† The Mundane

Birth Name: Josephine "Josie" Elodia Mason
The combined meaning doesn't entirely make sense, but there is relevance to it. Josephine is the feminized form of Joseph (coming from the Hebrew Yoseph), which means "he will add." Obviously, I'm overlooking the "he" part a bit. On its own, there isn't much relevance to her first name, except perhaps that those involved in commerce essentially add to the economy through their trading, buying and selling. Elodia is a name of Spanish origin, partly chosen for the fact that a Saint was named Elodia, and mostly for the meaning "foreign riches" or "other wealth." This, in combination with her first name, makes things a bit more relevant (basically specifying what it is he/she is adding). Finally, Mason comes from Old English/Germanic, meaning "to make," but it also is a surname meaning "stoneworker." The relevance in this is the fact that a stoneworker, or someone who makes things, is involved with the skill trades. Basically, a skill tradesperson is able to make something, and then trade or sell it (perhaps commercially). So you know. Relevance. "He will add foreign riches to make!"

Angelic Identity: Anauel, Angel of Commerce. A rolemodel for megalomaniacal businessfolk everywhere.

Place in the Spheres: First year undergrad at Queen Mary University of London, majoring in Economics and Politics, with emphasis on Economics. Lives on campus in Westfield Student Village with roommate. Is a Liberal Democrat. Works at a pawn shop where she sells people useless junk that they REALLY NEED OH YES THEY DO.

Age: 18

Birthdate/Astrology: March 25th. Aries sun, Aquarius on the rise and moon in Virgo.

Likes:
Intellectual debate: She's not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but she's not the dullest (is that a word?), either. More specifically, she enjoys debate about things she knows, such as politics, public or government spending habits, where money should go... Often times, her debates turn into bleeding heart tirades about how many unfortunate people there are in the world.
Punk music: Obviously of the British variety. Not only that, but of the popular/well-known British variety. Meaning the Sex Pistols, mostly. She thinks that they are the be-all, end-all of all punk rock, and she doesn't realise that she really has no idea what punk is all about.
Collecting wallets: For some reason, wallets bring her great joy. Maybe it's because you put money in them, or maybe it's because a really nice one can make it look like you have lots of money. Actually, it's both. She's big on looking like she has some kind of status, so she's always going for the (fake) designer wallets.
Stickers/Patches/Buttons: If it's cute, has a clever slogan, or looks punk-ish, she MUST HAVE IT. She decorates many of her other possessions with her collection of decal-type things.
Second-hand/pawn shops: A deal on something is enough for Josie to buy it. She aquires a lot of useless crap by browsing through second-hand shops and the like, a lot of it in mediocre condition. It makes for an interesting, albeit cluttered, room. She enjoys these shops partly due to the punk thing of getting second-hand stuff, and partly because she feels one can find amazing things for really low prices.

Dislikes:
Stealing: She abhors those who steal: it irks her that people don't seem to realise what stealing does to the economy. She's also one of those anti-pirating anti-filesharing types. Don't tell her this contradicts the rules of punk, it'll shatter her world!
Dishonesty: Not just lying, but withholding information or pretending to be something one is not (nevermind the hypocrasy in this!). Perhaps due to some Sagittarian influence somewhere, lying of any kind absolutely disgusts her. She will literally stop speaking to someone (though generally not forever) if she catches him or her in a lie. One is worthy of complete and utter shunning forever if one screws her over while bargaining for something. <3
Compact Discs: Because vinyl is superior, since it is so much more punk. No, seriously. She does not even own a CD player. This also includes DVDs, since clearly VHS is much better. Yarrr.
Right-wing conservative white guys: Being a very liberal person, both politically and personally, Josie tends to prefer people who are more accepting of others' choices and backgrounds. This general dislike for politically conservative people is not limited to Britain, but applies to wherever this is a problem. So she's a bit of an activist.
Acceptance vs Tolerance: This is more of an annoyance than a dislike, per se. She defines acceptance as acknowledgment of an individual's or culture's differences and lifestyles, and not disapproving of said differences. Tolerance, in her mind, is that same acknowledgement, but without the acceptance of it. Point? Tolerance isn't enough for her, she demands acceptance. (yeah, maybe she should accept CDs e_e)

Is Neutral On:
I tried to think of things to put here, but I realised that Josie is far too opinionated to be neutral on anything. If it ever seems that she is being neutral, it is because she doesn't feel like pursuing a particular topic.

