Esperanza Delarosa [wip]

[Esperanza Delarosa]

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Identification

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Character Name: Esperanza

Classification: Arrancar

Alias/Titles: "The Desert Rose"



Gender: Female

True Age: 164

Birthday: November 4th



Affiliation: Blue Panther Army

Rank: Espada Primera

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Appearance Information

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{Image, if applicable, goes here}

Apparent Age: 27

Height: 5' 11"

Weight: 124 lbs

Eye Color: Green

Hair Color: Magenta streaked with pink



Physical Description:

Esperanza is a lithe and curvaceous arrancar, with a round, feminine face. Her features are soft, her nose short and ending in a slight snub and her lips full and deep red. Her hair is thick and dark save for the bright flamingo-pink streaks that highlight it and it falls in a soft cascade to her lower back. Her eyes are somewhat almond shaped and framed by long lashes, and deep emerald green in color. Her skin is naturally tanned and devoid of blemishes save for two black teardrop shaped markings on the outer corner of her right eye. She is tall and quite fit underneath her clothes, with well-toned ballerina's legs and lithe arms. She has very little fat on her body, most of which is gathered in her hips, generous bust line, and a small and stubborn pooch that softens her torso's appearance. All that remains of her hollow mask is two large pieces attached to her lower earlobe that resemble hoop earrings. Her hollow hole is at her mid-sternum.



She wears an elegant dress that reaches to her ankles with tiered ruffles of alternating black and white. The dress takes a daring dive at the neck, exposing her ample breasts and hollow hole while the sleeves sit halfway down the shoulders and are little more than decorative ruffles. Her shoes are white dress shoes with sharp heels and under then she wears sheer black stockings. She accessorizes with a black sash at her waist to match the dress's accent colour and a bright pink shawl which matches the tone of her hair highlights thrown over her shoulders. Her bangs are pinned back with a bright pink rose. Her opinion of herself is plain to see even in the way she walks; she has the grace of a noble and esteemed woman, with the attitude of an arrogant street rat and a voice that is low and warm, silken to the ear and tinged with an unidentifiable accent. Listening to her speak, one might even believe her when she says that her beauty is unmatched anywhere...until they realize what a horrible personality hides beneath that blemish-less skin and voluptuous body.

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Personal Information

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Personality Overview:

As the adage goes, beauty is only skin deep. Esperanza is a smug and odious character, conceited in every way possible (and probably invented some new ones along the way). Her opinion of herself has become so inflated that the world can no longer revolve without her in it (at least, in her eyes). She is most proud of her looks, and to hear her tell it, no other woman can match up to her stunning physique and perfect features. The quickest way to Esperanza's heart is to exploit her excessive vanity. Flattery is her biggest weakness, and if one was to properly flatter her she could be coerced into just about anything. She is quick to believe anyone who cares to agree with her over-inflated self-worth without even considering the truth behind their words. Of course they're right! Esperanza is the perfect one after all!



To just about everyone she is as condescending as they come; nobody can hold a candle to her. She is often preening and talks down to anyone she can get away with disrespecting and a compliment from her is a rare thing indeed. To her superiors, she puts on a coy play of utter devotion, a frightening and almost cultish attitude that still lacks a certain something—she remains distant despite outward appearances. It is quite the trick, and feeds the ego of her superiors nicely while keeping her own intact. She is not disloyal, but would vacate her position immediately if it meant a better place elsewhere. Esperanza will never turn down the prospect of being lauded and respected more.



Her first strategy when solving a problem is “let me handle it”, and she is almost neurotic in her desire to control and direct the actions of the army below her. Esperanza does not tolerate weakness or failure in “her” ranks. Should she fail, it certainly sets her back a step or two. Her ability to think logically can shine through in these times; it's best to let her try and fail and then try to find a more cunning solution. She will not hesitate to abandon ship when things begin to go awry; she would much rather run with everything intact than remain in a dangerous situation and lose a limb or worse. She is not a bimbo, and she's not stupid, but her high opinion of herself impedes her better judgment until there's limbs and lives at stake. Usually it seems as though her only concern in the world is whether or not her next escapade will muss her hair.



Tearing her down is nearly impossible, but enough failure and enough trash talk could do the trick in the right circumstances. If her self-esteem was shattered, she would be a broken woman, and building her back up would be impossible, or at the very least difficult. Deep down she fears her imperfections, and so she ignores them; accentuating what she believes to be her best qualities by pointing at them, and destroying anyone who might threaten her sense of self-worth. She tends to deflect and ignore stress and worrisome things in general. Because of her nigh-intolerable personality, she has no real friends, and who needs them? (Actually, she does. She will never admit it, but her showboating is for attention, whether it's positive or negative. She thrives on being noticed, and deep down she would like to have someone to stand by her, who really does think the world of her.)

