[BitP:R] BleachitP: Reborn: OOC Thread 12

[ThreadOfFate]

"...I do not run the '5nd Division', I run the 5th."

*sound of embarrassed feet shuffling and nervous coughing*

Right, well that was fixed. As for relative comparisons, I honestly have no idea who or what to compare it to, but I can look around the board at other simimarly-powered characters. For position, I was hoping for Vice-Captain, but I'm certainly open to other ideas. Feel free to shoot me a PM.

TGVA: The entire incident is admittedly something I threw in for funsies. If you want me to clarify, I'd be more than happy to, and I'm sure we can come up with something that's both fitting and mysterious enough that we can refer to it as "the incident".

[KnightDisciple]

*Looks at Mortal World*

Uh...you guys do know that "Irish Cream" is alcohol, yes? If Tex is a "recent immigrant", how would he have acquired a taste for it?

And in Japan, you have to be 20 or over to buy alcohol anyways.

Maybe it seems like a "minor" thing, but it really threw me for a loop.

[Wahrheit]

*Looks at Mortal World*

Uh...you guys do know that "Irish Cream" is alcohol, yes? If Tex is a "recent immigrant", how would he have acquired a taste for it?

And in Japan, you have to be 20 or over to buy alcohol anyways.

Maybe it seems like a "minor" thing, but it really threw me for a loop.

Every coffee shop I've ever been in has Irish cream flavored syrup. It's rather good, especially in chai (tastes like liquid king cake). I'm so used to it that I didn't think about it.

[KnightDisciple]

Every coffee shop I've ever been in has Irish cream flavored syrup. It's rather good, especially in chai (tastes like liquid king cake).

You didn't order flavored syrup. You just ordered "Irish Cream". If you'd said it as "Irish Cream flavored syrup", or even "Irish Cream syrup", it wouldn't be a big deal. I'm just suggesting you add that to the post. Since without being prodded here in OOC, it looked like an underage kid was ordering and getting alcohol without being carded. That's bad for business.

[Callos_DeTerran]

*sound of embarrassed feet shuffling and nervous coughing*

Right, well that was fixed. As for relative comparisons, I honestly have no idea who or what to compare it to, but I can look around the board at other simimarly-powered characters. For position, I was hoping for Vice-Captain, but I'm certainly open to other ideas. Feel free to shoot me a PM.

It's nothing private or anything, just a few things the Vice-Captain should know like...

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• How nepotistic the 5th Division is, Minutea probably had to work extra hard to get that Vice Captain position.
• How much paperwork being VC of the 5th entails. There's lots of it. >.>
• That the captain is an old old man who is occasionally rather cranky because he's the oldest person in Seireitei and is sometimes prone to 'in my day' comments.

Like I said, nothing private or even particularly intensive, but some stuff you should know.

[Wahrheit]

You didn't order flavored syrup. You just ordered "Irish Cream". If you'd said it as "Irish Cream flavored syrup", or even "Irish Cream syrup", it wouldn't be a big deal. I'm just suggesting you add that to the post. Since without being prodded here in OOC, it looked like an underage kid was ordering and getting alcohol without being carded. That's bad for business.

Heh, I'll clarify for the sake of, well, clarity. That's how we order around here, though, since in order to get something like Bailey's in your coffee you'd need to either make it at home, or find some sort of specialty bar that serves coffee too. But it's no big deal. I'll just edit so Rex realized not everyone shares his colloquialisms.

Edit: it's been edited. Man, I'm having a lot of "shaped like itself" moments today...

[riccaru]

*Looks at Mortal World*

Uh...you guys do know that "Irish Cream" is alcohol, yes? If Tex is a "recent immigrant", how would he have acquired a taste for it?

And in Japan, you have to be 20 or over to buy alcohol anyways.

Maybe it seems like a "minor" thing, but it really threw me for a loop.

I thought that was Irish Coffee?

[KnightDisciple]

I thought that was Irish Coffee?

It can be added to coffee...

[ThreadOfFate]

It's nothing private or anything, just a few things the Vice-Captain should know like...

Stuff!

Okay, got it. I read over his profile, and they both share a passion for law and order, since Minuet was in 10th before coming to 5th. She was 3rd Seat there, indicating a fairly high level of skill, so I think that her eventually being put into Vice-Captain position would take some time but eventually be achieved, given the determination and ferocity with which she goes about her duties.

As for the old man comment, I think she'd humor him most of the time, and when he starts to ramble on about "in my day", she'd play the sound of a creaking rocking chair.

Paperwork is annoying, and she'd prefer field work to it, but she'd put up with it silently. You know, relatively speaking.

Though her hoho isn't exactly tip-top, she's working on it, due to her new position.

She's also cute, and he does seem to have a thing for that.

Also, on an unrelated note, it does taste like king cake.

[Moon Wolf]

Aah, Irish Cream. When I was in 4th grade, at my crazy aunt's birthday party, the cake was loaded with Irish cream, but I didn't know. I had a couple of slices and got drunk at age 9.

[KnightDisciple]

HOKAY, SO.

I know we've made at least slight progress, but things still feel hung-up. So I'm going to prod everything again.

Hueco Mundo: The Arena Fight is essentially over. I talked with Edge, and he's sent Steilos a PM. I think we can expect a "summary" post soon. I propose that we consider the fight over with, with Apolinar as the winner (since, while Garoux is good, I don't think he's quite that good). Thus, everyone can be returning to homes and such, and we can move plots forward. Yes, even those plots.

Mortal World: I know the scene at Val's house has to play out, and Berry hinted there was other stuff he wanted to do, but I ask that people do their best to wrap things up. I'd like to see us time-skipping by, at the absolute latest, Monday. I'd really prefer Saturday (currently Friday where I am), though.

Soul Society: This is dependent on the Episode 3 thread. Come on, wrap it up folks, so we can start the aftermath. Frozen, I propose we at least start having people go through portals. Yoshi is knocked out, so I can't really speed things along IC myself.

Edit:

Aah, Irish Cream. When I was in 4th grade, at my crazy aunt's birthday party, the cake was loaded with Irish cream, but I didn't know. I had a couple of slices and got drunk at age 9.

...Why didn't the alcohol bake off when she cooked the cake? o.0

[Moon Wolf]

Who says she added it while baking? She added it after baking. Or perhaps she added so much that it didn't fully bake off. Who knows? But I do know there was major alcohol in that cake.

[tgva8889]

TGVA: The entire incident is admittedly something I threw in for funsies. If you want me to clarify, I'd be more than happy to, and I'm sure we can come up with something that's both fitting and mysterious enough that we can refer to it as "the incident".

Alrighty, in that case, we can come up with something hilarious and extreme. It just so happens Taiki is probably the most black-and-white Captain in terms of actions, so there's only so much that could have you transferred but not, like, arrested in his opinion. At least off the top of my head. But I'm pretty sure we can work something out. Shoot me a PM with any ideas you come up with. It's not a vital point at the moment.

KD: I'm going to get one Kina post up, since she's not gonna get any help from Aki, I'm gonna go a different direction with her.

[nothingclever]

Mortal World: I know the scene at Val's house has to play out, and Berry hinted there was other stuff he wanted to do, but I ask that people do their best to wrap things up. I'd like to see us time-skipping by, at the absolute latest, Monday. I'd really prefer Saturday (currently Friday where I am), though.

I'm fine with time skipping whenever and I guess Kasanip is too since she asked about whether or not we should go to the next day in the IC thread. How far do we want to skip? I suppose we could even skip the next day of school completely and just have everyone heading over to the shrine since playing out inviting everyone over could be a hassle and the excuse given by the teachers for the premature ending of school the previous day isn't important.

[Prime32]

I'm fine with time skipping whenever and I guess Kasanip is too since she asked about whether or not we should go to the next day in the IC thread. How far do we want to skip? I suppose we could even skip the next day of school completely and just have everyone heading over to the shrine since playing out inviting everyone over could be a hassle and the excuse given by the teachers for the premature ending of school the previous day isn't important.

Makes sense.

