- Name
- Naida Steele [pronunciation approxmiately neye-dah or nah-ee-dah]
- Meaning
- Naida - from Slavic Nadia, 'hope / hopeful'; Greek 'water nymph'
Steele - 'steel' [not intended to be relevant]
- Nicknames
-
Dasha / Dashaya [what she encourages comrades to call her because it slips off the tongue easily]
Nadenka [what she tells her friends to call her]
Netsya [what she will ask someone to call her when she considers them a particularly close friend]
Aïshka [what she tells her lovers to call her]
Nadezhda [what she signs herself with in letters to her family]
Nish [what her paternal grandfather called her]
PLEASE don't ever call her Nadia [nah-dee-ah] ... it's not her name, and you wouldn't like it very much if someone called you by something that wasn't your name, now would you.
Russians have a long tradition of giving people a host of nicknames, and Naida's family is no different even after the thousands of years. She will tell you which she wishes to be called by at any given time. The most formal calling is, as in most cultures, by her full first name.
- Sex
- female
- Age
- 21
- Birthdate
- October 12 (Libra sun Scorpio moon Gemini rising)
- Lives Where
- Senshi Boardinghouse
- Family
-
- Father : Andrei Steele
- Mother : Reneé Steele
- Father's mother : Asuna Osako Steele
- Father's father : Marc Steele
- Mother's mother : Deatres Newson
- Mother's father : Marcus Newson
Naida loves all her family with all her heart, and misses them more than words can say. She would never have come to the 21st century without knowing that her family was supporting her choice.
- Physical Description
- appearance randomly generated using My CharGen
Naida is multiracial. She has crystal blue eyes with that slight Asian slant to them. Her eyebrows are pretty thick and flat, but she plucks them to give them a good arch. Her eyes are narrow and have a kind of hard expression to them, belying the softer expression the rest of her face usually wears. Naida's hair is mostly black, wavy, shimmery, black. When the light hits it just so, silver highlights come to the surface, like ripples on still water. She wears it braided usually, in twin braids that are wrapped around her head. When unbound, it reaches her waist, but it's awfully unmanageable, so it's rare for her to wear it so. Strands constantly straggle out around her face, but she has no real bangs.
Naida is 5'7", with a slender, wiry build. She's all bones and angles, with few soft curves. She's not really graceful, and sort of moves like a stork. Naida has a limp, relic of a badly broken leg, and has trouble running. The leg can give her a lot of pain when the weather is about to change or she over-extends herself. She has the tiny triangle-shaped face of her Asian grandmother, the stork nose of her Caucasian grandfather, and the dark chocolate-brown skin of her African-American maternal grandparents. It's an odd combination, and Naida is definitely NOT a classical beauty, but her features are pleasant enough. Her lips are narrow, and generally wear a kind of mocking half-smile, but it's clearly directed at herself, not others.
In her speaking voice, Naida has a voice in the middle range for females. It's kind of rough in places, like when she's angry. When she sings, though, her voice is amazing. With a middle range of high alto, Naida's voice can hit operatic soprano notes or low tenor notes, with incredible flexibility and emotion.
Typically, Naida wears dresses, with skirts about kneelength, in pastels. Oddly, she likes to appear like a Japanese schoolgirl, as depicted in anime, but stays away from the sailor-style tops. She sticks with button tops, and sometimes wears chenogasm as well.
- Emotional Description
Naida possesses a nature that is independent of mind and action, thought and expression. She is both mentally quick and penetrating, with an absorbing curiosity. Thus, she is a ready student, precocious, and wanting to make rapid strides in the world. Her superb logic and analytical abilities are wrapped in a wave of emotionalism. There is spice in her nature, excess and extremes in her actions. On the surface she can seem docile and amiable, but underneath she'll fight at the drop of a hat.
