Shinigami - Death Gods are neutral, supernatural beings who review lists of individuals about to die. They decide who should continue to live or not based on their history. Shinigami review souls based on lists given to them by other departments. It is understood that these lists are given out well before the intended individuals actually die, hinting at some ability to foresee the future. It is their duty to review areas where people are dying and review their lives, which they have a variety of information on, including the person's name, mother, cause of death, and any further notes. Shinigami seem to be allocated to various locations based on an unseen, but frequently referenced, Personnel Department.
In order to review an individual's life, Shinigami view a cinematic record. A cinematic record occurs when a Shinigami cuts an individual with his or her death scythe, allowing the Shinigami to see a recollection of the person's memories. This is used to decide if the person should be allowed to pass or to continue to live. They seem to make this decision by pushing a stamp that says "complete" on the dying individual's file. In the anime, they use magic plays instead, which show a person's entire life in book form, and can be played like a movie. When not in use, these are stored in the form of books in the library.
An Excerpt from William T. Spears hand book that he hands out to every new Shinigami.
We Are exemplary shinigami.
We Are always Punctual
We keep watch on the scheduled deaths and collect the souls.
We must never relax our Guard or the hungry demons will snatch them away
We obey the rules, it's a must...
The Rules.
Rule Number 1; Shinigami Must Wear Glasses
(All Shinigami are very near sighted, the glasses are special issue and are only turned in and removed upon retirement. Keep this in mind and take care not to loose or damage them.)
Rule Number 2: They must take care of their Deathscythe
(There are taboo's for the deathscythe please refer to the Taboo section and keep in mind that any personalization of the deathscythe to be approved must have the appropriate paperwork filed.....no exceptions or you will be demoted.)
Rule Number 3: Sundry expenses must be settled at the end of the month.
Rule Number 4: If you meet someone handsome, then you can consinder yourself remunerated.
((You get a day off.........but don't try to take adventage of it.....overtime is not acceptable.)
Rule Number 5: We work coldly, without even a smile.
Rule Number 6: When the fixed time comes we stop working and go party!
Taboo's.
Using one's death scythe without permission is forbidden.
Modifying one's death scythe without following proper procedures is forbidden.
Killing people not on the death or soul collection list is forbidden.
Known Divisions and Departments:
*Main Branch
*General Affairs Department
*Personnel Department
*Dispatch Management Division
*London Division.
Abilities
Shinigami have a variety of abilities including:
1. Enhanced speed and power: Shinigami have been shown to have power comparable to demons, able to fight and defend against attacks that would easily crush a human.
2 Enhanced endurance: Shinigami are also known to be extremely tough, able to endure numerous assaults that would beat a human to death, making the death scythe the only currently known object that can kill a Shinigami.
3. Soul collection: By using their death scythes, Shinigami collect souls, which when done, officially ends an individual's life. The speed and efficiency with which this happens depends on the individual Shinigami's death scythe.
4. Cinematic record: When cut with a death scythe, a brief movie plays, revealing information about the individual and his or her life. This is used to decide if the person should die or continue living. Sometimes, this is also called as the "Magic Play".
5. Animal communication: William has passed on information through birds to communicate with Shinigami elsewhere.
6. Rewriting present: Those of management level can use two items to rewrite part of someone's magic play as it is going on. By using the Death Bookmark, they can stop the story from continuing to write. By using a special pen, they can write in the next few lines, but cannot radically alter events.
Tue Dec 13, 2011 12:23 am