Hobbies:
Debating(arguing) until she's blue in the face: Regardless of whether she's right or wrong, she's right. Despite all her arguments about acceptance and/or tolerance, she is often neither when it comes to opinions she disagrees with. While it may be progressive of her to be accepting of people from all walks of life, she fails to realise that that includes right-wing conservative white guys. She is an avid user of the phrase "Because I said so!"
Balancing everyone's chequebooks: And also telling them what all the best investments are, or in general how to spend their money. This applies to anyone, even people she doesn't know very well. For some reason, financial information fascinates her. Not because she likes to know people's personal information, but because she looks at it as though it were research. She stores away knowledge of all the people who's financial information she aquires to average out the state of people's financial situations at large. It's important for future reference, you see.
Trading stock online: She only deals with a small amount of low-priced stocks, since she's very careful with her finances (except when it comes to REALLY GREAT DEALS, of course). She manages to make some money from them here and there, but nothing exceptional. However, she keeps a close eye on bigger stocks (like IBM, for example) to see how it all works, again for future reference. She has also invested in bonds and such, but that's just a sidenote.
Shopping: Mostly in bargain stores, since it's just cheaper that way. She works, but she's gotta pay rent ya know.

Aspirations/Dreams:
What she says to others is that she wants to "bring down the man" from the inside. Because, of course, she considers herself a hardcore punk. Unfortunately, everyone knows she has no idea what she is talking about, in that respect. However, she does, in a sense, aspire to bring down the man, as it were. On a fairly realistic level, Josie ultimately wishes to be a member of Parliament, serving on the Committee of Public Accounts, which is where they figure out how much money the government has, how much it is spending, and how it should be spent. Yes. Less realistically, her ultimate goal is to oversee all economic matters in the whole damned world. She's kind of on the left side of the political spectrum, so her personal ideal is that all of the resources of the world get shared. Wee for idealists!

NPCs

Pratibha Rajghatta: Josie's roommate and becoming a good friend. She is also 18 years old, in her first year at Queen Mary majoring in Sports Engineering. She is 5'9" with dark brown hair and amber-brown eyes, and a very athletic build. She is the third generation of her family born in the UK, but her family has remained purely Indian, as it were (as in, no interracial marriages have yet occurred). She is a bright and witty person, cracking those typical dry and eccentric Aquarian jokes (born February 7th, in fact) at the most insanely random moments one can imagine. She is also obsessed with football, which of course has contributed to her athletic build. Unfortunately, she doesn't know her own strength, and so at times will clap Josie on the back a little too hard. All in all, Prati is the girl to get to lighten the mood, or make everyone very uncomfortable (whether it be by giving you a noogie or saying something rather weird).
Luckily, Prati shares a lot of the same views as Josie, so there aren't too many disagreements between them. When Josie gets a bit irrational, however, Prati is able to deal with it rather well. She understands her roomate's rants are frequent and nonsensical at times, and simply lets Josie's rant of the day run its course.

History

Josephine Elodia Mason was born to Leon and Naomi Mason in a small town called Dover (in Kent county, England). Her parents immigrated to England from Zimbabwe long before she was born, able to do so because of a substantial amount of money they had at the time. Of course, in England their money amounted to a bit less, though by the time Josie was born, they had gotten into a reasonably comfortable spot.

At any rate, with Dover having a population of about 35,000, there really wasn't much for a restless girl like Josie to do, despite its many ferries and historical sites. She was never interested in things like that, because she always believed she was destined for bigger and better things (what those things were we may never know), even from a very young age. It was as though she always knew that being in Dover was just Not Right, so from the time she was self-aware, she hated it. It wasn't like she was trying to run away every five minutes, but she did let everyone know on a regular basis that Dover was the most Horrible Place Ever.

Very early in Josie's life, her parents realised that she would be a lot of work to deal with. At first, it was just that she was a colicky baby, and so screamed at all hours of the night. When she grew out of that, she was fairly silent, save for the oh-so occasional temper tantrums. Her parents worried that she wouldn't - or couldn't - speak, because no matter what they tried, they just couldn't get a word out of her. Josie absolutely refused to speak until she was nearly three, and absolutely sure she got what she wanted to say across. Her first word was a full sentence: "I want milk." Josie hasn't shut up since. After that, her parents began to notice that she was actually practicing sentences by herself in her room.

Her feelings about her own intellectual superiority blossomed very early in her life as well. As she began attending primary school, some problems began. You see, by then she was fairly good at speaking, and so she began working on forming opinions about things. In other words, she was already arguing with people. Mostly about things like what colour the flower should be and whether or not they should use crayons, but you know. Both in primary and middle school, Josie got herself into trouble for many things, all having to do with what she said. She made the other kids cry, or get upset, or she would get upset; either way, it always ended in detention. Her teachers got to know her parents very well, and both parties tried their very best to try and teach her some tact. She was a good student otherwise, but just couldn't seem to keep her mouth shut.

