Yukimura, Hibiki | Shinigami

Y U K I M U R A, H I B I K I

The Soul Reaper

On the Surface

"How superficial."

↪Name: Hibiki Yukimura, 響幸村; Named James O’Brien at birth.
↪Age: 118 (19 as a human, 6 in Academy, 20 in 5th Division, 73 in 2nd Division)

↪Apparent Age: 19 
↪Birthdate: April 7th, 1897

↪Mortal Death date: November 13th, 1916

↪Ethnicity: Irish

↪Parents: Patrick O'Brien and Kelly O'Brien
↪Gender: Male
↪Height: 6'1"
↪Weight: 160 lbs.
↪Hair: A shocking violet color, wavy and most often unkempt. At more formal occasions he simply pushes his bangs to the side. As a human it was auburn.
↪Eyes: A deep and reflective violet color. They were hazel when he was a human.
↪Handedness: Right-handed. He wears watches on his right wrist, contrary to the usual left.
↪Physical Description: Hibiki is tall, coming in at 6’1”. He has a good weight of 160 lbs., and is quite muscular from his training. His skin is fairly pale, but not pasty. He has an angular face, with jaw muscles that stand out a bit. His facial hair growth is considerably fast and comes out more or less straight and prickly. His voice is somewhat deep and has lost most of his Irish accent over the decades and now favors a more Japanese accent, but some words still come out in a distinctly Irish accent. From his time fighting with the British army, he inherited a few phrases such as “bloody hell”. He likes to keep himself smelling fresh and prefers scents that smell like nature. Springs, flowers, things like that. All in all, he’s a fairly attractive man.

↪Casual Attire: When in the human world, he likes to wear formal clothes such as vests and buttoned shirts.

↪On-duty Attire: In SS, he wears a completely normal Shihakushō.
↪ Spiritual Description:

Hibiki's Reiatsu is a variety of purple colors, ranging from almost-pink to an almost-black dark purple. It constantly changes colors but remains decidedly purple. When released fully it almost causes the feeling of claustrophobia, of a small child in a massive crowd of people. It doesn't have its own distinct smell and more of an amalgamation of many, many different smells. Bad, good, and everything in between. It's hard to focus on one smell for very long, as it's soon overpowered by another. That isn't to say the smell is nauseating however. In fact, one has actively be attempting to smell it as it is quite faint.

Behind the Eyes

"You could never understand me."

↪Theme Song: Nero - Two Steps from Hell

↪Sexuality: While he is predominantly heterosexual, he is open to trying new things. His romantic and sexual experiences have been quite limited for someone over a century old. He is quite open to advances from women, men, and anyone else.

↪Known Languages: English, Japanese, Irish Gaelic

↪Loyalties: Himself and the Soul Society

↪Alignment: Chaotic Neutral

↪Zodiac Sign: Aries

↪Fetishes: Cross-dressing, skirts and knee socks, and masculine women.

↪Family: Patrick Sr. O'Brien (Father), Kelly O'Brien (Mother), Patrick Jr. O'Brien (Elder brother), Michael O'Brien (Elder brother), John and William O'Brien (Younger twin brothers), Anthony and Bartley (Younger twin brothers), and Austin (Youngest brother)

↪ Personality:Hibiki isn’t a tremendously outspoken person, not because of shyness but because he believes reticence to be a virtue. Of course, this doesn’t mean he won’t talk much. In fact he talks quite a lot around people he feels comfortable with. In terms of morals, Hibiki has a rather loose set of them. Back in The Great War, he killed people without much regret. Part of that was for his country and yet another part was for himself. He figured if he killed enough, he could go home and follow his dreams. Now that he is dead however, his goals are quite a bit different. He aims to perfect his Shunpo skills as well as his general speed. He seeks to improve upon his general power and possibly raise in standing in the Gotei 6. He can be quite selfish at times, even going to extremes to get things he wants. He believes that the ends justify the means. Even if those means are rather bad of themselves, it’s fine as long as the objective is intended well. Or at least, that’s the attitude he depicts to others. Hibiki has claustrophobia, specifically around large groups of people. He will visibly get sweaty and fidgety in large crowded areas. One of his biggest fears is fitting in too much. He hates being just another face in a crowd and aims to stand out as much as he can. Because of this, he utterly hates it when someone imitates him in any way.

↪Opinions on :

Humans: "You all serve a necessary purpose."

Quincy: "Never met any of 'em."

Arrancar: "I don't what you were before, but you've fallen far. I admire your power, though."

Hollows: "A necessary, filthy evil."

Positive Qualities

"I suppose I do have some."

