Post by Yuna Xiao on Apr 3, 2020 10:05:23 GMT -5
Discord/Chatango Username:
Ody#2919
Password 1:
Black Hole
Password 2:
Moon Pray
Type:
Shadow
Squad:
Squad 7
Rank:
8 - Shinigami Hopeful (Academy Student)
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-Basic Information-
Name:
蕭 (Xiao), ユウナ (Yuna)
Age of Death:
26
Real Age/Age of Appearance:
26 / 26
Birthday (Month/Day):
May 27
Blood Type:
O-
RP Sample:
"What!?" Yuna gasped, exasperated at the desperate scene playing out before her.
"His Bankai has such destructive power even after the beating he took!? Is it truly hopeless? No... We must eliminate this traitor at all costs." She took a deep breath and wiped some of the blood off from her face as a determined expression shines through any fear. She was going to help her Captain defeat this bastard even if it kills her, because the consequences of defeat are even worse than death.
Yuna ferociously Flash Stepped to get to the other side of the rogue Lieutenant, hoping she can create a distraction so her Captain can land her Bankai's ability. She concentrates and holds out one hand pointed at her opponent. "Ye lord! Mask of flesh and bone, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! Truth and temperance, upon this sinless wall of dreams unleash but slightly the wrath of your claws -- HADOU 33 Sōkatsui" Yuna speaks as quickly as she can and pours as much reishi into her Kidou as possible. The explosion of energy ripples from her palm and smashes toward her target. "It's up to you now, Captain, I held off as best I could..." Yuna says to herself weak and rife with exhaustion having fought such a powerful foe on her own for so long. Her knees give in and she quickly collapses into unconsciousness.
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-Appearance-
Height/Weight:
5' / 110 Lbs
Physical Description:
Yuna has short black-blue hair with a full fringe and blue eyes.
She wears a revealing red sleeveless shinobi suit with gold designs adorned with a white belt and a yellow buckle, a pink scarf on her neck, a yellow headband on her forehead, red gauntlets and matching leg guards with sandals. She also wears a brown mesh undershirt and matching brown thigh high stockings
She has a fairly athletic body, about equal to someone who works out three times a week. She wears minimal makeup when on duty, just enough to give her a minor flair and hide and blemishes. She will wear heavier makeup for ceremonies and other special occasions.
When wearing her shihakushō, she does not wear the typical shitagi but her usual outfit. She wears a miniskirt kosode extending to just above her knees, and does not wear any hakama.
Her casual outfit is a yukata adorned with sakura petals and bird silhouettes, and simple tabi.
If she enters the world of the living and must blend in, then she wears a pleated black skirt/jeans (depending on weather), short black leather jacket (if in colder weather), a yellow t-shirt, knee-high socks, and black mary janes.
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-Personality-
Dislikes (in order of most disliked to least):
Flaws:
Habits:
Fears:
Goals:
Alignment:
Lawful Good
Overall Personality:
Overview: Lighthearted and kind, but focused and determined. Not naïve but remains optimistic.
Yuna is the type of person to go to the birthday party of the kid who sits in the corner that nobody talks to. She can also be the person to slap a man’s face for being creepy to her friend in public. She knows that she can’t help everyone and can’t be there for every moment and that's OK by her books, but she always aims to please and puts her energy to doing good in the world. Never jealous and yet still willing to want more in her life.She’s stubborn, too, never taking ‘no’ for an answer if she believes that something must be done.
As a shinigami she has renewed focus in her existence and helps her function slightly differently to how she did as a human. Whereas before she sought to make the most out of her days, with considerably more time to accomplish her goals, she instead wishes to enrich every experience as much as possible. Leaning a new technique, exploring the seireitei, sparring, and anything in between is not simply done for the sake of doing it nor is it done as quickly as possible.
She was not impulsive even when she was alive so now she is even more patient and methodical.
When confronted with fear, she doe not back down and instead sees something fearful as a challenge to be overcome. Whether it's an overwhelmingly powerful enemy, an ability that tortures her senses, a superior who harangues her for a fatal mistake, and anything else. It doesn't mean she's fearless, but that she never permits her fear to stop her from doing something or making progress.
Yuna is easily excited and often joyful at many things to the point where her jovial nature may be overbearing for some, but she knows full well when to tone it down and doesn't hide her feelings if she is sad, upset, hurt, or even angry. This allows her to connect with her friends more closely as they know she will not hide her true self and stop from expressing her intentions and thoughts.
Just as much as she can be happy at something, she can show just as much ferocity and vigor when in battle or when threatened. Never hesitant to defend herself or her friends and always willing to do what must be done as long as she believes in it. However, violence is never the first or only option, and if she genuinely feels as though somebody deserves a fate less gruesome than death then she will do her best to seek out that alternative path.
She was raised among generations of extremely strict rules and expectations which enables her to fit in well in a military organisation such as the Gotei 13 and thus she takes her role extremely seriously. She will follow orders to their absolute and looks down upon shinigami that fail to respect the spirit of their organisation, and those that cannot obey their superiors.
Squad 7 was chosen because it's a squad she wholeheartedly believes will allow her to operate to her truest and most faithful extent. To uphold order is paramount to her, as without order there can not be any society and without society, life cannot exist (even if it's not living flesh).
It takes a tremendously insurmountable problem to truly break her spirit. Even if every last soul in the Soul Society were to turn against her, she would still find hope that she could rebuild in some way or pay penance for her wrongdoings. She does not actually know what is 'too far' for this,
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-Powers-
Fighting Style:
She employs a strong combination of Kidō based combat with swift movements and death-by-a-thousand-cuts type of swordsmanship. Preferring to ambush if possible.
If Yuna is able to prepare for a battle by stalking her opponent, then she will typically strike from above or below, depending on the setup, by wrapping the user in steel wire or a Bakudo technique. If the target dodges, then she will use a throwing weapon (typically senbon) to chase the opponent with in hopes she can slow them down.
If the opponent merely breaks free then she backs away knowing the target is much stronger than anticipated. She will not confront the enemy head-on but instead rely on keeping out of sight and taking pot shots. If she deduces that her opponent is not extremely physically strong then she considers a direct confrontation. She will always try to fight by enhancing her weakness against whatever opponent she faces - if she is fighting a faster enemy then she will try to outwit them with Kido or some item, or if they’re stronger than her, she will out maneuver them with fast acrobatics and tricky speedplay.
She prefers to use the Way of Binding over the Path of Destruction, but will use her Hado if she is particularly outmatched or if she knows the opponent must be slain rather than captured. She will not fight until her last breath, rather she will retreat when the odds are stacked against her so that she can study and train to return and overcome her rival.
She carries with her a profile book that details everything she knows about everyone she ever meets, no matter how benign or relevant they may be. Although this is useful for minor things like birthdays, she also uses this to analyse her opponent so as to never be caught off guard.
Zanpakutou Spirit Appearance:
Unreleased appearance:
Her Zanpakutou Spirit is that of a jiangshi/kyonshī - a 'hopping' vampire with a Kuang Shi (paper spell) attached to her face. Being undead, she has pale blue skin wearing traditional Chinese garb such as a qi-pao. Her Zanpakutou Spirit is a living weapon of sorts, her arms are actually huge metal claws attached to chains on her body. She has hidden within her sleeves many types of weapons and is capable of using them all at a whim. She is, however, weak to fire and the wood of a peach tree, among other items.