Josie didn't have a hard time making friends, but it wasn't difficult for her to lose them, either. For many, Josie's opinions didn't faze them at first. Eventually, however, people became put-off by her constant stream of babble about how much better it is do draw it THIS way, not THAT way and other things along that line. So, most people just stopped bothering trying to get her to shut up or even see the error in some of the things she said. There were a few people that stuck around over the years, so she wasn't completely alone (not that she was all that concerned about it) throughout her childhood.

Throughout these early years, there were a few incidents where Josie lost control of her temper. She didn't get physically violent, but she said some pretty terrible things, making some of the other kids cry or get upset otherwise. These situations in particular earned her some anger management counselling sessions. It wasn't really as terrible as it sounds, as Josie was just a child, but still, children can be very cruel (sometimes without even being aware of it).

Naturally, Josie's mouth got her in trouble at home as well. She was perpetually serving multiple "grounding" sentences both for school issues and arguing with her parents. It was baffling to her parents that her arguing never had anything to do with what they anticipated (you know, when parents prepare themselves for the growing up of their children). They expected rebellion against the curfew or drinking underage, but instead they got a young girl who calls them evil capitalists. So she was mainly grounded for being offensive and dogmatic to people.

It was at about twelve years old that Josie began displaying a talent for money-related matters. She was watching her parents making up a budget for the year and getting rather stressed out, as they didn't really know where to start. Josie began pointing things out to them, about how they could save money for the things they really needed if they didn't put so much towards things they didn't need. This all sounds simple, but for many (including myself >_>) it is very difficult to identify the things that one doesn't actually need, and it's hard to save money with all the great things to buy out there. After that, her parents began asking for Josie's help with all of their financial matters. She didn't necessarily have the final say in what they did, but they took her opinions into account.

Secondary school didn't change anything for Josie as far as voicing her opinions went. However, she did get better at acting more like a normal human being. After a few of those counselling sessions, she managed to get her temper under control a little better, and became aware that there were many other topics of conversation she could pursue without being dogmatic. During this time, it was a little easier for her to make lasting friendships. There were the odd angry outbursts at the injustice of something or other (like five tests in a week XD), but nothing so extreme as when she was a child. As teenagers, eople began to understand Josie a little better, and therefore more forgiving with her excitable and argumentative nature.

Up until secondary school, Josie wasn't really involved in anything. When she started in secondary, she began joining clubs (obviously the debate team was among these) and groups of all kinds. She threw herself into any cause that she deemed as good, which always had to do with somehow improving the economy, and began handing fliers out to everyone. She gained a more clear idea of what she wanted to do with her life from these activities, and due to maturation. She decided that she wanted to go to university for economics, and later decided to add politics onto it so that she could better infiltrate Parliament.

Clearly, Josie hasn't changed too much. After graduating from secondary school, she decided to go to London to study her major of choice, beingEconomics and Politics with an Economics bias, at Queen Mary University of London. She is in her first year, and it is her first time living away from her parents-- which she absolutely adores. Now, at eighteen years old, she has developed to a point where she isn't arguing with people nearly as much as she used to. Her battles are chosen more carefully, though she still loses some of them. Where one used to be able to provoke Josie into any discussion, she now ignores topics that she knows will frusrate her far too much. She has thrown herself into her studies (and work) for the most part, so she hasn't really become involved in many activities, in school or out. And now, of course, she has other pressing matters to attend to...

Personality

Talking is a big part of Josie's life. Josie has been an extremely opinionated person, even as a child. She has always told people very frankly how she felt about certain issues, and why it is the correct mode of thinking. As mentioned above, when she's right, she's right and when she's wrong she's right. There is very little a person can do to convince her that she might be incorrect, or being intolerant. In her mind, she is the most open and accepting person she knows. Of course, she doesn't realise that her belief that she is the most accepting person EVAR is a blatant lie. That is, she is unaware of the fact that she does have things she does not accept or even tolerate. Like the conservative old white guy, she believes, is a man who is only out for his own interests, and she refuses to accept the fact that he is entitled to his own opinion.

She has never been the kind of person to understand why someone would get upset at the truth. Which isn't to say that she's a particularly honest person, but she does tend to 'tell it like it is.' Not only that, but she tends to use that matter-of-fact tone with nearly everything she says, which can get a bit annoying to some. She has the tendency to make people feel stupid, since she can bullshit fairly well ("Of COURSE I know what I'm talking about!"). Despite the amount of people she has put off due to her frankness, she has continued to let people know what's on her mind. It is very important to her that she let people know where she stands on a lot of things, because in her mind she is encouraging other people to do the same. This is why she tends to start a lot of debates, and arguments, to challenge people and their ideas and opinions. The other reason is to voice her own opinion, which is far more important, of course. When she first meets someone, Josie confronts the person on a myriad of issues, just to know where he or she stands. It can be a bit intimidating at first because of how excitable and demanding she gets. Fortunately, it doesn't take very long to realise that she's really just in her own little world of economics and the Betterment of Humanity.