[KnightDisciple]

I'm fine with time skipping whenever and I guess Kasanip is too since she asked about whether or not we should go to the next day in the IC thread. How far do we want to skip? I suppose we could even skip the next day of school completely and just have everyone heading over to the shrine since playing out inviting everyone over could be a hassle and the excuse given by the teachers for the premature ending of school the previous day isn't important.

I have neither seen nor heard a reason to not make the skip "the afternoon of the next day, after school". Nothing really important will happen during the day, and I'd really like to get Sayaka's plot moving.

[nothingclever]

I have neither seen nor heard a reason to not make the skip "the afternoon of the next day, after school". Nothing really important will happen during the day, and I'd really like to get Sayaka's plot moving.

Great. It's good to see we're on the same page.

[Frozen_Feet]

Officers in Ep. 2.5 can await a letter tomorrow. It will read thusly:

Dear all,

Please stop having fun.

Sincerely,

Yamamoto Sayuri

You've made Big Sis angry.

I'm off to write a post of the patrollers leaving MW, now. >.>

[Moon Wolf]

....

Damnation.

[Cyborg Mage]

Hey, Cyborg Mage, hopefully you're still reading this thread. ^_^; I updated your character to registry's first post, but there's still something I'd like to discuss about him.

His Bankai still has what amount to Time Stop in its description; while you've balanced it with him losing powers for a while, that's still a bit iffy for freeform where time is so fluid. As such, it ends up being one-time "I win" button, which tend to lead to rather binary fights where the outcome is clear from the start.

Since your character is amazingly fast already, I think it'd be better for the game and benefit the character more if you changed that ability to something else. There's no pressure, seeing that it's a future ability, so you can take your time with it. If you're struggling for ideas, I'm sure we can do something to help.

EDIT: Well, two times two point five is five, so....

Yeah, very long standing post here, sorry. I had an idea-extending supplementary blades from the steel-coloured lines on his body, but some other suggestions to go alongside this would we welcome. I really-really- intended the time stop to be the ultimate last resort. Just look at the specifics:

• It's one battle.

• I could take out at best about 10 enemies-and if the situation calls for this ability they will almost all have to be either fraccions or numeros.

• I'm out of action for several months.

• They might survive by going ressurecion or something else annoying like that.

I will probably take it out, just saying that it would be just for when all else-and I mean all else-fails.

[KnightDisciple]

Why does he need a Time Stop ability?

Seriously, even if it's only 99% stopped, he could just walk up to his opponent, stick his sword in their eye socket, and stir vigorously. Even Von Geister dies from that.

As well, talking about a gigai is pointless, since a Seated Officer would be recovering in Soul Society, which seems to at least ease, if not accelerate, the process.

Again. I've played a crazy-fast speedster. That, all by itself, is a really powerful ability.

Adding on some sort of "blades from the silver veins" thing seems much more in line.

What's the point of a "last resort" like this? I mean, who's to say we won't timeskip after a battle that would require such a move, giving him enough time to recover?

No, I'd say it's better to take it out and have that mean it doesn't exist.

I will probably take it out, just saying that it would be just for when all else-and I mean all else-fails.

That's actually worse, because then you'd be pulling out a powerful ability not on your character entry. Yes, the character entry is a "meta" thing, but it helps other players know what they're dealing with. Suddenly ganking someone with Time Stop when you don't have it on your sheet won't end well.

You mention "taking out 10 enemies". He just needs to do this near some of the Espada, and they're toast. Again: Insert sword, stir to desired thickness, repeat. Sorry if that's kind of gross, but you get the idea. If your enemy is completely frozen in time, you might as well make the attack utterly lethal by slicing off their heads and such.

I'm not trying to be mean, but any sort of time manipulation, no matter how many conditions are on it, just leads down bad roads.

[Frozen_Feet]

I think he meant that the ability would've been a last resort thing, but is taking it out nonetheless. ^_^;;;

Anyways, the ability as written is not really time manipulation - just moving really, really fast. But there's already super-speed in play (Shunpo, Sonido), and adding another form that utterly beats those is a bit redundant and I feel that level of speed detracts from the game.

Since there are already quite many weaponry-creating Zanpakuto, may I suggest an alterantive use for the lines? Maybe make it so that he can redirect any swordstrike that hits one of his tattoos to come out of another point in his tattoos, potentially giving an illusion a blow hit when it didn't or warping around a swordstrike against the original attacker?

[Wahrheit]

Just because Magatsu's a borderline sociopath doesn't mean he's stupid enough to stand up to an angry Big Sis.

[Kuroimaken]

Speaking of which, I'm trying to figure out a relatively good way for Soushi to counter that, being a prick ICly, but not OOCly.

I'm just not used to RPing that kind of thing, I guess.

[Frozen_Feet]

"Legendarily stuck up nature"?

[HirokatsuGoto]

Ok everyone, I have finished my character proposal.

Now, I know i aimed pretty high, (Captain of the 9th) and i really don't mean to step on any ones toes, but i wanted to do this right if i was going to do it. I would rather aim for what i want and can do than do anything half-a$$ed.

Another thing, I included in my history the organization of the 9th Division as a part of it as if my character was the Captain. But i will also send another post immediately afterwards including my full description of the 9th Division as well (per the way others had described their divisions)

Also, I know this is very long, and i apologize if you get bored or tired reading it

It is not complete, but it is pretty close

Again this is a proposal, so please do not think i am unwilling to change or work on things.

Here goes:

Goto Hirokatsu (family, given)
Gender:

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Male

Age:

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799

Height:

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5'10

Weight:

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165lbs.

Hair:

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Has dark black hair tied back in a kind of traditional short pony tail off the back of his head which goes upwards, with big long black eyebrows and a long moustache along with a slight curled and turned up chin beard. Grey hair has started to invade his temples and moustache and eyebrows.

Skin:

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Has skin which has been tanned quite dark before, though has faded over time to be somewhat less than tan due to his Shinigami duties keeping him indoors.

Eyes:

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Light blue and almost silvery in hue

Reiatsu:

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Dark black thick reiatsu which is heavier than normal for those in its presence

Rank:

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Currently applying for Captain or perhaps Vice Captain of the 9th Division

Appearance:

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It is impossible to describe the appearance of Hirokatsu Goto without describing the umbrella (Bangasa) he carries with him night and day. In reality, it is actually his sheath for his Zanpaktou, which is concealed in its central pole, of which he can draw it and still use the umbrella as a defensive weapon or simple umbrella. The umbrella has a black top to it with a white ring around its edge. What would normally be bamboo or another wood is some kind of brownish bone material, a simple black piece of cloth hangs from the bottom near the hilt on which a small skull sits.
As for the man himself, Hirokatsu is a well kept and rather traditional looking Japanese man. He is obviously slightly older than most Shinigami and his hints of graying hair at his temples further that ideal. He has relatively soft features and his eyes tend to be closed most of the time, which combined with his wearing of a simple black rimmed glasses provides for an awkward scene at times. He is not a tall man, nor a short one, neither too skinny nor overweight. He is a relatively average looking man which is something he has always prided himself on, having said that there have been many a young Shinigami female to have had their small crushes on Hirokatsu and his beautiful eyes over the years, none of which Hirokatsu has acted on (some even believing the reason Hirokatsu keeps his eyes mostly closed is because it is the one feature of him which calls attention to him).
He wears a rather traditional white captain’s haori cut slightly shorter in its length below the legs so that it rests above his knees. He is often found wearing it only over his shoulders, but will put his arms in his sleeves at times. His under “black” robes are simple in design though are cut very short in the sleeves, which when not wearing his haori reveals his extensive tattoos on his arms which are obvious to continue to cover his whole upper body. Depictions of beautiful women, beautiful flowers, exotic fruits, etc. adorn these tattoos as means to signify the concept of “vanitas” (the meaningless of earthly life and transient nature of worldly pleasures and vanity) which Hirokatsu finds a suitable reminder for his belief on the role of the Shinigami in Soul Society.
He is rarely seen in a rush to anything, which does not mean he is late, just that he is not seen moving quickly often. Out of doors, as said before, he carries his umbrella which he keeps open both day and night. He tends to hold the umbrella in such a way that it allows for either the umbrella itself or the shadow it creates to occlude his face when meeting and talking with most people, allowing for him to conceal his face and any stray emotions that could come out, as well using it as means to emphasize his words or glimpses of his eyes.
His voice is soft, though none have ever misheard him when he has spoken to them. His voice is rarely heard to change in its inflection as thus again he uses even the slightest change in his tone to resound louder in the ears of another than any scream or yell. When Hirokatsu’s voice is raised it is never something that can be denied nor forgotten or misinterpreted, though these instances have been quite rare.
He has been known to talk at length and his words filled with great wisdom, though most o f the time he will be found listening to those around him choosing only the fewest and most poignant words to get his point across or instill his agenda in others. A teacher at the Shinigami Academy many of the young trainees have come to dread Hirokatsu’s required class “Paperwork and the Art of Note taking” to which Hirokatsu has had to fail multiple young Shinigami due to them falling asleep.

