Post by Consequence on Apr 24, 2014 16:32:09 GMT -5
Tokiyo Fujikagi
=====================================================================================================
Age: 880 [Born 1134, Death in 1159 (25), Konso in 1161, Academy in 1888, Shinigami since 1894]
Family: None , Unknown
Gender: Male
Loyalties are to the Seireitei ; always a soldier. But he is not shy to question leadership. He is loyal to purpose before people.
The Physical
Height & Weight: 5'10" , approximately 190 pounds.
Hair & Eye-color: Hair is shaved, however his eyebrows appear to be black. His eyes are stone-gray, with the faintest traces of blue.
Noticeable Differences -
Build ; Tokiyo's shoulders and chest reflect a life of manual labor. He is clearly muscled but he lacks the tone and definition of a fit, career warrior. His neck is strong and his face is slightly full-shaped, accentuated by his bald head, should it be visible. His hands and arms look a bit rough reflecting their familiarity with combat
Facial Features ; A soft-spot for leisurely days in the sun and a lot of time spent training and laboring outside leaves Tokiyo with a permanent modest tan. His skin suffers a bit for it albeit it partially due to his age. His jowels are just beginning to loosen a bit, but his face remains otherwise largely devoid of signs of aging. No laugh-lines or crows-feet grace his face; a testament to his demeanor. His eyes appear open and curious about the world around him at all times. He is respectful with his eye-contact but is constantly evaluating the information around him at any opportunity.
Clothing ; Perhaps earlier in his career he would have opted to wear something he felt more comfortable in ; a relaxed, open, Mandarin collared jacket over top a plain, white cotton shirt. But now, as his position of prominence rises and the expectations along with it, he find himself more inclined to conform to the standard, black shihakusho of the Shinigami covered by the Haori of the Sanbantai. On occasion he covers his head with a large, straw, rice hat with the intention to block the sun. There is no fashion sense behind his choice of wardrobe, at least not intentionally. Clothing is just...clothing really.
The Positive
Everybody has their upsides...
Modest ; Tokiyo was a man of humble beginnings and the decades of strife and watching the struggle of those around him isn't something his conscience would ever allow him to forget. He firmly believes that there is no acknowledgement you can give yourself that holds a candle to the compliment of others, and those compliments won't start until you've damn well earned it. He does his best to remain humble and modest in all his business, but this also gives him a unique perspective and appreciation towards the accomplishments and beneficial qualities of others. It's easier to notice the things around you when you're actually looking at them, rather than your own reflection.
"There is no limit to the amount of good you can do if you don't care who gets the credit."
Stoic ; Emotions and passion are tools to motivate people who cannot otherwise motivate themselves. Making the best decision should be all the more reason a man should need in order to act. Accepting the vulnerabilities that come with fleeting emotions opens you up to pain and agony that you need not endure in the face of the most difficult or the most trivial of trials. It is better to be checked by reason and information rather than be guided by a fickle heart. Still, there are merits to the lengths that lesser folk can be inspired by someone who is passionate and emotional.
"If something causes you pain, it is not that thing itself but rather your perception of it. You have the ability to revoke that at any time."
Utilitarian ; No single, man's life is worth more than the health and well-being of the whole. No cost is too great if the benefit is extreme enough and it takes an especially dedicated man to understand this on such an intimate level. Society endured long before any singular individual and its the duty of all to ensure that this continues long after any other individual. The vainglorious path to conquest and fame is pointless if there is no one left to revel in it. People may doubt you and your choices and the costs you pay to secure their future, but at least they'll be around to make that claim.
"By measure, any one man lives and dies. It is the name, the family, the people that live on. Never forget we must leave a legacy."
Confident ; A man should act decisively and only when the outcome can be assured. Moving without belief in your actions is a critical weakness; if you cannot take yourself seriously then no opponent will. There are few things weaker than a blade swung without conviction; it shows in every bead of sweat on their brow, in every lost look, and it clings to their body like a foul odor. Sometimes knowing you are right is difference.
"Confidence, like armor, provides an aura of protection from any who might seek your downfall."
Social Chameleon ; You only get one chance to make a first impression and it can often be the difference between a passing acquaintance and a good friend, professionally or personally. Sitting back and picking out queues and understanding what is expected of you allows you to be whatever you want to be to whomever you need to be it for. There's nothing wrong with wanting to make a good impression, even if it comes at the price of having to conceal your true motivations until a more appropriate time.
"It is impossible to be all things to all people, but you can at least avoid being certain things to certain folk."
The Negative
What's light without a little shadow?
Impersonal Curiosity ; Casual and willful disregard for another's personal boundaries and limits. Questions need answers, and if a question is important enough to be asked then the answer should be worth pursuing, regardless of the cost to an individual. You never know what good may come from temporary physical, emotional, or mental pain in the pursuit of greater knowledge. In simple terms, people should just get over it...
"Great minds shouldn't be limited by what they know, but rather by what questions they are willing to ask. What answers they will be willing to seek out."