Naida is a born idealist and rebel, a radical, always on the side of change, progress and novelty, but also a courteous and agreeable person who attempts to be considerate of other people's feelings. She has a personal charisma attracting friends. Functioning well when working in harmony with other people, she is an excellent team player and likes being on the winning team. She is often an enthusiast, and has little time for people that pussy foot around and seem to lack conviction. Her interests are broad and sweeping...ideas, philosophies, the arts and she's inclined more to the artistic, instead of a business career.
Naida prefers working in a pleasant and very orderly atmosphere, with people who don't put undue pressure on her. She usually casts herself in the role of peacemaker. Peace and tranquillity are so important to her. The least sign of hostility or discord is very upsetting. In many ways, she is dependent upon the approval of others. Because of this feeling of dependence, she can put her mate's needs and desires ahead of her own with no problem. She is the true helpmate and very stable and dependent in a relationship, even a bad one.
When cast in a supervisory role, Naida has difficulties. This is because she weighs each decision before choosing her direction. She'll experience problems if she is called on to make frequent snap decisions for the group. She is, however, an excellent go-between. Unfortunately, such a balanced view of situations sometimes makes decisive action more difficult. She can have a hard time making everyday decisions of little or no consequence. On the big issues, she may vacillate indefinitely.
One of her main personality traits is a love of justice. She is insistent on fair play. Accordingly, she is often called on to be mediator in family disputes or in disagreements at work. Her usually impartial judgment can always see both sides of a matter. She is very cool and detached, keeping her feelings well under control in pursuit of fairness.
Naida has extremely good taste in matters of the arts, and can always be captivated by good plays, opera, artwork, or music. This carries over into her dress as well, making her a refined and elegant dresser. Courteous and refined, good manners are important to her. She exhibits them and she expects them, repelled by vulgarity and coarseness. Tactful, diplomatic, refined and socially successful, she strives to say and do the right thing.
- Hobbies
- music theatre / opera
Since breaking her leg, Naida has had to discover hobbies that didn't involve a lot of movement. In a choice between singing, drawing, or writing, Naida found she preferred music, and discovered an interest in musicals and opera. She likes to watch them as much as sing them or perform in them. Her favourite musical is Madame Butterfly.
- arcade games
Naida never had much time for playing games in the future Moon Kingdom, but she enjoys the ones that are found in 21st century Tokyo, especially the fighting games. Sometimes she thinks it's a good way to meet people.
- parties
Even though Naida isn't really a particularly loud or vibrant personality, she enjoys going to parties to watch the people around her. Also, people in theatre tend to throw a lot of parties, and those who continually don't attend are considered stuck up and shunned. Perforce, Naida learned to like parties.
- watching sports
Even though she can't participate to the level she used to, Naida still loves to watch other people play sports, and gets a thrill out of cheering on her favourite athletes and teams. She has a small reputation for being able to pick the winner in certain kinds of sports like swimming and soccer.
- Friends
- Naida never became particularly close with any of the Senshi in the future Moon Kingdom, and has just arrived in 21st century Tokyo recently. She hopes to reach out and make more friends to go along with the ones she left behind her in her time travel.
- Love Interest
- Surprisingly for a person in theatre, Naida is still a virgin. She is openminded enough to take a lover of either gender, but sets high standards. So far, no-one she knows has met those standards well enough to last longer than a few months.
- History
Naida was born. She grew up. She went to school. She graduated.
Okay, okay ... all of that is true, but there is more to the story. Isn't there always?
Naida was born an only child to a multiracial family in the Jaladhi sea-colony on Io, one of the moons of Jupiter. When she was young, she loved sports. She played soccer in the fall, tennis in the spring, swam in the winter. She was good but not great. Grandmama Asuna spoiled her, her parents disciplined her. Her grades were good, but didn't come easily, although Naida isn't stupid by any means. When she was 9, Grandpapa Marc died. She mourned, of course, but wasn't really devastated.