* Reticent - Hibiki knows when not to talk. He believes that much idle chit-chat might lead to trouble. He doesn't like to divulge information unless he absolutely has to, as he thinks it could let opponents get the drop on him.
* Individualistic - Hibiki is a very independent man and dislikes relying on others. He believes in his own strength and his alone. He places no faith in gods and even less in his comrades' abilities.
* Hardworking - If he lacks in a skill, he puts in the effort to try and pull himself out of that ditch. If he fails once, he doesn't give up. He tries again and again, until he finally gets it.
* Diplomatic - He knows what he wants and is willing to compromise to get it. If someone has something he needs, he won't attack them directly. He believes that everyone has a weakness and that it's easy enough to find that out if you use the right words.
* Aspiring - He dreams of being something more than he is now and will do just about anything to become stronger. This includes things that he usually dislikes doing, such as relying on others. If it makes him stronger however, he'll consider it.

Negative Qualities

"Don't get in my way, pipsqueak."

* Selfish - Why should he give up what he's earned? Hibiki isn't a charitable person. He keeps everything he can to himself and doesn't bother to give anything to anyone else.
* Unrepentant - If someone gets trampled in his way, that's their fault. He doesn't care about those who can't keep up or those are stupid enough to cross him.
* Tactless - He doesn't care much about people's boundaries. He isn't easily ashamed and doesn't realize that others might be more easily ashamed.
* Unenthusiastic - It takes a lot to make Hibiki ecstatic. He isn't easily excited by common occurrences or the rarest ones.
* Guarded - He keeps himself closed off from others. It's not easy to truly get to know Hibiki, but one could if they tried hard enough.

Strength of the World

"I prefer to keep my demons inside. Sometimes they slip out."

↪ Zanpakutō Spirit:

Hibiki has three spirits inside his sword. They are called Me, Kuchi, and Mimi. Each is a tall man with tan skin and long, slicked back auburn hair. Their faces differ greatly. Me has hazel eyes, but no mouth or ears. Kuchi has a mouth, but no eyes or ears. Mimi has ears, but no mouth or eyes. Each can communicate between themselves telepathically, sharing their respective senses. Me does the seeing, Kuchi the speaking, and Mimi the listening. Their thoughts happen at a much faster rate than a normal being, allowing for them to discuss an answer to a question in complete depth in what seems to be a millisecond. While each of the three have their own name they also share a single name as Hibiki's Zanpakutō, which is Noperra. The three spirits are usually antagonistic to Hibiki, with torturing him to be one of their favorite pastimes. In fact, the power they granted him is a play on one of his biggest fears. He has a constant need to stand out, but his shikai makes a crowd of clones identical to him. Regardless, they occasionally give him worthwhile advice. Even so Hibiki doesn't trust them and it appears that they don't trust him.

While fighting in the Inner World, each serves a different purpose. Mimi carries a massive odachi, Kuchi has an average sized katana, and Me has a small tanto. All three are ridiculously fast but Me is the fastest, Kuchi is second, and Mimi is the slowest. Me sees in first-person, but hears in second-person. Kuchi sees and hears in second-person, but is the only one capable of speech. Mimi hears in first-person, but sees in second-person. Their fighting formation constantly changes throughout a fight, with each one dashing in and out. They all rely greatly on each other and share the utmost trust. Me and Mimi have the ability to create hundreds of copies of themselves, but lose their respective sense and the ability to attack or defend. If Me splits, Kuchi and Mimi will be left to fight while relying on Mimi's hearing while Me distracts the opponent by forming into a massive crowd of copies. If Mimi splits, Me and Kuchi are left with no hearing and Mimi forms the crowd. Kuchi cannot form copies. Me and Mimi cannot split at the same time.

↪ Inner World: Hibiki's Inner World is a poorly-remembered replica of the downtown of a massive city. The center of the world is a giant, empty park. Devoid of trees, it is a massive field of grass. Outside of that are skyscrapers and small streets with many alleys branching off. The streets are devoid of cars and debris. The only things that inhabit the otherwise empty city are millions of faceless mannequin-like people. They walk the sidewalks and alleys and congregate around street corners to wait for the walking signal to go off. The city itself is never-ending, a veritable ecumenopolis.

↪ Zanpakutō: Hibiki’s has the appearance of a completely average katana while not released. It has a simple black grip, gold details, and an unremarkable blade of an average length. Its sheath is black and it hangs from his sash on the left side of his waist. When released, it becomes a simple tanto. Once again, it has a simple black grip, gold details, and an unremarkable blade of an average length. Its sheath is once again black and it also hangs from his sash on the left side of his waist.