Ruthless ; Victory has no worth if it is not quickly guaranteed. If an opponent has been defeated, their subjugation must be beyond question to avoid any and all retaliation. And if an opponent persists and will not be subjugated? You must never hesitate in ending the threat permanently. Mercy is a falsehood and should only be held as an illusion by those whom you face. If your aim is to eliminate a threat you must have no false assumption about what that goal entails.
"If you have found my foot on your neck, it is not because I wish to threaten you. The time for that has past."
Self Righteous ; Tokiyo has had a very long time to 'get it right'. He feels no doubt about the conclusions he has come to and what his life experience has taught him and there simply isn't any reason to doubt the moral authority behind his beliefs, actions, and affiliations. Hypocrisy? Don't be silly, he is fallible, and other people can discover differing truths. But let's be honest, he's earned a bit of sanctimony. Right?
"Self-righteousness can prevent you from enjoying the grace of those around you."
Messiah Complex ; Traditional characterized by the need to save other people, Tokiyo takes this to a less personal place. He must save society itself. While it is still in its infancy, he sees the need grow day after day for him to set the moral guidelines of the world around him back on the proper path. Their values are out of alignment, and it makes them worse for it. And if things get too far out of whack? Well someone might just have to set them right.
"I collect all of the fragmented 'rocks' in my path. So that one day, I might build them into a mighty fortress."
Budding Megalomania ; The resultant rationalizations of a mind overwhelmed by the recent flood of...frankly bad things has yielded its first psychosis. While still in its infancy, the writing is on the wall to Tokiyo ; he is destined for something greater than anyone could ever realize as the consequences of his life and the choices of those around him continue to contour his journey. It's coming. He knows it. And he won't forget the journey. We'll find out how much fate agrees.
Too Much Information
It's the little things that sometimes speak the most.
Tokiyo tries his best to come off as pleasant in just about all social interactions. He can be charming and he is almost always polite, speaking to new and old acquaintances alike with whatever due respect he can find. He is especially respectful of self-made men (or women) and cares very little for acknowledging people who have succeeded only by birthright. But beneath that exterior, someone with a particularly keen sense for other people might not be able to shake the notion that he is constantly in a state of judgment of everyone around him. This is subtly reflected in his choice of words and body language but is often overlooked, having benefited from his other positives.
Certainly not a chef, Tokiyo does like to cook and visit the markets for fresh food and produce on as many days as he can, although his menu may not be terribly expansive. His favorite snack or light meal is honeyed rice balls (or really and variation of a specialty rice ball) and he will often skip breakfast or lunch in favor of sitting down with several of his favorite treats.
He desperately hates smelling bad and will often excuse himself from social situations, or even risk arriving to them late, if he is not satisfied with how he smells. To combat this, he bathes at least once daily and is a regular patron of just about any bath within easy foot access.
==========================================================================================
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
==========================================================================================
The Spiritual
Karaudo Haretsu ["Cloud Burst"] is an air spirit who is just as honest, unrelenting, and powerful as the element she represents. Mercurial by nature, she approaches situations with the modest immaturity of someone who has never needed to be anything other than exactly who she is. Although these traits manifest as an often short-sighted method of problem solving, her aggressive and honest nature is a perfect check and balance for the more considered, strategic nature of Tokiyo.
Visually she appears as an almost porcelain skinned woman of European descent in her late teens or early twenties. Her body is lithe and athletic and she stands nearly 5'10". The soft features of her face are framed by chin length, raven-black hair that appears almost purple in color when thinned out through the light. Her eyes are a deep blue with hints of gray throughout and have an intensity to them that stands in puzzling contrast to the playful smirk that seems glued to the corner of her mouth. Her eyes are almost predatory.
She most often chooses to be seen wearing a dark gray, two piece, body suit with an ornate, platinum colored, metal bodice. Her boots are made from a black leather and she wears no other accessories save for two leather belts; one for practical purposes and one which secures her rapier on her left side. She often chooses to leave her gloves off, loosely hanging from her belt, so she can 'feel the steel' herself. Her fingers
Inner World
The Inner World in which Karaudo dwells takes on the appearance of a vaguely Gothic Era, European style graveyard set amid gently rolling hills and overlooked by a manor home. It is a world constantly on the edge of dusk and covered with a thick blanket of heavy, dense, black storm clouds except for a sliver of horizon, glowing with the vibrant oranges and reds of a setting sun.
The weather is damp but otherwise comfortable in temperature, alternating between period of a light mist, and a drizzle of rain. The landscape of hills is covered by rolling footpaths that branch off from the central manor in all directions as they pass tombstones and mausoleums that stretch on as far as the eye will allow. Headstones and grave markers stretch on and on every ten feet or so until the hills eventually appear to give way to a dark, dense forest on the edge of the horizon.
The central manor is a sprawling estate of three stories faced with brilliant stonework and partially covered in ivy and vines. Its proper grounds are surrounded by a wrought iron fence approximately ten feet high anchored by a smooth stone base. An open gateway marks the path to the front door. Karaudo rarely leaves her manor except for the occasional stroll around the facility's grounds and is most often found in a study on the first floor, where she can be found with her head buried in some macabre, gothic novel.