Particularly oppressing are mirrors, particular the classic silver-backed ones, as she is afraid of her own reflection. This is in stark contrast to the mirror world that she inhabits, where she is haunted by her fears until Yuna is able to help conquer their fears together by growing stronger.
The Spirit is a jiangshi because it represents Yuna's forceful will to fight for what she believes in and defend herself and her friends, but simultaneously lives (or rather, dies as a Soul Reaper) full of regret and frustration, never having fulfilled her life and feeling like she let everyone she knew down. This manifests in the way her Zanpakutou Spirit is a kind and thoughtful woman but fierce and literally born to kill. The dichotomy between gentle and vicious is what pushes her forward through struggles and also what led her to want to become a Soul Reaper.
Inner World:
A humongous glass castle which is full of mirrors. The labyrinth of mirrors is ever-changing and never settled unless her Zanpakutou is released, where it morphs into decreasing levels of madness as she overcomes her inner struggles and faces her fears and her true self. The mirrors are portals to each other and only someone who can live amongst the shifting castle can truly be safe from her Zanpakutou's more sinister side. The castle of glass represents how transparent her inner turmoil is if she were only to reflect upon it further. It also represents how she must fight onward despite knowing what kind of threat she faces.
In Shikai release, the mirror world is much more orderly with only one infinite hallway of mirrors. Each one displays to the user an aspect of themselves that is an absolute truth, regardless if they’re aware of it or acknowledge it and the mirror will show both the good, bad, and the ugly. Instead of random connections to each mirror, they now connect to a specific related mirror that is either caused by or the cause of said character trait. For example, one mirror could display the element of greed, which then connects to the fact that Yuna was born into wealth, which then connects to her privilege of having two successful parents and how she took them for granted.
The Bankai mirror world has only one mirror and that’s the world itself. The ‘floor’ is instead the reflection of all of Yuna’s life, and only by looking beyond (by looking to the sky that the mirror reflects) can she move on from her struggles and look past herself, no longer only reflecting but forging a new path. It demonstrates the mastery over her emotions and that she is not afraid when she is in this form, because she is the culmination of all her hard work and has only the future to focus on.
Zanpakutou Appearances:
Her Zanpakutou is a standard wakizashi with no handgusrd whatsoever, a simple wrapped black hilt, and an oak sheath with no embellishments. She carries it strapped to her upper back. Her Zanpakutou can be shrunk to that of a tanto where she will often hide it, particularly if she enters the world of the living or is on a stealth mission.
Shikai: Her sword morphs into a glove with four blades attached to the top of her hand.
Bankai: Her entire Zanpakutou is transformed into a two gloves with sharp golden claws on each finger and thumb (which is where the 'actual' Zanpakutou is stored, meaning these must be destroyed to damage the weapon itself) and her body is covered in a form-fitting suit and a cowl; blades form over her body as thus: one blade of 12 inches on each forearm, two blades curved of 12 inches on each shoulder (making a + shape), one curved blade on her hood, like a centurion helmet, measuring 16 inches, four short blades of 6 inches line the area where her spine is, two spikes of four inches jut from her elbows and knees, two blades on each thigh and calf (front and back), measuring eight inches, and similarclaws to her hands but on her feet, with two kata-style blades sprouting from the back of her ankle at six inches, and finally her 'tail' which has a set of three inch blades on each side running the length of the tail, with a five in spike at the very end and three curved blades of six inches in a grasping claw-like shape at the tip. The outfit itself is a white and blue combination, with the blue streaks running along where there are blades, taking the form of a hooded assassin.
Zanapkutou Release Names:
Shikai - Burrow: 间谍 Jiàndié
Bankai - Dig to the Centre of the World: 鼹鼠间谍 Yănshŭ Jiàndié
Overall Ability:
Her Zanpakutou theme is extremely movement based in addition to having some sensory abilities, with an emphasis on moving through objects and especially dirt and rock as though she were a fish in water. Using this technique, she can conduct surveillance, espionage, eavesdropping, and other clandestine operations, but also use it for ambushes and to strike unpredictability using the cover of earth and other environmental areas. Jiàndié is designed to be used for intelligence and stealth operations.
Shikai Overall Ability:
The sword transforms into a four-bladed claw affixed to the top of her hand via a glove. Her blades act as both antenna and a typical weapon where she can either fight or insert it into an object and use that to either 'see' or 'hear' through it or further away depending on the object (for example, a tree would act as a receiver or a wall would behave more like a one-way mirror).
The ability does NOT increase stat points, it merely allows her to utilise her Senses stat in different ways. Think of it like a hearing aid or glasses, your own hearing or sight remain unchanged.She can, to a limited extent, use her Shikai to move through solid objects that are not thicker than one foot, and requires the blades be the first to touch the surface to be passed through. Her Shikai allows her to keep one hand free so she can use various tools like kunai, chains, or even Kido. The glove that covers her hand is particularly tough as it acts as the handguard, allowing her to grab a blade if needed. In order to destroy her Zanpakutou, one must break all four blades.
Yuna’s Shikai is meant to be more utility focused, with her Bankai being the main battle ability. That’s not to say that her Shikai is worthless in a fight as it does add additional flexibility to her fighting style, but the focus is not of pure combat. Yuna is meant to combine her Shikai with other techniques and abilities to compensate for a lack of strong release strength and power.
Bankai Overall Ability:
Her Bankai represents the pure manifestation of her ‘living weapon’ Zanpakutou Spirit.
Her entire body becomes covered in a suit of blades, her hands and feet becoming sharp claws, and she grows a vestigial tail as part of her outfit and controlled through reishi. also covered in spikes and blades. She uses this to fight defensively but also her Bankai allows her to move effortlessly through solid objects which allows her to strike from any direction. She will get stuck and even suffocate if she is in an object when sealing her bankai. This form cannot simply move through Kidō-based objects but instead must destroy them as normal.
When in the world of the living, she literally digs through the objects rather than swim through reishi-based ones, thus making her slower and far less stealthy. With this form, she fights more like an animal in that she uses all four limbs and even her teeth and tail to attack and defend with. The blades and spikes are everywhere which make it difficult to attack from any direction using melee attacks, and even ranged attacks can be tricky to pull off since she can operate like a bladed armadillo. Visually, her theme is that of a mole which is why her overall abilities are earth based. She enhances it with electricity based abilities, which the ground naturally conducts.
As her Zanpakutou is Earth based, she can use her Bankai to channel electricity-based attacks (particularly Hadou) through some objects using her entire body as the conduit.
Yuna's Bankai is the embodiment of 'a great offense makes a good defense' as she can use the fact that she's covered in blades to parry attacks from all angles, even using her very hands to block attacks with greater finesse. However, it does mean that an opponent with greater precision, strength, or speed will outmatch her as she relies on being able to block or parry any attack.
When the odds are stacked against her, she will use her strongest ability, Particle Accelerator, but only if she knows there is no other way. Her instinct to protect who she cares for and fight for her beliefs are driven to their extreme where she puts herself at maximum risk for potentially equal reward.