This leads to one of Josie's major weaknesses: her ego. It is not an "I am so hawt!" thing so much as a "I am so SMRT!" thing. She places a lot of faith in her own intelligence, believing herself to be way above average. It is her strong belief that she has thought about matters more thoroughly, considered other lifestyles more openly, and is able to make some of the best arguments there are. Nevermind that if she's proven wrong she completely overlooks it and continues to argue her own point, to the amusement of others. It simply does not occur to her that her arguments can be ridden with fallacies and inconsistencies. And hypocrasy. Josie is an advocate of the "Do as I say, not as I do" motto. And the "I changed my mind from what I said yesterday" motto.

Arguments and debates may be a regular occurence in Josie's daily conversation, but she is very skilled at controlling outbursts of anger. She has realised through experience that getting angry only ends the debate all together, since most people don't want to deal with that sort of thing. It has been a challenge for Josie to learn how to cope with her anger due to the fact that she is one of the types that likes to explode and simmer (fire sign!) for a while afterwards. Thankfully, her interest in long-winded repartee has prompted her to figure out all sorts of ways to keep herself from flying off the handle.

Josie doesn't care about what others think of her, whether it be physically or intellectually. Her opinionated personality can get to be a bit much, but to those who understand her, they know that her opinions are all about things such as how to improve the economy to improve the quality of life. Being inclined towards the economy and financial matters, Josie is primarily concerned with the equal distribution of goods and resources within communities and across the world at large, as well as personal freedom. Nothing annoys Josie more than knowing that there are people out there living without the choice of what their social standing is, or any control over their own destinies. In Josie's Ideal World, everyone has lots of money and all are essentially their Own Bosses. The point being that while she does hold herself up on a fairly high pedestal, she believes that others should be up there with her (at least economically XD).

With a healthy ego comes a healthy disposition. Josie is a very positive person nearly all of the time, taking all setbacks in stride, telling herself that she'll get through it. She is of the opinion that she is capable of anything if she sets her mind to it (Today a Prime Minister, tomorrow a Non-Catholic female Pope!). She may not be able to accomplish absolutely everything she thinks she can, but her positive thinking helps her through quite a bit of what she gets herself into, such as a BORING Classical Literature course (she thought it'd be fun, but nooo). Thinking so positively does cloud her vision occasionally, which can lead to crushing disappointment at times. One can only hope that she gets into Parliament and becomes as successful as she expects to be, or Josie will be a very jaded and bitter young woman. Eheh.

Apart from the select group of right-wing politicians, Josie is quite incapable of truly disliking someone. She's not necessarily full of tree-hugging love for everyone, but she is very accepting of a person's flaws. Even her debates with people won't get her to dislike someone. Differing opinions upset her greatly, especially since she feels her opinions are right. But that is not enough to get her to dislike someone, because one's opinion is not the only thing to like or dislike about a person. Yes, hypocrasy is a bit of a problem with Josie. She has many conflicting opinions, thoughts and ideas that seem rather silly to the observer. It doesn't occur to Josie at all, let me tell you.

Josie can be rather childish at times (surprise!), due to her competitiveness. If anyone were to call her on it, however, she would flatly deny it. She doesn't believe that she is competitive at all; she'd rather believe that she is perfectly fair in all things. Unfortunately, she is possessed of this desire to be the First In Everything. Part of this is due to the recognition she'd receive. Recognition is something that she covets very deeply, wanting to be known for all the wonderful things she hopes to accomplish. The other reason she wants to be first is just for the sake of being first. First equals number one, and number one is the best there is. First is what gets you the best opportunities in the best places. She doesn't rabidly identify herself as part of a minority or a feminist, but being a Black British Female definitely has its advantages in certain areas.

Overall, while Josie is very narrow-minded with her ideas, and a bit hypocritical, she is also a very enthusiastic and friendly individual. Just don't let her talk you into a debate and you'll be able to stand her for more than an hour!