Personality:

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Hirokatsu is an embodiment of familial duty and brings that characteristic to his duties in the Gotei 13. He values trust and loyalty over most any other thing and while laws can be changed, they are to be followed until that time. He demands respect and honor or his subordinates and will not often let even the smallest moment of disrespect go unpunished. He is very intelligent and spent time on Earth before he entered the Shinigami Academy, though much of it outside of Japan.
He did not join the Shinigami Academy until later in his life in the Soul Society per his familial duties, so was and is more aged than most of his peers in his Academy class. Through his familial, experience, and personal education Hirokatsu is a master tactician and leader and uses this in the non combat arena as much as the combat one, often working towards treaties and intelligence gathering operations.
His desire for organization, truth and accuracy led him to being promoted from the 1st Div. to the Cpt of the 9th Division where he reformed the division as a reconnaissance and intelligence bureau combining archiving, intelligence gathering, and communication to help better keep the Gotei and Cpt. Commander informed. As Captain he asks more paperwork from his subordinates than any other captain with relation to their duties for combat training. As head of the Goto family (not a noble house, but a respected one) he also carries much responsibility and care for his own family and their well being, to the point where he still travels to the family residence each month to deal with family business.
He is a wise and respected leader outside of his power and abilities and asks much of his subordinates morally and psychologically. He will always choose the betterment of the Gotei (and in a sense his family as well) over his own personal goals. He carries an air of calculation an calmness with him, not speaking much unless it is needed, and when that is called for he tends to be longwinded and direct, as he calculates every word he says rather deliberately.
He is not one to flaunt his power or use it for no reason, but is not against using it to get across his emotion (even pressing down shinigami with his spiritual pressure), however when he needs to use his power he tends to use it decisively and quickly. He also is not afraid to sacrifice his body or the bodies of others to achieve the goal at hand. In a way Hirokatsu considers the Gotei 13 and his own division as his most important and deadly power and ability, and honing it comes from much patience and communication. He is reluctant to be off-duty but in quite rare moments he is shown to be kind and sweet, while even exhibiting an almost boyish nature around some women in the rarest of circumstances. Also, Hirokatsu will never be found drinking or eating anything that did not come personally from his family’s homestead. A constant fear of poisoning or trickery has led Hirokatsu to be less than trusting when it comes to his personal well being, something which can at times seem hypocritical for someone who demands such trust from his subordinates and peers.

History:

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Life and Death on Earth:

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Hirokatsu knows little to nothing about his life and death on Earth, all he carried with him upon entering the Rukongai in Soul Society was the ability to sense another soul in his family when nearby in the Soul Society (as does all members of the Goto family), as well as a blurry memory of a woman with long black hair and a beautiful red kimono, whom he believes this to be a memory of his mother from his time on Earth.

Life in the Rukongai before entering the Shinigami Academy:

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Hirokatsu's life before entering the Shinigami Academy was a long and fruitful one, though not much different from any other in the Goto family. Once he was found by his family in the Rukongai after some wandering, he was brought to the Goto family residence where he met the members of his family, and as all new members he was evaluated by the elders to be placed in the line for becoming the Goto family resident in the Gotei 13). He was placed upon his entry into Soul Society at the very high place of 12th in line for succession (the Goto family having a strange dogmatic order to whom joins the Gotei from their family), meaning he exhibited a very high amount of spiritual energy potential. Due to his high spot in line, he was pressured by his family to be even more school and educated, Hirokatsu also pushed himself even more at this point putting a lot of pressure upon himself in his studies within the family, of which he rose to and succeeded admirably in each challenge.
By the time he attained 2nd in line for becoming a Shinigami Hirokatsu has spent 300+ years in the family and in Soul Society training, being educated, and gaining much respect within his family. Once he attained the 2nd in line status, he was then granted his family right to travel to the Earth realm for personal education, of which he spent 100 years traveling the Earth realm, primarily in the far West and beyond, however this personal time would be interrupted by a chain of events which would force him into his Shinigami service faster than he or his family would ever have desired. Hirokatsu had been in a Japanese shop holding a parasol umbrella in a far off Western land thinking and missing his family in the Rukongai, when he received an emergency distress and return immediately call per their family's communication device. As he did he felt that umbrella grow heavy and felt as if it begged to be not let go, the Goto family zanpaktou had transferred to that umbrella, though Hirokatsu did not know at the time.
What was told to Hirokatsu in that troubled and frantic time was that he was being called back in haste so as to be placed directly into the current Shinigami Academy academic class. This was extremely rare, since it meant that both the active member in the Gotei as well as the 1st in line would have passed away together, which was exactly what happened.
This was how Hirokatsu was to be brought back from his Earth journey, to a terrified and saddened Goto family, and an umbrella in his hand containing his family's zanpaktou. After being told what had happened, and given no time to mourn, a confused and devastated Hirokatsu was rushed to the Seretei and placed in a classroom in the Shinigami Academy no less than four hours from the time he was notified of his brother’s deaths halfway around the world.

Life at the Shinigami Academy:

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Upon his untimely and hasty arrival in the Seretei and the Shingami Academy, Hirokatsu was placed into an academic class halfway through its year.As his family trained their members to be focused on their work he had little time for friends, and was rarely seen at social events in his free time, instead traveling to his family's residence to begin the training with the family zanpaktou (even if his skill was limited) The one comfort Hirokatsu had was that in his coursework and training he excelled, due greatly to the preparation of the Goto family's training, but also due to Hirokatsu's will and drive to succeed and better himself. Not as advanced in Kido he struggled with this class, though was able to be called "a prodigal master of Bakudo #4 Crawling Rope", as his Kido instructor would profess. He received high marks in non combat, history, tactics, law, spiritual awareness, and even swordplay, when prompted. Due to his advanced skill and training midway through the second year of his class, he graduated, and following in the footsteps of the other members of the Goto family, he was placed as an unseated member of the 1st Div.

Life in 1st Division (unseated)

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After graduating into the 1st division, Hirokatsu was greeted by the Cpt Commander himself, briefed and given his assignments and duties, but his ease into the division was short-lived and almost immediately Hirokatsu was called away to his family in the Rukongai to help settle a family matter, after the Cpt Commander approved this visit Hirokatsu left and returned only one week later. What he returned to was upheaval and confusion. The Cpt Commander had disappeared and the Lt was also missing. With no leadership in the division to get normal duties done, Hirokatsu struggled to find his place in his duties staying unseated working as hard as he could do the duty of the 1st within the Gotei on missions that were initiated, mainly focused on organization and observation. During this time he met many of the shinigami in the Gotei 13, including his academy classmates. These introductions with the various captains and officers laid a groundwork for Hirokatsu's desire for information and leadership, observing them in various situations and using that knowledge to better grow himself and lead.Only once the new Cpt Commander (name here) was named was any semblance of order and properness to the position of Cpt Commander, the 1st division, the Gotei 13, and Soul Society in general. After (name here) took up the mantle of Cpt Commander he immediately named the 1st Lt (name here), a talented shinigami, but a shinigami from outside the 1st division. The hardworking and respected unseated Hirokatsu felt somewhat overlooked by this , but understood he would have to earn the respect of the new Cpt Commander despite his hard work to keep and run the 1st Division well even without a rank or title. While he felt slighted he still pushed forward with the new Cpt Commander and Lt. A pleasant surprise was that from the outset, Hirokatsu and the Cpt. Commander and Lt got along very well and worked very hard to bring order and efficiency to the Gotei 13. Learning a great deal in those early weeks with the new Cpt Commander and Lt, Hirokatsu progressed quickly and was proudly named 3rd Seat of 1st Division soon thereafter.