Zanpakuto Techniques:
Shikai: Tremorsense - Allows her to visualise movement on any surface connected to her regardless if she has been blinded. Expending double additional reishi allows her to use Deep Tremorsense which she can extend the range to 25 cubic metres around her. This works to a limited degree if her opponent is moving through the air, she gets only a vague direction and not much else. Tremorsense is always active when in bankai. If her opponent is light or slow enough then they are imperceptible to her. Initial cost: 25 reishi, continual cost: 5 reishi per post.
Shikai: Transceiver - She can connect her blades to an object and use it to extend the capabilities of her natural senses, This allows her to see or hear through walls, hear further (but not necessarily more clearly) through a tall pole or tree, feel through dirt, and much more. But, this does not function in the same way to Tremorsense and does not function if her natural senses are impaired. This ability requires concentration. Cost: 5 reishi per post.
Bankai: Helldrill/Hellsphere - She curls into a tight defensive ball which she then rolls around at an incredible pace and can stick to any solid surface, damaging anything she touches. She isn't flawlessly accurate and will struggle against a fast opponent. Alternatively, she forms herself into a whirling drill sacrificing speed for manoeuvrability. Cost: 20 reishi per post that it's activated on (meaning multiple reactivations in one post does not add to cost).
Bankai: Liquid Earth - She can effortlessly move through any solid object as though it were water. Kidou-based objects and abilities are not affected by this ability, and if she is within an object and deactivates Liquid Earth then she will be stuck where she is, possibly at risk of suffocation. It does not cost reishi to maintain this ability unless she is actively traversing through objects (thus eliminating the need to constantly reactivate) but does cost 10 reishi per post.
Bankai: Quicksand Whirlpool - Channeling her reishi into any solid surface, she can turn it into a semi-solid form that objects heavier than twenty pounds will sink into. She can disable the ability to merely trap her opponent or allow them to drown (or more appropriately, suffocate) in a live burial. This ability does not work on water, but can work on solid surfaces that are wet, or the bottom of a pool/lake/other body of water. The greater the radius of the effect, the more reishi is required, beginning at a radius of twenty feet and a maximum of two hundred feet (at two hundred per cent cost). She can also reverse the flow of the whirlpool and spit things out, which can be useful for rescue operations. Initial cost: 100 reiatsu, additional 10 per three feet increased radius
Bankai: *Ultimate - Particle Accelerator - Yuna channels reishi and natural electrical energy from her surroundings into her body and gains a massive Speed boost.
At the cost of 500 reishi, Yuna's Speed increase to its maximum after four posts. At any point, she can focus Particle Accelerator into one final assault, tripling her Speed stat and dealing damage equal to Reiatsu Strength and her increased Speed stat at the time of the attack (or the 'Boosted Speed'), where the final attack power increases at one quarter per post. Therefore this ability's damage output is RS+25% of Boosted Speed, increasing to 100% of Boosted Speed at the final post. Additionally, she can move at half her base Speed without incurring any Speed based penalties. Particle Accelerator will immediately seal her Bankai for 8 personal posts. Additionally, she will need to rest for at least the same duration before being able to fight at full strength again. She will incur this penalty regardless if she launches her attack or not after four posts, and the penalty is the same even on the first post.
Other Techniques:
Shunpō
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-History-
Birthplace:
Shanghai, PR China
Deathplace:
Mt. Fuji, Japan
Current Residence:
Hokutan, 3rd West District
Memorable Figures:
Nasaki Eto - Mother
Ryouske Eto - Grandfather
Urumi Eto - Grandmother
Yao Chen - Father
Liao-Tzu Chen - Uncle
Indiana Jones - Idol
James Bond - Idol
History:
Yuna in life was a driven, energetic girl who loved to immerse herself with good people and fun activities. She boundlessly tried everything - strange new foods, climbing the biggest trees, reading books for grown-ups, and everything in between - having no fear and a desire to learn and grow as much as possible. She would often get hurt both physically and emotionally from this as she would interact with the wrong crowd or try something too daring, but it never slowed her down. This was the very core of her character but it wasn't entirely her own. She strived to be a great person and an excellent daughter because she also wanted to appease her family who placed high expectations on her being an only child from a successful family. Her mother was a Japanese woman who worked as Japan's ambassador to China, and her father was a Chinese man who was the Chief of Police of the largest city in the country.
Yuna still did her best to enjoy her childhood and her parents did provide a loving home, but she never felt like she was doing enough - her grades were high but were they high enough? She was well-mannered but was it polite enough? Every time she would approach her father, he'd rebuff her and simply smile, whereas her mother would redirect her back to her father. She was never once told that anyone was proud of her even if she would still get rewarded for her hard work.
When she was to enter secondary school (high school), her mother, Nasaki, had requested that she spend some time with Yuna's grandparents, Ryouske and Urumi Eto. This was an exciting and worrying prospect simultaneously as she did know enough Japanese to read the news, but her grandparents were from Okinawa where local dialects are not similar. Additionally, her grandparents were extremely strict and traditional people which led Yuna to wonder if this was her parents' attempt to 'whip her into shape' as the figure of speech goes. Nasaki would tell her that it was because her own mother wanted to spend time with her granddaughter, and because it was a good opportunity to learn about half of her heritage.
Yuna moved to Naha, Okinawa Prefecture in April of 2009 where she attended Shogaku Senior High and lived in her grandparents humble apartment where she had to adjust from her own parents' luxurious penthouse. Her suspicions of the discipline that her grandparents would instil within her were correct if even understated. She had an eight o'clock curfew, could not date any boys, was not allowed to watch TV, was not permitted to eat junk food, and was responsible for keeping the entire apartment spotless, as well as helping wash her grandmother which was not a custom she was used to. Her grandfather especially refused to speak to her in anything but Okinawan which forced her to learn as quickly as possible.
However, her grandparents were also generous and made sure that she had only the best food to eat and that there was always food available, they would also give her an allowance to treat herself on the weekends, and they even let her adopt a cat. Over time she grew fond of her elders and of her new home. Her grandmother would teach her many things about Japanese culture and the history of the Eto family (they trace back to the 11th century!) and even specific Okinawan things that few people remember.
She learned that her grandfather served in the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II as Okinawa was the biggest battlefield, he was a low-ranking communications officer and he had dedicated his life after the war to helping others on the island rebuild as a carpenter. This is where Yuna started to realise that people may be better than they appear, even if they appear as horrible and selfish folk.
Her grandmother was a school teacher and eventually a principal. She told stories of how she would have empty classrooms for months during wartime with the Korean war, but she still would prepare the lessons and mail them to each student, making sure they were learning, but more importantly that they had something to work on to give them a sense of normality. Yuna began to understand that you can be hard-edged but also compassionate and she grew to admire her grandparents, but also wondered if that's the type of people her own parents were.
She would toil through school year after year, making new friends who were very excited to have a Chinese classmate, where even mainland Japanese people didn't go to their town often. Yuna was extremely studious and was always in the top 15 of the school rankings. She was fond of mathematics as it was her strongest subject, but always found the history classes most interesting. As she drew closer to university application age, she would frequently mull over what she wanted to do with her life. During summer vacation when she was 16, she returned to her parents as she did every year but this time with a mission: decide her future!
