[BitP:R] BleachITP Reborn OOC Thread 15: Eye of the Tiger... Hollow

[Nicklance]

So... everything is working out, now?

As per Innis' last IC post, he nominated three of us. You, me and Riccaru to take over. I'm typing up a large PM to send to you both about what is currently in the works and see if we can work out the kinks.

And that post of mine taking over Takeshi will the the only post from me for now until we can settle other stuff.

And since everyone has a week of game time to catch up, this is a perfect opportunity to iron everything out and push it forth when everyone is ready.

[Ammutseba]

I don't understand why I was nominated to help with the plot. I haven't posted anywhere but the OOC (still a ghost), and I haven't finished a character yet. Oh, and this was something I was going to do strictly on my free time.

I'd like to hear from some of the other players before I even begin to accept that kind of responsibility.

[Nicklance]

I don't understand why I was nominated to help with the plot. I haven't posted anywhere but the OOC (still a ghost), and I haven't finished a character yet. Oh, and this was something I was going to do strictly on my free time.

I'd like to hear from some of the other players before I even begin to accept that kind of responsibility.

Writing plots and sending it via pm is a little bit of a headache for me too. Usually for free forms, if I had to take over another person's character, I kind of just carry on the player's plans. So I'm not very experienced with trying to turn one player's initiative into a group project.

But oh well. This isn't a collaborative game for nothing

[Ammutseba]

I'm having a hard time finding some information I'm looking for. I know I've seen it before, but I can't remember where.

What are the effects of having vast spiritual pressure in this game? Aren't they less than the canon effects? Can you still paralyze others with overwhelming pressure, or things like that?

[Nicklance]

I'm having a hard time finding some information I'm looking for. I know I've seen it before, but I can't remember where.

What are the effects of having vast spiritual pressure in this game? Aren't they less than the canon effects? Can you still paralyze others with overwhelming pressure, or things like that?

I'm not sure either. I'm not even sure what's the general range of effect spiritual pressure can exert. We see that people like Ichigo can release spiritual energy that can be felt and detected from a long distance away, but the distance and all that is just so arbitrary.

[Ammutseba]

Well. I'm just going to post him up and let people take their shots at him, then. Sorry if this is a bit of a long read. I'm not very good at keeping things short.

Hikaru Shin

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Name: Hikaru Shin
Race: Shinigami; Reiatsu: None
5th Division, 20th Seat.
Age: 285; Apparent Age: 22
Eyes: Hazel; Hair: Dark henna
Height: 6’ 1”; Weight: 174 lbs

Appearance

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Hikaru Shin is a tall, olive-fair skinned man with broad shoulders and lean features. His muscles are more toned than built, giving him the illusion of being like a man in his late teens or early twenties. That is, one who is meant to be large and muscular, but hasn’t fully grown into their own proportions. His glossy hair is a dark henna color that is nearly black, which he wears at only an inch to an inch and a half long. Shin’s eyes are hazel, and change with the ambient lighting and some other factors, between nearly green, nearly brown or a completely indiscernible mix of the two.

Shin wears the standard shinigami uniform, with some slight alterations that make it more fit for his personal martial disciplines and exercises. He chooses to go barefoot, preferring to the feel the ground beneath him without the protection of shoes or sandals, and has developed thick callouses on both his feet and hands.

Shin also wears a belt with a satchel over the front of his right hip, and the sling for his sake bottle on his right hip. Also on this belt, on the back of his hips, are two scale-shaped plates of sekkiseki stone, fitted in leather with special loops for his fingers and arms, each eight inches long and six inches wide. These plates can be removed from or placed on the belt easily, so that Shin can arm himself with shields that remove the brunt of spiritual assaults.

Personality

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Shin is an easy-going and thoughtful man. In his younger years, he fretted over the loss of his shinigami powers, but has developed cool patience and appreciation for his situation. He enjoys an orderly life with a nearly predictable routine, and the structure provided to the 5th division's Seireitei by their late captain's passion for order and due process. Conversationally, he's more of a listener than a talker, and some people have mistaken him for being a slow thinker due to this.

Shin comes off to others as an odd but easy blend of neat, orderly and relaxed. Ordinarily, he reacts to trouble and excitement like a stone obelisk responds to the wind and rain - he doesn't. His actions are responses, thought out courses of action that can be made quickly or slowly.

Unless a person knows his background, it's also difficult for many people to understand why he hasn't advanced from the 20th seat in nearly 120 years of service, leading them to make otherwise unfounded judgments about his character. These judgments are often enhanced because there are a dozen or so wagers in the Seireitei betting pool that concern what his shikai will do, and because he has an uncanny sense of awareness and attention to detail that can make it seem like he doesn’t like to give other people his attention.

Abilities

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Passable Swordsmanship: Shin hasn’t had the opportunity to fight with his zanpakuto in well over a hundred years. Though he still practices with bokken, his skills have dulled over time and rendered him less effective with a sword than most other seated officers.

Tai Chi Chuan Master: Shin had been a practitioner of the supreme ultimate fist since long before he lost his reiatsu, but the event has given him plenty of time and reason to practice it often and with great diligence. In that time, he has learned to combine the hard and soft styles of tai chi chuan into nearly perfect symbiosis.

Though he is no match for the supernatural strength and speed of some other officers, Shin is still a fighter to be taken seriously. Few shinigami take the opportunity to hone their strictly martial skills in the way that Shin has, and his awareness of his disadvantage has caused him to hone his reflexes, powers of observation and attention to detail to the point that he seems to have either a very strong intuition, or a nearly precognitive ability to react.

Traceur: In lieu of hoho, Shin has taken up the training in parkour to keep himself fit for message delivery, in addition to his other disciplines. This discipline is the art of traversing over distances by using the most direct route that can be taken safely. It focuses on efficiency and speed, which includes avoiding injuries of both the short and long term and developing confidence and critical-thinking skills.

Shin’s dedication to this and his other forms of martial arts keep him in stellar physical condition, and greatly enhance his balance, bodily control, flexibility, spatial awareness and ability to make quick and reasoned decisions.

High Strength: As a result of his extensive training in tai chi chuan and parkour, and the addition of archery to his list of hobbies, Shin is much stronger than he first appears, able to lift his own body over a wall with just one arm and little effort, and continue moving with great speed and very little time to recover.

High Durability: Also as a result of his training in tai chi chuan and parkour, Shin’s body has gained impressive durability that allows him to take more abuse than it seems he should be able to. This quality stems not only from an inherent quality, but also from his ability to make fast decisions and small changes in bodily positioning that minimize the impact of contact with other objects.

Empty Spiritual Energy: Despite being a seated officer of the Gotei 13, Shin has no spiritual energy. He can see and interact with spirit beings, but only due to being a spirit himself. At one point in time, his spiritual energy was enormous, but it has all vanished without a trace.

Attempts to discern his spiritual energy have been met with utter failure by machines, and people who have attempted to ‘feel’ his spiritual presence in particular have reported a sense of nausea similar to the vertigo of looking down from a great height, or from the bends of rising up too quickly from a great depth. These feeling invariably pass after only a few seconds, but can still be disorienting.

As a side-effect of having such empty reiatsu, Shin has an inherent immunity to reiatsu-dependent abilities, such as some forms detection and the pressure exerted by many other spiritual beings. If the Commander-General revealed his bankai and released his reiatsu at full power, Shin would not be able to feel the difference in reiatsu between him and his toaster.

Kidō Practitioner: Despite utterly lacking reiatsu, Shin still practices his kidō incantations. At one point, he could complete bakudo and hado up to the 52nd difficulty, and his spells struck with amazing strength for his seating, but this has all vanished for him, now.

Hohō Practitioner: Like his skill in kidō, Shin was also once skilled in hohō, but no longer has the ability to use it. He still practices the movements of the agility arts, and often incorporates them into his slow tai chi chuan movements.

Zanpakuto

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A white ceramic sake bottle, 5 inches tall. Its neck pinches inward abruptly before flaring outward for its mouth, and has a small spout on one side. The interior side of the bottle’s mouth, neck and shoulder are covered in a bluish-gray lacquer, whereas the interior of its body and heel are covered in a silvery-black lacquer. It is nestled into a fitted sleeve of woven straw, which also has a round bamboo stopper on a supple ray skin thong.

Shikai: Release command – Overwhelm with brilliance, Suikazura Shinzui.

Suikazura Shinzui is a constant release-type zanpakuto, despite that this type is normally only for zanpakuto whose owners have too much spiritual pressure to contain.

The fact of this matter has been the subject for speculation for some of the shinigami who know or know of Shin. Tests from the 12th division indicate that the zanpakuto itself contains traces of reiatsu, but has barely more than common Soul Society objects, and releases absolutely none of it. There are some bets about the true function of Suikazura Shinzui around the Seireitei, as it is such a bizarre thought that a zanpkuto’s purpose could be to render a shinigami bereft of their reiatsu and spiritual abilities.

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Special Abilities:
Overwhelming Brilliance: When Suikazura Shinzui was first unsealed, it filled its surrounding area with blinding and light and such incredible spiritual pressure that it pushed down on stones, trees and the ground itself. The radius of this area expanded for a few moments, and then suddenly “popped,” crushing those stones, flattening those trees, and leaving a shallow crater in the surrounding area. When the dust and light cleared, Suikazura Shinzui revealed itself to now take the shape of a sake bottle, and all of its and Shin’s reiatsu simply vanished without a single trace.

Limitless Libations: The bottle is filled with a pale purple-red, nearly clear sake with a slightly sweet taste. Whenever the bottle runs out of sake and is stopped, it slowly fills itself with more sake, until the liquid inside the bottle reaches a point just beneath its shoulder. The sake does nothing special for sake, but tastes best when served chilled.

Bankai: Not yet achieved.

Background

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At one point in time, Shin was a promising 5th seat officer. Like some other Shinigami, he had vastly more reiatsu than he could contain, and his skills in kido, hoho, zanjutsu and hakuda gave him the edge to excel as far as he did into rank, despite the fact that he had not yet gained his shikai. Great things were expected from him when it happened.

About a hundred and twenty years before now, after devoted communications with his zanpakuto spirit and extensive hard work on his behalf, he was sent out on a mission to deliver a message to a seated officer of the 1st division, who was overseeing a battle in the field, which his captain had determined was too important to trust to a hell butterfly.

During his transit to the battlefield, Shin encountered a rogue Shinigami, who attempted to wrest the letter away from the courier. In the ensuing struggle to escape, Shin was forced to release his shikai for the first time. The overwhelming blast of that action – just the release itself – rendered his attacker broken and motionless.

Shin managed to deliver the message in time, but when he arrived at the scene, all of his reiatsu and related powers had simply vanished. His zanpakuto, a stopped white sake bottle, hung at his side, and for as far as he could tell, was inactive for now.

In the time since then, Shin's reiatsu has not returned. His zanpakuto is a constant release type, and Shin can still interact with other spirit creatures, but his Shinigami powers are, for all appearances, just plain gone.

Now, since Shin lost his powers in the line of duty, and still managed to deliver his message in a timely manner without them, his captain felt it would be disrespectful to unseat him, especially in light of his other accomplishments and distinctions up until that time. At the same time, it would be impractical to keep Shin as active in the division, so he was instead moved to 20th seat and given a rather permanent position in the atriums, where he looks after the proper care of the hell butterflies, for as long as his service there remains exemplary.

From here down, the information contained is purely optional, and included only for character depth.

Personal Characteristics

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Socioeconomic Level as a child: Citizen of Rukongai
Socioeconomic Level as an adult: Citizen of Seireitei
Hometown: 65th District of Rukongai
Current Residence: 5th division barracks
Occupation: 20th seat of 5th Division, Custodian of Atriums 1–4
Talents/Skills: Agriculturally inclined, critical thinking, drinking, hell butterfly handling and lockpicking.
Birth order: Youngest of two brothers, no sisters.
Siblings: Hikaru Ichirou, who died in Rukongai from an infected wound. Shin carried out his final wishes to “escape that disgusting life” and two weeks later joined the Academy.
Habits: Wake up, daily exercise routine, breakfast with lone contemplation, care for the atriums' trees and hell butterflies, daily forms routine, lunch with other 5th division officers, short walk, care for the atriums' gardens and window cleaning, small supper with other 5th division officers, weekly parkour routines, feeding and exercising the hell butterflies, tend personal bonsai garden, choice of archery or locksport hour, small dinner with lone contemplation, short walk, end of day.

Physical Characteristics

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Height: 6' 1"
Weight: 174 lbs
Race: Shinigami
Eye Color: Hazel
Hair Color: Dark henna
Glasses or contact lenses? No
Skin color: Olive-fair
Health: Peak, great cardiovascular fitness
Hobbies: Archery, bonsai, locksport, parkour, spoon collecting, tai chi chuan forms
Style: Neat, orderly, relaxed
Greatest flaw: Stretch marks along his back, sides and shoulders from growing too quickly.
Best quality: Physical fitness

Mental Characteristics

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Educational Background: Shinigami Academy
Intelligence Traits: Analytical, astute, bright, clever, quick
Any Mental Illnesses? No
Learning Experiences: Loss of powers he had previously relied on.
Character's short-term goals in life: Score two consecutive bulls’ eyes from 60 meters, solve a compound shifting lock in 45 seconds or less, see his bonsai cherry tree bear fruit for its second mature season, discover who keeps “borrowing” shovel #17 from atrium 3 without permission.
Character's long-term goals in life: Develop automatic butterfly feeder, best 5th division’s 15th seat officer in race across Seireitei, regain shinigami powers.
How does Character see himself? As a more balanced and less hasty version of his younger self, and as living proof of the late Captain Ryuunosuke Osamu’s kindness and noble soul.
How does Character believe he is perceived by others? As a reclusive, mysterious, and humorously ironic figure.
How self-confident is the character? Very self-confident, but evenly keeled.
Does the character seem ruled by emotion or logic or some combination thereof? More logic than emotion, but works to maintain a balance between the two.
What would most embarrass this character? To learn that butterflies from his atrium were stolen during his shift.

Emotional Characteristics

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Strengths/Weaknesses: Mostly strengths, as he has long since become the master of his own self, and learned to accept his own weaknesses as an essential part of being whole. He can, however, be overly focused on his schedule and discipline, without taking enough time to recline and rest without thinking about how is actions now will affect his future.
Introvert or Extrovert? Depends on the social situation and the attitude of the room, but more often introvert than extrovert.
How does the character deal with anger? By absorbing the events around him and processing them in a cool, logical way, and then responding with the emotion he feels is the most appropriate to the situation, based on the needs of himself and others, and his values.
With sadness? With quiet contemplation, usually alone for a while. Afterward, he also spends time with his friends and shares a few drinks from his zanpakuto.
With conflict? By hearing both sides of the conflict, and then trying to find the most equitable solution for all parties involved. Failing this, he attempts to convince others to see things from his point of view by creating an equitable situation for the other person and asking for their advice, or by convincing other people that they came up with the idea first.
With change? By coping with what’s different and assimilating the best parts of the change into his daily routine.
With loss? In stride, and by paying the proper respects at a later time. Initially, he has been shown to face loss with a morbid sense of humor followed by total detachment from the situation.
What does the character want out of life? Nothing, from which he has received more than he could ever hope for.
What would the character like to change in his life? No, but if change came his way, he would welcome it into his life as an opportunity for a new experience.
What motivates this character? He wants to make his captain proud of him. Since his captain passed away, the best he can hope for is to make what he remembers of his captain proud of him, and pray that it’s close enough.
What frightens this character? Sudden changes and losses that are beyond his ability to cope and adapt to his environment.
What makes this character happy? Knowing that his actions continue to benefit all of the shinigami of the Seireitei, and that though he lost his powers, he could never lose the things that truly make him a member of the 5th division – his unwavering dedication and loyalty, and the will to better himself.
Is the character judgmental of others? Although Shin can be judgmental of other people, he keeps his opinions to himself and only tries to be as helpful or as fair as possible. This is especially true of people he finds slacking during their shift.
Is the character generous or stingy? He tends to be very generous to other people with his time and money, never asking for anything in return. At the same time, he can be stingy with advice, only giving it to other when it is asked for, even when it can easily make a situation better.
Is the character generally polite or rude? Shin is usually polite, but his enhanced awareness of his surroundings can sometimes lead people to believe he isn’t interested in them or isn’t really paying attention. At other times, he can sometimes be seen as “infuriatingly perfect.”

[Hadrian_Emrys]

Semi-random inquiry: is sake really the only Japanese drink you lot are familiar with? For those of you who are a fan of good taste, might I suggest mixing it up with stuff like plum wine or something?

(P.S. The only thing I can imagine tasting similar to sake is donkey pee.)

[Nicklance]

Semi-random inquiry: is sake really the only Japanese drink you lot are familiar with? For those of you who are a fan of good taste, might I suggest mixing it up with stuff like plum wine or something?

(P.S. The only thing I can imagine tasting similar to sake is donkey pee.)

Yumeshu is like a very sweet alcoholic drink. And in my parts, its termed "a drink only girls will go for"

[Ammutseba]

Semi-random inquiry: is sake really the only Japanese drink you lot are familiar with? For those of you who are a fan of good taste, might I suggest mixing it up with stuff like plum wine or something?

(P.S. The only thing I can imagine tasting similar to sake is donkey pee.)

It's not for me. That doesn't mean it isn't a good choice for the character, however. And I don't share your opinion about the taste.

[KnightDisciple]

I'm of the mind that says this game is actually doing quite well overall, and will continue to do so. Differences of opinion, I suppose.

Drammor: How did you character get into the Shinigami Academy with absolutely no spiritual power? How does he have a Zanpakutou, for that matter?

[Ammutseba]

I'm of the mind that says this game is actually doing quite well overall, and will continue to do so. Differences of opinion, I suppose.

Drammor: How did you character get into the Shinigami Academy with absolutely no spiritual power? How does he have a Zanpakutou, for that matter?

At the time that Shin entered the Academy, and up until the first time he unsealed his Z-pak, he did have spiritual power. Quite a bit of it, in fact. He didn't lose his reiatsu until just moments after it was unsealed. Presently, taking away his reiatsu appears to be Suikazura Shinzui's ability. As a paradoxical as that sounds.

[Hadrian_Emrys]

I don't think I could possibly care any less if the manliest of manly men are swilling diesel fuel, cut with fermented chest-hair syrup, strained through used lumberjack shirts. If a digested product is going to earn the right to grace my immaculate pallet more than once, you can bet your blessed buttocks that it's certainly going to (at the very least) taste like liquid mana.

Also, though it is true in the case of umeshu (the best way to enjoy the typically 'meh' shochu), sweet/tasty does not inherently mean weak. I have a party cup mix that I call a 'commando' that is a huge hit with soft-pallet drinkers, but will still fast-forward all but the most pickled livers right past the buzzed stage (and well into the drunk zone) after only a single glass. Of course, given that the blend contains a high concentration of both sugar and everclear, I cannot honestly say that the end result is even remotely unexpected.

Back to game chat though: I find myself compelled to confess that I feel quite strongly about how the whole Innis/Takeshi matter was dealt with. Not reopen a can of worms or anything but, seriously? Here's to hoping that the event in question ends up being the exception to the rule, I guess.

[Nicklance]

Back to game chat though: I find myself compelled to confess that I feel quite strongly about how the whole Innis/Takeshi matter was dealt with. Not reopen a can of worms or anything but, seriously? Here's to hoping that the event in question ends up being the exception to the rule, I guess.

Yes, and I hope I can bring it to a satisfying conclusion some. Game on!

[KnightDisciple]

Back to game chat though: I find myself compelled to confess that I feel quite strongly about how the whole Innis/Takeshi matter was dealt with. Not reopen a can of worms or anything but, seriously? Here's to hoping that the event in question ends up being the exception to the rule, I guess.

The blame is by no stretch of the imagination a one-way street, and I wish people would stop treating it as such. There were some reasonable critiques laid out. Responses after that are on individual heads.

The reason we "vet" characters is because we don't want everyone ending up Aizen-level powerful (or Toho-level, I suppose). Thus, having "outside eyes" examine the character's powers and such helps us keep things on an even keel. After all, if our goal is that Captains (for instance) are at "power level X", and someone wants to make one at "power level x+5", there might be problems. We are all part of this roleplay, and some of us examine incoming characters with an eye to how they'll affect the overall story, especially the consideration of "will this character be too powerful/potent for the intended role". Someone making a member of the Mortal World Kid Gang (who totally need a team name soon) who happens to be able to rewrite reality on a whim...probably needs to step back.

None of this is to say that critiquers are lily-white. But neither are they the only ones stained with less than desirable responses.

[Ammutseba]

Oh, huh. It looks like I forgot to include his background.

Do I need to?

[KnightDisciple]

Oh, huh. It looks like I forgot to include his background.

Do I need to?

It would help. I'll try to give him a more thorough look-over later; the lack of spiritual power was just the most obvious thing.

Though, considering the nature of the 5th Division as Callos wrote it (ie, very much a nepotistic command structure), I'd ask how he became 20th seat if he had two strike against him (not a Ryuunosuke member, as explained here, and not showing actual spiritual power). A member of the 5th, no question. But it at least raises curiosity how he became an officer.

[Ammutseba]

It would help. I'll try to give him a more thorough look-over later; the lack of spiritual power was just the most obvious thing.

Though, considering the nature of the 5th Division as Callos wrote it (ie, very much a nepotistic command structure), I'd ask how he became 20th seat if he had two strike against him (not a Ryuunosuke member, as explained here, and not showing actual spiritual power). A member of the 5th, no question. But it at least raises curiosity how he became an officer.

Okay then. I popped it in there. I also discussed the character's background with Callos in advance. It's fine by him.

[Sucrose]

Character looks good, Drammor. For the record, in the aim to create a game where everyone can be at least somewhat relevant, I believe that we've weakened the effect of raw spiritual energy considerably, or at least the difference in amount of it between characters. I doubt that the Commander-General could knock out a VC just by easing his self-control, as in canon. This, naturally, makes Hikaru's initial burst of reiatsu upon achieving Shikai particularly impressive.

I'll confess that I forgot about Callos's command structure, but I imagine that if he were just a friend of a Ryuunosuke family member, then he'd be able to maintain his present position without incident. And, given your backstory, I imagine that there could be enough meritocracy in the 5th to be willing to grant him that boon.

I like the extra details that you put in, particularly as you did so in a way that makes referencing his basic information still easy to find. Where did you find that questionnaire?

Perhaps one of the ways that he has achieved his skill in Tai Chi is by sparring for decades with my own Hayashi Goro? Goro has his own reasons for avoiding using his zanpaktou where possible, which is why his own style depends more on hakuda and Kido (and, when all else fails, full-contact Kido).

[Nicklance]

Did I hear Tai Chi? Aya's learning Tai Chi swordplay at the moment.

[Kuroimaken]

I swear, you guys are much more productive when I sleep.

That said, I'm glad that the situation resolved itself as well as it did (for a given measure of how well it did anyway).

Frankly, I DO honestly wish we could have settled our differences in this instance without provoking Innis' departure. I'm an idealist, sue me.

But eh. Enough about that.

[Nicklance]

Is it just me or do you guys get the "Sorry but your IP is banned" crap often?

[Sucrose]

Is it just me or do you guys get the "Sorry but your IP is banned" crap often?

IP address is banned? No, not regularly. Get busy server messages fairly frequently, though. Does anyone in your home have an account that was banned in the Playground or something?

[Nicklance]

IP address is banned? No, not regularly. Get busy server messages fairly frequently, though. Does anyone in your home have an account that was banned in the Playground or something?

None. But my country uses dynamic ISPs.

[Sucrose]

None. But my country uses dynamic ISPs.

...Maybe your country has a sufficient number of forum trolls that there's decent chances one of them got banned from GiantITP from any given IP address, then? I don't know. Might want to take it up in the tech support forum.

[Nicklance]

...Maybe your country has a sufficient number of forum trolls that there's decent chances one of them got banned from GiantITP from any given IP address, then? I don't know. Might want to take it up in the tech support forum.

Not a major hassle, just a crap load of refreshes and reposting to get through. But yeah when it starts to get annoying I'll ask tech support.

[Ammutseba]

Character looks good, Drammor. For the record, in the aim to create a game where everyone can be at least somewhat relevant, I believe that we've weakened the effect of raw spiritual energy considerably, or at least the difference in amount of it between characters. I doubt that the Commander-General could knock out a VC just by easing his self-control, as in canon. This, naturally, makes Hikaru's initial burst of reiatsu upon achieving Shikai particularly impressive.

I knew that at some point. The reason I put that part in there is because of the diminished effects of reiatsu. The first few seconds of his release were supposed to be particularly attention-grabbing. I just... somehow managed to forget by the time I finished writing the profile.

I like the extra details that you put in, particularly as you did so in a way that makes referencing his basic information still easy to find. Where did you find that questionnaire?

I Google searched "how to write a character profile" and it was one of the first two things that popped up. I don't actually need help writing most of a profile, but personalities have always been a weak point of mine.

Perhaps one of the ways that he has achieved his skill in Tai Chi is by sparring for decades with my own Hayashi Goro? Goro has his own reasons for avoiding using his zanpaktou where possible, which is why his own style depends more on hakuda and Kido (and, when all else fails, full-contact Kido).

Oh yeah. I can see why they would get along, and why training together would happen. I wouldn't mind that at all.

Also, I don't speak Japanese per se, but I do have an appreciation for the construction of language. It looks to me like "Wanizame na Satsui" might be Japanese for "Murderous Shark."

[KnightDisciple]

Right, so, it's been over 10 pages since this guy got posted. And now, I have name ideas! Not incredible ideas, but ideas.

Name ideas:
White Oni
Laughing Oni
Oni
Laughing Death
White Death

Any other suggestions along these lines are welcome. I'd rather stay away from "skull" for a couple of reasons: this guy, and the fact that his skull-face isn't widely seen.

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Name: *Undetermined*
Age: Unknown
Apparent Age: Early 30's
Sex: Male
Eye color: Bright Purple
Hair color: None
Height: 5'9"
Weight: 155lbs.
Reiatsu/Speech: Bright Purple

Description:

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*Undetermined* cuts a striking figure, no matter the situation. He's been seen in various outfits, but there are two that seem to be most prominent.
The first is a pure white suit, worn on "formal occasions" (typically when dealing with those who are almost equal to his wonderful self), or when he feels like it.
The second is a more utilitarian, but still pure white.
Oh, and he has a mask that covers his entire head, with only eye holes to indicate there might be a person in there. Said mask is a bright red (some say the color of freshly-spilled blood). The eye holes glow a bright purple, though the exact level of brightness seems to vary.

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Underneath the red mask, there sits an even more terrifying visage. That of a bone-white Hollow Mask covering his head, with all the proportions just barely wrong. No hair. Eyebrow ridges too large. Eyes too deeply set, and too large. Grin too wide, teeth too large. And what a grin it is; his face seems to be almost perpetually smiling to some degree. His eyes are the eyes of nearly any Vizard; black sclera with (in his case) bright purple irises. While they do glow, it's clear the "outer mask" greatly enhances the effect. If one looks closer at the bone-like head, they'll see a network of criss-crossing scars, barely large enough to see, with a few larger exceptions merely proving the rule. The oddest thing about the mask is that it acts like a face; *Undetermined* can make normal-ish human expressions with it, eat normally, drink, speak, laugh...Some might almost forget the subtle wrongness that his face is composed of
The rest of his body has pale, but not pure white, skin, with a scattering of scars. He has a well-toned musculature, and is of a comparatively average size.
If someone managed to break his Vizard mask, they'd see a thoroughly ordinary man underneath, with a lack of hair on his head being his only truly unique feature (aside from his eyes). However, this is the only way to view his face; the mask cannot be willingly removed, and can only be broken, or perhaps suppressed.

Background:

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Not much is known about *Undetermined*, beyond the fact that less than a year ago, he started making waves in the criminal underground. Not big waves, but waves. He carved out his own little niche, but it was a quiet effort. The Yakuza barely had any warning before he inserted himself into a meeting, making a rather simple demand: Leave him alone, and he'd work to make the streets safe for them. By and large, the efforts are subtle, aimed at the most upstanding members of law enforcement.
But months of effort have been invested with one goal: find and kill White Jugde. *Undetermined* has been known to say it's a matter of "professional and personal pride" that he kills the "upstanding do-gooder". He's been carefully researching everything he can about his foe, and using several agents of his own to track him. Most have had little success (due to White Jugde's ghost workers), but a few have fed him tantalizing tidbits of information. It's only made him more determined, and it seems he's preparing to strike...

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*Undetermined* was once an average member of a minor Quincy clan, in the far north of Japan's mainland. They protected their home town and their land, but little else. They had no real ambitions, *Undetermined* least of all. He was only adequate with his Quincy abilities, his bow's range mediocre, his arrows only wounding Hollows.

