Post by Erek Blackmore on Jul 17, 2017 11:52:12 GMT -5
KNIGHT OF THE QUINCY ORDER
AT A GLANCE —Name Reference: Erek meaning "Ruler of the people" stemming from Norse Culture. Augustus meaning "great" or "venerable", derived from the Latin word "Augere" meaning "to increase". Blackmore meaning "Dark Hill", derived from the Olde English pre 7th Century elements "bloec" meaning "black, dark", combined with "mor", meaning hill.
Apparent Age: Early 30's
Actual Age: 38
Gender: Male
Ethnicity: English-Japanese
Height: 5'11" (180cm)
Weight: 250 lbs (113 kg)
Hair & Eye Color: Black & Blue
Rankings:
- Private Military Group; Special Forces (Retired)
- Quincy Knight, No Sphere
Loyalties:
- Quincy Order (High)
- American Military (Retired)
1979-1986 — Early Life:
- Abandoned as an infant on an orphanage doorstep, a name scribbled in sloppy English on a tag.
- Raised in the orphanage, grows up constantly bullied for Eastern physical traits.
- Begins fighting back, children start to turn up seriously injured in the face of his anger.
- Due to accessive violence, he is sent to St. Catherine's Academy.
1986-2017 — The Military:
- In a Military environment, Erek excels- due to "bullying" being punished.
- Able to grow properly without bullying he learns to control his temper with the help of his superior officers and teachers.
- Around the age of eleven begins to excel in academics and physical education both.
- Graduates from Eighth Grade at the age of twelve, transferring into St. John's College High School.
- Graduates from Twelfth Grade at the age of fifteen, begin college level courses.
- Achieves his Associates's Degree in Biology by the age of eighteen, immediately entering Active Duty the day after his birthday.
- Joins the Marines as a Combat Medic in training, receiving the rank of Second Lieutenant
- Participates in the Iraqi Kurdish Civil War's last year, his first taste of war promoted First Lieutenant.
- Transferred to assist in the Civil war in Afghanistan, remains an active member until 2001.
- Spends the next several years in Afganistan, promoted to Captain-- Feild Promoted to Major.
- Confronts a General aggressively, earning his troops respect and ruining his future career track in the Marines.
- Pulled out of active duty, finishes his Degree as a Masters in Medicine. Joins the Military Special Forces Ouroboros.
- For the next fourteen years participates in countless battles and incidents in the War in Afghanistan.
- Passes through multiple rankings, named as a Special Forces Commander in the Ouroboros Private Military. Meets Natalie Forge.
- Contacted by an unusual man from the "Quincy Order" after showing signs of spiritual capabilities, accepts the offer.
- Travels to Karakura in hope of meeting a more skilled "Quincy" that can give him a break down of information, meeting Mei Rowan.
2017+ — The Quincy Order:
- Joins the Quincy Order after meeting with Queen Freyleif, given the ranking of "Knight" with no specific position yet.
- Begins the basic studies into the spiritual, passing the test to have "Spiritual Aptitude".
- Starts learning from both Freyleif, and Mei Rowan as his studies into the general knowledge and skills of Quincy begins.
- Transferred to Japan in order to place him in a more spiritual rich climate, beginning to rapidly increase his spiritual pressure.
- Begins exploring his bloodline with the assistance of Luna de la Cruz, and Calendrea Hughes finally noted as a Half-Blood from the Ancient English "Blackmore" Quincy Clan.
Positive Traits —
Responsible — Erek is above all else, someone that takes great pride in handling an issue if he say's he's going to do so. If it's a problem he's involved in, or caused- be it indirectly or directly, he won't hesitate to stand up and accept the punishment for his actions as long as he deems it fair. Similarly, if it's not a punishment but instead something that needs to be done- he'll ensure that it's taken care of before anything less important is allowed to raise its head.
"I'll handle it."
Determined — Focused, and a sheer force of will, Erek doesn't ever give up- holding tremendous patience and concentration honed from years in the service he's a perfect representation of someone who will wait as long as they had to in order to do a job right. Be it represented through training, teaching, or simply an absolute focus on doing a mission right with as few casualties as possible.
"Nothing stops me, I don't care if it takes me twenty years, I'll wait and push as long as I have too."
