TuShanshu App

[phoenixstrut]

Player Information:
Name: Tori
Age: 22
Contact: plurk: dovefire
Other Characters Played: Katara

Character Information:
Name: Dove
Canon: Original Character
Canon Point: One year after losing her charge to a demon. She is living in a large apartment in New York city, and has a photo shoot the next morning.
Age: 21
Reference Links: Dove with wings Wings


Setting:
OVERVIEW
Dove’s time is set in current day New York, though the world she knows is vastly different. An angel by birth, she is given the same options as the others: guardian, knight, or guide. The guardians are more than often than not those with more caring, kind personalities and those angels good with people. Knights deal with spiritual warfare and oversee the battle between Angels and Demons, both in the In-Between and earth, over the souls of the humans they hope to win and the energy the earth provides. Dove will claim New York as her home, as she no longer lives in the In-Between where she was born and raised.

PLACES
In-Between
While Dove’s contact with the human world is much more involved than that of some of her ranking because of her guardian role and her choice to live in the human realm, her time with her family (aside from her brother) was spent mostly above in the clouds in a place called the In-Between.

The In-Between refers to both the angel and demon realms, though the two never connect. Locally referred to as ‘Limbo’, or, as the old feathers call it, ‘the Gates’, one half holds the realm where Angels are born, raised, and given the opportunity to choose their careers. It is beautiful in every way imaginable, second only to the Higher Realm, and is filled with everything from thriving cities to vast woodlands and meadows. Things everywhere are pure. The cities are structured and well organized; the natural landscapes are lush. Food is plentiful, though their race is not truly one to feast, and the citizens are happy.

Though they do not require a large home, Dove’s family lives in a mansion not far from the city, thanks to her grandfather’s role as the Archangel.

The other half of the In-Between is home to the demon realm, the ‘Fires’ or what the angels refer to as the ‘Void.’ While the demon race is content and proud of their lands, it is the complete opposite of the Gates. There is no ‘higher realm’ in the Void, nor is there lush greenery. Architecture is magnificent and striking, but never comforting. While the angels favor golds and precious metals, the demons favor themes of ore and crystal. The common grounds that house the Wailing, Hot feet (common demons), and other lost souls is very poorly organized and extremely chaotic. This state, however, does not hold true for the higher ranking demons. Their lands are extremely strict and warlike, though just as rich as those of the noble angels. (read: the higher ups use all the spiritual energy to make their place nice while neglecting the common Void)

Note: As a general rule, fallen angels complain about the state of their surroundings, though the demons seem perfectly content.

Human Realm
The human realm is modern day earth, full of both wonder and corruption. While complex realms exist outside human knowledge, humans remain entirely unaware of the spiritual warfare taking place throughout their own realm. Immense spiritual battles are commonly referred to as natural disasters. Spiritual beings are hidden throughout the Human Realm to carry on their jobs as reapers or guardians, but masquerade as humans. There is, however, suspicion that human souls agree to their existence.

Power over the human realm is what both forces seek. While the power for good is ever present, there is also always corruption lingering beneath the surface. The role of demons and angels is to nurture their respective energies, in order to win souls for their sides.

The human realm is filled with two energies: pure energy and spiritual energy. Pure or Sublime energy is Creator made, and cannot be corrupted. It can be found in the earth itself, untainted by man. For example, a large ocean-- it holds a power and wonder that cannot be explained. That is sublime energy.

The second type of energy, Spiritual energy, is highly concentrated in areas where beings gather, especially in areas with a high number of humans and working angels and demons. This type of energy is highly corruptible and easily influenced, and fuels the other In-Between realms.

THE FACTIONS

Angels

Angels are absolutely beautiful spiritual beings with large, strong wings, and an overwhelming desire for good. Though they are ‘human’ enough to make their own decisions and meet their own failures, they strive for good as well as they can.
Each angel is born with a set of greater senses and a set of abilities unique to their family (for example, Dove’s family can wield the power of fire, but she uniquely inherited ‘healing warmth’ talent from her mother). Their eyesight, while not as keen as a demon’s at night, is much more powerful. They are a little more resistant to damage than humans are, and are much quicker. Some angels are much stronger. It really depends on the Gift they are given at birth.

All angels are given ‘reading’ senses that are trained according to the role they choose. All angels can sense deception and emotion, though guardians are trained to pick up on them more readily (note: it’s a feeling of strong suspicion, not a complete reading). Some ‘dream read’, though it is a highly specialized skill taught to higher ranking guardians; some, however, have a natural creativity that allows them into the mind of their charges where they are able to manipulate dreams. This comes in handy when attempting to warn a person without directly interfering with their lives.

