Punished GN "Flowers cannot bloom without rain." ............................................................................. | ████████████████████████████ ███████████ RUI PAEWAI RUI PAEWAI ████████████████████████████ ████████████████ THE GODDESS OF WIND AND STORMS THE GODDESS OF WIND AND STORMS | 23 | 5’8 | TĀWHIRIMĀTEA | MĀORI/CHINESE/WHITE | 130lbs | ████████████████████████████ ████████████████ MĀORI MĀORI There is a brutal savagery in the power of storms but amongst the rage and the ferocity, there’s a beauty… perhaps even a reason for the anger. Tāwhirimātea was one of the children of two seemingly inseparable Gods — Papa the Earth Mother and Rangi the God of the Sky. However, they did not always get on so agreeably with their siblings and peers growing up, especially as Tāwhirimātea blamed other for the separation of their parents. In response, Tāwhirimātea grew fiercer and angrier and waged war, even pulling in the powers of their sky children. The storms grew wilder and more violent and many cowered from the tempest but one of Tāwhirimātea's siblings fought back and Tāwhirimātea was overwhelmed. As the sky cleared, the anger ebbed and the dark skies gave way to beaming sunshine once more. ███████████████████████████ ███████████ APPEARANCE APPEARANCE "People will see what they want to see." These days, Rui is neither obsessive nor negligent when it comes to the importance of appearance. Her mother raised her to understand the importance of the perception of others and for many years it manifested inside her until it consumed her. The rituals became obsessive and she longed to look like every person that wasn't her. Perhaps, it many ways it was a pitfall of the conceited world that she was introduced to but eventually, the obsession became too much and wore her down. She would be unable to recollect the exact day it changed but the obsession and pedantic final touches disappeared. When she sees the colour of her eyes and skin in the mirror, it reminds her of the rich wealth of ancestry inside her and the strength of her mother. As her confidence in her appearance grew, so did the conviction in herself. Although her mother had always favoured her in dresses and 'feminine' clothing, she now chooses clothing that offers comfort and style. She's often caught sporting bright blue jeans and an oversized jacket that dwarfs her size slightly. She also loves to wear her dark hair long and free, only tying it up when the situation demands it for practicality and safety. Her stature has developed to be stronger in the past year or so. As a teenager, she was almost frail but new adaptations to her routine have helped her grow her physique as part of her new confidence. She’s still on the ‘smaller’ side but she’s feeling stronger and stronger by the day. As long as she can be as strong as her brothers then that’s all that really matters to her. |
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PERSONALITY
PERSONALITY
PERSONALITY
"A change in the weather is sufficient to recreate the world and ourselves.”
Rui didn't find her voice for a very long time. As the youngest of four siblings, she was reduced frequently to the bottom of the pile, and all three of her brothers would make snide remarks in jest, but over time, Rui started to take these remarks deep into her heart. Her mother would always try to reach out to her and listen to the words that others mocked, but as time passed, she'd just press her lips together in a tight smile and shake her head. However, this didn't mean that Rui didn't have a voice of her own. She's a young woman that speaks passionately about her enjoyments and the things she likes in the world around her. Equally, she'll stand up when she witnesses injustice because she knows that people deserve to have a voice of their own.
With a lot of suppressed frustration under the surface, Rui is also known to have a bit of a temper. It's usually reasonable anger but on occasion, she will snap completely. She's always very apologetic in the aftermath if she's genuinely wrong and will go out of her way to try and make things right. Most of all, she believes it's most important that individuals have enough conviction and humanity to do the right thing but she's also aware that everyone has flaws.
On the day to day, she's pretty happy-go-lucky but just like the weather, her mood can shift fast. She’s still living with the pain of her parent’s divorce and the oppression of her brothers and reminds herself frequently that she doesn’t need to live by the way they have made her feel. She can find strength in herself.
With a lot of suppressed frustration under the surface, Rui is also known to have a bit of a temper. It's usually reasonable anger but on occasion, she will snap completely. She's always very apologetic in the aftermath if she's genuinely wrong and will go out of her way to try and make things right. Most of all, she believes it's most important that individuals have enough conviction and humanity to do the right thing but she's also aware that everyone has flaws.
On the day to day, she's pretty happy-go-lucky but just like the weather, her mood can shift fast. She’s still living with the pain of her parent’s divorce and the oppression of her brothers and reminds herself frequently that she doesn’t need to live by the way they have made her feel. She can find strength in herself.
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BACKSTORY
BACKSTORY
BACKSTORY
”Let me be something every minute of every hour of my life."
Rui was born in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand in the city of Rotorua. The area is renowned for its geothermal activity and Māori culture and as a child, Rui immersed herself in it adoringly. She was fascinated by the tourists that flocked to see the bubbling pools in Te Puia’s Whakarewarewa Valley and her mother would remind her that talking to strangers was not smart. Yet, there was always a smile on her face as she tugged her daughter away from a crowd of sunburnt and grinning tourists. Life at home was a little bit tougher and a lot more manic.
Her father always had his head in the clouds and would pay little attention to the bad attitudes and poor choices of his sons while her mother constantly fussed and attempted to do right by them despite their lack of want to try. Overshadowed and spoken over, Rui felt like a feature on the mantlepiece, just watching the havoc unfold around her. Some days, as she watched her mother desperately asking for her father to step in and help control their sons, it was like waiting for a wave to hit or a storm to develop... waiting on some explosion and final realisation that it was his turn to step in but there was nothing. Rui tried to speak up for her mother and tried to do her best but she was stopped before she even got started and when her father did speak it was to tell her to close her mouth about something she knew nothing about.
Yet, Rui could see the love there. She saw complacency from her father but she heard stories from her mother about how charming of a young man he'd been when they met and how he'd swept her away with so many stories. Sometimes, memories are simply not enough and when Rui was a young teenager and her brothers were already much older and causing havoc, it all went too far. Her mother was tired of feeling alone and of the level of disrespect shown by her sons. And Rui was tired of it too. One night, as her mother cried as yet another report of bad behaviour reacher their home, Rui took it into her own hands. The fight warranted the bloody lip and bruised eyes but she landed scratches on her own on her brother and when she looked at her mother and told her what she'd done, Rui was grinning from ear to ear even though it stung.
Shortly after, her mother left the home and took Rui with her. Several months after moving to a new town, she met another man. A handsome man and well-spoken American who talked about life in New York and how glamorous it could be. At first, Rui was sceptical to believe anything he said but when she saw her mother's face light up... she believed that even if New York wasn't amazing, this was best for her mother. After several trips between countries and 18 months passed, the three moved to New York together and Rui started a whole new life thousands of miles away from her treasured landscapes and culture. New York is a big old place and it's easy to feel lonely and lost and Rui was somewhere totally new and it did take its toll.
She grew consumed by her image and the perception people had of her. She longed for home and the slow-paced life but eventually, as the years have slipped by, she's found herself a new home. Yet, things have begun to unsettle her. When she is feeling down or upset or angry, the world around her seems darker. The sky is increasingly close and if she's gritting her teeth on the way home, it's as if the wind whips harder at her cheeks as she goes. One night as she screamed at her brother down the phone to stop harassing their mother, lighting burst past her window and struck a car on the street below. It's just lightning, she told herself as she instantly hung up the phone. No other thunderclaps or strikes of lightning followed.
She has certainly noted that she feels stronger. Her regular routines don't seem as tiring and even small things are more easily accomplished but she has been calling herself deluded. Maybe it's just a really good day but stranger things happen on bad days... When the letter came, Rui laughed at first and then looked at the sky. Part of her knew she had to do what it said.
Her father always had his head in the clouds and would pay little attention to the bad attitudes and poor choices of his sons while her mother constantly fussed and attempted to do right by them despite their lack of want to try. Overshadowed and spoken over, Rui felt like a feature on the mantlepiece, just watching the havoc unfold around her. Some days, as she watched her mother desperately asking for her father to step in and help control their sons, it was like waiting for a wave to hit or a storm to develop... waiting on some explosion and final realisation that it was his turn to step in but there was nothing. Rui tried to speak up for her mother and tried to do her best but she was stopped before she even got started and when her father did speak it was to tell her to close her mouth about something she knew nothing about.
Yet, Rui could see the love there. She saw complacency from her father but she heard stories from her mother about how charming of a young man he'd been when they met and how he'd swept her away with so many stories. Sometimes, memories are simply not enough and when Rui was a young teenager and her brothers were already much older and causing havoc, it all went too far. Her mother was tired of feeling alone and of the level of disrespect shown by her sons. And Rui was tired of it too. One night, as her mother cried as yet another report of bad behaviour reacher their home, Rui took it into her own hands. The fight warranted the bloody lip and bruised eyes but she landed scratches on her own on her brother and when she looked at her mother and told her what she'd done, Rui was grinning from ear to ear even though it stung.
Shortly after, her mother left the home and took Rui with her. Several months after moving to a new town, she met another man. A handsome man and well-spoken American who talked about life in New York and how glamorous it could be. At first, Rui was sceptical to believe anything he said but when she saw her mother's face light up... she believed that even if New York wasn't amazing, this was best for her mother. After several trips between countries and 18 months passed, the three moved to New York together and Rui started a whole new life thousands of miles away from her treasured landscapes and culture. New York is a big old place and it's easy to feel lonely and lost and Rui was somewhere totally new and it did take its toll.
She grew consumed by her image and the perception people had of her. She longed for home and the slow-paced life but eventually, as the years have slipped by, she's found herself a new home. Yet, things have begun to unsettle her. When she is feeling down or upset or angry, the world around her seems darker. The sky is increasingly close and if she's gritting her teeth on the way home, it's as if the wind whips harder at her cheeks as she goes. One night as she screamed at her brother down the phone to stop harassing their mother, lighting burst past her window and struck a car on the street below. It's just lightning, she told herself as she instantly hung up the phone. No other thunderclaps or strikes of lightning followed.
She has certainly noted that she feels stronger. Her regular routines don't seem as tiring and even small things are more easily accomplished but she has been calling herself deluded. Maybe it's just a really good day but stranger things happen on bad days... When the letter came, Rui laughed at first and then looked at the sky. Part of her knew she had to do what it said.
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ABILITIES
ABILITIES
ABILITIES
"E kore au e ngaro (I will not be lost)“
Weather Manipulation: Tāwhirimātea was the God of weather, including thunder and lightning, wind, clouds and storms. His powers were fully displayed through the war waged against his siblings and the tempest that followed but Rui’s powers are much more slight but are seemingly linked to her mood. A clap of thunder in a moment of anger, a dark sky and clouds heavy with rain when she’s sad, a whisper of a gentle breeze when she’s laughing. She doesn’t understand how manipulating the weather works or how far it can extend. It could only be a small radius or could influence a much bigger picture – she’s unsure and hasn’t even fully accepted it herself.
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LIMITS/WEAKNESSES
LIMITS/WEAKNESSES
LIMITS/WEAKNESSES
"Storms draw something out of us that calm seas don't."
Rui doesn’t seem to have direct control over how she influences the world around her and if she can be caught off guard by her own influence on the world around her, then anyone can be. As she has a temper and feels emotions very strong, this could possibly be problematic for the intensity of the weather around her and how powerful it becomes… and whether she can make it stop. She knows that she has a responsibility to understand more about what she can do but the weight of it, even in the short time, is already making the world around her seem a lot darker.
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OTHER
OTHER
OTHER
"Ahakoa he iti he pounamu.”
