Post by Luna Melrose on Oct 11, 2022 7:20:16 GMT -5
Ryoko Kasumi’Oji
Sumiryo Ko'Ojika (pen name)
Statistics
Race: Shinigami
Class: 6
Affiliation: Gotei 13
Age of Appearance: 22
Type: Cripple V1
Rank: Debutante (1)
Nobility: Kasumi'Oji
Real Age: 186
Highest Stage of Release: Sealed
Appearance
Faceclaim: Charlotte Arisaka Anderson
From visual cues alone, one may easily deduce Ryoko’s relation to the Kasumi’Oji Family; her clear, glossy golden strands of hair kept upright through a tidy hairstyle, leaning toward strawberry at their tips, along with the aquamarine coloration of the girl’s pupils, halfway between an ocean’s blue depths and the stark greenery of a forest, are obvious hints of this shared heritage. Her figure and physique may be described as sleek and hygienic, any signs of blemishes or other imperfections caught without delay and promptly corrected; she will rarely be caught with any stain detracting from her image, her beautiful form one she has refined over a lifetime. Should one still remain oblivious to her highborn ancestry, perhaps the lady’s motions, each filled with grace and dignified manners, may enlighten them; the body language of a noble is one she understands innately and has begun to exhibit herself, still young but nonetheless a remarkable noblewoman... Everything about her appearance screams high society, even the mundane mannerisms she herself doesn’t notice anymore.
Of course, a noble lady’s allure can only reach half of its potential without the proper attire, emphasizing the very best she has to offer; in Ryoko’s case, her wardrobe could almost form its own country, the sheer size of her collection so large it’d make most individuals awfully jealous. Her impressive selection always aims to promote a dignified look and complement the noblewoman’s elegant motions; as a result, every garment tends to be light, clean, fashionable and made with high quality fabrics, such as satin or silk. The noble lady has a preference for open clothing, which generally means that dresses, skirts, and tops leaving room to breathe will be favored over the more restrictive alternatives; however, her clothes are typically custom-made and match her exact proportions, which means this is rarely a major concern. During a formal occasion, her outfit becomes a priority and will be chosen according to the event or celebration, pairing style with circumstances; unless she is on official Shinigami business and outside the bounds of Seireitei, this young Kasumi’Oji will very rarely wear a proper shihakushō.
Easily the most notable element of her outward display would be Ryoko’s innovative application of colors throughout her own appearance, highlighting her physique and features even while surrounded by a vast crowd; societal norms dictate the one who stands out is often the most influential within a group, and she ensures their heads will always turn her way wherever she goes. Fundamentally, this noblewoman will regularly adapt her image predominantly toward a neutral color, most commonly white, before scattering within a few vibrant hues to give an impression of stark contrast and the perception of a dynamic, lively young lady; her colors of choice are always highly saturated and will either form a complementary or split complementary combination, to provide them with a strong visual impact. For the sake of this goal, strict attention is given to the care of her natural traits, such as her skin and hair; their maintenance is handled carefully to promote a diversity of distinct coloration and ensure they remain vivid, regardless of factors affecting them from within the environment.
Cripple V1: Handicap
Ryoko Kasumi’Oji suffers, since birth, from a severe, spiritually-induced form of osteoporosis, an affliction heavily influencing her daily activities; she is particularly thin and frail, and cannot perform actions which may put any strain on her limbs without causing her bones, brittle as they are, to snap from the pressure. In practical terms, it means she cannot push, pull, lift, grab firmly, block or otherwise perform any other action that may prove worthwhile during combat with her arms, and can neither run, dodge nor perform step techniques with her legs; she is limited to delicate gestures with her limbs, and can prove particularly susceptible to impacts and blunt damage. There exists a remedy for this ailment, but not without heavy consequences; her bones are eaten away by her own spiritual abilities which means nullifying her powers should solve the issue, although with the caveat her greatest asset would also be lost as a result. Currently, her condition is rather being closely monitored to ensure her health remains stable, allowing her to avoid sacrificing this boon; such a compromise allows her the leisure of everyday life without risking an incident, safeguarding her survival from the perils inherent with her illness.