Then one day while taking a relaxing stroll back to his family home from the store in town, he was hit with a tranquilizer dart and dragged into a black van. When he woke up, he was strapped to a table and stripped to the waist. There were strange machines all around him, but the room was ill-lit. He heard voices, but couldn't make out what they said. He felt a sudden hot surge in his arm, and was asleep again. He didn't wake again until his fate was being violently changed.

As his eyes fluttered open, he saw what looked like a white helmet sitting on a table nearby, facing away from him. Suddenly, a motorized arm picked it up, and as it moved, he realized something; it was a mask. A Hollow mask. And it was in two pieces; pieces even now being positioned to merge over his head. At the same moment, injectors in his arms and chest activated, surging very diluted Hollow blood into his body, mixed with a heavy does of "purified" reishi. As the strange mix surged in his veins, causing unbelievable agony, the mask slammed shut against his head. *Undetermined* could feel his hair burn away, never to return. He could feel the mask adhering to his skin. He felt the mocking laughter of the echo that remained in the mask; too weak to be a true Hollow, but just enough there that the mask was even then changing his body. Him, who had before now been average, weak even. He was being transformed into something more.

He couldn't help himself. He giggled. Then he chuckled. Then, in that terrible double voice that all Vizard have, he laughed. Because he saw what an incredible joke it all was. How he'd show his family the things he could do now! Right after he busted out of this joint.
With a mighty effort, he managed to snap his restraints; the injectors, having run dry, had already retreated. The new being standing there looked up at where he knew the observation booth was, and the mask on his face suddenly moved, splitting into a wide, gleaming grin.
Ten minutes later, much of the base was dead, and the man who had been born anew was walking down the road, whistling a tune.

Later, when he tried to go to his family, first to show them his ability, and then to seek aid when the infernal mask wouldn't come off ever, he was rejected. They didn't attack him on sight; they loved him enough to give him the chance to leave. But they said they could never accept him back. He was too deeply stained, and it would be too much of a risk from other Quincy clans.

Just a year later, they were killed in just such an attack, with *undetermined* later hunting down many of those responsible. He was alone in the world, so he might as well find some way to enjoy all these wonderful new abilities. You know, a guy like him didn't have much need for laws, not really. They'd only get in the way of his fun. And his hunt for the ******** who made him into a monster...

Personality:

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In a word, "manic". *Undetermined* is extremely energetic in everything he does, going about his day with incredible enthusiasm and zeal. He approaches any project he undeterakes with the full measure of his attention, sometimes to the detriment of older projects. He seems to enjoy throwing the occasional party for what staff he has, and he enjoys crashing other people's parties even more.

For a criminal psychopath, he's surprisingly well-natured towards those who work for him...so long as they don't break his rules, which mostly amount to being loyal to him above anything else. Despite his seemingly insane nature, he seems to run a tight, stable ship, keeping to a few clearly-defined goals.

Of course, to those he considers enemies, he can be vicious indeed. While strangely he's made it a rule to never involve families or other "innocents" in what he does, he has no qualms about ruthlessly killing those who he sees as standing in the way of his goals, no matter their age or gender. Or who otherwise do things that deeply annoy him. He doesn't go absurdly out of his way to avoid collateral damage, but it's not one of his base goals, either.

One driving factor in his actions seems to be a long-term effort to seek out those who made him what he is today. He had little information to start with, only knowledge of what they did, the fact it seemed well-funded, and...nothing else.

On the flip side, he seems unusually unwilling to harm Quincy who don't truly throw themselves in his way. In fact, he's been known to savagely attack those who target Quincy.

If he finds himself in a fight lasting more than a few moments (he favors "lightning raids" against most regular mortal enemies), he'll quickly move to use "witty banter" to distract his opponent, hoping to cause them to make a mistake.

Powers:

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Vizard Powers:
Physical Enhancements: *Undetermined* has had his strength and speed brought to the absolute peak of human potential, resulting in his ability to achieve feats that his size would deem impossible. Nonetheless, he cannot go to the extreme of tossing around cars as weapons; he generally can only lift a several hundred pounds, or sprint at 28 miles per hour.
His endurance, on the other hand, is truly superhuman. Whereas other humans can only sprint all-out for short distances, *Undetermined* has been observed to run all-out for up to half an hour before he needs to stop and rest. And his recovery time is incredible, needing only minutes to be in near-peak condition again (though a bit hungry).
His body is also supernaturally tough; human weaponry has trouble harming him. Anything below the level of explosive grenades or .50 caliber rifle rounds cannot harm him at all, and it takes anti-vehicle ordinance to truly harm him. Low-level spiritual attacks often have reduced affect as well.
Finally, his reflexes are almost off the charts; he's often been seen dodging bullets when fighting in closer quarters, and his incredible dexterity in combat makes him an unholy terror to fight.
Other Abilities: *Undetermined* has perfect night vision, able to see as easily in blackest night as he can in brightest day. As well, he seems to not mind sudden bright lights, either. Flashbangs and the like don't faze him. In this incredible vision is his inherent ability to see spiritual beings.
However, unlike many of his fellow Vizard, he does not have any ability to fire blasts of energy. Instead, he seems to rely on mundane weapons; considering his foes are also mundane, it balances out in the end. Mostly.