When she was 13 she broke her leg playing soccer. What was already a bad fracture was compounded first by an asshole on the opposing team who stampeded over her and second by an incompetent field doctor who set it wrongly. It never healed right, and she chose, later, not to have it reset. To this day she has a slight limp, and doesn't play sports anymore.
In order to help her depression, Naida's parents coaxed her into singing lessons. From the first she took to it like a duck to water. Here was the thing she excelled at with ease. Naida quickly became a proficient singer with a flexible range, command of dynamics, and emotional skill. When her parents offered to have her leg reset, she asked them instead to let her go to Jyoti. Jyoti is the city that Julliard, the prestigious arts school of New York City, became, relocated to the Martian moon of Deimos. They agreed, and at 16 she went to Jyoti to live with Grandfather Marcus and Granda Deatres, her mother's African-American parents. She graduated from Jyoti's College of Opera and Voice at 18 with a Professional Performer's License.
When she returned home, she made an annual visit to Grandmama Asuna, who told her that there was a family secret it was time she learned. All the family daughters learned this secret when they turned 18, and Naida was over 18 now. The secret was this: since the time of the 20th century, the female line had possessed a power that was passed down. Sometimes it skipped generations; sometimes there was no direct female heir and passed to a granddaughter. The power was the skills of a senshi, reborn from the Silver Millennium into the 20th century.
Asuna told Naida that she believed Naida was the true spirit of Sailorfirepapillon reborn. She would be able to wield the power with more strength than any other before her because of this. Naida smiled and nodded and privately believed Asuna was suffering from old age for several years ... until Queen Hyourin called in all the Senshi to go to the 21st century.
- Butterfly Dream
- appearance
Sailorfirepapillon casts both hands up to the sky, whispering the phrase, and tiny opalescent butterflies come down out of the sky, swirling around her hands and then down around her body. She flings her hands downward and the butterflies fly out from her hands to surround the target group in a shower of sparkles.
effect
This spell causes a surge of hope and energy in the target group. It is an area-effect spell with a circular range of 20 feet from Firepapillon's position, touching all of the designated targets within the casting area. Instantaneous in effect, the energy it gives is enough to fuel one low power attack in any Senshi. It causes the affected group to feel fresh hope and recognise the possibility of winning, or at least surviving. Its chief effect is the lifting of despair/hopelessness. The affected group can be as large as 7 or as small as 1, but the effect does not increase or decrease by group size. The spell affects all those affliated with Firepapillon within a 20 foot area.
To be affiliated with Firepapillon, one must be accepted by her as a comrade or be someone she wishes to protect. Generally speaking, this group includes all Senshi, the Royal Moon Family, her own family, and anyone she considers a friend. If the group in the target area is larger than 7, the effect becomes targeted more specifically and affects people in this descending order: her blood family, any Senshi, her friends, and the Royal Moon Family. If the group is larger than 7 and consists entirely of Senshi, the spell has an 85% chance of backfiring; basically it blows up in her face like a fireball. It has a 15% chance of affecting 7 random Senshi in the area.
This spell does not affect the caster. It can be used at any point when Firepapillon is transformed, but would be effectively useless at the beginning of a battle or any point when the Senshi are winning. Casting time is about 45 seconds, and the effect fades gradually over a period of about 15 minutes. The spell cannot be recast within a hour of the original casting.
- variation --> Butterfly Nightmare
- appearance
The attack phrase changes from 'Butterfly Dream' to 'Butterfly Nightmare', and the butterflies become black opal.
effect
The effect is a complete inversion from before. 'Butterfly Nightmare' causes despair instead of hope, and a slight energy drain. The energy drained is slightly less than the amount it would take to power a low level attack. This variation is cast to affect all those affiliated with the Senshi, e.g. the same group as before. All other information is the same as before.
Firepapillon CANNOT under any circumstances use both variations in the same battle. 'Nightmare' is the corrupted version of 'Dream', and only appears if Firepapillon is fighting against the Moon Kingdom Senshi, i.e. she has become part of the Kuraijin. For the first battle after switching sides, Firepapillon cannot use either variation.