Personality
Alignment: Lawful Neutral
As a maiden of noble birth, her character and general attitude match what you would expect from both herself and most of her brethren; Ryoko Kasumi’Oji is a noble lady who values proper conduct and thinks highly of those who follow the correct procedure, cherishing the manners and virtues of highborn society. Inwardly, she views nobility as a social necessity, a set of ideals to pursue and a crucial piece in the puzzle toward achieving lawful order; while in her presence, you may expect a dignified posture, courtly gestures and formal speech throughout her demeanor, this performance deliberately calculated to leave others a measured impression. Ryoko loves to entice favors from those around her, and will generally remind them of such debts at the most inopportune times; as a result, she often has a vast array of unwilling assistants at her disposal, which she will use for all sorts of social requirements. This young lady remains extremely respectful toward anyone she is actively interacting with, expecting due diligence in how they collaborate with herself in return; whenever confronted, she will take the high road and discredit any such accusations before they have time to take hold.
The similarities between herself and other nobles end here; this noblewoman is an extremely ambitious individual much like her peers, but has a completely different viewpoint on how to approach her ambitions compared to the rest of nobility. The truth is, she has suffered many terrible experiences in life so far and grasped very early on that success cannot be reached when one works alone; this realization has tainted her entire perspective and turned her into an exceptionally tolerant noble toward affronts of any kind, a rare mindset amidst nobility. For Ryoko, those who are willing to offer their support are allies and partners she can leverage to achieve her own goals, and must be persuaded through apt compensation; these acts of mutual collaboration are a key factor in her influence as a noble, since she can borrow what she needs from another, regardless of status and prestige, instead of attempting to do it all herself. Her aspirations for power thrive in shadows, which the Kasumi’Oji are most adept at navigating, her humility providing a tool to engulf others within her control.
Due to her unique condition, Ryoko has come to truly appreciate the depth and intricate nature of Kido spells, especially those dealing with restraints and utility; the foundation over which Bakudo in particular has been built allows for nearly infinite possibilities, a sophistication she considers worthy of praise given its essence as a tool developed for warfare. Since her body is unable of enduring motions, she feels both compelled and duly deserved to adopt a method with which she can rob others of that privilege; the noble lady can as such frequently be found studying books on the topic, diving into established theories while attempting to reach greater heights for herself. Truthfully, her weapon of choice can allow a vast number of applications and may be considered the only reason she can stand on the battlefield at all; if not for it, Ryoko would certainly find herself completely inept at fighting, her ailment proving too big of a handicap... For that reason alone, she finds the option of battling using one’s wits delectable, and deeply respects the Kido practitioners she comes across.
As far as mundane interests go, her guilty pleasure is most certainly the art of writing; indeed, Ryoko has quite the written prose and a sense for dramatics, which has served her well on a multitude of occasions. This passion is one the noblewoman indulges on a frequent basis, having even published a short novel or two under a distinct pen name; as a result, she has fostered a small fan club over the years, a collection of individuals from all walks of life with whom she has a connection nearly as strong as her own Kasumi’Oji brethren. Among the various literary genres, her favorite is without a doubt mystery, each tale an elegant display of human ingenuity involving the darkest corners of their motivations and wrongdoings; secretly, she is using the many plot hooks devised by either herself or others in pursuit of the finest storytelling as inspiration for her own schemes among nobility, a trick weaponizing the collective intellect of her broad entourage into a singular offensive.