Promotion to 3rd Seat of 1st Division:

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After being promoted and his family praising him he began his work in the service of the Cpt Commander. During this time he also trained extensively with his Zanpaktou, privately, gaining Shikai and eventually Bankai though never using either of them in the presence of any other Shinigami. Through his work with the Cpt Commander and Lt as well as his constant work in the archives and reading and making reports for the 1st, Hirokatsu gained much knowledge about the Gotei and its organization and strengths, weaknesses, and needs during this time.

Promotion to Captain of the 9th Division

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While somewhat unexpected at the time of the appointment to 9th Cpt for Hirokatsu, the responsibilities and leadership was not unexpected or unwelcome. Hirokatsu had trained very hard within his inner world to achieve his zanpaktou powers, and perhaps even harder in his duties in the Gotei to achieve and mold his leadership qualities. He had known of the 9th Cpt seat vacancy for quite a while and had worked hard with the Cpt Commander to make sure the duties of that division were still being done. In many ways the 9th Division had much in common with the 1st division, paperwork. Hirokatsu had always enjoyed paperwork in his duties, he found it a great way to make sure the works of others were not unseen as well as remembered for the future. Hirokatsu felt very strongly that one of the worst things which could happen from the loss of shinigami in the line of duty was that no record of that bravery would be had. No matter the rank of the Shinigami, they all have their duty and those duties should be honored. Paperwork and reports were a means to connect and pay homage and respect to those actions of the rest of the Gotei.
While he is not very active in combat he is VERY active in the non-combat arena within the Seretei, educating his members to train the other members of the 9th Division. Also, Hirokatsu taught his members to be very studious and to continue to train their minds as well as their bodies, assigning many of them to teach minor course at the shinigami Academy as well as be private tutors for some trainees. Hirokatsu himself taught multiple classes, mostly on Information gathering, but one every three years he will teach a calligraphy course of which the enrollment is filled within minutes of its posting.
Hirokatsu continues to be a model Shinigami and Captain of the 9th Division, balancing his familial and Shinigami duties with at outwardly appearing ease. While outwardly few have negative things to say of Hirokatsu, some Shinigami fear Hirokatsu’s intelligence officers and seemingly endless amounts o f ears and eyes in the Seretei, which has led to Hirokatsu not being invited very often to social events and a general air of worry or suspicion when they are around him, this of course becomes a rather positive byproduct for Hirokatsu.

-History of the Goto Family-

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The Goto family is an old (from at least when a famous ancient Cpt Commander was young in his reign 1000's of years ago) and highly regarded and respected family in Soul Society whose family residence lies in the Rukongai's 15th district, and has had an active member in the Gotei 13 since its inception. They are not a noble or lesser noble house, though are highly regarded and respected by the noble houses, perhaps coming from their close affiliation with an ancient Cpt Commander, who would often use them for council during his reign. They are a family of military leaders and historians, and it is also believed that they are the passed on souls from a great family of generals on Earth. It is said that their family first originated from three brothers all arriving in Soul Society at the same time, implying they all died at once, how they died is unknown but it is passed down that they were all generals who were killed in a great battle.
The Goto family in general tends to keep to itself for the most part,it has very unique dogma associated with it (including it beingvery odd that there are no women in it) and only a handful outside the Goto family know much of it or them. They focus their time on their training and duty, but in its history they have helped when times were dire, providing security to help regain order in the Rukongai. They do not participate in the politics of the Rukongai districts very often, and have never had or looked for inter-family marriages, considering them frivolous as well as the elders even looking onto them as almost disrespectful to the women of the Goto family who have not met up with them in Soul Society as of yet, in a sense replacing them through marriage. There are many men in the family who have never spoken to a woman in Soul Society, and even some who have not seen any. While extremely rare, adoption into the Goto family has happened before, and it takes a unique individual to convince the elders of this honor.

Zanpaktou "Goto"

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Zanpaktou Spirit:

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The form of "Goto" is that of a human-like form wearing an impossibly black cloak which extends far behind like an watery shadow, which reaches out and darkens the area all around it. Underneath the cloak is a bright yellow-white light, which radiates out when and where the cloak is open, the face and body is often what is seen to radiate. Two small black slit eyes can be seen in the light. Goto first spoke with Hirokatsu in a very strong tone, though as Hirokatsu trained their conversations became calmer as Goto came to realize Hirokatsu was fulfilling his potential in power and mind. Also as they spoke more at length Hirokatsu came to learn he could communicate with the past members of the Goto family, using Goto as a conduit to speak through. Goto is much faster than it seems and has no constant solid form, begin able to collapse into the ground and then reform in other places. Goto strikes with its cloak which as often as it is pliable and soft, can be hard and sharp as well.

Inner World:

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The inner world is a bleak white place devoid of all color, a vast expanse with no hills or inclines. It is an infinite expanse allowing for no perception of distance travelled or time spent, only a high white sun against a white sky at the top of its path (like high noon) could be seen, though no matter how far travelled in the world the sun was still at the top of the sky. The only form in the expanse is Goto himself, whose voice can be heard at any point in the world. Early on Hirokatsu was not sure Goto had a form at all, but after much time spent in the inner world searching the seemingly empty place he came across Goto. Goto explained how he was always close form the first time he entered the inner world, but only after Hirokatsu accepted that the ends of finding Goto was not the point of the inner world, endeavor TO search was the point, and once this was apparent to Hirokatsu would Goto appear, who appeared by slowly closing his black cloak around the sun and floated down, the white sky being the inside of the cloak, this then revealed a black sky filled with stars offset against the white ground.

Sealed state physical appearance:

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More than any other characteristic, Hirokatsu's zanpaktuo "Goto" in its sealed formed, a traditional Japanese umbrella (Bangasa) is undeniably Hirokatsu's most identifiable trademark. Goto, which has been stated before is family Zanpaktuo and as such its spirit is passed down from one user to the next. Normally the 1st in line whom will take on the Goto zanapktuo spirit would have been training and would carry a simple metal katana while on him at all times, so that when the Goto zanapktuo spirit would pass on it would settle itself in the simple katana. In the case of Hirokatsu however, it was much different. As he was 2nd in line for the Gotei he was allowed the freedom of traveling to Earth, and thus when both Goto serving as Shinigami and the 1st line died together, the Goto spirit moved its way onto the next in line, Hirokatsu, and as Hirokatsu had no identifiable weapon on him it settled inside an umbrella in which Hirokatsu was handling. As the Goto spirit passed into that awkward form, it changed the appearance slightly of the umbrella before it became what it is today. While the umbrella is its primary look, and as such functions as an umbrella, the zanpaktuo blade is hidden in its hilt and is housed in the shaft of the umbrella. A small skull also would come to adorn the hilt of the umbrella whose eyes were black. The structure of the normally wooden umbrella also changed to a pale bone material. The paper top is black with a white edge, and while looking almost transparent and thin, it is extremely durable and has never been seen to chip or flake. In a sense the umbrella became the sheath for the Goto family spirit blade, which lay hidden in the hilt and shaft.
The shadow the umbrella put over those underneath it was unusually dark and would occlude even close onlookers from seeing Hirokatsu's eyes unless he would tilt the umbrella back for them to see them. As only a very few have ever been underneath his umbrella with him, it is rare knowledge to know of the voices heard while in its shade. Almost inaudible the words unable to discern, their sounds were eerie though seemed to never effect on Hirokatsu. The skull at the hilt of the umbrella, early in his life as a Shinigami primarily, would often speak with Hirokatsu, normally belligerent or making fun of him it was an audible laughing that usually was heard by others. Hirokatsu was always aware of this and would not hesitate to cover the mouth of the skull with his hand when it would speak out of turn or heckle at inappropriate times. As Hirokatsu became more in tune with Goto the skulls voice was rarely heard by Hirokatsu, and even less by others.
Early in Hirokatsu's life as a Shinigami, both in the Academy and once placed in the 1st Div. other Shinigami would poke fun at Hirokatsu for his non-traditional zanapktuo, going as far as calling him the "zanapktuo-less" Shinigami. This, while entirely untrue, only was heightened in its effectiveness to others as Hirokatsu did not draw his sword in front of others very often, and trained almost entirely in private. Despite this, Hirokatsu embraced his zanpaktuo's form and much of his fighting style and to some extent his own psyche were molded by its unique form. Hirokatsu always embraced the element of surprise, and the over confidence of others as a means of gaining a tactical advantage. What makes an opponent more over confident than a Shinigami with an umbrella and no katana? Especially one, whom moved slowly, wore glasses, enjoyed paperwork, and made little attempt to feel it necessary to "prove" himself on the battlefield?