She would read every university pamphlet and even joined groups on Weibo dedicated to talking about post-secondary studies. After agonising over the choice between becoming a mechanical engineer or a historian, she made her choice and approached her parents with her dream: to become an expert historian. Unfortunately, her father was supremely disappointed, saying that his own father was a historian and died a destitute drunk at only fifty-two. Her mother was more supportive but was clearly not thrilled either, not forbidding her from pursuing any study but not excited either.
Broken-hearted, she turned to complaining on her Weibo to her friends. It was there that she saw a particular chat bubble appear - it was her uncle, Liao-Tzu! Yuna entirely forgot that he was connectdd to her social network. He worked at the largest museum in China so surely he could dispense some useful advice. They would chat for hours after that, going back and forth about life, destiny, careers and more. Ultimately, he was incredibly supportive and helped explain to her that they just want to make sure their only child has a comfortable life with many options. He was realisitc with her telling her that it is very difficult to get a good career with her path to the point that he only got the job because he was a regular at the same mahjongg club as the owner.
Her uncle also helped focus her aspirations by having her think about her best idols, the people she admired most. She reflected for a while before remembering something: her grandfather had dozens of old American movies as they lived near the US Army base in Okinawa, so he would often buy various pieces of Americanna from it, including movies he didn't understand because they were in English but were fun to watch anyway. Among the movies were the entire Indiana Jones, and James Bond series. She watched every single film over and over, as she wasn't permitted to watch television. She loved how cool the characters were, but also how much there was to learn about how life was back in the day, and the adventures that the two iconic characters would go on.
She decided she would take the risk and try her best at what she wanted to do,hoping dearly that her parents would understand and embrace her decision. She would later pass her entrance exam getting the number five spot out of a pool of 1722 applicants to Kyoto University where she studied Archaeology, and Literature. Living in Kyoto meant she was no longer bound by the strict rules of her grandparents or the haunting pressure of her own parents. But she never forgot where she came from and all that the four of them taught her.
Yuna would enjoy the freedom of going on dates finally, and being able to watch television. With her studies and her friends, she would never be lonely and was working hard to make a name for herself, hoping to write books about how ancient Chinese and Japanese cultures coexisted. In her sophomore year she met a man studying psychology, Togaki Douma, in the library as they were reaching for the same book - the Art of War. Finding it a fun twist of fate, he suggested they study together which Yuna explained to him that the library probably has multiple copies of such a popular book, but Togaki was insistent. The two hit it off and were great study partners even if their degrees were very different.
They would hang out more and more until people started suspecting that they were a couple, but Yuna never committed to that idea, not wanting to rush into anything serious. Fast forward a few years and Yuna has grown to like Togaki quite a lot, even him being her first kiss. But she would still not consider themselves a couple, she wanted to be absolutely certain he was right for that title. He had to meet her family.
After a while it was finals week, and a brutal exam season it was as this was their last ever exams before they graduate, and to celebrate surviving they shared some saké and had a wild party for two which got heated before long. Yuna could no longer hide her feelings. She expressed her love for him the morning after and many tears were shed, she was afraid for the first time at the prospect of telling him, at the possibility that he wasn't a good person. But she saw that he was a caring and wholesome person, waiting all this time and even supporting her in her Independence.
Yuna and her new boyfriend Togaki would receive their degrees a few weeks later and the pair would get an apartment together to begin the job hunt.
He would find a job at a research organisation, she would become an editor and writer for National Geographic's History Magazine. Two more years pass and Togaki is anxious to get married now. His parents nag him for grandkids and he knows that Yuna is the one for him, but they need the right spot and the right time. He decides: Mount Fuji, right at the peak where they can see the entire country, a perfect place for the perfect person in his eyes. He buys the tickets online and rushes to get a ring while Yuna is out getting groceries since she usually works from home so this is the perfect opportunity.
He doesn't tell her where they're going, not until it's too obvious to ignore. The cable car to the top was slow, almost painfully, but he kept focus on nothing but her face. Yuna was too distracted with the beauty of the vista around her to notice him much, but he didn't mind. She was happy, and that's all that mattered. They were nearly at the top when tragedy struck. The cable car creaked and lurched to a stop, the whole car shaking and flinging the passengers to and fro, dangling there precariously. They were all worried,but Yuna clung to her boyfriend, feeling completely safe in his arms as they looked into each other's eyes. But all was not right, the cable car creaked more and more as powerful gusts swung the cabin back and forth,and recently the company responsible for the cable car was discovered to be slacking in its maintenance to cut costs.
That negligence caused two load-bearing bolts to snap from the 50Mph winds, hurling the car into the face of the mountain before it tumbles down thousands of feet. All twelve passengers perished in the incident. The next scheduled maintenance day was exactly one day later.
Once she understood she was in the Soul Society, she did what she does best and learned as much as she could. Being so close to the Seireitei she naturally inquired about it where she learned of the Gotei 13 from the locals, and that they had an academy. Within the very same week of her dying, she found renewed purpose in her existence and decided to join the Soul Reapers.
Ody#2919
Password 1:
Black Hole
Password 2:
Moon Pray
Type:
Shadow
Squad:
Squad 7
Rank:
8 - Shinigami Hopeful (Academy Student)
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-Basic Information-
Name:
蕭 (Xiao), ユウナ (Yuna)
Age of Death:
26
Real Age/Age of Appearance:
26 / 26
Birthday (Month/Day):
May 27
Blood Type:
O-
RP Sample:
"What!?" Yuna gasped, exasperated at the desperate scene playing out before her.
"His Bankai has such destructive power even after the beating he took!? Is it truly hopeless? No... We must eliminate this traitor at all costs." She took a deep breath and wiped some of the blood off from her face as a determined expression shines through any fear. She was going to help her Captain defeat this bastard even if it kills her, because the consequences of defeat are even worse than death.
Yuna ferociously Flash Stepped to get to the other side of the rogue Lieutenant, hoping she can create a distraction so her Captain can land her Bankai's ability. She concentrates and holds out one hand pointed at her opponent. "Ye lord! Mask of flesh and bone, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! Truth and temperance, upon this sinless wall of dreams unleash but slightly the wrath of your claws -- HADOU 33 Sōkatsui" Yuna speaks as quickly as she can and pours as much reishi into her Kidou as possible. The explosion of energy ripples from her palm and smashes toward her target. "It's up to you now, Captain, I held off as best I could..." Yuna says to herself weak and rife with exhaustion having fought such a powerful foe on her own for so long. Her knees give in and she quickly collapses into unconsciousness.
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-Appearance-
Height/Weight:
5' / 110 Lbs
Physical Description:
Yuna has short black-blue hair with a full fringe and blue eyes.
She wears a revealing red sleeveless shinobi suit with gold designs adorned with a white belt and a yellow buckle, a pink scarf on her neck, a yellow headband on her forehead, red gauntlets and matching leg guards with sandals. She also wears a brown mesh undershirt and matching brown thigh high stockings
She has a fairly athletic body, about equal to someone who works out three times a week. She wears minimal makeup when on duty, just enough to give her a minor flair and hide and blemishes. She will wear heavier makeup for ceremonies and other special occasions.