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Speed: *Undetermined* is capable of bursts of speed, due to a strange hybrid of Sonido and Hirenkyaku, resulting in a movement that might not have the full range of Sonido, but seems to have much finer control. It does not give off the typical *boom* of a Sonido; instead, it results in something of a "tearing" sound. The overall speed he can display is on par with lower-seated Shinigami with average proficiency, or of lower-powered Arrancar with average proficiency.
Energy Reserves: *Undetermined* draws his power from both within and without, due to his nature as a Vizard Quincy. His Hollow nature provides a constant inner source of strength, but he's able to always augment it with spiritual energy drawn from the world around him.
Energy Manipulation: *Undetermined* is not the foremost expert in energy manipulation, but neither is he totaly untalented. He is able to use his speed-boost ability, and has the ability to air-walk. As well, he's displayed a somewhat more unique ability to stick to solid surfaces via a similar principle.
Connected to this, he has decent skill with creating Quincy artifacts, though he's not a master craftsman as such. Unknown years of practice help.
Dimensional Pockets: Referred to by some as "hammerspace", *Undetermined* has the ability to attach several small dimensional pockets to the inside of any of his garments (almost always his jacket, though he's used the inside of his pants as a "joke" before). He can create a total of 10 of these pockets; each has enough space for a rocket launcher, or perhaps a small, tightly packed tent. Or a large stuffed monkey. Whatever he feels like. Typically they're used to carry his assorted weapons and "tools of the trade". He theorizes this ability is what took the place of greater physical enhancements, energy blasts, and other such things.
Quincy Bow: The iconic form of a Quincy's power. Whereas before his "change", his bow was indistinct, it now takes a very well-defined form, that of a high-tech compound bow. His range seems to be in the neighborhood of 500 feet with full accuracy; beyond that his accuracy takes a sharp dive. His arrows are sharp, and strike with power backed by incredible strength. He's able to form his bow in the space of about a second, though he rarely uses it (or most of his other truly extraordinary abilities) unless facing a "worthy foe".

Equipment:
Guns: *Undetermined* typically carries a couple pairs of pistols, a couple of submachine guns, an assault rifle, a shotgun, and a sniper rifle on his person.
Melee Weapons: *Undetermined* carries a couple of brass knuckles, a blackjack, an aluminum baseball bat, a sledgehammer, and a crowbar (his self-proclaimed "favorite of all time!").
Other tools: He always has a cell phone, as well as a scattering of hand tools, lock picks, and miscellaneous "junk" on his person. Sometimes he seems to have items solely for the purpose of playing a "joke" on someone.

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Seele Schneider: *Undetermined* has a Seele Schneider in the shape of a simple white kusarigama. It has a purely physical blade; however, the edge can be enhanced with a spirit energy blade as well. The "counterweight" can retract and attach to the handle, making it a simple kama. When fired as an arrow, the weight/chain can be fastened to his belt, and the main blade retracts, while the arrow that springs forth has a cruel hooked head. He seems to carry only one of these. Probably because the end is a-
Ginto: He carries five on his person; all are designed to act as counterweights on his "special weapon". All are designed to let all their stored spiritual energy out in an explosion of power that equals a level-30 hado. However, this explosion is indirect and uncontrolled.

Abilities:
Combat: *Undetermined* has a fluid, chaotic style of fighting that is difficult to predict. He switches between firearms, his fists, and various weapons with alarming frequency and randomness. All with fairly equal proficiency, though he seems to be best at using guns. His skill level is comparable to a well trained member of a modern military service, though not on par with true special forces of any kind.
Other: He can pick physical locks, he can smooth talk a fair number of people, and he can make intricate plans. He's not so good with computers or other bits of recent technology. He's not hopeless, but he's acknowledged he can never get being "basic" as a skill level. He's also a decent driver, though he typically has "his people" do that for him.

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Archery: His archery skills are on-par with his other fighting skills.

Allies:
Direct: He has a couple dozen loyal employees, including a personal assistant, a technology consultant, and a trusted physician. The rest are more "hands on" employees, though none are overly dumb or cruel. He prefers to run a tight ship.
Indirect: Much of the crime world.

[Sucrose]

Thank you for the translation, Drammor. Glad to hear that our characters might work together

KD, character seems pretty entertaining. Perhaps he could go by something like Cackling Storm, given his unpredictability and the hail of gunfire he tends to produce?

[KnightDisciple]

Cackling Storm? I think I like it...

[Ammutseba]

I was going to say that I liked that one, too. I think you should go with it.