Unreleased:

Released:


↪ Release Phrase: "Shatter and disperse, Noppera"

↪ Zanpakutō Power:Hibiki’s release is not dramatic or explosive. He holds his blade forward and utters his release phrase. The blade shatters and the pieces form a circle around him and the enemy, prepping for the creation of the copies. In terms of Hibiki’s appearance, not much changes. When he releases, there a slight wind from the release of Reiatsu which blows away the upper half of his Shihakushō. This leaves him with just the hakama and shows off some of his surprisingly muscular body.

The upper blade shatters, each tiny piece becomes an identical copy of Hibiki. Hibiki himself is left with the remnants of the sword, now about the size and function of a tanto. The copies form a large circle around him and his opponent. Once done, Hibiki steps back into the copies and they all move around the circle. The copies cannot attack or defend themselves and only serve as cover for him to either prep a move or dash out of or back into. If a copy is so much as tapped by the opponent, it quickly splashes down as a sludge and condenses into the shard of the blade.

↪Combat Style: Hibiki's main offensive skill is speed. He doesn't rely on large hits that incapacitate an opponent. He prefers to take an evasive approach to battle, dodging blows and waiting for good openings. His zanjutsu skills are his primary way of dealing damage. His kido skills are rather lackluster and as such, he rarely uses them in battle.

Legacy Created

"Observe the precursors to the legacy I shall build for myself."

↪ Current Division: 2nd Division
↪ Previous Divisions: 5th Division for 20 years, later transferred out for lack of brute strength when it comes to battles.
↪ Snapshots: In order of chronology, Hibiki’s most important events are: Getting separated from his father in a crowd (1902), a bully humiliates James and he begins to lust for power (1910), the death of his elder brother (1916), the Battle of the Somme where Hibiki died (1916), his entrance into the Academy (1916), graduation and joining the 5th Division (1922), and leaving the 5th Division and being transferred into the 2nd (1942).

H I S T O R Y

Childhood (1897-1914)

"I was carefree, like every child should be."

Hibiki was born in Ireland in the year 1897 under the name James O’Brien. His father was Patrick Sr. O’Brien, a butcher. His mother was Kelly O’Brien and she acted as a stay at home mother for James and his 7 siblings. All 8 were boys with auburn hair and hazel eyes, a very rare thing. The brothers were: Patrick Jr., eldest (b. 1893); Michael, 2nd eldest (b. 1895); James, 3rd eldest (b. 1897); the twins John and William, 4th and 5th eldest (b. 1898); the second set of the twins Anthony and Bartley, 6th and 7th eldest (b. 1901); Austin was the youngest (b. 1905). They had a modest home in Dublin and lived a modest life. Their family still spoke Irish Gaelic, a rare occurrence in that time period. James went to school in Dublin at a small school building, which consisted mostly of him and his brothers. While he loved his brothers, he grew up being called by their names. No one could really tell the difference between any of them. Throughout all his life, James could see ghosts, pluses, and hollows. He usually never saw many hollows and was convinced he simply was delusional whenever he saw one. He refused to ever tell anyone about these things, for fear of being locked away for mental insanity.

One of his most lasting memories was as a child when his father took him to a large market with many vendors and customers. James enjoyed when his father took him alone to see the various products that all the people were selling. Everything his mind could imagine was there. He saw a stall that he wanted to check out, so he went towards it but was soon swallowed up by the throngs of people and left all alone. It took a while for his father to find him and the incident scarred James deeply. It left him with a fear of crowds and claustrophobia. When he was 10, an older kid fought James and humiliated him, Because of this, James began to lust for power. Growing up his favorite activity was track and field, specifically sprints and hurdles. He was by far the fastest of anyone in Dublin, even at a young age and hoped to go to professional levels with it. However, something happened in 1914. The Great War broke out.

James looked up at his father. Patrick was a large man, with an even larger gut. He had a great, bushy red beard that hid any facial expression. James' father's hand was big, many times bigger than his own. It was scarred and rough, a butcher's hand through and through. The two walked down the street, their boots splashing through the puddles of water. Patrick's, thunderous explosions. James', a soft step that sent ripples gently throughout the puddle. As they neared the city's largest market, a dull roar began to build and build until it became deafening. The pair walked into the open-air market. There were dozens of stands and hundreds of people. People moved left and right, buying fruits and other products. James' eyes went wide at the site of so many new things. Foods from distant countries, craft items, and much more. He spotted a stand in the distance that a small, carved, wooden statute on it. The statute comprised of three men, one without eyes or ears, one without a mouth or eyes, and one without a mouth or ears. A tall man with unusually long black hair worked the stand, with a short stubble. He had a slight smirk on his face. With a slight beckoning motion, he called James over. Unknowingly slipping his hand from his father's strong grip, he stumbled over to stand. In a moment the crowd closed in, blocking the stand from view. James turned around expecting his father be there, smiling down at him through his beard. Instead there were only people. He could see nothing but the legs and hips of hundreds of people passing by, for what seemed like days. He called out to his father as loud as he could. "At hair? Athair! Cá bhfuil tú!" Time passed, as James knelt and cried. All of a sudden a large, scarred, and rough hand reached down to him through the crowd. James looked up into the face of his father.