When wearing her shihakushō, she does not wear the typical shitagi but her usual outfit. She wears a miniskirt kosode extending to just above her knees, and does not wear any hakama.
Her casual outfit is a yukata adorned with sakura petals and bird silhouettes, and simple tabi.
If she enters the world of the living and must blend in, then she wears a pleated black skirt/jeans (depending on weather), short black leather jacket (if in colder weather), a yellow t-shirt, knee-high socks, and black mary janes.
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-Personality-
Dislikes (in order of most disliked to least):
- Those without a code to follow - chaotic types that seem to behave impulsively or selfishly, especially when breaking rules and laws;
- Undisciplined people and slacking in general;
- Supremacist types - regardless if they're shinigami or not;
- Shinigami (and, to a lesser extent, anyone else) who are more divisive and tribalistic;
- People who refuse to function as a team or unit;
- Inauthentic cultural cuisine - cheap imitations just will not do;
- Cold tea.
- Sake - hot or cold;
- Ancient history;
- Working hard toward a specific goal;
- Western movies;
- Making friends and meeting people;
- Learning as much as possible;
- Birds;
- Seafood;
- Tea (any variety);
- Exercise.
Unordered likes:- Fashion - She’s a very fashion-forward person,trying to stay in the latest trends. However, since she now lives in the Soul Society, she embraces the feudal style and enjoys wearing classical outfits, particularly anything worn by characters in folklore like shinobi or samurai. It’s both a functional and fashionable style.
- Music - Yuna loves a good peppy bop. She has every Chinese idol’s albums, listens to plenty of K-Pop and J-Pop, as well as some more hardcore stuff in the likes of Western punk rock legends. Anything that gets her in a good mood or energises her is the best.
- Food - Seafood being her favourite type of food, she of course is a fan of fishing fresh meals. Yuna enjoys cooking, especially the fastidious Japanese way with everything in perfect presentable form as she loves the challenge of perfection. However, the American way of massive portions of soul food is never unwelcome.
- Femininity - Yuna is typically a stereotypical girl with an abundance of pink, frill, and cute, she’ll even tolerate some of the old school manners enforced by many cultures. But don’t ever tell her that she can’t participate in some sport or that she should stay in the kitchen. Not only will she prove you wrong, she’ll do it better than anyone else.
- Animals - A classic animal lover. She loved her cat, Shimapan, while she was in the world of the living, but most of all she loved birds. Anywhere she went there were birds, and they even existed long before people did!
- Study - she doesn’t necessarily try to be the best in what she learns, but she does try to learn everything she can about a topic.
- Romance - She loves the typical mushy date, but is also intrigued by guys who try something spontaneous and different. She is the patient lover, taking her time with any guy and if they don’t like it then they can leave. She’s not afraid to make the first move either.
- Friendship - She’ll make friends with anybody. Any race, sexuality, ethnicity, religion, gender, age, it doesn’t matter. Yuna loves to get to know people and pry them open.
- Pop-Culture - Just as she is fashionable, she is always deep in the pop-culture of wherever she is. Always the one with a huge meme folder on her phone, saying obscure references to manga nobody has read, she knows it all.
- Fashion - She’s a very fashion-forward person,trying to stay in the latest trends. However, since she now lives in the Soul Society, she embraces the feudal style and enjoys wearing classical outfits, particularly anything worn by characters in folklore like shinobi or samurai. It’s both a functional and fashionable style.
Flaws:
- Workaholic: She will easily burn out writing reports, doing drills, training, or whatever is needed of her
- Can be too reliant on others to help her achieve her goals;
- Believes that laws, rules and orders are absolute;
- Will be extremely methodical and analytical to the point where indecisiveness is worse than procrastinating or otherwise delaying something, even though the result is likely the same;
- Ironically she will trust her instinct occasionally to a greater degree than her analysis, such as when she enlisted into the Academy with very little information because she felt it was the best possible decision at the time;
- Believes that all souls are capable of reparation and penance but not ever above punishment in general;
- May be too progressive for some and is far more accepting of new and radical concepts, such as that Visoreds aren't evil and could potentially be incorporated into the Soul Society.
Habits:
- Tends to get fixated on her professionalism and thus is often too formal;
- Staying late in the library/office/wherever she is working on something and shutting out the world;
- Fiddles with her appearance or outfit for even imperceptible flaws;
- Drinks some coffee or tea before anything can get done (depending on the time of day);
- Can get lost in thought and stare at something or someone.
Fears:
- Not being accepted or even liked by her peers;
- Being unable to have others trust in her and rely upon her;
- Not making a significant contribution to the Soul Society.
Goals:
- To accomplish far more in death than in life since she was unable to do so;
- Make plenty of friends and even forge a new family;
- Find a way to minmise the unnecessary hatred between beings in the afterlife;
- Rightfully purge those who willingly cause turmoil and undue suffering or upset the balance of natural order.
Alignment:
Lawful Good
Overall Personality:
Overview: Lighthearted and kind, but focused and determined. Not naïve but remains optimistic.
Yuna is the type of person to go to the birthday party of the kid who sits in the corner that nobody talks to. She can also be the person to slap a man’s face for being creepy to her friend in public. She knows that she can’t help everyone and can’t be there for every moment and that's OK by her books, but she always aims to please and puts her energy to doing good in the world. Never jealous and yet still willing to want more in her life.She’s stubborn, too, never taking ‘no’ for an answer if she believes that something must be done.
As a shinigami she has renewed focus in her existence and helps her function slightly differently to how she did as a human. Whereas before she sought to make the most out of her days, with considerably more time to accomplish her goals, she instead wishes to enrich every experience as much as possible. Leaning a new technique, exploring the seireitei, sparring, and anything in between is not simply done for the sake of doing it nor is it done as quickly as possible.
She was not impulsive even when she was alive so now she is even more patient and methodical.
When confronted with fear, she doe not back down and instead sees something fearful as a challenge to be overcome. Whether it's an overwhelmingly powerful enemy, an ability that tortures her senses, a superior who harangues her for a fatal mistake, and anything else. It doesn't mean she's fearless, but that she never permits her fear to stop her from doing something or making progress.
Yuna is easily excited and often joyful at many things to the point where her jovial nature may be overbearing for some, but she knows full well when to tone it down and doesn't hide her feelings if she is sad, upset, hurt, or even angry. This allows her to connect with her friends more closely as they know she will not hide her true self and stop from expressing her intentions and thoughts.
Just as much as she can be happy at something, she can show just as much ferocity and vigor when in battle or when threatened. Never hesitant to defend herself or her friends and always willing to do what must be done as long as she believes in it. However, violence is never the first or only option, and if she genuinely feels as though somebody deserves a fate less gruesome than death then she will do her best to seek out that alternative path.
She was raised among generations of extremely strict rules and expectations which enables her to fit in well in a military organisation such as the Gotei 13 and thus she takes her role extremely seriously. She will follow orders to their absolute and looks down upon shinigami that fail to respect the spirit of their organisation, and those that cannot obey their superiors.
Squad 7 was chosen because it's a squad she wholeheartedly believes will allow her to operate to her truest and most faithful extent. To uphold order is paramount to her, as without order there can not be any society and without society, life cannot exist (even if it's not living flesh).
It takes a tremendously insurmountable problem to truly break her spirit. Even if every last soul in the Soul Society were to turn against her, she would still find hope that she could rebuild in some way or pay penance for her wrongdoings. She does not actually know what is 'too far' for this,
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-Powers-
Fighting Style:
She employs a strong combination of Kidō based combat with swift movements and death-by-a-thousand-cuts type of swordsmanship. Preferring to ambush if possible.
If Yuna is able to prepare for a battle by stalking her opponent, then she will typically strike from above or below, depending on the setup, by wrapping the user in steel wire or a Bakudo technique. If the target dodges, then she will use a throwing weapon (typically senbon) to chase the opponent with in hopes she can slow them down.
If the opponent merely breaks free then she backs away knowing the target is much stronger than anticipated. She will not confront the enemy head-on but instead rely on keeping out of sight and taking pot shots. If she deduces that her opponent is not extremely physically strong then she considers a direct confrontation. She will always try to fight by enhancing her weakness against whatever opponent she faces - if she is fighting a faster enemy then she will try to outwit them with Kido or some item, or if they’re stronger than her, she will out maneuver them with fast acrobatics and tricky speedplay.
She prefers to use the Way of Binding over the Path of Destruction, but will use her Hado if she is particularly outmatched or if she knows the opponent must be slain rather than captured. She will not fight until her last breath, rather she will retreat when the odds are stacked against her so that she can study and train to return and overcome her rival.
She carries with her a profile book that details everything she knows about everyone she ever meets, no matter how benign or relevant they may be. Although this is useful for minor things like birthdays, she also uses this to analyse her opponent so as to never be caught off guard.
Zanpakutou Spirit Appearance:
Unreleased appearance:
Her Zanpakutou Spirit is that of a jiangshi/kyonshī - a 'hopping' vampire with a Kuang Shi (paper spell) attached to her face. Being undead, she has pale blue skin wearing traditional Chinese garb such as a qi-pao. Her Zanpakutou Spirit is a living weapon of sorts, her arms are actually huge metal claws attached to chains on her body. She has hidden within her sleeves many types of weapons and is capable of using them all at a whim. She is, however, weak to fire and the wood of a peach tree, among other items.
Particularly oppressing are mirrors, particular the classic silver-backed ones, as she is afraid of her own reflection. This is in stark contrast to the mirror world that she inhabits, where she is haunted by her fears until Yuna is able to help conquer their fears together by growing stronger.
The Spirit is a jiangshi because it represents Yuna's forceful will to fight for what she believes in and defend herself and her friends, but simultaneously lives (or rather, dies as a Soul Reaper) full of regret and frustration, never having fulfilled her life and feeling like she let everyone she knew down. This manifests in the way her Zanpakutou Spirit is a kind and thoughtful woman but fierce and literally born to kill. The dichotomy between gentle and vicious is what pushes her forward through struggles and also what led her to want to become a Soul Reaper.
Inner World:
A humongous glass castle which is full of mirrors. The labyrinth of mirrors is ever-changing and never settled unless her Zanpakutou is released, where it morphs into decreasing levels of madness as she overcomes her inner struggles and faces her fears and her true self. The mirrors are portals to each other and only someone who can live amongst the shifting castle can truly be safe from her Zanpakutou's more sinister side. The castle of glass represents how transparent her inner turmoil is if she were only to reflect upon it further. It also represents how she must fight onward despite knowing what kind of threat she faces.
In Shikai release, the mirror world is much more orderly with only one infinite hallway of mirrors. Each one displays to the user an aspect of themselves that is an absolute truth, regardless if they’re aware of it or acknowledge it and the mirror will show both the good, bad, and the ugly. Instead of random connections to each mirror, they now connect to a specific related mirror that is either caused by or the cause of said character trait. For example, one mirror could display the element of greed, which then connects to the fact that Yuna was born into wealth, which then connects to her privilege of having two successful parents and how she took them for granted.
The Bankai mirror world has only one mirror and that’s the world itself. The ‘floor’ is instead the reflection of all of Yuna’s life, and only by looking beyond (by looking to the sky that the mirror reflects) can she move on from her struggles and look past herself, no longer only reflecting but forging a new path. It demonstrates the mastery over her emotions and that she is not afraid when she is in this form, because she is the culmination of all her hard work and has only the future to focus on.
Zanpakutou Appearances:
Her Zanpakutou is a standard wakizashi with no handgusrd whatsoever, a simple wrapped black hilt, and an oak sheath with no embellishments. She carries it strapped to her upper back. Her Zanpakutou can be shrunk to that of a tanto where she will often hide it, particularly if she enters the world of the living or is on a stealth mission.
Shikai: Her sword morphs into a glove with four blades attached to the top of her hand.
Bankai: Her entire Zanpakutou is transformed into a two gloves with sharp golden claws on each finger and thumb (which is where the 'actual' Zanpakutou is stored, meaning these must be destroyed to damage the weapon itself) and her body is covered in a form-fitting suit and a cowl; blades form over her body as thus: one blade of 12 inches on each forearm, two blades curved of 12 inches on each shoulder (making a + shape), one curved blade on her hood, like a centurion helmet, measuring 16 inches, four short blades of 6 inches line the area where her spine is, two spikes of four inches jut from her elbows and knees, two blades on each thigh and calf (front and back), measuring eight inches, and similarclaws to her hands but on her feet, with two kata-style blades sprouting from the back of her ankle at six inches, and finally her 'tail' which has a set of three inch blades on each side running the length of the tail, with a five in spike at the very end and three curved blades of six inches in a grasping claw-like shape at the tip. The outfit itself is a white and blue combination, with the blue streaks running along where there are blades, taking the form of a hooded assassin.
Zanapkutou Release Names:
Shikai - Burrow: 间谍 Jiàndié
Bankai - Dig to the Centre of the World: 鼹鼠间谍 Yănshŭ Jiàndié
Overall Ability:
Her Zanpakutou theme is extremely movement based in addition to having some sensory abilities, with an emphasis on moving through objects and especially dirt and rock as though she were a fish in water. Using this technique, she can conduct surveillance, espionage, eavesdropping, and other clandestine operations, but also use it for ambushes and to strike unpredictability using the cover of earth and other environmental areas. Jiàndié is designed to be used for intelligence and stealth operations.
Shikai Overall Ability:
The sword transforms into a four-bladed claw affixed to the top of her hand via a glove. Her blades act as both antenna and a typical weapon where she can either fight or insert it into an object and use that to either 'see' or 'hear' through it or further away depending on the object (for example, a tree would act as a receiver or a wall would behave more like a one-way mirror).
The ability does NOT increase stat points, it merely allows her to utilise her Senses stat in different ways. Think of it like a hearing aid or glasses, your own hearing or sight remain unchanged.She can, to a limited extent, use her Shikai to move through solid objects that are not thicker than one foot, and requires the blades be the first to touch the surface to be passed through. Her Shikai allows her to keep one hand free so she can use various tools like kunai, chains, or even Kido. The glove that covers her hand is particularly tough as it acts as the handguard, allowing her to grab a blade if needed. In order to destroy her Zanpakutou, one must break all four blades.
Yuna’s Shikai is meant to be more utility focused, with her Bankai being the main battle ability. That’s not to say that her Shikai is worthless in a fight as it does add additional flexibility to her fighting style, but the focus is not of pure combat. Yuna is meant to combine her Shikai with other techniques and abilities to compensate for a lack of strong release strength and power.
Bankai Overall Ability:
Her Bankai represents the pure manifestation of her ‘living weapon’ Zanpakutou Spirit.
Her entire body becomes covered in a suit of blades, her hands and feet becoming sharp claws, and she grows a vestigial tail as part of her outfit and controlled through reishi. also covered in spikes and blades. She uses this to fight defensively but also her Bankai allows her to move effortlessly through solid objects which allows her to strike from any direction. She will get stuck and even suffocate if she is in an object when sealing her bankai. This form cannot simply move through Kidō-based objects but instead must destroy them as normal.
When in the world of the living, she literally digs through the objects rather than swim through reishi-based ones, thus making her slower and far less stealthy. With this form, she fights more like an animal in that she uses all four limbs and even her teeth and tail to attack and defend with. The blades and spikes are everywhere which make it difficult to attack from any direction using melee attacks, and even ranged attacks can be tricky to pull off since she can operate like a bladed armadillo. Visually, her theme is that of a mole which is why her overall abilities are earth based. She enhances it with electricity based abilities, which the ground naturally conducts.
As her Zanpakutou is Earth based, she can use her Bankai to channel electricity-based attacks (particularly Hadou) through some objects using her entire body as the conduit.
Yuna's Bankai is the embodiment of 'a great offense makes a good defense' as she can use the fact that she's covered in blades to parry attacks from all angles, even using her very hands to block attacks with greater finesse. However, it does mean that an opponent with greater precision, strength, or speed will outmatch her as she relies on being able to block or parry any attack.
When the odds are stacked against her, she will use her strongest ability, Particle Accelerator, but only if she knows there is no other way. Her instinct to protect who she cares for and fight for her beliefs are driven to their extreme where she puts herself at maximum risk for potentially equal reward.
Zanpakuto Techniques:
Shikai: Tremorsense - Allows her to visualise movement on any surface connected to her regardless if she has been blinded. Expending double additional reishi allows her to use Deep Tremorsense which she can extend the range to 25 cubic metres around her. This works to a limited degree if her opponent is moving through the air, she gets only a vague direction and not much else. Tremorsense is always active when in bankai. If her opponent is light or slow enough then they are imperceptible to her. Initial cost: 25 reishi, continual cost: 5 reishi per post.
Shikai: Transceiver - She can connect her blades to an object and use it to extend the capabilities of her natural senses, This allows her to see or hear through walls, hear further (but not necessarily more clearly) through a tall pole or tree, feel through dirt, and much more. But, this does not function in the same way to Tremorsense and does not function if her natural senses are impaired. This ability requires concentration. Cost: 5 reishi per post.
Bankai: Helldrill/Hellsphere - She curls into a tight defensive ball which she then rolls around at an incredible pace and can stick to any solid surface, damaging anything she touches. She isn't flawlessly accurate and will struggle against a fast opponent. Alternatively, she forms herself into a whirling drill sacrificing speed for manoeuvrability. Cost: 20 reishi per post that it's activated on (meaning multiple reactivations in one post does not add to cost).
Bankai: Liquid Earth - She can effortlessly move through any solid object as though it were water. Kidou-based objects and abilities are not affected by this ability, and if she is within an object and deactivates Liquid Earth then she will be stuck where she is, possibly at risk of suffocation. It does not cost reishi to maintain this ability unless she is actively traversing through objects (thus eliminating the need to constantly reactivate) but does cost 10 reishi per post.
Bankai: Quicksand Whirlpool - Channeling her reishi into any solid surface, she can turn it into a semi-solid form that objects heavier than twenty pounds will sink into. She can disable the ability to merely trap her opponent or allow them to drown (or more appropriately, suffocate) in a live burial. This ability does not work on water, but can work on solid surfaces that are wet, or the bottom of a pool/lake/other body of water. The greater the radius of the effect, the more reishi is required, beginning at a radius of twenty feet and a maximum of two hundred feet (at two hundred per cent cost). She can also reverse the flow of the whirlpool and spit things out, which can be useful for rescue operations. Initial cost: 100 reiatsu, additional 10 per three feet increased radius
Bankai: *Ultimate - Particle Accelerator - Yuna channels reishi and natural electrical energy from her surroundings into her body and gains a massive Speed boost.
At the cost of 500 reishi, Yuna's Speed increase to its maximum after four posts. At any point, she can focus Particle Accelerator into one final assault, tripling her Speed stat and dealing damage equal to Reiatsu Strength and her increased Speed stat at the time of the attack (or the 'Boosted Speed'), where the final attack power increases at one quarter per post. Therefore this ability's damage output is RS+25% of Boosted Speed, increasing to 100% of Boosted Speed at the final post. Additionally, she can move at half her base Speed without incurring any Speed based penalties. Particle Accelerator will immediately seal her Bankai for 8 personal posts. Additionally, she will need to rest for at least the same duration before being able to fight at full strength again. She will incur this penalty regardless if she launches her attack or not after four posts, and the penalty is the same even on the first post.
Other Techniques:
Shunpō
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-History-
Birthplace:
Shanghai, PR China
Deathplace:
Mt. Fuji, Japan
Current Residence:
Hokutan, 3rd West District
Memorable Figures:
Nasaki Eto - Mother
Ryouske Eto - Grandfather
Urumi Eto - Grandmother
Yao Chen - Father
Liao-Tzu Chen - Uncle
Indiana Jones - Idol
James Bond - Idol
History:
Yuna in life was a driven, energetic girl who loved to immerse herself with good people and fun activities. She boundlessly tried everything - strange new foods, climbing the biggest trees, reading books for grown-ups, and everything in between - having no fear and a desire to learn and grow as much as possible. She would often get hurt both physically and emotionally from this as she would interact with the wrong crowd or try something too daring, but it never slowed her down. This was the very core of her character but it wasn't entirely her own. She strived to be a great person and an excellent daughter because she also wanted to appease her family who placed high expectations on her being an only child from a successful family. Her mother was a Japanese woman who worked as Japan's ambassador to China, and her father was a Chinese man who was the Chief of Police of the largest city in the country.
Yuna still did her best to enjoy her childhood and her parents did provide a loving home, but she never felt like she was doing enough - her grades were high but were they high enough? She was well-mannered but was it polite enough? Every time she would approach her father, he'd rebuff her and simply smile, whereas her mother would redirect her back to her father. She was never once told that anyone was proud of her even if she would still get rewarded for her hard work.
When she was to enter secondary school (high school), her mother, Nasaki, had requested that she spend some time with Yuna's grandparents, Ryouske and Urumi Eto. This was an exciting and worrying prospect simultaneously as she did know enough Japanese to read the news, but her grandparents were from Okinawa where local dialects are not similar. Additionally, her grandparents were extremely strict and traditional people which led Yuna to wonder if this was her parents' attempt to 'whip her into shape' as the figure of speech goes. Nasaki would tell her that it was because her own mother wanted to spend time with her granddaughter, and because it was a good opportunity to learn about half of her heritage.