The angels are given the option to choose a career if they so desire, and most quickly find that they are better suited for a specific one. (Dove, for example, is a guardian because she is good with people, especially children to which most guardians are assigned). The most prominent careers are:

Guardian: Guardian angels are assigned to human souls on an individual basis, most often those of children. They are to protect their charge and continue to watch over them until it is time to pass them on to one of the Guides.

Guides: Guides continue to watch over their charges and guide them through life, though much more indirectly than a guardian. Most guides work with multiple souls at once.

Knights: Knights are the soldiers of the Upper In-Between. They deal with protecting the human realm on a large scale. Knights are incredibly confident, often weak to the temptation of pride, but more than often able to stand up to their own standards. The Archangel, though he oversees operations of all worker angels, works directly with the Knights group as a sort of Commander-in-chief.

Though not a career, the highest honor an angel can receive is Sainthood. Though the saints do not interact with the human realm at all, they work with spiritual matters on another plane entirely, able to manipulate time and growth. Not much more is known about the Saints.

Nobles: Angel nobles are nothing more than pure blood angels. They do not treat themselves any differently than others of their kind, but are often revered by common angels. (Dove falls into this category.)

Fallen: fallen angels are those that have either willingly given up their rank or who have been stripped of their rank due to some infraction. They retain the abilities of an angel, though they are ultimately cast out if the crime warrants immediate removal.

Demons

Demons are also absolutely beautiful creatures, though much less gentle and much more seductive in appearance. They are sharp and manipulating, often with dark hair and fair skin. They, too, have strong wings, ranging from batlike, to feathered, to fully scaled, that can carry them at incredible speeds and can be hidden at will.

Like angels, they are given free range to make their own choices, though they often tend toward darker, more carnal desires. They are often playful and reckless and selfish. Also like angels, they are strong and have incredibly keen senses, though their eyesight is lessened in sunlight. They are even stronger at night, and revel in carnal pleasures.

While Angels have the ability to offer more time to a soul with a kiss, Demons have the ability to posses a human body, though it causes damage to both the demon and the person involved.

Demons are calculating and just as smart and cunning as angels can be, making them a sizable threat when it comes to spiritual warfare. They are broken down into separate careers, just like the angels, though with less immediate structure:

Common Demons
There are two types of common demons: the Wailing and the ‘Hot Feet’. Both creatures are the product of a lost human soul, collected by a reaper. The Wailing do very little, and seem to always be in pain. Hot Feet are just annoying pranksters that can cause chaos in small doses and upset the lives of humans. While the Wailing tend to be souls of those who were simply lost, ‘Hot Feet’ generally choose their path during their human life by living a life full of ‘sin’. Neither are very strong species of demon.

Also common, but more organized demons can be divided into two groups:
Reapers: Reapers do as their name describes. They gather the souls of humans that angels fail to reach. They are able to influence human souls and create harm on a small scale basis.

Legion: Legion is a mixed group of pure blood demons, volunteered souls, and a few weaker fallen angels. They are the knights of hell, and bring chaos to humanity on a large scale. They are the group that the Knights of the angel realm battle.

Legion is driven by the Nine, a board of sorts, led by the Head Demon Lucifer.

Others
Nobles: Noble demons are those with absolutely pure bloodlines, or fallen angels who have betrayed their origin.

The Ninth: The Ninth is a specialized board of war leaders, headed by Lucifer. This group is comprised of elite purebloods and fallen angels with insight into the ranks of the standing angels. It is a dangerous group, and meeting one of its members means certain death.

Limits and Strengths (Both)
Wings are obviously a very important addition for both Angels and Demons alike, and aid their beings with strengths all the while giving them weaknesses.

It takes a great deal for these creatures to die. They can be hurt badly, but they heal quickly. The process, however, is not so simple. Though it takes a much shorter time for a spiritual being to heal, the pain of healing must be suffered full fold or more in the shortened amount of time. While it might take a human three weeks to heal from an injury, it might take an angel only a week, though the pain of all three human weeks would be compacted into the one.

An angel’s kiss brings life and gives time to those who are weak and wounded. Though it cannot bring the recipient back from the dead, it provides energy enough to give the healer more time to work. The time given is dependant upon the angel’s own health and energy.

Angels and Fallen can only truly be made mortal by the burning of their Abaddon feathers, or the feathers located closest to the body. Some angels have taken it upon themselves to pluck at least one of the feathers and hide it in a secret location, just as a precaution, though it lessens their Gift the smallest bit.

The inner parts of wings are also incredibly sensitive, especially closer to the shoulder blades and along the ‘wearer’s’ Abaddon feathers. This, fortunately, can be helped during battle with a rush of adrenaline, though in the aftermath of battle when the adrenaline fades, the wings will be weak and need rest.