Calm — One of the man's keenest characteristics is his natural aptitude when it comes to keeping a level head, experience with having his life put on the line constantly combined with his natural personality making him the type to rarely allow himself to be overtaken by fear, anger, surprise, or similar emotions. When they do manage to get ahold of him, he never lets them control him for long and quickly snaps out of it.
"Keep a level head, or get it blown off."
Kind — Erek believes that no matter what, there is one ideal that should always be upheld as much as possible- and that is to be kind to one another. He's not some fool that thinks always sparing the enemy is a good idea, or that having mercy against killers or people who are obviously evil is a good idea- however, he does recognize that honor, kindness, and mercy has its place. Being kind to others is one of the most powerful things you can do in his mind, and he firmly believes that it can make you many allies- or at least ensure you make few enemies.
"I've been asked what my religion is many times in my travels, the answer is simple: Kindness."
Versatile — Some would call Erek someone that has a very "worldly" mindset, due to his knowledge of so much history, and culture from multiple countries, studying their languages, combat styles, crafts, and so forth in order to make himself into a melting-pot of mixed knowledge. This has made him quite versatile, wise, and generally knowledgeable about many things expanding his common sense to a wider range than most individuals.
"When you travel the world and serve the military for so many years, you pick up a few tricks."
Methodical — Though it can obviously be a bad thing occasionally, for the most part, Erek's patience, control, and ability to remain calm while planning is one of his greatest strengths. Having learned quickly when he had his temper in his youth, Erek now takes painstaking time to measure as much of a situation as possible in order to hit it from as many angles as possible to solve it with as little energy expended as possible. Efficiency, after all, is one of the strongest aspects of a strong soldier.
"Patience, careful planning, and strong tactics can turn the tide in any bad situation."
Lawful — A trait that can be good, but often ends up causing him more trouble than he'd like- as many think that freedom, chaos, and "doing whatever they want" is a good idea. Erek holds a firm belief that Order, Law, and Structure are key components to the world- even if the governments can be corrupted, it's far preferable to the alternative. The lesser of two evils when compared to absolute anarchy and chaos. He truly believes that instilling order is one of the first major steps to creating a better world, without laws and regulations he knows all too well how terrible the world would start to turn out.
"People like to complain and say that the government is fucked. But law and the government is the only thing that separates us from barbarians."
Trusting — Despite the fact that Erek was originally a lone wolf, years in the military has pushed most the thoughts from his mind for the most part- to the point that now he tends to simply focus on one thing, and one thing only: to trust his fellows if they have earned that right, and if they haven't, to give them the chance to try. His team and those he cares for come before all else in his mind- even the mission will be put on hold to protect his teammates unless he has absolutely no other choice for the greater good.
"No man get's left behind, and no mission gets completed with a single soldier."
Open-Minded — A common trait amongst many United States soldiers that have been in the active field, though Erek's has been built on a life of being bullied for his eastern heritage as a child- due to this, his mindset is even more open than most. Believing that no matter who you are, what you are, where your family may have come from- if didn't matter. This extends to the "non-humans" as well, not caring about Shinigami or Hollow either until they start actively harming others around him or their way of life in general.
"I've been asked what I consider myself, Asian or American? I'm a fucking human."
Negative Traits —
Pragmatic — Like many soldiers, Erek is jaded, and as a field and combat medic- even more so. Having children die in your arms, or patients beg you for a chance to live, or lament how it wasn't fair and how they were just civilians over and over tends to do that to a person. Though he's managed to not become disconnected by it all, he knows all too well that in a fight for your life, his kindness has little to no place and that sometimes things must be done "for the greater good" in order to truly end the conflict.
"Idiots boast about honor and glory, there's no glory on the battlefield. It's hell, and if you want to escape it, you do anything you can to win."
Proud — Erek, like many Quincy, is incredibly proud. However he is not proud of his blood, not thinking his heritage or anything about what he was "born with" matters in the slightest- instead, his pride, confidence, and a slight streak of arrogance stems from his outright dedication. Proud of what he has earned, what he's bled for so desperately. This sadly means that he often comes off a bit pompous or "all-knowing" even if he tends to mean well with his words.