Appearance

Eyes: Josie has very large, almond shaped eyes. They don't exactly turn up in the corners; rather, her eyes are completely angled up, so that the whole eyes seems to be on a slope. Their dark chocolate brown color is complemented by thick, dark eyelashes, though they are not particularly long. Not much emotion is conveyed through Josie's eyes-- they either show that she is serious or feeling lazy. Her eyebrows are sparse, so they're usually darkened with an eyebrow pencil (which means their shape tends to vary XD).
Hair: Though her hair is naturally black, Josie has dyed it dark red, since it is so much more punk (apparently, black hair doesn't count if it's natural). It is styled with tight braids along her scalp that all meet at the crown of her head, where about three inches of hair is unbraided and spiked up and out rather messily. If her hair was out of the braids, it would naturally hang to about an inch above her shoulders.
Face: Josie's face is very round, with extremely high cheekbones that are accented by the slight chubbiness to her face. Her features are very smooth, with a wide and flat nose, and very rounded dark lips (usually darkened further with lipstick) that are remeniscent of Naomi Campbell's. Her skin is medium-dark brown with some very mild orange and gold tones that darken it a bit more.
Body/Build: While Josie's face is round, her body is even rounder. She is very curvy and feminine, about fifteen to twenty pounds overweight, showing most of it in her bust, hips and rear end. XD Her legs and arms are rounded and slightly thicker as well, though her wrists and ankles are rather thin. She stands at about 5'5".
Carriage: One might say that Josie appears over-confident, with very sure steps and proudly swinging arms. She is clearly unashamed of herself in any way, shape or form just by the way she stands: straight-backed, hand on hip and the other hand gesturing away with her words. When she sits, she makes every chair look like a power chair, as if she were at a board meeting.
Attire/Clothing: Absolutely confused punk. She dresses like the British punk girl bands of the 80s, but colours her wardrobe with some personal additions, such as corsets or pantsuits. It is not unusual to see her wearing a professional-looking blazer covered in punk paraphanalia along with a tattered t-shirt, gold glitzy skirt and mis-matched stockings. It's as though part of her wardrobe is ready for the business world but the other is stuck rebelling against good taste.
Voice: Rather low and husky, with a firmness to it that lets people know that she expects to be listened to. To describe her voice in a more colourful manner, it's like dark vanilla cologne, if that makes any sense. Feminine, but deep. Think Sade, basically (the jazz singer who did "Smooth Operator").

Abilities

Giving Financial Advice: For some reason, she has always been good at helping people out with their money. She's worked with her friends to come up with effective budgets so that they could still go out on Friday nights and pay rent on minimum wage salaries, which has only been ineffective when said friends don't follow the plan. Hell, she's been helping her parents with their taxes and budgeting since she was a wee twelve year old. Money is something she seems to just... understand.
Calculation: If you're out grocery shopping and you're not sure if you can afford all the crap you've piled in your cart, ask Josie. She can add up those numbers like no one's business, AND give you the total including tax. Same goes for converting currency. She keeps up to date with the most important exchange rates (to her anyway: pounds, dollars - US & CAN, yen, and a few more).
Haggling: Josie has the uncanny ability to talk ANYONE into giving her a discount. She absolutely refuses to accept the ticketed price of anything, even if it's been marked down already. After all, nearly everything that people buy is actually manufactured for mere pennies. So why shouldn't she pay mere pennies? Or shillings. >_>
Second and Third Language: Josie decided she needed to learn some languages, so she went for French and Afrikaans. They seemed to her to be languages that would get her by in the business world if English failed her. Well, Afrikaans was mostly due to her family's origins. Her parents do not actually know Afrikaans, however, really only understanding the basics such as road signs. She is looking into Spanish, but hasn't taken any courses for it yet.
Excellent Salesperson: Josie's powers of persuasion coupled with some business savvy is a deadly combination for those not quick enough to catch her tricks. As the lovely Mei put it, Josie can make dog poo seem like something you absolutely need. Of course, others who are well-versed in the Psychology of Sales are able to withstand her attractive words, but those who don't know any better may find themselves with Extra-terrestrial Insurance (protection against alien invasions!)

† The Angelic

Color: Golden brown (hex #CB8533)
Symbol: Anauel's symbol is a simplified form of a staff with two snakes wrapped around it. According to symbols.com it is the symbol for trade and communication.

Key to the Kingdom

A gold vault key that resembles those apparently used in Austria in the late 19th to early 20th centuries (the resource may be here, though it appears to be a temporarily listed item). It is basically like a pocket knife, with the toothed end (the "blade" part) folding into a sort of pocket end (being the "handle"). Each section is three inches long, making it six inches when totally opened/extended. The pocket end has a hole in it to put on a keychain, and there is some writing along it in a language that Josie doesn't recognize. On the toothed end, about an inch from the joint, there is some more lettering. The last inch of the toothed end has a rectangle cut out of the side about a quarter of an inch thick. The actual teeth of the key are jagged, similar to a regular key but with some longer teeth. If the resource link does not work, there is an image here.
The key essentially dropped out of her hand while browsing through a pawn shop one day. Not realizing this, she picked it up and, interested in its uniqueness, ended up buying it from the baffled shop owner. She keeps it on a keychain with the rest of her keys which stays on her person at all times.

Voile

Anauel's voile is a representation of exchange, although it's more symbolic of it than an actual representation of commerce, having to do with different eras and cultures. There are two in particular that the voile represents, being British (mostly Victorian) and South African (Zimbabwe, namely the Ndebele tribe). Starting from the top, she has the obligatory halo, gold and shiny, and around her neck is a set of gold rings like Ndebele women in Africa. She wears a very simple short, strapless golden brown dress with a transluscent lighter brown negligee-type thing. The negligee has short sleeves of gathered material, and has a very low v-neckline-- the 'V' ends below the bust and is fastened with a gold coin. From where it is fastened it opens up again, flaring out below the waist to her ankles. Around her waist is a grey and white beaded belt with henna and turquoise beaded fringe. From her elbows to an inch or two past her wrists are beaded material gauntlets, with the same fringe as the belt. The beads are woven in many intricate designs with several colours (turquoise, henna, black, white, light blue, yellow, green, crimson and golden brown). She does not have shoes of any kind, but there are gold rings around the lower part of her legs (going from mid-shin to just above her ankle bone). The beadwork and the gold represent valuable objects for trade among the Ndebele and British.

Wings

Being an Elohim, Anauel has two sets of wings. The main set are on her back, which are shaped like upsidedown teardrops, the longest feathers reaching to the backs of her knees. They are simple otherwise, and serve their purpose (er, being flight). The second pair are just wingspurs, one on each outside ankle, like Hermes!

Weapon

The coin on her voile assists Anauel in restricting the amount of power she releases when performing her Open Market Exchange ability. It is a simple gold coin with a relief of two small figures that seem to be exchanging something.

Climbing The Sephiroth

As Josie raises her key to the sky, standing with her feet apart and one arm behind her back, her key begins to glow. She says 'Crown, Widsom, Understanding...' and many coins from different countries and eras seem to fall from the sky in torrents, most falling at her feet and some catching in her clothing and hair. She bends forward, stretching her arms out in front of her, shaking away the 'excess' coins. 'Mercy, Strength...' She straightens up again. The coins that remain seem to melt and glow, wrapping around various parts of her body, namely her ankles, neck and chest. Just as she begins to say 'Beauty' the coins dim and reveal the forms of the gold around her neck and ankles, and the gold coin on her chest. 'Victory' Ribbons of beads come up from the ground, wrapping around her arms and waist, forming the beaded parts of her voile. The din of a market is heard, though very faintly, as what looks like two intricately woven blankets come billowing out from her shoulderblades and ankles. 'Splendor, Foundation' The blankets contort into wing shapes, then morph into actual feathered wings-- at her ankles, wingspurs. At the centre of her chest, the coin glows and seems to explode, the sparkling light wrapping around the rest of her body. 'Kingdom!' The sparkling light dims instantly upon the utterance of the final word, revealing the rest of Anauel's voile, including her halo and the symbol on her forehead.

Gifts

The following abilities all came about after she produced her Kingdom Key. Therefore, they are innate and are there all the time now, but she was not born with them.
Counterfeit Detection: She can tell if money is fake or not, basically. No black lights required! It's not really about the details on the bill; she can just kind of feel it.
Sensing Items of Value: Josie is essentially able to appraise items of monetary value. She would be able to tell you if those boots are real Prada or imitation, if that Elvis stuff is of any value or not, or if your Monet is authentic - just by looking or touching. It is very useful at those bargain stores and pawn shops! Also good when making a shady deal with a shady person.
Power Level Sense: As Anauel (not in her regular form), Josie is able to "see" the power level and distribution within a person. In a regular human, for example, she would sense a very low magical power level, and a moderate physical power level. This ability aids her in regulating the amount of power that she exchanges from one person to another, as she is able to gauge each person's limitations. This is restricted to magical and physical power levels, however; she is not able to see a person's spiritual level or energy. The way that she "sees" this power is somewhat like a mental HP bar, but not nearly so tangible. It's more like a concept of thing that she couldn't possibly describe to anyone.

Attack

Open Market Exchange!
Hardly a spectacular ability, Anauel either stands across from the recipient or between two recipients and speaks the words 'Open Market Exchange.' Then, at the centre of each recipient's chest (herself included IF she is part of the exchange directly, otherwise the coin on her voile has a soft glow), a small circle of light appears (the light has the colour/tint of the recipient's voile colour). It expands to about the size of a softball, then both balls of light float between the two recipients, settling at the centre of the opposite recipient's chest. Make sense? Finally, the ball of light expands to surround the recipient entirely in the light very briefly, and then the lights are completely gone. It doesn't look like much has happened, but after that the exchange is complete.
Upon speaking the name of the attack, Anauel is able to exchange an Angel's physical power for magical power, or vice versa. She mentally controls which power is going to whom, and how much of it. This must take place between two Angels (whether it be herself or another). For example, if Angel A wants more physical power, she can exchange with Angel B through Anauel's assistance. So Angel A's magical power will diminish (going to Angel B), and Angel B's physical power will diminish (going to Angel A). It is an equal exchange, so if Angel A is looking to really "whoop ass," she is going to have to exchange a lot of her magical power. There is also a limit to how much can be exchanged. For example, Anauel does not have a lot of physical power to exchange, so one could only get so much from her. Also, one only has so much capacity for an increase in either type of power - the more power is exchanged, the shorter amount of time it lasts. An Angel can only take so much of power that isn't her own, ya know? If the Angel is weakened too much, the power will be nullified as well.