Behind closed doors, one would do well not to underestimate the cruelty this girl is capable of inflicting upon others; albeit a calm and gentle person in appearance, she also hides quite a streak of sadism behind that initial facade and will not hesitate to put an adversary into harm’s way, especially if her agenda may benefit from it. The core of her ideology is to reward good deeds with its due comeuppance and misdeeds with lashes, a punishment with a tendency to be disproportionate since she herself is exposed to massive pain on a daily basis and has therefore no notion of how much agony is going too far; Ryoko Kasumi’Oji is as such sometimes a cruel mistress, a noblewoman with a penchant for torture and the means to pursue that depraved temptation. Although she will never risk her honor directly while in public, her displeasure could very well earn you a few unfavorable words under the veil of secrecy; that may prove a dangerous pastime, and could quickly rob you of any remaining sovereignty.
Powers Overview
"Gush forth, Irome Yuusen!"
Overall Ability
Everything in this world has one common characteristic it may be identified with; coloration. For Ryoko, this is a world of its very own, her power directly tied to the colors surrounding her and how they all blend together into brand new ones; while in her presence, they are saturated, emitting a slight glow in response to her dominion over them. The lady’s ability could simply be described as the synchronization of matter with the wavelength of its current color; this hue becomes a new dimension, an alternate universe mostly independent from other colors yet overlapping with them through rules mentioned further below. The principles of additive color mixing are an important facet of this power, with each color composed of many others and defined as a combination of red, green and blue, white being a combination of them all and black a complete absence of them; for the sake of simplicity, only the RGB primary colors, their direct CMY combinations and white or black should be considered, any other color not among these eight should be treated as their closest equivalent.
Her ability is nothing spectacular, yet allows an immense versatility through its application; since colors become their own dimension during her release, Ryoko can use that fact to her advantage in all sorts of ways. First, since every color exists in its own separate realm, anything of a given color can only affect something of a color which shares one of its constituents; for example, a yellow sword could cut through any red object, since yellow contains both red and green, but would pass through anything colored blue. Second, if two objects of the exact same color come into contact, one can absorb the other inside itself, after which the absorbed object becomes a light shown atop the color of the absorbing object and can be moved around by Ryoko at will through any pathway of either this same color, or any of the colors sharing every constituent with the ingested matter; while in this form, moving the entity occurs at a speed of 800, damage done to the light will result in the corresponding amount of destruction against it, and she may also choose to release the entity back to its original form at any point.
Note that this color ingestion can only occur if one of three conditions is met; either the involved matter must match Ryoko’s own spiritual signature, or the involved matter must lack ties with any other spiritual signature, or the involved party must’ve given their consent. It is impossible to ingest something against its owner’s consent with this ability, regardless of clash superiority or any other factors.
Shikai Appearance
Her Zanpakuto, called Irome Yuusen, allows her to tap into this innate ability; while it remains sealed, the form this blade takes is very different from a traditional katana and corresponds to a shape appropriate for its owner and her nature as a Shinigami. Resulting from her lineage as one from nobility alongside her specific needs due to a crippling affliction, Ryoko’s Zanpakuto diverges slightly from what might normally be expected of them; rather than a sword, Irome Yuusen is a beautiful golden quill with an ornate feather, colored a stark blue with bright red blotches scattered around. The tip of this quill ends with a very short Zanpakuto blade, too small to be of any use beyond writing, and it can be flipped upward to reveal the Kasumi’Oji Family Crest, which allows its user to mark and seal documents accordingly or even perform a proper Soul Burial. Moreover, Irome Yuusen leaves behind rainbow-colored strokes while in its sealed state if waved around, even in mid-air; these strokes will vanish momentarily, preventing them from being of any use beyond visual flavor.
Once released, Irome Yuusen is first engulfed in rainbow lights and warps to a different form entirely; the quill becomes a small frog, a mere few centimeters in length, seemingly the amalgamation of every color into one being. The amphibian is a spiritual critter, its ability concealed until another step is undertaken; Ryoko will grab the creature and place it inside her mouth, allowing Irome Yuusen to fuse with its user’s lungs and take the shape of a tongue ornament, lady and blade now combined as one. Visually, Ryoko’s hair, pupils, nails and even her shadow will turn rainbow-colored to embody this union, colors fluctuating through them; the world around herself will also seem a lot more vibrant and colorful, as if the area was responding to her release being in the vicinity. This noblewoman’s airways have now become a terrifying weapon, ready for its first victims; Irome Yuusen is an exceedingly rare type of Zanpakuto using its owner’s breathing as a pathway to fight.
Shikai Overall
Her Shikai ability is, simply put, the power to inhale or exhale colors; any word or sign of breathing coming out from her mouth will be visually perceptible and have a color of her choosing from now onward. As the main manifestation of that ability, her tongue ornament has a slight hole in it which can trap air, allowing the girl to now croak like a frog; when doing so, bubbles of pure color will be gradually expelled from her mouth in quick succession, a beam of small colored droplets fired forward; these bubbles can be combined if she holds one hand to her mouth, up to a radius of 5 meters, and can be telepathically controlled from a distance at a speed of 600. Whenever a bubble pops, it will splash the surrounding area in its color, up to double its diameter; considering her Zanpakuto’s overall ability, Irome Yuusen is therefore well-suited to battles of attrition, the battlefield slowly turning into a landscape beneficial to itself.
Take note that counterplay exists once an object has been dyed in this manner; the coloration produced by Irome Yuusen’s bubbles closely resembles the behavior one might expect from a substance akin to paint, and may be washed off through similar means. To begin with, shockwaves, explosions and strong gusts of wind will clean such coloring when making contact with the object, if the force behind them is enough to damage its surface; liquids are also another option to rid an object of its coloration and, in their case, require no damage whatsoever. Likewise, flames can provide attractive utility in this situation, as although they may not remove Irome Yuusen’s effect directly, they will cause scorch marks to appear on its surface, bypassing the issue entirely; however, in each of these three cases, doing so requires that one may affect the targeted color, which remains conditional to the Overall Ability’s rules.
Whenever an object has been colored through this ability, anything it creates or is involved in making will appear with the same coloration as what’s producing it; examples include a Zanpakuto’s creations, a Cero, a Quincy’s arrows, a bullet, a shockwave, a gust of wind, or similar. The sole exception is Ryoko’s Shikai itself; if its user gets colored by its ability, the Shikai can nonetheless produce bubbles of any color. Moreover, the bubbles themselves are exempt from the Overall Ability’s rules, they can both affect and be affected by anything regardless of their own color; this is both to simplify their use but also to grant additional options for an opponent to form their own counterplay around them.
Shikai Techniques
Vivid Augury
Cost: Kido's cost is increased by one class
A Kido’s callout and incantation is a portion of what makes it come into being, a fundamental rule when creating them; as a Kido-based Zanpakuto, Irome Yuusen would obviously synergize very well with that notion, providing interesting ways to use its ability alongside them through the coloring her Shikai imbues to each spoken word. When using this technique, the color applied to a Kido’s callout and incantation now gives it a devastating effect, suddenly allowing the involved Kido to synchronize with the specified color and become extremely effective against it; as a result, against objects matching this coloration, the Kido gains an additional baseline +50% to its initial OS, will bump its class by one during a clash and, if an incantation was used, will double any OS bonus from said incantation. Such a Kido also becomes capable of affecting anything of the specified color, regardless of its own color; in other words, this technique grants an exception to the rules regarding constituents listed within Ryoko’s Overall Ability.
This technique causes the cost of its Kido to instead match the class above itself; since this Kido may not strike at a target of the specified color or may just miss its target, this additional cost is at risk of going to waste. Such Kido will also be slightly delayed when cast, during which it is being synchronized against the specified color; this leaves a small opening to strike at its origin and attempt to disrupt the Kido, in which case it will flare and immediately erupt. Due to its nature, the technique is furthermore fundamentally at odds with mental incantations of any kind; words must obviously be spoken to activate it, which makes it incompatible with the more covert means of performing Kido.