"I'm a soldier, and I've earned every damn thing I have on my own."
Faithless — Many Quincy are based on powerful ties to religions, or beliefs of some sort- but Erek isn't, not in the slightest. Too jaded and full of a hidden loathing for such idea's, and life in general, Erek considers the idea of faith in anything but one's own skill or the skill of their teammates to be absolute trash. Thankfully, he isn't one to rub these thoughts in the faces of others, but it has come up in the past and has certainly caused him problems when a bit too much booze loosens his lips. People tend to be overly sensitive about these things.
"God isn't going to help you, trust me, I've seen plenty of 'faithful' men get their brains blown out mid-prayer— God doesn't exist, and if he does, he sure as hell doesn't give a shit."
Haunted — To say that Erek doesn't have his own set of problems psychologically would be, quite frankly, bullshit. Constantly plagued by nightmares, and memories of the war zones, of teammates, civilians, children, and more deaths in his arms or on the field, he often has difficulty sleeping, and if caught by surprise tends to have overly serious and sometimes violent reactions due to PTSD. This, of course, does have its benefits in his guard constantly being up, but it's not nearly enough to balance out the negatives.
"I've seen a lot of shit, talk to any soldier, we're pretty fucked up mentally, it's nothing new."
Self-Sacrificial — Not exactly one to enjoy pain by any means, Erek still has a subconscious desire to protect those around him to his last breath. To the point that many would almost deem it illogical- even if the person in question may be stronger than him, he can't help but want to use himself as a human shield. Especially when it comes to his friends and teammates, or children and women- he has an especially strong soft spot, not to the point of thinking "all women are weak" or anything idiotic like that, but he can't shake old habits from his wars and battlefields where finding a "strong woman" was quite rare.
"It's a hell of a lot better to be hurt, then to see other's hurt."
Sadistic — Though Erek isn't a sadist in the most extreme senses of the word, he certainly does enjoy causing others a bit of pain, and "bullying" them in general- especially women. This isn't to say that he's abusive by any means, simply that he tends to pick on those that he is close too vocally by being sarcastic, teasing them for fumbled words or idiotic statements, and similar actions. Generally, the best way you know that you've become his friend is if he picks on you relatively consistently.
"I like bullying people a little bit, I'm always the nice guy, cut me some slack."
Blunt — When it comes to normal conversation, this trait doesn't come into play too much- not minding a bit of playful banter by any means. However what he doesn't enjoy is arguments, and needless debates in general- tending to prefer ensuring things are clear cut. If a situation is serious, he won't hold any punches, and similarly, he's the type to answer honestly even if the answer in question may get him smacked for being "rude".
"Stop wasting my time and just fucking say whatever the point of this monologuing bullshit is."
Vindictive — Erek is not one to forgive, and certainly never forget- if anything his skillset is limited to "enduring" a situation. He is vindictive, cold, sarcastic, and cruel to those that he has lost faith in. A downside of constantly giving others the chance to earn his trust, and supporting them with it once they have earned it- is that once that trust is betrayed, it's immensely difficult to earn it back. This extends to his combat, and often finds himself representing some sadistic tendencies when in battle- if someone were to harm him, tending to deal tremendously more harm to someone else in return.
"Hurt me or my own, and I'm not going to forgive or forget anytime soon."
ON THE SURFACE —Physical Description: Erek has what many would consider the normal body for a fighter, or active soldier. Due to constant training and dedication to himself, he is physically a pinnacle when it comes to raw musculature- though he isn't overly tall, taking after his eastern roots at being just under six feet, Erek makes up for his lack of height with tremendous bulk. Weighing well over what most would consider "healthy" for his height, he is built broadly, with a wide back, shoulders, and is quite literally "big-boned" in the most physical sense from his English and Celtic roots. His frame is broad and lined with thick sinew, and muscle- thanks to his broad build not looking unnatural, instead, making his appearance seem relatively normal- if a bit overkill. Similarly, his muscle isn't strictly focused on any one part of his body, but instead easily represents the fact he clearly works out every section of his body evenly- with thick, muscular thighs, calves, and arms that match connected to his strong torso.