The Great War (1914-1916)

"Glory? How hilarious."

Patrick Jr., Michael, and James all enlisted to fight under the British banner. They were 21, 19, and 17 respectively. They were soon shipped off to fight in the war. Pat was sent to fight in the Balkans Campaign, Michael was enlisted as a radio interceptor for British intelligence, and James was sent to Western Front to fight in the trenches. All three kept in contact by sending letters between in other as well as back home. Inevitably, one of the brothers died. Patrick died fighting in the Monastir Offensive in 1916 at the age of 23. Michael and James were heartbroken, as were the rest of the O’Brien family back home. The eldest son was dead.

James spent his days during the war variably living in trenches, fighting in some of the most important battles on that front. He also fought in the 2nd most deadly battle of the war, the Battle of the Somme in 1916. It is also here that he died at the age of 19. During the battle, he was stuck in a trench with many fellow soldiers. Bombs fell all around, causing the ground itself to shake. Some of the bombs fell quite near to him, blowing his comrades to bloody bits and mist that flung back and forth in the trench. Limbs littered the bloody mud that licked at their boots. The mass amount of soldiers freaked out James. The heavy breathing. The heat of all the bodies, alive and dead. He couldn’t take it any longer. He didn’t deserve to die while crying in a ditch, surrounded by his dead countrymen and comrades. He didn’t want to be just another soldier blown to bits by artillery. He didn’t want to be just another cross in a graveyard of millions. He jumped out of the trench, running towards the enemy’s encampments. He ran faster than he had ever run before despite all his gear, hurdling over barbed wires like they were small stones on the ground. But no matter how fast he ran, he couldn’t avoid the machine guns. The bullets tore into his body, ripping through his flesh. They tore off his limbs and punctured his bodies’ cavities. He fell to the mud, dead before he hit the ground.

Michael lived through the war to start his own family. John and William both joined the war in 1917 and also lived to see the end of it, although William was paralyzed from the waist down. Over the years, the remaining members of the O’Brien family moved to America. Michael stayed in Ireland with his new family.

The ground shook like a great earthquake. Men screamed in various languages, calling for their mothers, their lovers, all whilst clutching the bloody stumps of their limbs. James clutched his rifle, his back stuck to the blood-caked walls of the trench. Soldiers rushed down the trench in front of him. They often trampled over the body of a man limply laying there. His skin was as pale as paper, eyes open. They seemed to be looking towards the heavens and asking "Why?" All around James his fellow comrades sucked in air rapaciously, most cursing under their breath. Some cried, some had their eyes shut tight, and even more were dead. Pieces of the dead littered the trench. Artillery shells exploded all around. James began to sweat. The walls were closing in. He put his hand on the lip of trench and pulled himself up.

Plus (1916)

"The worst part of my... life?"

It was on the battlefield that James’ soul remained. James’ hair and eyes both turned to violet during this time. His time as a plus was short. Surrounded by thousands of thousands of other souls, they were prime targets for hollows. Before long they descended. Countless hollows attacked, devouring innumerable souls. But they couldn’t eat them all. A massive contingent of Shinigami arrived, cleansing the hollows. After they cleaned all of them up, they began the still huge task of performing Konso on all the remaining souls. Many were sent to Soul Society. Perhaps many more were sent to hell. A Shinigami approached James and placed the hilt of his Zanpakutō upon James’ forehead. Just like that, his soul was sent to the Soul Society.

Over a million souls lingered on the battlefield. Some mingled with each other, others were alone. James was one such soul. He lay on the ground, his violet eyes staring at the moon. He carefully got up and started walking through the night. He passed groups of souls, Germans and Frenchmen intermingling like old friends. As he walked, the wind whipped his long purple hair around like tassels. His mind was empty, devoid of thought. As he slowly trudged through the battlefield, he began to feel the ground shake. Instinctively, he dove into a nearby trench. A loud and high pitched shriek filled the still night air. Following it were thousands of screams from the souls. The hollows attacked quickly and mercilessly, devouring as many souls as they could. Their footsteps shook James' core. Fearfully, he looked up and noticed a black butterfly float by. From out of nowhere, hundreds of men and women in black robes appeared. They rushed forward with their swords, slicing the masks of the hollows. When all was said and done, one walked over to James. He hopped down into the trench where James had cowered away. The Shinigami had long black hair and a short stubble. With a slight smirk, he placed the hilt of his sword on James' forehead.