Personality:
Dove, like everyone else, has been through quite a lot in her time that has shaped her into the woman she is today, though until her late teenage years, she lived a very easy life. She is, overall, extroverted and poised, well spoken and adventurous, and incredibly passionate and emotional. She is a romantic in all aspects, and a prime target for being shaped by new experiences...even if it hurts. She’s slowly getting used to it.

Raised amongst the Noble ranks of the angels, Dove had never known true struggle (aside from the political things she hears from her father and grandfather), nor has she truly experienced normal hardships of living first hand--only witnessed it. While she is kind and does her absolute best to relate to the normal struggles people have, she is sometimes unable, except through the eyes of those she has guarded. The problems she does encounter are largely emotional, as she has been met with very little genuine opposition in her time until the loss of her young charge, Jonah. The human world can be cruel, and experiencing it for herself first hand is much different than guiding another through it. It’s easy to make decisions for other people. Not so much for herself.

As Angelic royalty, Dove has very few needs, neither in the In Between or on Earth, as she and her family have been successful in building trust in more ways than one. She also works as a model-actress now that she is no longer a guardian, using her guardian skills in communication and talent with creativity and expression, and continues to pull in a very healthy sum of money on top of her original funds.

Though she has few material needs (if any), Dove is not above putting herself in more difficult situations for a while and doesn’t openly vocalize her discomforts while in them (though she is, of course, uncomfortable). Unfortunately, she is also as easily read as a book when in an unprofessional setting. She adapts quickly, but loses her easy grace in the process. She is stubborn and ever willing to try, though, and will fake it when she has to.

Having been sheltered most of her life, she is also sometimes naive, though she excels in communication and socializing and has shaken some of it during her time on earth. Dove’s learning came easy at a young age, giving her a strong background in education that instilled within her a love of learning, though it is rare that an angel might be so fascinated by man’s work.

Given her lavish upbringing and the attention she has received in her time on earth, Dove is fascinated by appearances, particularly her own subconsciously. The attention she has received from her peers in her past does little to help with her accidental vanity. While she is blessed with more romantic talents and looks, she is absolutely pitiful at anything that involves true craftsmanship or practical handiwork. She is also hypersensitive to people’s opinions about her and self-conscious. She refuses to let it show to the best of her abilities, however, and dwells on it only when she is alone. In a professional setting, however, she handles critique well.

She hates being alone. Time to herself to breathe and relax is very much desired, but only if the option for social interaction is available when she needs it. She gets lonely easily, and tends to wilt the longer she is without interaction, as it gives her time to let her mind rush without direction. Dove very much likes to stay busy and involved, and surrounds herself with interesting people whenever she can, even if unsure about their motives.

As mentioned, Dove is an insatiable extrovert, and easily gets lonely, sometimes shadowing her dependence. Well practiced in meeting new people, she is charismatic and outgoing. She has a bright and fun personality, striving to make others feel welcome and comfortable with her, and takes a genuine interest in most people she encounters. She’s very playful and flirtatious, and matches people as best she can almost immediately; she adopts small quirks with relative ease, and relates on a superficial level until interests shift to deeper conversation. (Example: Talking to a child warrants much simpler, ‘fun’ talking while talking to a high ranking official would merit a more professional and poised demeanor in conversation). She is just as flexible socially as she is physically. This characteristic helped her with her children in her guardianship, and until the loss of her charge, paved the way toward an easy life.

Her desire for company and romance (better explained below), ultimately, is what led to her fall. Putting her trust in the wrong hands while on earth proved fatal for her charge, and though from her pull point it has been a year, the hurt is ever prevalent as it was then.

Unfortunately, while she is capable of charming conversation and is open to friendship with most everyone she meets, it is, in fact, very hard to gain her full trust. She is hesitant to be especially vulnerable with most people, particularly men, thanks to the cause of her fall, and takes her time through trial and error to open up completely.

Dove is, as alluded to above, a very romantic character, passionate and emotionally driven. Her more recent time in drama not only nurtured her already passionate nature, but also allowed her to explore a full range of emotion and charisma at her will. She does carry a temper akin to the flame that burns within her. Dove enjoys the arts, especially theatrical dramas and upcoming photography.

Her spirituality since her fall is lacking, and she searches for affirmation, looking for the inner peace that she lost.

When it comes to romantic relationships, Dove falls hard and fast, though she is now fearful and hesitant from the scars of her previous relationship. She unfortunately holds a somewhat misogynistic bias on her role a female in a romantic relationship. Her history proves her as submissive in relationships, for better and for worse, and she looks to the man for decision making and leadership. Still, she holds an optimistic outlook on the outside, all the while struggling to find balance and peace within.

Though she is fully physically equipped for battle, and from one of the strongest of the angel bloodlines, Dove does not like war or the idea of fighting, and while capable, does not attempt to start a battle. She will, however, defend those she cares for without a second chance. She will not kill, and thinks it is not her place to end a destiny.

Dove absolutely acts on her best intention, though sometimes her reactions are borderline reckless. She means well, but is stubborn enough to refuse help when she often needs it, determined to figure it out on her own. She is also incredibly loyal to those that she does trust, and will do anything for them at any time.

Given her previous role as a guardian, Dove could be aptly called ‘motherly’. She tends to dote on people and likes to take care of them, if only they have a need and will allow it. She was born with a desire to heal and protect-- it’s simply in her nature. She is absolutely wonderful with children, thus her role as a child’s guardian.
Though her fall took quite a lot out of her, Dove still carries a hope and will that is impossible to extinguish. She is much tougher than she looks, physically, but emotionally can be quite dependant at times. She almost constantly seeks the affirmation she lost.

As an angel, Dove absolutely despises being physically dirty or grimy, and she cannot stand being grounded. The urge to stretch her wings is ever present, making her full life on earth difficult. She’ll be very excited to find that wings are no problem on the turtle.

Appearance:
Poised and proud--raised to carry herself incredibly well with her head held high. Slender, lean muscled, and graceful. Quicker rather than physically strong.
Dove has long dark hair and a heart shaped face, large, cat-like brown eyes, and slender brows. Her skin is very light, but with a healthy sun-kissed glow. ;D
Her wings, when visible, are large and full. They are white with brown flecks, like the wings of a mourning Dove.
Dove stands at about 5'6" and is very light.

Abilities:
-Flight
-Enhanced Senses (sight, smell, feel, etc.)
-The ability to read emotion in another. Though not always confirmed, Dove can always feel if something is ‘off’. She is also trained in dream reading.
-Fire/Healing Warmth: While her family is Gifted with the ability to call upon flame at will, Dove’s special talent is that of Healing Warmth. She is able to heal others slowly, passing a warmth through their body at the touch of her hand. This talent does take time, however. Fortunately, she is also equipped with the Angel’s Kiss. Sharing a kiss with a wounded being allows her to pass some of her energy on and allow for more time. This cannot bring back the dead.
-Quick healing: Dove is able to heal faster than humans.

Inventory:
small blue dagger, given to her by her brother

Suitability:
Dove would fit in well at TuShanshu with her innate desire to help and protect in the battle between light and dark. She would also mix things up amongst the foreigners, as she is not your stereotypical fighter. She is also fairly savvy to political weather, and might be of some use in that area.

In-Character Samples:
Third Person (Prose):
The wind through her hair felt incredible.
She folded her wings, allowing herself to plummet back toward the earth, the heat from her chest keeping her warm and flaring with each pulse of excitement as she allowed herself into a spiral, then righted herself and spread her wings to their fullest, swooping low to the ground before quickly ascending again. Clouds curled around her, their gentle touch leaving dew on her skin that shimmed in the sunlight. It wasn't quite what she had once been used to, but it was beautiful. Odd, considering what she had been told about this place.
Turning, she spread her wings and glided over the nearby waters, her eyes traveling slowly over the landscape.
She hadn’t seen this much open space in so long, nor had she yet taken the opportunity to just soar over the area. Even in such a new and strange place, flight lessened her anxieties, slowly releasing the tension in her back as she glided over the foreign landscape.
Her attention, though, was grabbed as she flew over the place they had called the Turtle’s Head, and she slowed, a shudder running through her as she looked down. Carefully, she descended, sandaled feet alighting in the grass as her wings ruffled and settled behind her.
This place did need her help. She could feel it in the very earth below her.

Network:

[The screen buzzes to life to show her a young woman with bright, warm gaze waiting for the proper moment to speak. When she does decide that the camera is on and operational, she smiles brightly, if a little wearily, and gives her greeting in a gentle but confident voice.]

Hello… I’m Dove, and I’ve just gotten here. I’m not really sure why I’m here, but...they told me that was kind of the norm for ‘foreigners’. I expect it’s fairly common for us newfeathers to be a little confused… I mean, really, who would have ever dreamed of a turtle big enough to live on? It’s, um… a little unsettling....

[She looks down a moment, as if trying to decide what all she should say, then tilts her head the slightest bit at the camera while she sweeps her hair off of her neck. It’s obvious she’s comfortable being filmed, but she’s a little lost as to what she should say.]

I’m not entirely sure what I’m supposed to do here, [she admits, now rubbing her arm.] but I’d like to help out in any way I can. And honestly… [A pause, before she laughs softly and looks directly at the camera again.] I’d really just like to get to know some of you. [She has no problem asking to make new friends. Maybe it’ll help her figure out why exactly she was brought here.]