| By Neo Bahamut | Part of the Republic City Renaissance continuity. |
Overview[]
Aroma is the protagonist of Book 0: Void. As you might have guessed, the story is named for the "element" Aroma has to master, which is nothing, because she doesn't have any bending, but that doesn't mean that she has nothing to learn about being a nonbender. Aroma was my first pick for the protagonist because I liked the challenge of writing a plot that a fantasy story would usually avoid, so what better than a female, non-combatant, lesbian nurse, someone "as ordinary as they come in a contest of freaks," as Maes Hughes put it in Fullmetal Alchemist? Now, this isn't Mulan, Aroma is not going to become a hardened super soldier, but you can expect to see some changes which highlight the ways she can be heroic without taking on 10 bad guys at once.
If you're wondering why the main page doesn't mention her sexual orientation, it's not because it's a secret, but because I believe that romance is subordinate to PlotxCharacter Development (anyone else remember when that "ship" was "in"?). Anyway, I just wanted to have some kind of introduction so that I didn't jump straight into her background, but I feel like I've rambled more than enough by now.
Background[]
Like many lower middle class nonbending families, Aroma's lived in the Dragon Flats, but she remained unaware of its seedier elements for most of her life, due to her parents' borderline overprotective behavior. She was taken to and from school or friends' houses, though she was encouraged to stay home as much as possible. Aroma had few friends anyway, and it seemed like people never ran out of reasons to pick on her—short, pale, red hair, skittish, the list goes on. Aroma spent much of her time inside and took up knitting, learning from her mother, a seamstress.
One day, in a bout of stereotypical fatherly advice, Mr. Gingiber told her that she could be or do anything she wanted, if she set her mind to it, something that Aroma eventually realized was because he felt responsible for her development into a lonely and insecure little girl. Nonetheless, he insisted he would prove it, saying that he would help her learn any skill that she picked out from one of her books. Fascinated by medical texts and wanting to help people, Aroma chose Healing, and saw right away her father's doubt that she could do it. She would eventually learn that this was not because he doubted her personally, but because she was not a waterbender. That revelation did not help much, but his stubborn insistence on putting her through medical school did.
Aroma worked hard, helped by a loan from Mrs. Psyche, with the promise that she would eventually join the Dragon Flats Clinic, where she was mentored along with Thiera. Through the years, the 2 have become closer and closer as friends and, unbeknownst to Thiera, as Aroma's first romantic love.
Book 0[]
After the Purists attacked her, she moved in with Euryale, as part of witness protection. After the Dragon Flats Clinic was destroyed, Thiera joined them and they became resident Healers in the RCPD. Aroma was still a junior Healer but getting a taste of authority thanks to the interns who acted as assistants to her and Thiera. After being rejected by Thiera, she eventually started a relationship with Euryale. Present during the Purists' assault on HQ, she helped by taking charge of medical aid after Thiera was incapacitated and distracting the Purist Leader long enough for her to be taken down.
Book 0.5[]
She was part of the group who rescued the sandbender Venetia on the way home from a Pro-Bending game, and the main reason Euryale invited her to stay. Tensions flared as her relationship with Euryale and Thiera's psychological issues both grew more serious. She was against Thiera being arrested, but after serious discussion the trio smoothed over their issues. Aroma did not get involved much in the investigation of corruption plaguing the city, but she did marry Euryale.
Book 3.5[]
She became a New Airbender thanks to Harmonic Convergence and joined her wife's mission to investigate the Red Lotus in the Earth Kingdom. She mostly played a support function, particularly delivering supplies in the final battle, but she also contributed to the Element Sphere that was used to trap the Dream Spirit for purification.
Legacy[]
Aroma returned to domestic bliss with her wife, assisted with defense and evacuation during Kuvira's invasion, and eventually became a healer working with the new spirit-space research initiative. She also became the adoptive mother of her older sister-in-law's unwanted children and her new son's airbending teacher.
Personality[]
Aroma was a nonbender who often laments not being able to keep up with the waterbenders, particularly her friend Thiera. Timid, quiet, and overly polite in these modern times, Aroma is regarded as a bit of a doormat. But underneath this is a keen intellect and a strong desire to help people, traits of Aroma's that no one underestimates more than herself, racked as she is by insecurity. She is also a semi-closeted lesbian who fell head over heels for Thiera. Her struggles against the Purists eventually forced her to find some confidence, allowing her to take on the role of a capable leader when no one else could.
Abilities[]
Lacking the ability to heal using waterbending, Aroma compensates mainly through knowledge of surgery and chemical medicine. She can perform in high stress environments, such as performing a skin graft in the Purists' underground clinic, and later administering smelling salts to awaken officers knocked out during their invasion. She could even use sleight of hand and toxins to trigger a state of apparent death that could fool even a prolific assassin like the Purist Leader. She also knew a bit about chi paths from her training, able to stimulate them through pressure point manipulation to slow bleeding or accelerate healing. Though she is not a fighter, she eventually learned basic evasion and counterattack techniques of Northern Water Style and was able to use the chi blocking taught to her by the Purists to disable the arm of an unaware opponent. Because of her hospital ambulance training, she is one of the relative few in the city who knows how to drive.
Airbending[]
One of the New Airbenders following Harmonic Convergence, Aroma knows some traditional moves from Air Acolyte scrolls, but predominantly uses her mentor's Northern Water Style as a base. Though not the strongest combatant, basic airbending still proves a match for most foes, while she has some small ability to target pressure points from range. Outfitted with a prototype Glider Suit, she can soar through the air, but isn't quite as maneuverable as the usual Nomad, can't handle the conditions of high altitudes, and too much strain will damage the delicate "wings."
Origin[]
Aroma and Gingiber are Latin for "spice" and "ginger," respectively, referring to her red hair and sweet disposition. "Aroma" also turns out to be an Indian name meaning "fragrance," but I only learned this after finishing Book 0. Aroma has a slight inchworm motif, due to being conceived of as an Arrancar for a Bleach RP.
Her parents are much more recent creations and weren't named in this continuity until sometime after Book -1 concluded. Saccha is Latin for "sweet," Lepidus for "nice" as in a pleasant person. It's sugar, spice, and everything nice, you see.
Reflections[]
Despite being a relative latecomer in my cast, Aroma started this whole story, and I thought it was important that the "trinity" of her, Thiera, and Euryale would close out the story together, just as they ushered it in. Their relationships were, in many ways, the core of the story. Perhaps the most satisfying scenes to write were the understanding they reached in Book 0.5 and the eventual wedding. Aroma may have fallen to the wayside in later Books, to a degree, but I thought it was important that she remain in a support function. Book 0.5 started with the premise of showing how important healers are to society, and I believe she should go out the same way.
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