- Butterfly Return
- appearance
Sailorfirepapillon summons her staff again, as in her henshin, and whirls it before her. All the leftover energy and emotional residue from previous attacks collects at the center of the whirl in a scintillating flock of butterflies. Then she releases it at the target as a ball of pure energy.
effect
This is a targeted spell of immense potential firepower. It can only affect one target, and must be precisely aimed. It has the physical effect of a punch proportionally strong to the amount of energy invested in the attack. Whatever single target it hits will be affected, so if it hits a wall, the wall is going to go BOOM. Shrapnel is not considered an effect of this spell.
'Butterfly Return' collects all the magical residue from previous castings and channels it through Firepapillon to homogenize it. This is a tricky and dangerous process and requires intense concentration, lest the conflicting energies get out of control and burn Firepapillon's magical channels. This means no more magical anything until at least a week has passed and her channels are healed. Magical residue is left behind by any spell and consists of the leftover energies after the effect of the spell has dissipated.
Once the energy has been homogenized, it appears in the scintillating butterfly shape, which will grow larger as Firepapillon continues to collect energy. She must collect all the residue from a 20 foot diameter circle or the attack will react with the leftover energy and create a massive magical explosion which will affect Firepapillon as if she were the target and the spell was at full strength.
'Butterfly Return' cannot be cast until at least three other people have cast spells. The energy has an upper power limit and continuing to add power afterward will have no effect other than removing the residue from the area and preventing the reaction. At its strongest, this attack will cause about 24 hours of unconsciousness in the target. Only shielding constructed to withstand physical attacks will stop this spell.
This spell must be fired in a straight line-of-sight targeted attack. Anyone who steps in the path of the spell will be hit by it. Range of attack is line-of-sight; if she can't see them she can't hit them. Thus, effective range is about 1000 feet in any visible direction. At the beginning of a battle, this attack is incredibly weak, and won't do more than distract a person. As battle continues, it grows steadily more powerful until by the end of the battle she can knock a high-powered enemy off their feet and out cold. This attack wipes the residue from the field, so she only gets one really good shot.
Once she has used this spell, Firepapillon is magically useless for the rest of the battle. She requires 24 waking hours or 6 sleeping hours to bounce back enough to use this attack again. Casting time is 5 seconds times the number of spells that have been cast prior to her beginning to cast 'Butterfly Return' plus an additional 5 seconds. Once she begins, she cannot stop.
[Thanks to Em for giving me the basic idea for this attack.]
Naida hammered at the buttons on the arcade game, completely oblivious to anything around her. Just as she was executing the super-supreme-powerful attack move, her finger slipped on the button and her character crashed and died. "Agggghhhhh ... too late."
There were no more tokens in her pocket, so she picked up her shoulder bag and left the arcade. Walking down the silent streets of Tokyo, she wondered again at the differences over a thousand years had made -- and not made. So many things had been carried on much the same because of the long lives ... and yet, with the meddling in time they had been sent to correct, this Tokyo was so different from what should have been.
She fingered the butterfly ring on her hand. The butterfly represented the soul, the reborn soul that never truly died but kept fighting in a new form each lifetime. The opal shimmered in the dying sunlight.
The quiet voice was familiar. Naida turned to meet the cool eyes of Sailorpluto, across the street. "Hai, nani?"
"You should return to the boardinghouse now. It is not safe to be on the streets."
"Do you think so?" Naida bowed her head in aquiescence, and when she looked up, Sailorpluto was gone. She resumed her walk, tipping her head back to look at the sky as she went. A wind pulled her hair into her face, then blew it back. The wind tasted of danger, and she attempted to run. Before too long, though, her bad leg began to ache with sharp pains, and she had to slow down. She bent over, panting, and clutched her right hand into a fist.