In the event a Kido’s reiatsu cost doesn’t match the cost associated with its class and instead has an explicit expense defined, this technique will add the difference between the Kido’s class and the one above to its cost, assuming the technique needs to be paid only once for activation. For other cases, such as a reiatsu cost applied every post the Kido remains active, any expense resulting from using the Kido involved with this technique must be increased by +50%.
Rainbow Dialect
Cost: 25 reiatsu, for each noun / pronoun
Among the effects of her Shikai, Ryoko’s words can be imbued with colors and become visible to the naked eye, a direct result of her exhale becoming a medium for them; normally, it should have no effect beyond visual flair, but this technique allows the coloring behind her words to now have meaning. Whenever the technique is activated, anything matching any of the nouns and pronouns present in her next sentence among her surroundings will, upon the sentence’s completion, instantly turn into the color used to speak of them. For instance, if she activates the technique while saying “My sword[smear:0000FF] is my greatest [/smear:FF0000]ally[smear:FF0000], with [/smear:FFFF00]it[smear:FFFF00] [/smear:00FF00]I[smear:00FF00] shall rend [/smear:FF00FF]clouds[smear:FF00FF] and [/smear:00FFFF]earth!”, sword, ally, it, I, clouds and earth would all switch colors; any sword would become blue, allies of Ryoko would turn red, her own sword would turn yellow (the “it”), she would herself turn green, the clouds would become magenta and the earth would switch to cyan.
Her choice of words needs to be carefully considered, otherwise this technique may have serious ill-effects and lead to unintended results; furthermore, the cost attached to this technique is applied for each noun and pronoun present in the chosen sentence. Whenever two words conflict, the most precise noun takes precedence over a more generic terminology; this technique also cannot change the color of a spiritually aware living being who doesn’t consent, nor anything they are directly in contact with during its activation. There is a cooldown of 5 posts after use, during which it cannot be activated again.
Canvas Glare
Cost: 50 reiatsu
While fighting, bubbles of various different colors will be involved, and will attempt to change the coloring within the area; this technique is a tool in Ryoko’s arsenal which provides a distinct way of achieving the same result, by exhaling light of its color from a bubble’s origin point. Once activated, light will be emitted in a conic area ahead of itself, a spotlight corresponding to the bubble’s own coloring; this ray of light will overwrite the color of whatever it is aimed at with its own color temporarily, so long as it keeps targeting that surface. Moreover, due to the presence of colored light rays within the air, the air itself may also be considered to match this color and can therefore serve as a pathway for an absorbed entity’s movements; this technique is one of Ryoko’s only ways to overcome the difficulties associated with her release and air combat. Should light rays of different colors from two distinct spotlights intersect, the principles governing additive color mixing will apply; a blue and green beam would cause everything hit by both to turn cyan, for example.
The coloring produced by such spotlights is temporary, it cannot be removed through the means typically available against her bubbles but will instead return to normal whenever one leaves the light it produces; an individual may also place something else between themselves and the light, causing the object’s color to turn but preventing anything behind itself from suffering the same fate. The spotlight can reach a full kilometer if left unobstructed, and its angle between the limits of its beam is 45°; destroying the involved bubble will also put an end to the technique.
Sketch Rhythm
Cost: 50 reiatsu
Sometimes, an entity will be outside the reach of a desired color, and painting it over with her Shikai ability may not be viable or acceptable; in such cases, this technique can open a path toward reaching the target, even under very harsh conditions. While using it, an object of some sort must be designated as its catalyst; once this is done, its color will begin resonating, sending what would look like waves of pure colors inside the matter surrounding it. This new coloration is merely temporary, and simply allows an entity ingested through a color to travel through these pulses until they’ve reached their destination; however, nothing is exempt from this technique’s effect, which is what makes it very powerful. Each wave will traverse air, liquids and solids alike, carrying with it any payload of her choosing; even defensive techniques won’t be inherently immune to this effect, their color shifting along these waves as well, allowing hazards to bypass them entirely.
While such a technique can allow a payload to circumvent nearly any obstacle, it also comes with a major catch; the pulses travel very slowly, equivalent to a speed of 25. As a result, any ingested matter using the waves to travel will be limited to that speed until they reach any object with a color they may instead use for their travel; the maximum distance the waves cover is equal to five times the volume of the catalyst, and this technique will stop if its catalyst is ever destroyed.
Realm Inhale
Cost: 50 reiatsu
Ryoko’s exhale can be devastating, but her inhale should prove even more frightening; much like how she can bestow colors of her choosing to the surrounding environment, this noble lady is also capable of doing the reverse, absorbing colors back from the nearby scenery. While sucking in the air surrounding herself into her lungs, she can trigger this technique and swallow colors from all the neighboring matter, removing coloration until hues return to their purest form, or back to black entirely; its greatest effect, however, is that any entity absorbed by a color she ends up ingesting will, if they had a reiatsu cost attached when being created, be recycled and replenish her reserves. While the technique is mainly meant to be activated directly through her lungs and can reach up to 20 meters in any direction, she can also use it through her Shikai’s bubbles; in this case, her color absorption is limited in length to twice the diameter of the involved bubble, and reiatsu recovery only occurs once the bubble itself has been ingested.
The reiatsu she gains back from ingestion is equal to half its cost when matching Ryoko’s spiritual signature and one fourth when matching anyone else’s; she also cannot control what is ingested around herself, it will consume the colors of everything indiscriminately around its point of origin. She can, however, choose to limit her consumption to specific colors, in which case only those will be ingested following the principle of additive color mixing; if the technique is performed using a bubble, she cannot choose to absorb a color which isn't present among the bubble's color or its constituents, she must select one contained within. If a bubble is used, the inhaled color will disappear among those it contains; if all colors in the bubble vanish, then that bubble will turn completely black.
Chromatic Birth
Cost: 100 reiatsu
Irome Yuusen takes the shape of a frog during its initial release, and this technique takes it a step further; a colored bubble is turned into an egg and will incubate another frog for a full post, after which the critter is released. The creature will match the color of the bubble used for its incubation and can croak loudly, producing bubbles of that same color; moreover, its tongue acts as a whip, which is incapable of causing any damage but will instead paralyze the movement of any prey it grabs, assuming the frog’s color is either the same as what’s being touched or is one of its constituents. This tongue can be deployed in a forward motion at a speed of 1200, can be retracted at a speed of 1200 but may move laterally at a speed of only 400; the frog’s tongue can extend a maximum of 50 meters and, while it is out, the animal cannot croak nor produce any colored bubbles from its mouth.
The frogs produced by this technique can be ingested by someone other than Ryoko, providing them with a version of her Shikai ability capable of only producing bubbles of the frog’s color; this effect has a mainly detrimental consequence, since it opens the door for her opponents to potentially earn a way to change the colors surrounding them, just like she can. The incubation period also creates the possibility that this technique may be used at a loss if the egg gets smashed ahead of birth, although this egg may still move telepathically just like any normal bubble; if the frog takes damage, it will splatter as if it were still one of Ryoko’s bubbles, unless the damage was sustained by its tongue. If the tongue gets cut, it will regenerate gradually instead; however, returning to normal will require 3 posts, during which the frog is vulnerable.
The frog’s paralysis ability has an OS equal to Ryoko’s highest spiritual stat and can be resisted according to the victim’s OS; if the OS behind the paralysis is double its victim, it is fully paralyzed and cannot move nor fight in any way, neither through physical nor spiritual means. If its OS is greater or equal than its foe, the limb directly in contact with the tongue and all adjacent ones will be fully paralyzed, but others remain free to use; if its OS is instead lesser, then only the limb directly in contact with the tongue will suffer the effects of paralysis. Should an opponent surpass the frog’s paralysis by double its OS, they are immune to it; the OS of this paralysis will also gradually lessen if it remains steadily maintained by Ryoko, at a rate of 200 OS per post.