When one moves on from his general height, and build- you instead tend to focus on the skin covering said form- in Erek's case, he takes strongly from his Asian roots when it comes to his skin tone, his skin being of a pale peach hue with slight golden undertones. Generally, his skin has a relatively even light tan that darkened his natural coloration several shades due to consistent activity outdoors, and an almost permanent shift in his tone of skin due to so many years in a bright, hot climate. Similarly, the evidence of where he spent much of his time is significant in that he still holds many scars that dot over his body- his regeneration not having reached the point to eliminate such extensive scar tissue so easily. This has caused his skin to be covered in distinctive scar's that mark a life of pain- wounds that were emergency stiched, bullet wounds, torture wounds from being captured and interrogated, the list is neverending.
Most noteworthy is the scar's that decorate his hands, as his nails are clearly rough and slightly off from their natural growth paths due to having them ripped out multiple times over the years. Similarly, he has severe burn scar's decorating his feet and the sides of his torso where the flesh is most sensitive to damage and pain- specifically along his ribs and waist. The other scar's vary in severity, but they mark clearly the harsh life the man has led. Similarly, many scars cut through or have had tattoo's placed over them. The most notable of his tattoo's being a Marine insignia with an American flag wrapping around it on his right shoulder, and an extensive tattoo of a lion feasting on the flesh of a dragon- the dragons body wrapping around his left arm and the lion taking up his entire back as they pair meet on his left shoulder blade.
Similarly, tattooed into his neck are the words "mori quam foedari" which means "death before dishonor" wrapping around the right side of his throat, and the left side of his neck and throat having the words "non est deus" meaning "there is no god" in Latin. The final notable tattoo being quite simply- a list of names that start on his right side, in sleek, neat cursive that trails all the way down his side to his right ankle, each name being one of his comrades that fell in the line of duty over the years.
Moving beyond the man's skin, we begin to dip into his head, specifically his hair. Erek keeps a head of well-maintained pitch black hair he gained from his Asian ancestry, the hair is buzzed short on its sides and back, leaving it fading into the longer hair at the top that he's allowed to grow out just slightly from a crew cut into a more "civilian look" as he puts it. The hair is cut so that it won't fall into his eyes and tends to be worn in a rough, bedhead fashion unless he takes specific care to brush and comb it into place for some unknown, "fancy" meeting. Similarly, as was required by the military, Erek tends to keep his face clean shaved every morning leaving only slim sideburns that hover just above the lobes of his ears. This habit of keeping his hair out of his eyes is likely one of his greatest features, this is due to his eyes themselves being one of his most distinguishing features. Though his eyes hold the slight slant known of those of Asian decent, it's not nearly as severe as some- and instead, tends to emphasize his eyes themselves.
His eyes color takes on the hue of a deep, piercing blue- comparable to a deep ocean color one would see in a painting, his irises and pupils are a bit smaller than normal exposing a significant amount of sclera around them, but this tends to contrast well and make his eyes take on a sharp, focused look combined with their slight slant and squint. Due to this he is often found intimidating, combined with his slim eyebrows that are naturally aligned into a 'V' shaped pattern, giving him what many tend to now call "resting bitch face", very rarely looking happy unless he is actively smiling. His facial structure itself is one of the few traits he's most certainly taken from his western blood, as his jaw is wide, and strong- holding a sharp chin with well-angled cheekbones that rest high on his face, lacking any of the round, child-like features that some of Asian descent tend to have on their faces.
A slightly pointed nose gives his harsh, sharp facial structure an even harder look- and often led to him being compared to a hawk due to the combination of his sharp features, and eyes. Even his ears being relatively normal in size, but having very slight points to their tips, likely having inherited it from the same genetic line that he gained his other sharp features from. The final thing of note would be that despite his harsh features and intimidating glares, Erek has surprisingly effeminate eyelashes- their shape being long for a male, and curled with thick strands at their bases, often causing many to give a double take with how out of character they appear on his glowering face.
When it comes to his posture and gait- Erek tends to have what many would deem as the stereotypical "officers walk". Having it hammered into him since his youth, he walks with his back perfectly straight, his limbs usually smooth and moving in certain, single movements with little to no fidgeting, his hands are almost always clasped firmly behind his back, and are never seen in his pockets or held loosely at his sides. Similarly, movement of his head tends to be relatively limited, using his eyes to shift between others in a conversation instead of actively swiveling his head around to face those that are talking, only ever moving it if the individual talking to him is out of his line of sight. This matches with the fact that Erek has a habit of making unwavering eye contact with anyone he's talking to, something that on its own tends to unnerve many, especially combined with his natural features.