Past Lives

Ancient Rome (521-484 BCE) : Married to Raphael, senator's wife. Rather wealthy? Good with finances, obviously, because otherwise she wouldn't be Anauel. Perhaps died from VOMITTING TOO MUCH. Crazy Romans. Or maybe Raph fed her to the lions ‘cause she's a bitch.

Mexico (329-382 CE) : In Teotihuacan THE CENTRE OF COMMERCE. Was probably murdered or something along the way to trade. She was a frail old lady. ;_; According to wikipedia, the city reached its zenith approx. 150-450 CE, when it was the centre of an influential culture. Teotihuacan was an important source of obsidian, and there was intensive trade with other regions of Mesoamerica. I am allowed to do this because I've been here. ;_____; The pyramids are really high and scary.

Medici clan (1405-1449 CE) : she was a member of the Medici clan, an Italian family that ruled over Florence in the 15th and 16th centuries. She wasn't anyone special, but she was involved with much of the activities of the family, much of which included banking or money. This website notes: "Through banking and commerce, the family acquired great wealth in the 13th century, and political influence came along with this wealth." Giovanni's (Cosimo's father) brother's son's daughter. HAHA. Where was Raphael in this? I forget. Uhm, died from some stupid disease that couldn't be cured at the time? XD

French Revolution (1772-1794 CE) : executed as a Dantonist. Was a filthy revolutionary, and that's about all I have for now.

American Civil War (1821-1863 CE) : During the war had a plantation open to soldiers to feed them and stuff? Eventually goes out to try and be some kind of battlefield nurse and is killed? Should I go the route of white rich woman or house slave in Louisiana? I don't know. ;_;

Holy War NPCs

Yeiayel
Closest PC: Anauel
Date of Birth: 76
Date of Death: 148
Sphere: Philanthropy
Color: Aluminium (#A9ACB6)
Choir: Ofanim
Physical Description: Like a mix of his mother and father, Yeiayel has medium-brown skin, and a wide face and nose with large lips that have the same grin as his father and brother, along with large dark brown eyes, thickly lashed. His build is a medium one, looking toned but not particularly muscular. He stopped aging at about 30, and generally always has some stubble on his chin and upper lip. His black hair is very short, cropped to barely an inch in length (he doesn't want to be bald ;_;).
Personality: A rather nice guy, a little on the awkward side because he tries to have limits but hardly sticks to them. He has a big problem with giving stuff away to those that need it, or at least say they do. Nonetheless, he's very organized and a fairly good leader, heading up charities and collections for less fortunate types. Very trusting kind of guy, but also very loving. Likes to help humans a lot.
History: Both of Yeiayel's parents were angels, and very liberal. He was born in the Keep, the eldest of three (brother and sister: Azazel and Arauchia), and was probably the most well-behaved one, though still with that nasty habit of giving away all of his stuff. Served as second lieutenant; had a big sense of duty and wanted to do more, but found that he was largely useless on the battlefield, so was simply an assistant for many years, helping out the injured and helping rebuild broken homes and all that. Somewhere in between there he met Harael and fell in love, so they got together and stuff. Died at Keepfall protecting his wife and children boo hoo.
Misc: Anauel's father. Raphael's uncle.

Harael
Closest PC: Anauel
Date of Birth: 82
Date of Death: 150
Sphere: Wealth
Color: White gold (#FFFFAA)
Choir: Archangel
Physical Description: Harael has a "wealth" of curves, being a bit chubby all overher booty having been passed on to her daughter. Her skin is dark brown, also passed on to her daughter (in combination with her husband of course), but her hair is bright red, and her eyes deep green, contrasting with her skin colour. Her features are overall average, with almond-shaped eyes, a medium nose and unimpressive (though stern) mouth. She keeps her hair in a bun at the back of her head, decorated on top of the base with a little winged hairpin; if left down it would be curly and to her waist.
Personality: A serious and focused woman, but dotes on her family in private. She wants the best for her family and is a very hard worker, very much influencing her daughter's work ethic. A little less emotional than the typical female and it has been said that she thinks like a man. Perhaps this is why she is the main provider of the family.
History : Born to human parents, third child of five, the rest are human. Arrived at the Keep at ten years old, mentored by the previous Quartermaster General until she was appointed in his place at 18. She was known to hardly ever run out of supplies and later served in the army until her death, after Anauel took over her position. Fought with everything she had to the very end, died during the final battle.
Misc: Anauel's mother.