Character Time-line:

The curtain rose on a fantastic stage, filled with beautiful people and ornate props. Observing from the reserved seats in the fifth row were a certain aristocrat, his wife, and their young daughter; this daughter was barely ten, but it was plain to see that she would grow up to be the envy of women across the city of Barcelona, if not the whole of Spain. With flawless bronze skin and striking emerald eyes she was already clamored for by the boys her age, and she knew it. But tonight was no time for thinking about that—as she watched the play unfold on the stage she was enamored with the glitz of it all. The world of acting was foreign to her, and the troupe was one of beautiful people, performing for the likes of her family. Young Esperanza's mind reeled, and it was then and there that she decided she would become one of them. Her parents were affronted at first, but her doting father permitted her to visit the troupe every so often, usually later in the evening when nobody would see. The troupe welcomed her, teaching her the trade with little fuss. She was a natural, taking to it “like a swan to swimming”, they said. The leader of the troupe was impressed, deciding to give her small parts to sate her love of the stage. Her father released her at sixteen to become their full-time apprentice.



It was hard work, but in the beginning she toughed it out, setting up and taking down sets with the rest of the cast, but she slowly began to resent and grow impatient, she wanted to be the star, she was tired of the monotonous work and bit parts—she didn't deserve this! She fell out with the troupe leader, and in a fit she left the troupe and returned to her father a sobbing wreck. Falling for her lies about how they treated her, he made sure they would never work in the country again, let alone the town. The patron of the theater eventually found a new troupe to perform, and Esperanza was insistent on joining them. Despite the new leader's fear of Esperanza's influence (rightly so), they allowed her to work with them, dazzled by her skill and ability to evoke any emotion on command. She landed lead after lead, performing joyfully with her new troupe and stunning audiences. Her name was finally in lights, the boldest print on the playbill, and she was happy. But it wasn't quite enough. She fell in love with her co-star after years of working together; he was talented in his own right and had ladies across the country swooning over him. The moment she realized her feelings she approached him, offering herself to him. She was rejected, and he expressed his love for her understudy (perhaps he underestimated her wrath). Biting back white-hot fury, she wished them well, but her vengeful mind was already hatching a plan for the next night's performance. She worked harder than she ever had during rehearsal, and they expected a full house.



On the night of the show, once everyone had trickled in to see her performance, she slyly and securely barred the exits, pocketed the keys and spread oil where she could during the opening scenes. Her cue came, and she gave a performace unlike any she had ever given; as the play closed, she drifted into the audience with a lantern in hand as she gave her final forlorn lines. The audience watched in awe as she walked among them, reaching the back of the theater and turning to them all for a bow. The forlorn smile of her character faded and set into a determined scowl. If she couldn't have him, nobody would. She stepped into the oil pooling in the entry hall as the crowd craned to watch and threw her still burning lantern to the ground. There was a shriek as flames leapt up, spreading quickly in the oil and catching the wooden playhouse and the searing pain as the flames licked her ankles and caught her costume brought her to her knees in the fire. Smoke began to cloud her vision she squeezed her eyes shut, breathing it in and choking as she grew dizzy and her mind darkened. She drifted into oblivion as the pain faded.



It wasn't enough. How dare he reject her for some common vendor trash?! Her soul was doomed from the start as she dissolved into a hollow in record time. Maddened and confused by her transformation and rage, she rampaged the scene of the fire, devouring the souls of those who had died in the theater with her, including the actor and her understudy. She became a plague on her hometown, hunting down the scant survivors to kill and devour them too. She spared but one: A critic who wrote of her performance in glowing terms, lamenting her loss and attributing it to the stress of the acting world. The theater was rebuilt, but every troupe that performed there met terrible fates in accidents and unexplained deaths. Their souls went to her. She became increasingly aware of their growing number, but she remained the conscious one, the one in control; there was none whose rage could overpower hers. When she was pursued by a shinigami intent on purifying her, she realized that there was danger in the human world for her, and retreated to a place she had instinctually known was there—Hueco Mundo.



There she became even more powerful, devouring anything that would stand against her and honing her skills, evolving, and soon enough she was a birdlike creature that instilled fear in the weak. Her original intentions and old memories had long since been purged from her mind, not of her own accord. She never looked back and didn't even realize she had memory to lose. She only focused on becoming more powerful, more fearsome. Soon, she met a human-like being, one she recognized as a Shinigami. He offered her power like she had never known in exchange for her alliance. She agreed but escaped soon after, she was mildly shocked that he didn't pursue her for practically stealing power right from under him. She found a pair of strong, self-created arrancar who were independent of the Shinigami who had overtaken most of Hueco Mundo and allied herself to them. They laid low, the leader agreeing to protect her from his wrath should he approach them. They were foolish. He found them, decimated her 'inferior' allies and gave her one more chance. It didn't take any cajoling to get her to agree—she had learned her lesson and resolved to avoid his wrath and gain his trust. She did menial things around Las Noches, careful to avoid arousing his suspicions again as she learned the truth of his rise to power: how he created an army of arrancar and planned to overrun Soul Society and become king. His name was Aizen. She loathed him.