Note that the paralysis will not rob its victim of their consciousness and will, perhaps to their unfortunate bewilderment, intensify pain instead of nullifying it; any pain received through paralyzed limbs will be felt as if the victim’s Pain Tolerance were 2 points lower than it truly is and will reverberate through the limb, varying in intensity akin to a frog’s croaking.
Stats & Skills
Strength: 25
Reiatsu Strength: 400 (800)
Senses: 50
Energy Sensory: 100 (200)
Speed: 25
Spiritual Pressure: 300
Instinct: 100
Healing Expertise: 0
Skill: Bakudo (1)
Skill: Mental Incantation (1)
Skill: Pain Tolerance (1)
Skill: Leadership (1)
Skill: Interrogation (1)
Backstory
Born a single child, Ryoko Kasumi’Oji had a complicated, sheltered upbringing, spending most of her early years as a rowdy troublemaking child with little supervision; the Kasumi’Oji servants took care of her many needs from the very beginning and oversaw the noble girl’s education and discipline, which meant nobody truly did. Forcibly separated from her parents after childbirth, she never had a chance to meet the two of them and remained without parental figures, instead left to her own devices; however, her own genetics quickly caught up with her, and taught the poor child a valuable lesson. Merely one decade after her birth, the initial signs of her hereditary disease violently emerged and Ryoko suddenly found herself facing major fractures daily, a constant crippling pain she couldn’t escape; her blessing became a curse, with nobody giving heed to her condition despite her numerous requests for assistance. Those experiences shaped the person she is today; the noblewoman was taught the support of others isn’t deserved but rather earned, and has taken this lesson to heart.
Her circumstances changed when the girl’s spiritual strength quickly became substantial, despite very little efforts to train it herself; such notable gains weren’t missed by the Kasumi’Oji leadership, who gave Ryoko the proper teachings of a noblewoman from that moment onward. The core tenets of nobility became a foundation behind her way of life but, while she received guidance to hone her poise and avoid tarnishing their reputation, the methods employed were unfortunately loathsome and unsavory, instilling manners and etiquette into her by any means necessary. With the help of a few collaborators she could trust, Ryoko sustained the weight of this experience on her frail shoulders and reached present day, but the recurrent incidents nonetheless left their marks and had sizeable side-effects on the poor girl; each event effectively normalized the agonizing pain she would regularly feel and eventually led this lady to become indifferent toward the physical suffering of others, a sensation she now considered perfectly natural and ordinary.
Truthfully, there is a lot about her own backstory Ryoko knows nothing about; her familial heritage is one of corruption and deceit, the girl engulfed in conflicts from another Era. While she may be ignorant of that fact, her parents come from a branch of the Kasumi’Oji bloodline known for their involvement with the family’s darker practices, a branch typically kept secluded inside the Kasumi’Oji premises; Ryoko’s mother is a maiden of Kasumi’Oji heritage tainted with vile blood, a Nakabakki cursed through her own parent’s wrongdoings. This explains Ryoko’s initial treatment within her own Noble House, and why it eventually flipped so drastically; the noblewoman’s affliction was carried over from this ancestry but also came with the hellion’s powerful innate spiritual abilities, a gift they now rightfully wished to exploit. Thankfully, her genetics have sufficiently diluted to cut her ties with Hell, leaving no overt signs of her connection with an Akki; as a result, Ryoko was never confined inside the bounds of the Kasumi’Oji mansion and could freely act toward her own benefits, albeit without yet learning of her true origins.
Story Status
Ryoko Kasumi’Oji has recently taken steps to get in contact with Luna Melrose, after it was discovered the student has ties with the underworld and used a false identity to enroll in the Academy; this fake persona was made by the Kasumi’Oji Family and requested through their backchannels, hence the discovery once they attempted to dig into the backgrounds of Ryoko’s numerous classmates. The noblewoman wants to consolidate her influence over the Kasumi’Oji, and needs Luna’s field of expertise to do so; she is therefore planning to stage an accident involving herself, forcing the young medic and scientist into action.
