[hider=Kitaōji Ayane - The Mundane]
[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/vTtimvU.jpeg[/img]
[h3][b][color=2ff08e]北[/color]大路 [color=2ff08e]綾[/color]音 / [color=2ff08e]KITA[/color]ŌJI[/b] [b][color=2ff08e]AYA[/color]NE[/b][/h3]
[b]38 y/o | 142cm (4'8") | 34kg (75lbs)[/b]
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[indent][hider=Theme]
[center][youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YT5ykhJl0d0[/youtube][/center]
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[color=2ff08e][b]APPEARANCE:[/b][/color]
[indent][hider=Visual References][center]Standing Profile
[img]https://i.imgur.com/IfQYQ0V.png[/img]
[/center][/hider]
Standing a diminutive four foot and eight inches and paired with a youthful visage even for East Asian standards, Ayane is often mistaken as a junior highschooler in her ancestral homeland of Japan, let alone in the States. In fact, her growth peaked when she was in 8th grade and she hadn't gained an inch ever since, much to her great dismay. Even nowadays, in her late 30s, the middle-aged woman physically appears like a girl over two decades her junior, and every method that she tried from exercise routines to growth hormone therapies ultimately prove fruitless. 

Her peers often jest that they envy her "eternal youth", but she's not an idiot, she's aware of their backhanded compliments, after all, there's such a thing as looking [i]too[/i] young. This so-called 'eternal youth' has cost her lifelong dreams of modeling, the ability to safely conceive a child, and even something as simple as being able to reach high shelves without the aid of stools. Sometimes, she scornfully wishes that everyone would have their knees cut off just so they can see things from her perspective.
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[color=2ff08e][b]PERSONALITY:[/b][/color]
[indent]Morose, sarcastic, and cranky. Ayane is one of those people seemingly done with life, going through the motions of mundane routines, stuck in a pointless rat race of a 9-to-5 job. She's quick to snap with a sardonic quip or two whenever a minor convenience occurs and though not outwardly rebellious, she appears to have mastered the art of 'malicious compliance' whenever an authority figure forces her to do something against her will.

Hidden underneath all those layers of bitterness and resentment is a sweet, affectionate girl who's a natural idealist. However, disappointments after disappointments chipped away at the bright young girl's resolve and at some point, the last straw broke the camel's back. If a college friend is to be reunited with her, then they'll surely be dumbfounded just how [i]different[/i] Ayane is now; for someone who doesn't seem to age, she sure bears little resemblance to her pre-graduation self. 

Yet still, buried in the deepest reaches of her heart, Ayane's child-like naivety remains steadfast, merely slumbering, just waiting for that chance to dethrone her cynicism. Her sudden initiation to magical girlhood may just be that chance, however, whether the verdant-haired [s]young[/s] woman can regain her youthful enthusiasm or not remains to be seen...
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[color=2ff08e][b]BACKSTORY:[/b][/color]
[indent]Born to a native Japanese couple, Ayane spent the first nine years of her life in Japan before her parents decided to emigrate to the United States. Aside from this particular event where she had to adapt to a new home with new friends, environment, and cultural norms, the Japanese-American girl's early childhood was quite typical for a run of the mill middle-class family, which was something often taken for granted by most people.

A bright young girl with copious amounts of gregarious energy, Ayane didn't mind being the center of attention amongst her social circle. In fact, she thrived in the spotlight, having all the right traits for a rising superstar in the showbiz world, however, knowing the issues commonly plaguing child stars, her parents decided that it'd be best for their only daughter to come of age and finish her education first before pursuing such careers.

As she grew, Ayane began to realize a consistent pattern, that her peers - both boys and girls - begin to outsize her. At first, the green-haired girl chalked it up to simple genetics. East Asians [i]are[/i] on the shorter end of the world's average after all. However, the fact remained that she had peers who're fellow East Asians and yet [i]all[/i] of them eventually outgrew her. By the time she entered senior highschool, Ayane became the de facto shortest student in her whole [i]school[/i]. Unbeknownst to her, this incident marked the start of Ayane's transformation into the bitter cynic that she'd be in the future.

Once, the teenager had a dream, one inspired by the heroic magical girls, she wanted to be famous just like them yet without all the risks of bodily harm inherent in their trade, thus she settled for the next best thing, modeling. In pursuit of said dream, she subjected herself to various procedures from exercises to growth hormones all the way until she graduated from college, yet they were for naught, she just couldn't grow, neither in height or width. To make matters worse, her fiancé of six years annulled their engagement. Why? Because he wanted to have children in the future, but the doctor said Ayane's stunted body wasn't capable of enduring pregnancy, at least without severely risking her life. 

Every single of her woes could be traced back to her so-called 'eternal youth', the curse that she had to bear for god knows why.

With each child-sized clothes that she had to wear for lack of options, each ID check at liquor shops, and each nervous gulp from would-be lovers at mixers, Ayane's resentment toward the world grew and grew, until the mountain of scorn was massive enough to bury all of her cheer and joy. Before she knew it, she was almost four decades old, but honestly, she stopped counting since her mid-20s. 

Nowadays, Ayane works at Nippon Taiyou Bank as its call center agent, serving both Japanese and English-speaking clients due to her fluency in those languages. She had no pride in her job, nor any ambitions to do beyond what's required from her. It was nothing more than a means to an end; clock in, clock out, the same mundane routine in a colorless gray world...

At least until the supernatural decided to contact her in the form of a mascot named Renge, the entity claimed herself to be a 'Spirit Guardian' or some sort, tasked with maintaining the balance of life and death by making sure that malevolent spirits and similar entities are sent back to where they belong, the afterlife. In all of her wisdom, Renge decided to choose Ayane, a good-for-nothing failure. Well, whatever, her younger self might have rescinded the offer due to the dangers involved, but at this point, she couldn't care less. There were worse ways to go out than a hero's death.

...and though Ayane herself wouldn't admit it, a part of her was delighted that someone finally gave her a chance to shine, even if it took decades.
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[color=2ff08e][b]OTHER DETAILS:[/b][/color]
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[color=2ff08e]❖[/color] [b]Color Code[/b]: [color=2ff08e]2ff08e[/color]
[color=2ff08e]❖[/color] Though she has severe body image issues, nowadays, Ayane has gotten past the point of being capable of anger whenever someone teases her about it, instead, she'll simply roll her eyes.
[color=2ff08e]❖[/color] Possesses surprisingly high conscientiousness despite her seemingly uncaring behavior; Ayane's belongings are organized neatly and her apartment and workspace are always clean. She grew up in Japan after all, old habits die hard.
[color=2ff08e]❖[/color] Regularly participates in Kendo ever since an early age, most likely the reason why her magical weapon takes the form of a katana.
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[hider=Murasaki - The Magical]
[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/JeyzFWT.jpeg[/img]
[h3][b][color=b73ffc]紫[/color] / [color=b73ffc]MURASAKI[/color][/b][/h3]
[b]死霊導 (Shireidō / Spirit Guide)[/b]
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[indent][hider=Theme]
[center][youtube]hhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5qtF20HFP8[/youtube][/center]
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[color=b73ffc][b]APPEARANCE:[/b][/color]
[indent][hider=Visual References][center]Standing Profile
[img]https://i.imgur.com/QHDQoYR.png[/img]
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As Murasaki the Spirit Guide, Ayane's height and stature - regrettably - remains unchanging for the most part, except for her hair, which exponentially lengthens enough to reach her shins. Her transformation trinket - the butterfly hairpin - settles on the left side of her head along with a pair of red ribbons tying parts of her green locks into a pair of short twintails. Whatever apparel she was wearing will be replaced by a set of stylish kimono evoking the image of a fluttering butterfly. Finally, her signature weapon, the spirit-sealing katana Murasame spawns within arm's reach of her right hand.
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[color=b73ffc][b]TRANSFORMATION TRINKET:[/b][/color]
[indent]A purple butterfly-shaped hairpin. It's always slightly cold to the touch and when held, one can allegedly hear faint whispers of the dead.
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[color=b73ffc][b]MAGICAL WEAPON:[/b][/color]
[indent][hider=Visual References][center]
[img]https://i.imgur.com/e98BqSo.jpeg[/img]
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Murasaki's signature weapon is 村雨 (Murasame), it takes the form of a ghostly katana, shimmering and translucent as if half of its existence lies in the material world while the other half dwells in the spirit plane. It's essentially more of an extension of Murasaki's magic than a true physical object as it’s able to freely vanish and reappear at its mistress' hand. Though intended to be used against malevolent spirits, Murasame remains extraordinarily effective against any entity with a 'soul', and the more spirit-like said entity is, the deadlier its cuts become. As an example: Ghost-like monsters will take more damage compared to Beast-type creatures.