Esperanza was unpopular among the ranks because of her attitude, and she never revealed her true power in the hope that she wouldn't have to get into something too messy for her taste. She laughed out loud when news of his defeat finally reached her; as the remaining Espada rose to power, she decided to make a move. She challenged the weakest numbered Espada remaining—Grimmjow Jeagerjaques. After a rather intense battle she admitted defeat, regretting her decision and vowing to never lose again. He needed allies, however, and her power was prodigious. He strongarmed her into joining him, handing her the top spot in his new army and declaring himself King. Her disdain for his arrogance was tempered by his willingness to recognize her for the adept and powerful woman she was. They allied, and waited as he began to slowly flesh out his ranks.

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Zanpakuto Information

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Zanpakuto Name: La Flamenca Negra

Release Phrase: "Inclinar, Flamenca Negra."



Sealed Description:

- Length: 4' 0"







Flamenca Negra resembles a Spanish dress sword, long and thin but retaining a substantial cutting blade. The pommel is elegantly designed, and the entire blade is immaculately cared for. The handguard is ornately designed and gold in color, and the hilt is decorated with ornate weaving that shines silver and ruby red. Esperanza wears it at her side.

Resurreccion Description:

Esperanza's body becomes longer and leaner in resurrection form, with her legs ending in black birdlike feet with wicked talons. Her arms are free, and on her back are a pair of sleek black wings that move autonomously of her arms. Her clothing undergoes alteration, becoming a tight white leotard and skirt reminiscent of a ballet tutu. Her hollow mask transforms into a delicate-looking tiara and comb that holds her hair back in a tight bun and the markings under her eyes change; they are now winglike outlines in black and white. The sclerae of her eyes become a deep black, making her bright green eyes stand out even more.

Functionality:

Esperanza's wings allow her to fly and glide efficiently, making her a serious threat in the air. She is much faster when flying than when trying to walk (due to the changes in her feet) and can sweep down and make hairpin turns with ease. Her talons are devastatingly sharp and she can use them to great effect, dive-bombing feet-first or delivering deep gouges with well-placed kicks. Her physical strength is augmented in this form, and she is built for acrobatics and intricate melee attacks. Her wings can be used to shield her body proper if needed.

Abilities:

Name: Gritando Misil (Screaming Missile)

Class: Offensive

Range: Long

Description: A somewhat small, comet-like bright red burst of burning energy fired from the mouth. This attack deals considerable damage and is quite fast when fired but takes some time to fully charge. The longer it takes to charge up the faster it moves, and it can be fired early if need be but will be slower and less powerful. (Takes 400 words to fully charge.) Fully charged it requires a little less reiatsu than a regular cero, at minimal charge it takes somewhat more than bala.



Name: La Llorona (The Weeping Woman)

Class: Defensive

Range: Short

Description: A dizzyingly fast spin augmented my reiatsu that can deflect most attacks but can only be used in short bursts, meaning timing is crucial if it is to be utilized effectively. This defense is stronger than hierro, but costs more energy and concentration and can't be held up for nearly as long. It costs more reiatsu than hierro and actively consumes it while in use, meaning that a short burst using this ability will be less taxing than a sustained one.

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Combat Information

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Reiryoku Level:



Character Dynamic:

It may seem odd that the arrogant Esperanza begins her battles with caution, warily observing and keeping on the defense, sending the weak in before her if she can spare the reserves. Her main interest at the beginning of a battle is self-preservation—if she thinks an opponent is a sufficient threat she would much rather admit that and take her leave than waste time and get completely trounced. Thus she errs on the side of caution, playing her abilities and power down and waiting for her opponent to show their hand first. She is opportunistic and sly, exploiting any weakness her opponent shows and goading them on in an effort to expose their flaws. When she finds them she tears into them not just physically but verbally, mocking her opponent for having them. She considers her opponents beneath her, and is not afraid to let them know it. If she must go into battle in earnest, Esperanza goes into battle intending to win. While she isn't an excellent tactician, she is powerful and knows how to use it to her advantage, and in a pinch she will put her mind to work to devise a way out. She is not afraid to abandon a battle if she is bored or beginning to lose, and often disguises the latter as the former to save face.



A demanding and exacting leader, she will wrest control of a group from its current leader is she can, taking their ranks for herself to assist her in battle if need be. While she is loathe to ask for help from fellow Espada, she is quite willing to command hollow to die for her in the name of strategy, using them to detect weak points in enemies and swarm them to wear them down. Even in a group of Espada, she will continually attempt to assert her command over others and is quite a poor team player.