Nithael
Closest PC: Anauel
Date of Birth: 110
Date of Death: 148
Sphere: Inheritance
Color: Carrot orange (#ED9121)
Choir: Ofanim
Physical Description: Having his father's bone structure, but with his mother's colouring, Nithael has bright red hair (cropped short like his fathers) and green eyes, leaning on the lighter side of Harael's dark brown complexion. His eyes are a bit rounder than typical of a male, with cheeks that are emphasized by slight dimples, making him pretty much always look amused (you know, apart from the grin and pleasant demeanor thing).
Personality: Spoiled brat type of kid that grew into a spoiled man who, naturally, always wanted things to go his own way and was very upset when they didn't. However, he's a jokester type, looking suspiciously innocent and amused at himself at all times; of course, there was usually a reason for his expression (angelic whoopee cushion? ;_;). When his “way” wasn't an issue, he was a pretty good guy who was rather clingy, especially to his family. True to his element, he was often concerned with his "inheritance" in some way or another, whether it be what his parents were passing down to him, or the position he'd be afforded due to a mentor (er, see history).
History: He was babied a great deal of his life, which was fine by him, and he milked it. Of course, this meant he was also teased mercilessly by his sister. She teased because loved. Other than that, his life was fairly regular. Served in the army from age 18 until his death, as he wasn't very good at anything else. In fact, he didn't even get a mentor because there wasn't a particular useful talent to hone for any positions. He didn't make it to officer position, but was all right as a Sergeant. Died at Keepfall while running away with his sister.
Misc: brother of Anauel

Mebahel
Closest PC: Anauel (and Raphael)
Date of Birth: 27
Date of Death: 125
Sphere: Liberation
Color: Thistle (#EED2EE)
Choir: Cherubim
Animal: Bald eagle
Physical Description: Rather Arabic in appearance, with a narrow but rounded nose and round, almond-shaped eyes, thickly lined in black eyeliner, and large, rounded lips (rooound). She stopped aging at about thirty, with very minimal lines on her face. Her hair is chocolate brown, falling in loose curls just past her shoulders and decorated with a gold circlet with gold beads hanging from it. Her frame is average, healthily slim but not too bony, and she is of an average height.
Personality: Oh, the bleeding heart. She was a very liberal woman (duhr), and whatever she believed in she believed in fiercely. Always very politically active, trying her very best to change things for the better in Keep society. A vegetarian. She was a wonderful mother of three (see: Yeiayel, Azazel and Arauchia), very nurturing and caring, though she allowed them to practically raise themselves, believing in freedom of expression and thought and EVERYTHING.
History: Born to an angel and a human outside of the Keep, but arrived there at the very young age of five. First act of liberation was in a human city at age of three, freeing some chickens at a market. At the Keep, she was always being a reckless activist, either getting into trouble or saving others from trouble. No matter how old she got, she never stopped being reckless and passionate about her beliefs. Served in the army for a great number of years, and in fact died trying to save a group of angels captured by some Lords of Hell.
Misc: grandmother of Anauel and Raphael.

Veuliah
Closest PC: Anauel
Date of Birth: 123
Date of Death: 148
Sphere: Prosperity
Color: Avocado (#A2C257)
Choir: Virtue
Physical Description: Veuliah has somewhat sharp features, with a long, sharp nose and thin cupid's bow lips. Her deep grey eyes are large and almond-shaped, her hair dark brown with natural blonde highlights streaked through it. Her hair is big and wavy, held back by a headband (except for some fluffy bangs that nearly cover her eyes) but still fluffed up in a sort of 60s style. Her frame is very slight and bony.
Personality: Enthusiastic but a little slow to learn; the type that means well but often makes a mess of things. Her one talent is making something out of nothing, able to convince people, for example, to spend more on something than it is really worth (a talent honed by Anauel). Unfortunately a bit of a doormat as well, though it's limited to helping people lifting heavy things or being a gopher. Not very independent.
History: Born in the Keep to angelic parents, and started her mentoring rather young, at eight years old. She was a promising individual, though her young age was a benefit due to her slow learning skills. She never ended up serving in the army before she died at Keepfall, so her life was largely uneventful, most of her time spent with Anauel helping out with keeping track of the stock and all that.
Misc: assistant to Anauel, mentored by her as well

† Writing Sample

I had one. <3

† Character Art

Anauel's voile
Josephine