On the flipside, its power is significantly dampened against 'soulless' entities such as: automatons, vehicles, and a literal brick wall.
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[color=b73ffc][b]MINOR POWERS:[/b][/color]
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[color=b73ffc]❖[/color] [b]封魔陣 (Fūmajin / Evil-Slaying Seal):[/b]
[indent]The power that defines Murasaki's identity as a sealer of malevolent spirits. With each cut from her ethereal blade, Murasaki's foes will have parts of their soul sealed away, rendered inert and harmless. Everything from ghosts, demons, and even celestials, as long as they possess a soul, can be sealed away into a powerless wretch. Obviously, this power has no effect against soulless enemies.
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[color=b73ffc]❖[/color] [b]精霊歩 (Seireiho / Spirit Step):[/b]
[indent]Murasaki and Murasame fully transition into the spirit plane, turning completely ethereal and enabling her to pass through mundane objects as if they're not even there. While in this state, any purely physical attacks will simply harmlessly phase through her, but on the other hand, she becomes more vulnerable to magical harm. Offensively, her attacks gain the capability to slip through mundane armor, but not magical defenses. This ability exclusively affects herself and her sword.
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[color=b73ffc]❖[/color] [b]幻想 (Gensō / Mirage):[/b]
[indent]Murasaki can conjure lifelike illusions of herself to confuse her foes. Each ethereal copy lasts for several seconds or until it performs a single offensive technique, whichever comes first. However, unless modified by another power, these doppelgangers are harmless illusions.
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[color=b73ffc][b]MEDIUM POWERS:[/b][/color]
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[color=b73ffc]❖[/color] [b]胡蝶双舞 (Kochōsōbu / Fluttering Waltz):[/b]
[indent]Murasaki employs deft swordplay enhanced by supernatural dexterity to perform multiple strikes with blinding speed. To the untrained eye, it'll appear as if she's performing merely a single quick stroke, yet the results will prove that within that single second, the target has been stricken with numerous deep and precise cuts.
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[color=b73ffc]❖[/color] [b]鏡花水月 (Kyokasuigetsu / Reflection of the Moon Flower):[/b]
[indent]Murasaki empowers her Gensō mirages to be capable of inflicting actual harm to a target, dealing damage as if she herself has performed the attack via a copy.
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[color=b73ffc][b]MAJOR POWERS:[/b][/color]
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[color=b73ffc]❖[/color] [b]泡沫夢幻・胡蝶刃 (Hōmatsumugen Kochōjin / Transient Blade of the Butterflies):[/b]
[indent]Shireidō's ultimate technique, the finest display of spirit swordsmanship. The Spirit Guide summons fifteen Kyokasuigetsu-enhanced copies to surround a target along with herself in the formation of the sixteen petals of the Kikumon - Chrysanthemum Seal - before they simultaneously execute a Kochōsōbu at said target. Whoever unlucky enough to be the recipient of this technique will receive sixteen instances of multiple lightning-quick cuts, safe to say, they won't return in one piece, but should they somehow survive, then it'll be a testament of their might as not many can endure such a powerful technique and live to tell the tale. 
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[color=b73ffc][b]OTHER DETAILS:[/b][/color]
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[color=b73ffc]❖[/color] [b]Color Code[/b]: [color=b73ffc]b73ffc[/color]
[color=b73ffc]❖[/color] Murasaki's powers are filled to the brim with butterfly imagery. Most of her maneuvers and strikes leave trails of wispy purple light bearing their silhouette. They're either beautiful or, if someone is suffering from lepidopterophobia, terrifying.
[color=b73ffc]❖[/color] Like the spirit butterflies she embodies, gravity is a mere suggestion for Murasaki. She can float at will and when engaging Seireiho, also phase through physical matter.
[color=b73ffc]❖[/color] As Murasaki, she notably becomes less cranky and vitriolic than Ayane, perhaps knowing innocent lives are often at stake during her missions instills a sense of heroic altruism in her.
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[hider=Renge - The Mascot]
[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/ibJZ03X.jpeg[/img]
[h3][b][color=f54c4d]蓮[/color]華 / [color=f54c4d]REN[/color]GE[/b][/h3]
[b]??? y/o | 145cm (4'9") / 30cm (1'0")  | 0kg (0lbs)[/b]
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[indent][hider=Theme]
[center][youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDzY5jKlyGw[/youtube][/center]
[/hider]
[color=f54c4d][b]APPEARANCE:[/b][/color]
[indent][hider=Visual References][center]True Form
[img]https://i.imgur.com/O2pnM64.png[/img]
Mascot Form
[img]https://i.imgur.com/I6y1P8m.png[/img]
[/center][/hider]
Renge bears the visage of a young Japanese girl clad in an elaborate floral and butterfly-patterned black kimono. Between her eerily pale skin, jet-black hair, and archaic apparel, she appears more like a lifelike doll than a human. Whatever Renge is, she's certainly no human, instead a spirit-like entity with no actual physical presence in the material plane. Just like a ghost, Renge is completely ethereal and passes through solid objects, though things of magical nature can interact with her.