Yuna moved to Naha, Okinawa Prefecture in April of 2009 where she attended Shogaku Senior High and lived in her grandparents humble apartment where she had to adjust from her own parents' luxurious penthouse. Her suspicions of the discipline that her grandparents would instil within her were correct if even understated. She had an eight o'clock curfew, could not date any boys, was not allowed to watch TV, was not permitted to eat junk food, and was responsible for keeping the entire apartment spotless, as well as helping wash her grandmother which was not a custom she was used to. Her grandfather especially refused to speak to her in anything but Okinawan which forced her to learn as quickly as possible.
However, her grandparents were also generous and made sure that she had only the best food to eat and that there was always food available, they would also give her an allowance to treat herself on the weekends, and they even let her adopt a cat. Over time she grew fond of her elders and of her new home. Her grandmother would teach her many things about Japanese culture and the history of the Eto family (they trace back to the 11th century!) and even specific Okinawan things that few people remember.
She learned that her grandfather served in the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II as Okinawa was the biggest battlefield, he was a low-ranking communications officer and he had dedicated his life after the war to helping others on the island rebuild as a carpenter. This is where Yuna started to realise that people may be better than they appear, even if they appear as horrible and selfish folk.
Her grandmother was a school teacher and eventually a principal. She told stories of how she would have empty classrooms for months during wartime with the Korean war, but she still would prepare the lessons and mail them to each student, making sure they were learning, but more importantly that they had something to work on to give them a sense of normality. Yuna began to understand that you can be hard-edged but also compassionate and she grew to admire her grandparents, but also wondered if that's the type of people her own parents were.
She would toil through school year after year, making new friends who were very excited to have a Chinese classmate, where even mainland Japanese people didn't go to their town often. Yuna was extremely studious and was always in the top 15 of the school rankings. She was fond of mathematics as it was her strongest subject, but always found the history classes most interesting. As she drew closer to university application age, she would frequently mull over what she wanted to do with her life. During summer vacation when she was 16, she returned to her parents as she did every year but this time with a mission: decide her future!
She would read every university pamphlet and even joined groups on Weibo dedicated to talking about post-secondary studies. After agonising over the choice between becoming a mechanical engineer or a historian, she made her choice and approached her parents with her dream: to become an expert historian. Unfortunately, her father was supremely disappointed, saying that his own father was a historian and died a destitute drunk at only fifty-two. Her mother was more supportive but was clearly not thrilled either, not forbidding her from pursuing any study but not excited either.
Broken-hearted, she turned to complaining on her Weibo to her friends. It was there that she saw a particular chat bubble appear - it was her uncle, Liao-Tzu! Yuna entirely forgot that he was connectdd to her social network. He worked at the largest museum in China so surely he could dispense some useful advice. They would chat for hours after that, going back and forth about life, destiny, careers and more. Ultimately, he was incredibly supportive and helped explain to her that they just want to make sure their only child has a comfortable life with many options. He was realisitc with her telling her that it is very difficult to get a good career with her path to the point that he only got the job because he was a regular at the same mahjongg club as the owner.
Her uncle also helped focus her aspirations by having her think about her best idols, the people she admired most. She reflected for a while before remembering something: her grandfather had dozens of old American movies as they lived near the US Army base in Okinawa, so he would often buy various pieces of Americanna from it, including movies he didn't understand because they were in English but were fun to watch anyway. Among the movies were the entire Indiana Jones, and James Bond series. She watched every single film over and over, as she wasn't permitted to watch television. She loved how cool the characters were, but also how much there was to learn about how life was back in the day, and the adventures that the two iconic characters would go on.
She decided she would take the risk and try her best at what she wanted to do,hoping dearly that her parents would understand and embrace her decision. She would later pass her entrance exam getting the number five spot out of a pool of 1722 applicants to Kyoto University where she studied Archaeology, and Literature. Living in Kyoto meant she was no longer bound by the strict rules of her grandparents or the haunting pressure of her own parents. But she never forgot where she came from and all that the four of them taught her.
Yuna would enjoy the freedom of going on dates finally, and being able to watch television. With her studies and her friends, she would never be lonely and was working hard to make a name for herself, hoping to write books about how ancient Chinese and Japanese cultures coexisted. In her sophomore year she met a man studying psychology, Togaki Douma, in the library as they were reaching for the same book - the Art of War. Finding it a fun twist of fate, he suggested they study together which Yuna explained to him that the library probably has multiple copies of such a popular book, but Togaki was insistent. The two hit it off and were great study partners even if their degrees were very different.
They would hang out more and more until people started suspecting that they were a couple, but Yuna never committed to that idea, not wanting to rush into anything serious. Fast forward a few years and Yuna has grown to like Togaki quite a lot, even him being her first kiss. But she would still not consider themselves a couple, she wanted to be absolutely certain he was right for that title. He had to meet her family.
After a while it was finals week, and a brutal exam season it was as this was their last ever exams before they graduate, and to celebrate surviving they shared some saké and had a wild party for two which got heated before long. Yuna could no longer hide her feelings. She expressed her love for him the morning after and many tears were shed, she was afraid for the first time at the prospect of telling him, at the possibility that he wasn't a good person. But she saw that he was a caring and wholesome person, waiting all this time and even supporting her in her Independence.
Yuna and her new boyfriend Togaki would receive their degrees a few weeks later and the pair would get an apartment together to begin the job hunt.
He would find a job at a research organisation, she would become an editor and writer for National Geographic's History Magazine. Two more years pass and Togaki is anxious to get married now. His parents nag him for grandkids and he knows that Yuna is the one for him, but they need the right spot and the right time. He decides: Mount Fuji, right at the peak where they can see the entire country, a perfect place for the perfect person in his eyes. He buys the tickets online and rushes to get a ring while Yuna is out getting groceries since she usually works from home so this is the perfect opportunity.
He doesn't tell her where they're going, not until it's too obvious to ignore. The cable car to the top was slow, almost painfully, but he kept focus on nothing but her face. Yuna was too distracted with the beauty of the vista around her to notice him much, but he didn't mind. She was happy, and that's all that mattered. They were nearly at the top when tragedy struck. The cable car creaked and lurched to a stop, the whole car shaking and flinging the passengers to and fro, dangling there precariously. They were all worried,but Yuna clung to her boyfriend, feeling completely safe in his arms as they looked into each other's eyes. But all was not right, the cable car creaked more and more as powerful gusts swung the cabin back and forth,and recently the company responsible for the cable car was discovered to be slacking in its maintenance to cut costs.
That negligence caused two load-bearing bolts to snap from the 50Mph winds, hurling the car into the face of the mountain before it tumbles down thousands of feet. All twelve passengers perished in the incident. The next scheduled maintenance day was exactly one day later.
Once she understood she was in the Soul Society, she did what she does best and learned as much as she could. Being so close to the Seireitei she naturally inquired about it where she learned of the Gotei 13 from the locals, and that they had an academy. Within the very same week of her dying, she found renewed purpose in her existence and decided to join the Soul Reapers.