Sealed Zanpakuto
Tokiyo's Zanpakuto has been utterly devoured by an arcane relic known as The Extinguisher. While deep in the bowels of the Central-46, alongside the machinations of Captain Jomyaku Umi, Tokiyo's blade was sacrificed as payment made against the debt of secrecy held towards the plots of the being known as Hatred. All that remains of the sword is the battered hilt, dulled with a thin coat of carbon and dirt, the very base of the blade broken off from the handle with a greedy ring of teeth marks the only evidence left.
Shikai Appearance
Tokiyo activates his Shikai by reciting the command phrase, "Break open the Heavens." A narrow vortex of wind swirls around the sword as his reiatsu begins to swell and flares out in an hour-glass shape from his body. Dark purple spiritual energy rises off of his back towards the heavens like a great fire, and flows out from his legs like a downdraft. The rest of his aura is an intensely dark purple, appearing to be almost black.
Since the blade had been devoured by The Extinguisher, there is no blade to provide any further visual distinction.
Kami no Chie, Ten no Batsu || God's Wisdom , Punishment of Heaven || Mixed Power
Dark purple flames smolder to life around Tokiyo's arms and shoulders. A cold, biting wind gusts out from him and then begins to swirl as the flames finish spreading over his body. Occasionally, a faint streak of dark purple reiatsu may be seen whirling around him, seemingly caught in the vortex.
This power allows Tokiyo to see currents of spiritual energy in the air as well as the points on other people where energy is released. The stronger currents take on the form of an 'object' that he can see and interact with, so by manipulating the density and direction of spiritual pressure, or otherwise influencing these currents, Karaudo and Tokiyo can wreak havoc on an opponent's surroundings and their ability to control their own energy.
Bankai Appearance
No longer carrying a sword, and being so in tune with his Inner Self, Tokiyo need only speak the solemn words, "Bankai", in order to activate this release. Within moments, the breeze of his Shikai begins to rise and transform and the flame-like appearance of the reiatsu expands significantly, like a great bonfire, continuing to glow with a deep amethyst.
Tokiyo's body is briefly consumed by the same purple and black flames, as an enormous set of ethereal, dark purple raven's wings extend out from the fires and begin to stretch. The flames begin to recede, the wings contract into a resting state, and the fires engulfing him die down to reveal the Shinigami now clad in a black armor.
While in Bankai, Tokiyo has no visible sword however one can be created from compressed threads of energy in the atmosphere. This takes the form of an iridescent longsword, should it be needed.
Buta ni Shinju || Pearls Before Swine
Karaudo's Bankai takes the limitations that the vision of his Shikai grants and shatters that barrier. A vastly expanded range and perception of these threads of energy give Tokiyo an unprecedented level of control over their behavior, even going so far as to reach into the soul of his opponent and 'make adjustments' to their own flow of energy. The most powerful application of this control is closing off the vents deep within an enemy which grant them access to the fundamental powers of their soul, sealing them off for a limited time. As such, Tokiyo can influence the reiatsu vents on all creatures to help or to harm, to punish or to reward, if only for a time.
==========================================================================================
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
==========================================================================================
The Inner Self
Moralistically, Tokiyo stands on very little. The be all and end all is whether or not a greater good is either served or harmed by the action. His life has been defined by odd circumstances of 'chance' that put him in the wrong places at the right time ; a veritable crucible for forging the philosophy by this he operated. Tokiyo succeeds most by operating in a society that had codified values rather than codified laws, preferring malleable responses based on the circumstance instead of 'by the book' answers to situations. If we all think alike, or keep the same values, the right answer comes easily.
Power within a state or organization is merely a means of instituting values over others, rather than exerting control. By ensuring that the correct philosophies are preached, the rest will take care of itself. As such, he holds closely to the ideals of determinism and fatalism, as well as the ideas of fate and destiny. But more importantly than all of that, Tokiyo is determined, assertive, and full of conviction.
Alignment ; Lawful Evil
Life is a journey to find your place within the order of things. Some people do not understand how to arrive at the answer, and must be shown. Others do not have the capacity to ask the question, and must be shown doubly so. Not all order is good and not all laws are beneficial, but some of them are necessarily required to impose a greater structure on an increasingly chaotic world. The capacity to tolerate mediocrity and deviation is not an excuse to do so and Tokiyo sees it as his place to remind society of that with no promise of politeness. He is frank, straight-forward, and driven by ambition to force others to shed their individuality in pursuit of a greater goal.
"Moral" Code
- The whole should be the greatest concern, at all times ; never the self.
- Threats to the whole are to be pulled out by the roots ; when a decision is made, it must be made with finality.
- Adjustments should always be made 'just enough', to maintain balance and prevent unforseen consequence.
- All laws are ultimately unnecessary, but the spirit of established ones should be adhered to as often as possible.
- Life is a resource and should not be wasted without cause. Likewise it need not hold altruistic value.
- Objectives trump all personal investment ; be ruthless in completing your goal.
- Suffering teaches no lesson to those who are about to die ; do not be cruel unless ordered to do so.
- Advancing the strength of those in your charge is a mandatory means to an end.