In her true form, she's exactly an inch taller than Ayane, something that the latter believes to be Renge's attempt at mocking her petite stature, even though the truth is quite lamer than that, being purely a coincidence. Her alternate form is essentially a chibified version of herself, standing only a foot tall, leaning even more into the image of a living doll.
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[color=f54c4d][b]PERSONALITY:[/b][/color]
[indent]Calm and soft-spoken, the ghost-like entity who self-proclaims herself to be a 'Spirit Guardian' seems to have humanity's best interests at heart, or at least, she intends to maintain the sanctity of the cycle of life and death, which implies taking care of those who wish to disrupt said cycle. Which is quite convenient as those disruptive beings are often malevolent anyways, Renge's priorities may be different than that of an Average Joe, but they coincidentally wish for the same thing, for malicious monsters and murderous people to be made... a non-issue.

Unflinchingly stoic, Renge doesn't seem capable of experiencing emotions like a normal person, or more aptly, it's folly to apply the standards of a common man to a supernatural entity such as her.
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[color=f54c4d][b]BACKSTORY:[/b][/color]
[indent]Murasaki's so-called 'Spirit Guardian' and the source of her supernatural powers, Renge - 'Lotus' in Japanese - appeared in the dead of night to one Kitaōji Ayane, a girl-... no, a middle-aged woman in her late 30s and chose her to be the bearer of her spiritual powers. When Ayane questioned her whether she was a patron of magical girls, the ethereal entity admitted to be unfamiliar with such terms, but it mattered not, she simply wished to know if the human would accept the task or not. Figuring that the prospect seemed close enough to magical girls, Ayane shrugged and accepted the offer, taking up the mantle of essentially a magical girl despite being almost four decades old. 

Over the course of their partnership, Ayane theorized that Renge is a Shinigami, spiritual beings tasked with guiding the souls of the dead to the afterlife, though Renge herself never claimed to be one, at least not explicitly. Regardless, they currently have a mutually beneficial relationship and both of them were content to let the arrangement continue.
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[color=f54c4d][b]OTHER DETAILS:[/b][/color]
[indent]
[color=f54c4d]❖[/color] [b]Color Code[/b]: [color=f54c4d]f54c4d[/color]
[color=f54c4d]❖[/color] Renge is invisible to anyone except Ayane, individuals who’re able to sense spirits, and morbidly enough, dying people.
[color=f54c4d]❖[/color] Those capable of perceiving her presence will notice that the flowers, petals, and butterflies on her kimono move and sway as if they're alive. She's also constantly surrounded by trailing wisps of butterfly-shaped light, except hers are red versus Murasaki's purple.
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