Sealed state fighting style:

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As has been spoken of before, Hirokatsu rarely fights and only in the rarest of cases has he drawn his sword. But as has been discussed, his fighting style when in sealed form is one based on surprise, speed, and effectiveness. When in its closed form, Hirokatsu uses his umbrella like a wooden practice katana (Bokken), and was often seen in his barracks practicing sword techniques with his umbrella closed. When he would have his umbrella open, he would tend to use it more like a shield, using its large surface area to block and deflect attacks. On the very rare occasions where he would draw his sword from the umbrella's hilt, Hirokatsu would fight in a very light and almost acrobatic way, using his umbrella as a balancing tool at times giving him the ability to strike from odd angles. A two-handed fighting style, whether opened or closed his sheath umbrella would be in his left hand and was used for parrying and blocking, while his long slender double sided sword (whose tip was flat). a signature move Hirokatsu perfected was when he would use the drawing motion of the umbrella opening up in front of the opponent as a screen for pulling out the blade in the hilt, which Hirokatsu would use to strike with before the opponent knew he had drawn his blade. Hriokatsu used his vast spiritual pressure as a means to strike with precision and speed, a second connecting strike from Hirokatsu to an opponent was perhaps more rare than even seeing his shikai form. When Hirokatsu connected in his sealed form, he only did so to end battles and as such he spent much of his time perfecting routines for just such of strikes.

Sealed state special ability:

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Other than being extremely durable as an umbrella, Goto also made the umbrella serve another purpose for Hirokatsu. As many would know, Hirokatsu, whether in daytime or night time would keep his umbrella over his head, many believe that this was a curious quirk of Hirokatsu, but in fact he did this for a very important reason. As Hirokatsu became stronger and more connected with his zanpaktuo he found that his spiritual pressure grew exponentially. He found that he felt this spiritual pressure on him at all times, almost like a weight he could not free himself from. This pressure was not limited to him however, and he found that when his umbrella was open it would not affect others in an area unless he willed it. Out of compassion for others around him he took the spiritual pressure Goto funneled onto him everywhere he went, and much of Hirokatsu's speed can be linked directly to this almost constant "training" he endured, this weight the umbrella kept funneled on him he used, just as he used all his other powers, often as a surprise. It was no small weight for Hirokatsu to bear and his slow movements in much of his duties are directly linked to this weight. And when he would relieve himself of this spiritual weight, he and all others would often be at a loss for the high speed he could attain as well as the massive spiritual pressure he could exhibit out of practically nowhere, this element of surprise as well as its combat effectiveness in general was something he rarely exhibited yet was always aware of. While many poked fun of Hirokatsu and doubted his strength because "how could someone who was afraid of the sun" be strong in any way, Hirokatsu, as always relished in his ability to gain the upper hand through using tactics unique to his abilities.

General Skills:

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Zanjutsu:

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As a Captain of the Gotei 13, Hirokatsu’s prowess with the sword is at a high level. He is not the best swordsman, and tends to use his other skills or talents/tricks to diminish this inferiority on the battlefield. He will often fight two handed with his sword in his right hand and his open or closed umbrella in his left to deflect or block. He tends to look for small effective strikes with his sword rather than brute strength, which Hirokatsu is definitely lacking in.

Zanjutsu special attack:

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“Eliminating an enemy in one strike”
A seemingly simple maneuver, but taking years of practice and concentration to master, this attack is one which combines physical skill with spiritual pressure manipulation to provide a highly accurate strike from the wielder. Normally done in a piercing motion (but can also be done in a slash), this attack uses the concentrated spiritual energy of the wielder to help find the truest spot so as to bring down an adversary with one strike to their most vulnerable area. The spiritual energy acting as a guiding and stabilizing force through the victim as it finds its mark. This was used by Hirokatsu against a leach-like Hollow who had possessed a Shinigami in their soul, in order to free her from its grasp by striking within the Shinigami’s soul directly at the Hollow inside.

Hakuda:

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Hirokatsu has minor skill with hand to hand combat, and only his high spiritual power tends to enhance his skill hand to hand. While being unarmed he is of little combat use outside of his kido talents, he is rarely found unarmed and his skill with his closed umbrella as a cane or stick weapon he is extremely expert with.

Hoho:

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For all his limitations in other abilities, speed is not one of Hirokatsu’s. Though it would be tough to believe due to the slowness with which Hirokatsu walks and moves in general, Hirokatsu is perhaps the fastest Shinigami in the Gotei, eclipsed possibly only by a select few, though it is hard to tell at such a high level. His shunpo does not leave even a blur when he moves with it, dust remains unmoved he is so fast, being able to surprise and strike those even at a heightened state of awareness during battle. In his own Captain exam before becoming Captain, he was been seen to move in between the pauses in his own words, in a sense allowing him to be talking on one place and visible in another. There also is some link between his speed and his spiritual pressure and umbrella/zanpaktou, but has yet to be revealed fully to this point.

Kido:

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Hirokatsu’s skill with Kido has always been something he strived to better himself at, though through all his past and continued hard work at it he struggles to this day. Still a master of “Crawling Rope” as he was in the academy, he is far from a master at all but the most basic Kido techniques. He has the knowledge and spiritual pressure to perform all the highest Kido spells, and has actually performed them all at one point or another, but he lacks consistency with his incantations and power levels. It is a sore subject for Hirokatsu and one he tries his hardest to rise above, going as far as requesting private lessons from the Kido Corps to help him. At current however, he has only achieved a modest control for someone of his rank.

Reiryoku:

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While Hirokatsu often gives off a demeanor of frailty or gentleness, being a Captain his spiritual power is vast and painfully heavy at times. Hirokatsu has exhibited massive amounts of spiritual power/reiatsu at various times and has shown remarkable control of it and perhaps an even greater showing of an acute sensitivity for it. He often manifests it in the form of spiritual pressure (often so thick to be seen) raining down on the shoulders and heads of those he wishes to punish, pushing them down with more and more force. He has used this as means of punishment for disrespectful Shinigami, yet he also will often use his spiritual pressure to emphasize his words as he speaks them through slight additions of spiritual pressure to his lungs or vocal cords. A link between his spiritual pressure capabilities and his umbrella/zanpaktuo is yet to be revealed except to a very few close to him. His control of this spiritual pressure also is remarkable as well, showing the ability to adjust this expression of his reiatsu at will, while either making it large or vanishing immediately or slowing increasing it or decreasing it. He even once used this control and power to put out the flames of a Division barracks fire by walking into the flames and then pressing down with his spiritual pressure so much on the air in the area to remove the oxygen from the environment thus squelching the flames. He has also shown and extraordinary ability to sense spiritual pressure as well identify individuals and slight changes in it across vast regions regardless of power of the individual he is tracking. He has often commented on being able to sense even the lowest ranking Shinigami’s comings and goings within the Seretei. He spends much of his time engaging in practice in this activity, standing at his barracks window reaching out to feel the happenings in the Seretei. It could very well be the truth that Hirokatsu has the highest degree of spiritual awareness and control in the Gotei 13. That he uses this great control and awareness in combat instead using it for speed and sensitivity is one of the great curiosities of his character to many Shinigami who have seen his power at its fullest.

Shikai:

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Command"

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“Bring forth the aid of the heavens…Goto!!”

Shikai state physical appearance:

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After the command phrase is said, a flash of heavy black reiatsu comes crashing down over Hirokatsu enveloping him with a deep boom for a short time then the darkness would dissipate slowly to reveal Hirokatsu and the new form his Zanpaktou has taken.

“Heavenly Protection”
Swirling black reiatsu will remain for a few moments longer around his left forearm where his umbrella “sheath” once was held; instead a shield of bone is now seen. In the center, a large flat skull extending from wrist to elbow sits. Protruding equally around its edge is a 1ft long bone with a small skull at the end of it. The brownish colored bones are somewhat gnarled and uneven though do not look brittle, the deep black eyes and mouths of the skulls seem endlessly deep.

“Heavenly Redemption”
Swirling reiatsu swirls around his right hand and dissipates to reveal the new form of his blade. Held backwards normally (blade against his forearm), the Goto Zanpaktou has changed from a long and slender flat ended sword into a very short, flat ended, wide blade extending just past his elbow in length. About 6 inches in width, yet extremely thin, it look like a rectangle sharpened on all four sides as it sits in its handle/grip. A rather unnerving look it likens itself more to a meat cleaver than a traditional sword. The handle/grip are bone just like the bones on the shield on his left forearm, a small skull adorns the hilt the total length of the grip being around 1ft, which is only marginally shorter than the blade itself.

Shikai state fighting style:

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Based on the Okinawa Kobudo weapon, “Tinbe-Rochin” or (small shield and slashing spear), the fighting style Hirokatsu employs while in this form is one based on speed, endurance, agility. Small, fast strikes, combined with deflecting and quick counter attacks is the means by which Hirokatsu fights most of his battles. Striking appendages, as well as the neck and other vital areas with small cuts is Hirokatsu’s normal style as it suits the unique power of his Zanpaktou. He uses his speed to stay away from large foes; he uses his endurance and shield to absorb and deflect attacks, and then uses his quickness to make quick strikes in vital places.
While this is his main fighting style, Hirokatsu will employ a more traditional fighting style if the situation dictates. He rarely trains his division members in his Shikai (or Bankai) form, though when a student has shown the need for that type of training he will oblige. It is rare for Hirokatsu to even go into his Shikai state let alone use it.
Also of not is that Hirokatsu tends not to wear his Captains Haori when in Shikai, removing it before hand, usually folding it neatly and handing it to a subordinate to keep safe. Though he has been seen to remove it quickly as a means to conceal his movement or surprise his opponent. As was stated earlier, his under Shinigami robe sleeves are cut very short towards the shoulder, which only furthers his flexibility in his fighting style in Shikai.

Shikai state special ability:

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Hirokatsu’s Shikai ability is one of uniqueness in the archives of zanpaktou powers in the Gotei. His zanapktou is “family” based when he talks of it to the few who would be allowed to hear of it, but the matter of truth to it is that his zanapktou is a “time” based zanpaktuo, and the Shikai ability it exudes reflects that.
When the zanpaktuo strikes a foe the first strike is nothing but just that, a first strike of whatever strength however minimal. However, each subsequent strike after that is where the true power of the Goto zanpaktou exists. As the 2nd strike connects, it connects just as the first strike did, at whatever strength large or small on the foe. However, as the 2nd strike connects, the 1st strike will re-strike the foe without Hirokatsu having to do so physically, a simple one inch deep cut to an arm for the first strike becomes a two inch deep cut on the second hit, etc etc. The 3rd strike much the same, except when it strikes both the 1st and the 2nd strike will re-strike the foe. This continues with each subsequent strike until the foe is vanquished or retreats beyond the reach of Hirokatsu’s spiritual power. In essence each strike no matter how small can become deadly. Hirokatsu needs only make any strike to recreate earlier strikes. This power is one which allows its foe to see the pain of their actions, to see the consequences before they continue. The enemy must constantly be reevaluating their course of action, do they choose life by retreating or continue and to almost certain death and dismemberment. Hirokatsu has trained to endure a long battle, his shield on his left arm can allow for even more protection, he has the agility and speed to make small cuts, and as such has learned for himself that he can endure the pain of watching someone kill them self through their own course of action. It is a rather painful and brutal Zanpaktou, one that uses the power of the “family” to basically allow him to recreate his own history on a foe as long as the present continues its course of action.
For example:
Hirokatsu sees an Arrancar, and makes a quick 1inch cut to his neck, only a scratch for the beefy Arrancar who recognized it was no killing blow and thus believed his opponent weak. Then as Hirokatsu’s next strike is deflected to only nick the upper leg of the Arrancar, the 1st strike re strikes on the same spot as before, that 1 inch cut now being two inches deep. Grasping his neck he thinks Hirokatsu having tricked him, and attacks wildly. Hirokatsu takes the brunt of the attack on his shield, and stabs up through his shield only striking very lightly on the forearm of the Arrancar. In a burst of blood from his neck, the 2 inch cut is now 3 inches and his upper leg wound has now deepened. Slowly figuring out what is happening the Arrancar now has a choice, continue and let his 8 inch thick neck and thus head be cut off in only 5 more weak strikes, or retreat and rethink his actions as hollow. “Cleansing” a soul takes on an additional meaning with Hirokatsu’s zanpaktuo power, one of redemption. Destroying the Arrancar is a necessary end if the foe is unwilling to reconsider its choices and cleanse itself. For as brutal as this power is and can be, it is also perhaps the most compassionate and fair power to its foe.

Bankai:

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Bankai state physical appearance:

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After saying calmly the word “Bankai”, Hirokatsu and the entire surrounding area would be rained down on by black thick reiatsu. Hirokatsu the epicenter would be occluded from view for a long time while the area is blasted with the reiatsu. As the Reiatsu would dissipate so would the spectacular and impressive scene in front of those near. Hirokatsu would stand at the base of what might at first look like a large tree, but as you would pan your head up, you would realize it is no tree but a large bone umbrella. Much like the umbrella on his arm, which had disappeared, it except monumental in size towering hundreds of feet in the air. The skull face looking down below and the long bones protruding from it would cast a large and extremely dark shadow on those underneath it.
Standing at its base would be a bare-chested Hirokatsu (the upper part of his black robes pulled down to drape over his legs) and where once the short flat blade had been was in his right hand, now a large 8ft tall bone like sword which Hirokatsu would hold over his shoulder behind his neck. The bone resembled a long human femur bone but was extremely large and more brownish in color.

Bankai state fighting style:

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In the rarest of occasions Hirokatsu will use his Bankai, and as rare as it is for him to use this power it is equally as rare a site to see him fight in such a way that is demands of him. The fighting style is again based off of an Okinawa Kobudo weapon, the “Eku” or (large canoe-like paddle), however he has adapted it somewhat to allow him to use the large bone as a large sword at times. Under the canopy above him Hirokatsu still uses his enhancements to speed, agility, and endurance, but in this final form for him he also embraces the strength increase instead of only favoring the other enhancements.
While in this form he makes large slashes with the large bone sword, fighting with two hands on the large bone sword for many of his attacks. When Hirokatsu lands these blows again his Bankai power special ability its effects are devastating to his foe. The large bone sword is not a sharp implement, it is gnarled and bumpy, and any blood shed from a landing blow comes forth because of blunt force trauma instead of a fine cut.
Once again, Hirokatsu tries for the minimal amounts of strikes to bring the enemy to their end. In this form however, it is much more of a brutal endeavor and implement. The power of the canopy over head and the power of the large bone sword in his hands bring forth a unique end to those who would see it come to them, one that would instill pain and fear into the foe of which would remind them of the pain they had inflicted and thus brought upon themselves at their final end.

Bankai state special ability:

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“Heavenly Shelter”
The large bone canopy overhead creates a dark shadow on those underneath. What they are not immediately aware of is the effect and power that is placed on them when they are in its shadow. When under the shadow of the large Goto canopy you basically are then brought into a temporal stasis, a space which exists as an extension of the Goto family ancestry. And those caught in the temporal stasis are affected more and more as time elapses. The way this power manifests itself is in the slowing down of time for those caught in its grasp. A member of the Goto family (Hirokatsu), can move freely in this family space, however for any other person or foe time will slowly grind to a halt. As each second ticks the effects get more and more pronounced. After 15 seconds time will have slowed to a pace where time is already halved for those underneath. At 30 seconds ¼ the speed of time will be felt. After 45 seconds 1/8th, and so on. While moving at shunpo or any other Hoho like movement, the opponent can try to counter this time reduction on them, but since Hirokatsu is not affected by the time, his speed will seem to appear to increase drastically.
Hirokatsu learned that we realize the passing of time by observation of the world around us, and while in this area he could control himself and his actions so as to dictate the opponent’s sense of time and thus his actions within it. Therefore, a tactic Hirokatsu has come to learn is that when he goes into Bankai, he at first purposely slows himself down, his movements and his speech, so that those ensnared do not realize they are caught until it is too late, only then will he reveal what has happened. Usually, a foe does not realize they are ensnared to the point where they are past the possibility of escape until after they have realized they are in the trap.
To make things worse, the canopy itself will uproot itself from the ground to center itself around Hirokatsu once again if Hirokatsu leaves the shadow. It is not an instantaneous move, but the canopy is not a stationary object as it is centered on Hirokatsu himself.

Bankai state special ability:

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“Heavenly Deliverance”
While the canopy above slows down the passage of time for those underneath it, it does so for a reason. The reason being the punishment and deliverance of those caught within its grasp. This is achieved by the power given to the long bone sword itself and much like the Shikai version of Goto; it has an innate power within it that activates on a strike to an opponent.
When the large bone sword strikes a foe on its body, the closest unbroken bone to the impact of the strike will immediately shatter and render it useless. A devastating ability and one which, much like the Shikai ability of Goto is equally painful and horrifying to observe, as well as not usually fatal in and of itself. Again, even at the Goto zanpaktou’s final power level a sense of choice is still given to the opponent. Do you continue on in this dark shadow where time will stop and your bones will be crushed one by one until you are nothing? Or do you reconsider your path, and try to use your continually lessening time to escape its grasp to perhaps redeem yourself?
What is often forgotten in these choices for the opponent is the role of Hirokatsu. Will he “allow” you to leave? Will he give you the chance for your own redemption? Have you convinced him you “can” change? Do you value your cause and thus you life enough to throw them away and strive against such a horrifying result and consequence? Hirokatsu in a sense becomes a judge to decide how to serve out his zanpaktou’s form of redemption and deliverance.

Bankai state special ability: (NOT YET MASTERED)

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"Heavenly Guidance"
The final and ultimate power in which the Goto Zanpaktou can exhibit is one of awe inspiring power and a quite definitive materialization of the true power of the Goto Zanpaktou. When enacting this power (something that cannot be done more than once a week even when mastering), Hirokatsu can call forth the materialization of an ancestor in the Goto family to fight with them. This can come in the form of allowing Hirokatsu to use their Shikai or Bankai power briefly, or it can manifest in the ancestor themselves appearing briefly to aid Hirokatsu. Only a matter of minutes can they exist, and it takes practically all of Hirokatsu’s spiritual pressure to call them forth, after which he would struggle to stand up let alone continue a fight. In Hirokatsu’s inner world he communicates with his ancestors, and through more training in that inner world he can meet new ancestors of which can potentially help him, be it with knowledge, or with their might.

[HirokatsuGoto]

and here is my idea for the 9th Division...

again no disrespect intended...i just like to do this stuff

Aaron


9th Division

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9th Division (Reconnaissance and Information)

About the Division:

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Much of the duties, of the 9th are in reconnaissance, intelligence

gathering and information dissemination and under the Captain Hirokatsu

spiritual power was often the least important quality for officer status

and 9th division membership in general. Most of the division are

typical intelligence gatherers and disseminators, and all are able to do

any of the specialties to some degree, but mostly they are the eyes,

ears, and note takers of the Gotei 13.
There are many other specialties in the 9th division, and usually these

specialties change somewhat depending on the membership. Some of these

specialties are: librarians for information organization, information

tech advisors who would help design and implement 12th division research

focused on 9th division duties, varying types of communication experts

like the reporters , town criers, and calligraphers.
The 9th Division also has a small department for counter intelligence

and clandestine operations, each member in this specialty also was a

member of the general information gathering populace but also would

cross train with the 2nd Division extensively, these specialties within

the counter intelligence section are: courtesans (those who would

procure information by use of their beauty or physique (male and

female), interrogation experts (psychological and brute strength),

internal information validation experts (who would often do intelligence

on other members in the 9th to make sure they were on task an truthful),

and the Gigai and look-a-like specialists (those who specialized in

disguise and patience...one such example being a special Gigai made to

look like and old woman, as well as special Gigai made to look like

inanimate objects which a Shinigami would “wear” and stay hidden in

plain sight to gather information).
Other specialties existed though are often subject to a Shinigami's

unique abilities or are deemed too classified for someone to be

permanently assigned to it (such as the use of moles in other

races/factions, as well as within the Gotei or Rukongai itself).
While all the Shinigami in the 9th division had unique jobs, one

constant Hirokatsu instituted was in their dress, he wanted to give off

an air of superiority by OTHER Shinigami over the 9th division, he had

them wear glasses, and wear the standard Shinigami uniform (unless their

duties called for it). They were ordered to keep a low profile and to

always try to blend in and make friends with as many people as possible,

though to also record this in high detail. Uniqueness in dress or

appearance is frowned upon by Hirokatsu, so elaborate clothing,

hairstyles, and even makeup for the female shinigami was not something

Hirokatsu looks highly on outside indivisual mission necessities.

Hirokatsu liked making the other divisions and other races feels as if

he commanded powerless Shinigami, he used their assumed air of

superiority over the 9th to garner truth out of them by allowing them to

be overconfident in his divisions presence and thus would forget their

presence.
Hirokatsu internally bolstered the 9th Div by entrusting and empowering

them with these duties, they knew that while their swords may not be

strong enough to bring down someone, but their collected words and eyes

were well suited to do the same. The 9th Division came to live by the

mottos “there is no such thing as useless information” and "the pen is

mightier than the sword" under Hirokatsu's leadership, empowering even

the lowest and newest member of the division with power and

responsibility beyond just their own actions and not by merely their

blades.
Being a member of the 9th Division means constant work, reporting,

watching, as well as standard Shinigami training. Hirokatsu values trust

over all else in the 9th Division, and depending on whether you had

earned and exhibited that trust in Hirokatsu's eyes often leads to the

assignments you are given. Very rarely do any members of the 9th

Division know what the others were doing or why. Hirokatsu does this on

purpose, as he wanted to protect his members from being overwhelmed by

others work, as well he felt it would tarnish the quality of the

information they provided if they were given other information to taint

it or make it bias. At times, even the Lt would only know of small parts

of what is going on in Hirokatsu's plans. Hirokatsu even assigns members

to purposely befriend important intelligence targets with a specific end

desired, like having a 9th Division member befriend a suspected

Shinigami in a way that made them look like a fool to take advantage of,

or like a drinking buddy, womanizer, geek, or even double agent/counter

intelligence status by acting as a blabbermouth of supposedly important

information to test their loyalty or get the needed information.
This last technique was also one of Hirokatsu's trademark and most

secret tests for new and old Shinigami for acceptance as well as

promotion. He would often fabricate unique and false information, and to

test the honesty and trust of a Shinigami, he would have another member

tell that false information to the tested Shinigami, then he would wait,

and set up a predetermined event which would call for either the tested

member to keep the information secret or give it up. If they did not

pass, they were not scolded, instead they were transferred to another

division with no reprimand, they were not to know they were wrong, only

that they were needed elsewhere in the Gotei. Not all Shinigami or

souls in general possess the trustworthy nature and needs of the 9th

Division under Hirokatsu, but that does not make them bad Shinigami just

not ones to be trusted in the 9th under Hirokatsu. This test was done as

a final test of the character of a shinigami in the 9th Division, and

after each member who passed it became a member, each of them were

required to help in future tests. That all the members knew this test

was taken by all of them, they all had respect for each other, yet also

always knew they had to be honest and trustworthy since they could be

subject of another test at any time. Evidence of the effectiveness of

these tests is the fact that the secret of this testing has never been

revealed or known by others outside the 9th Division.

Division Size:

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The 9th Division is one of the largest divisions in the Gotei 13, though

its presence on the battlefield is sparse at best, and while it is so

large it possibly contains the weakest Shinigami in the whole of the

Gotei. Its exact size has fluctuated over the years and at present its

numbers are over 1000 members, whom carry out a variety of roles. The

division is split into many sub-divisions each specializing in a unique

duty.

Organizational Structure of the 9th Division:

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The 9th Division’s hierarchy of power is different than most divisions

in the Gotei, whiel the Captain and Vice Captain are indeed the two

highest ranking and powerful positions, below that Officer seating is

based on divisional duties and the ability to carry out those duties and

manage those under them. The most important subdivisions of the 9th are

higher seated positions, as they are in need of the most expert

Shinigami for those duties, not necessarily the most powerful. It is

quite often that a more combat gifted Shinigami may be a low seat or

even unseated in the 9th Division if they are not capable of fulfilling

the duties of their subdivision. This is exceedingly rare, as either the

Captain or the member themselves ask for a transfer of them to a more

suitable division for their talents.
Another unique characteristic of the 9th’s organization is that

each subdivision has its own version of the Captain, Vice Captain

relationship. The “Sergeant” (the higher seat) and “Corporal” (lower

seat) run their subdivision reporting only to the Vice Captain and the

Captain of the 9th. And just as a Captain is allowed to choose their

Vice Captain, so too does the “Sergeant” of each subdivision as they are

allowed to pick their own “Corporal”, of which only the Captain has to

approve of. Hirokatsu, believing a key component of being a good leader

is the ability to identify the talents of the others around them,

therefore allowing his subordinates to have some control over their own

subordinates not only strengthens the Shinigami and the subdivisions

relationships, but also is a good measuring stick to evaluate the

“Sergeant” seated personnel.

(Numbers are approximates beyond of Seated positions)

Administration and Command:
Duties include: organization and management of the subdivisions,

administrative responsibility outside of the division, training

subordinates, combat training, mission planning and implementation

• Captain (1)
• Vice Captain (1)

General Reconnaissance and Information Gathering:
Duties include: day to day information gathering and reconnaissance

needs, general combat and non-combat training

• Sergeant - 3rd Seat (1)
• Corporal - 10th Seat (1)
• Unseated- (600)




Counter Intelligence:
The small counter intelligence subdivision of the 9th Division is

further subdivided into specialties among the unseated members in the

division, each still reporting an managed by the 4th and 11th Seat, but

unique skills and training or duties are unique to their specialty.

• Sergeant - 4th Seat (1)
• Corporal - 11th Seat (1)
• Unseated – (120)
Misinformation (40)
Duties include: Data hacking, propaganda, forgery, combat and non-combat

training

Interrogation (15)
Duties include: Physical and Psychological interrogation techniques, lie

detection, hand to hand combat training, combat and non-combat training

Courtesans (15)
Duties include: Beauty and grooming, etiquette, physique training,

minimal disguise, local and exotic cultural and history education, hand

to hand combat training, combat and non-combat training

Disguise (25)
Duties include: Disguise, subterfuge, camouflage, training with the 2nd

division, long term survival training, endurance training, voice

mimicry, acting, etiquette, local and exotic cultural and history

education, hand to hand combat training, combat and non-combat training

Internal Affairs (25)
Duties include: internal information validation, lie detection, combat

and non-combat training, hand to hand combat training,

Long Term Reconnaissance and Information Gathering:
Duties include: Long term mission information gathering and

reconnaissance, survival training, general non-combat and combat

training, local and exotic cultural and history education

• Sergeant - 5th Seat (1)
• Corporal - 12th Seat (1)
• Unseated – (50)






Information Management (Librarians and Archivists):
Duties include: librarianship, organization, data workflow management,

archive protection, combat and non-combat training

• Sergeant - 6th Seat (1)
• Corporal - 13th Seat (1)
• Unseated – (25)

Information Technology (IT Engineers, Data Managers, R+D,

Encryption Experts):
Duties include: Information software development, data encryption,

information help desk services to other divisions, training and

cooperative work with the 12th div., combat and non-combat training

• Sergeant - 7th Seat (1)
• Corporal - 14th Seat (1)
• Unseated – (25)

Information Dissemination (Journalists, Writers, Reporters,

Calligraphers):
Duties include: Newspaper, Television reporting, calligraphy, etiquette,

voice training, acting, writing, combat and non-combat training

• Sergeant - 8th Seat (1)
• Corporal - 15th Seat (1)
• Unseated – (30)

Information editing (Scribes, Copy Editors, Writing Analysis):
Duties include: Making multiple accurate copies of all reports so they

can be given to whom needs them and archived as needed, handwriting

analysis, minimal combat and non-combat training

• Sergeant - 9th Seat (1)
• Corporal - 16th Seat (1)
• Unseated – (150)

Flower:

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Azalea: meaning “patience”

Motto:

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“The pen is mightier than the sword” as well as “There is no such thing

as useless information”

Necessary Skills:

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The 9th Division will take practically any Shinigami they can get,

regardless of their spiritual power. There is always a need for another

set of eyes and ears or hands in the Gotei, and those are especially

needed in the 9th. This has led to them having a reputation of

seemingly having few requirements or skill to join, but once entering

the division it becomes quickly evident that you must be a special type

of Shinigami to excel in the 9th Division and its standards are indeed

quite high, even if they are relatively weak in spiritual pressure.

Many new members find out that once they enter the 9th Division that

there are many avenues to go once inside it and accepted. It can be a

very rewarding division to be in for those Shinigami whom do not have

much spiritual power.
Characteristics for Shinigami in the 9th tend to be those

abilities which emphasize observation, guile, high work ethic, cunning,

book smarts as well as thinking on your feet, creativity, organization,

but most of all trustworthiness.

Promotion:

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Promotion in the 9th Division is a tricky thing, there are multiple ways

to be promoted, but random tests are given by members at the order of

the Captain and Vice Captain to continually test the skill and aptitude

of the 9th Division. These tests are secret and often entirely based on

fabricated information and how each member deals with these tests goes a

long way into how they will advance in the 9th Division.
Those whom wish to advance quickly in the 9th Division are those

members who can cope with a high degree of work, concentration, and

going above and beyond the call of duty. Working extra hard, or doing

things on your free time to help the 9th Division are always bonuses in

the Captain and Vice Captain’s eyes. Combat training is something which

the 9th Division finds is best suited for private training instead of

mass training, and as such the 9th division gives ample time for that

training, those members who wish to advance to the highest rank tend to

be those who never let their sub-divisional duties slack for personal

combat training or personal adventure or pride seeking.

Previous Captains:

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• N/A
• N/A
• N/A

Current Ranks:

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Captain:
Vice Captain:

Seated Officers:
3rd Seat:
4th Seat:
5th Seat:
6th Seat:
7th Seat:
8th Seat:
9th Seat:
10th Seat:
11th Seat:
12th Seat:
13th Seat:
14th Seat:
15th Seat:
16th Seat:
17th Seat:
18th Seat:

Unseated Members:
Unseated:
Unseated:
Unseated:
Unseated:

[Draken]

That is a lot of spoilers.

They should all be in one grander spoiler tag.

[KnightDisciple]

Before I delve too deeply into the character...

We already have a Captain for the 9th.

She hasn't seen a huge amount of screen-time (none of our Captains have), and she's currently rather inactive (Kraz said he didn't feel there was anything he could productively do with her), but...

We still already have one. You can't replace her out of the gate.

As well, Kraz, at least theoretically, wrote up an entry for 9th. I'll see about poking some hedges to get it more visible for people.

Edit: Also, what Draken said. There's no reason to use spoilers on gender and such things. Look at Yoshi and Masaru for Shinigami examples.

[strawberryman]

Also, we do have a captain of 9th currently...

Edit: Damn ninjas.