She has precise and exacting control over her reiatsu and dispenses it judiciously, making good use of her abilities. Close combat is her style of choice and her style is choppy and abrupt without much in the way of combo moves, but the individual movements are works of acrobatic grace and fluidity. Fighting dirty isn't out of the question; when push comes to shove she is willing to go toe to toe and cheat, calling on reserves in a one on one battle, stealing an opponent's weapon, and the like. Enduring long battles is not something she is used to, and trapping her to wear her down is difficult but effective. She can escape nearly anything thrown at her, and getting close to hold her down is near impossible thanks to her skill in CQC. She will just about never pull out her sword, and her skills with it equate to simple flynning and jabs. Using it to block attacks is not out of the question, and when she draws her blade she is usually on the defensive; it isn't uncommon to see her unsheathe it at the beginning of a battle only to stash it away once she has decided whether to fight or flee. If it is drawn after that point, it is almost certainly a very bad sign.



She doesn't need her resurreccion often, but she prefers it by a wide margin; the only reason she doesn't use it because she feels her opponent is unworthy of looking upon her at her most powerful. Her movements and fighting style become more fluid and dance-like, and she generally plays at close range to devastate with her physical power and focuses on getting her foe airborne. Her abilities still play heavily into her fighting, especially if her opponent is as skilled in close combat as she is. She is not above firing an unexpected cero at point blank range, right in the face of the enemy.

Reiryoku/Reiatsu Abilities:

Name: Cero (Hollow Flash)

Class: Offensive

Range: Long

Description: A heavy, wide energy blast emitted from the hand, mouth, or some other body part. Cero are highly destructive and can vary greatly from user to user, able to be fired in a thin column or a wide cone-shaped emanation as appropriate to the situation, and specialists in Cero have been known to change their color. The damaging aspects of a Cero are partly heat and burning energy (not fire) and partly physical concussive force. Esperanza's particular variant on the cero begins in a much more concentrated state than normal, charged with her hands held above her head, and when fired takes on the appearance or a normal cero colored a deep pink.



Name: Grand Rey Cero (Royal Hollow Flash)

Class: Offensive

Range: Long

Description: A super-powered Cero variant originally claimed by Aizen’s former Espada. This ability uses the user’s own blood as a catalyst for its energies, which grow far beyond the size and destructive power of the average Cero. The concussive physical force in particular is especially enhanced, due to the increased physical girth of the attack. Esperanza's Gran Rey looks essentially similar to her regular cero but on a grander scale.



Name: Garganta (Black Cavity)

Class: Utility

Range: Close

Description: This ability creates a dimensional opening to the Dangai space, used by Arrancar to travel to and from Hueco Mundo. Garganta is characterized by its rough, tearing appearance, as opposed to the very structured Senkaimon used by Shinigami.



Name: Pesquisa (Probe Circuit)

Class: Utility

Range: Personal

Description: Unlike the natural sense for Reiryoku that all spiritual entities have, Pesquisa allows an Arrancar to directly gauge the strength and position of spiritual beings through concentration. Using a wave or current of Reiatsu like a sonar, the user can identify the intensity of a single target’s Reiryoku or the rough location of a large number of spiritual entities in a given area, depending on the focus of the ability.



Name: Sonido (Sound Ceremony)

Class: Utility

Range: Personal

Description: The Arrancar’s signature movement technique, using extreme speed and acceleration to overcome the eye’s capacity to trace movement. This ability can be used to travel quickly from one place to another, or in combat by a skilled practitioner to get a jump on the enemy. Using this skill repeatedly over the course of a battle is ill-advised, as it does not take long for the opponent’s eyes to adjust to the high-speed movement. An Arrancar’s sonido is distinguished by it’s rough static buzz, which gives a vague impression of its speed.



Name: Hierro (Steel Skin)

Class: Defensive

Range: Personal

Description: Using this ability, an Arrancar can compress their spiritual power into the outer extremities of the body, fortifying their skin against cutting and piercing to better suit fighting bare-handed against armed opponents. A small amount of focus is necessary to create and maintain this defense, and while it is generally strong enough to block a sealed zanpakuto, a user who is surprised becomes intimidated may lose some of its effectiveness in battle.



Name: Bala (Hollow Bullet)

Class: Offensive

Range: Medium

Description: Similar in appearance and execution to a Cero, Bala are compressed waves of Reiatsu (Spiritual Pressure) that strike with blunt force similar to that of a physical attack. Bala has been observed as being noticeably faster than Cero, but it’s lack of girth and explosive capacity limits its effectiveness as a weapon.

Significant Inventory: