mouthful.
"So, what will it be, Morzai? I can at least make it a comfy cell," Minori joked.
Morzai's nostrils flared, but that was about all he could do. Finally, he nodded.
Minori's grin was nearly predatory.
"Good boy."
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