Academy (1916-1922)

"Monotonous, but necessary."

Upon arriving in the Soul Society, it was discovered that he had a naturally high level of Spiritual Power. Because of this he was soon enlisted in the Academy. He did average in most classes. He dipped a bit when it came to Hakuda and Kido, but excelled greatly at Shunpo. He had taken some recovery and supplementary classes for Hakuda and Kido, but made up for that with accelerated learning for Shunpo techniques. By his 3rd year, he was the fastest in his class. By the time he graduated in his 6th year, he had attained a level of skill in Shunpo that few students get to. During his time at the academy, he took the name Hibiki Yukimura. He was tired of a name that never seemed to really apply to him.

Hibiki glanced around, noting all the different students who seemed somewhat excited to become to learn Hoho techniques. Most of the students out on the field were first-years just like him, but there seemed to be a few second-years who had utterly in this aspect. Thus, they were here to try again. The presence of these upperclassmen seemed to unnerve quite a few of the first-years, who talked among themselves about the difficulty of what they were about to try. While most would not fail, they were looking forward to learning such useful technique. Hibiki himself was not worried as he was already faster than the rest of his class when it came to normal movement. He figured Shunpo would just be the sensible next step. The instructor quickly approached and began to below at them with his large voice. Their lesson began.

Shinigami (1922-Present)

"Just the first hurdle in my race."

Upon his graduation, he was enlisted into the 5th Division. He was given an asauchi and was tasked with unlocking it. He took it out into the forest and began Jinzen to communicate with his Zanpakutō spirit. He entered his inner world, a giant ecumenopolis filled with faceless crowds. He entered the world in a large park in the middle of the city. Waiting for him were Me, Mimi, and Kuchi. They introduced themselves to Hibiki, who assumed he had completed his task. However, they then informed him that they also shared a single name. But getting this would not be easy. They tormented him, pointing out his flaws. His weaknesses. They exploited his fears, filling the park with thousands of faceless mannequins who gripped his body and dragged him down to the ground. With a snap of Me's fingers, the mannequins disappeared. The three drew their swords and attacked Hibiki. After a long battle, Hibiki emerged the scarred victor. In a small way, he had overcome his flaws and fears. They revealed their collective name, Noperra. Within twenty years of service in the 5th, it was shown that he simply did not have the combat skills necessary. During his time with the 5th, he ended up frequently sparring with Zakuro Gerudo and the 2 have been acquaintances ever since. Hibiki was then transferred to the 2nd Division, a better fit for his skills. He has been there ever since.

↪ Roleplay Sample:

Sakura petals drifted down in the cool breeze, spinning about like tiny ballerinas upon a grand stage. One small petal came to rest upon the shoulder of a young-looking man sitting with his legs crossed, motionless. He sat alone in the middle of a large clearing. The pink petals littered the ground all around him, painting a picture that looked like it was torn from the pages a fantasy book. In front of him was a Zanpakutō, firmly stuck into the soft ground of the clearing. A single petal rested idyllically on its hilt. The beautiful scene was quickly shattered by the man jumping to his feet. He quickly pulled the blade from the dirt and abruptly shoved it into his sheath without much grace. He sighed, a dejected look falling upon his face. “I suppose today’s not the day.” he told himself. With a quick spin he headed towards the clearing’s opening. His Shihakushō flapped about as he did. The clacking of his wooden sandals pierced the absolute silence that permeated the area. Before he exited, he slowed to a halt and turned back to face the place he had been sitting. His eyes locked onto the small indent in the otherwise perfect ground that his sword had left. “I’ll be back for you” he spoke to no one in particular, “perhaps tomorrow.” With that, he spun around once again and made a quick exit. With him gone, the idyllic clearing once resumed its beautiful silence. The petals once again fell, slowly drifting down. With every passing second they came closer to their end of their short, pointless journey.

OOC

↪ Player Alias: Rex
↪ Desired Starting GP: I put in effort, but I'm not picky. I would have worked on it more, but I got irritated by the finicky nature of the text editor here.

↪How long have you been roleplaying?: 5 years.
↪  Were you referred by anyone?: No.
↪ Other Characters: One, inactive.