Similarly, his speech is deep, gravely, calm, and generally to the point- his accent being heavily mixed varied on the language he's speaking in due to the extensiveness of his knowledge when it comes to dialects. Finally, his general choice in style and clothing tends to reflect as well his profession- or in this instance, his previous profession. Erek's clothing tends to be made up of well-made clothing that focuses less on style, and more on the materials they're made with. Usually, pairs of jeans holding leather padding on the knee's, heavy boots, with a simple colored, usually collared, shirt tucked in and worn with a leather belt. Though this will occasionally be changed with a button up shirt, or the rare T-shirt, he is almost always wearing ironed, well made, and carefully washed clothing that lacks any stains due to having it hammered into him that such wasn't acceptable. Even his boots and leather jackets tend to be polished and oiled to maintain their integrity and strength.
When he is required to wear his Quincy uniform, Erek wears an altered version of the base marine officer outfit with Quincy characteristics. Due to this, the outfit tends to be a flawless white pair of dress pants, with white dress shoes, usually paired with deep blue socks. The upper half of the uniform is a long sleeved white dress shirt, with a marine military officer's jacket worn on top. However, instead of the material being pitch black, it's instead a deep blue with gold embroidery, buttons, and buckles. This uniform retains his marine badges, and medals in their usual required locations on the uniform, both out of habit, and a degree of pride- on the left sleeve right over the bicep he holds the symbol of the Blackmore Clan- embroidered into the material.
No matter what outfit Erek may be wearing, he always has his dog tags on him, wrapped around his neck- even while asleep due to the habits he has picked up over his years of warfare.
Spiritual Description: Erek's reiatsu is very much a representation of his own soul, including how ingrained the concept of war and battle is to him- combined with the obvious guilt that haunts him due to the actions that he performed during those wars. First, comes the color, which takes on the hue of a deep crimson lined with stripes of white representing the purity of his desire to help others, mixed with the realistic understanding that the only way for him to truly "help others" is to do what needs to be done: usually, kill. The energy itself when summoned has a distinct metallic scent tinged with that of gunpowder and smoke, an obvious reference to the battlefield that he spent so long in that intertwined with his very soul due to its imprint on him. When his reiatsu is summoned in full force, it takes on the shape very similar to smoke or steam flowing off his body in columns, and when outright summoned to its pinnacle generally it takes on the shape of a great fanged skull crafted from red and white smoke into a roaring mix of hell in the scents of a battlefield.
BEHIND THE EYES —ESTJ, -A/-T: "All right— someone needs to clean up this mess."
Personality: Erek is very much the stereotype of a "Jaded" or "Dark" Hero, in every sense of the term. Born with a natural desire to help others, by nature Erek is a kind person- someone who would rather be harmed himself than see others harmed due to his actions, or failures. Holding a natural "White Knight" attitude, thinking that he has to take the world's sins, failures, or troubles on his own shoulders- he effectively cares too much. This, of course, led to his eventual pains, as with anyone that has a heart too large- when it finally does burst, it leaves the person crushed beyond measure. As if prophesized, this is exactly what happened to Erek, with constant failings, losses, and the inability to save so many throughout his life he has become pragmatic, and jaded- however this has not "changed" him, simply caused him to gain a more realistic understanding of the world.
The most important aspects of Erek would be summarized easily as "Kind" and "Unbreakable", as even through all that he has lost, instead of being crushed by his depression and failures- has forced himself to get back up and keep on going despite it all. Because of this, his view has managed to hold strong in comparison to most whom tend to "care too much" and due to that, eventually fall into darkness and hatred due to their losses. Erek, emotionally, is built on a foundation of failures- these failures stem from everything from a lack of ability and natural talent, all the way to heavy emotional losses such as holding his friends in his arms as they pass into the void of deaths embrace. This strong foundation of loss and failure is what makes him the man he is today- as no matter how much he may be beaten down, or what he may suffer through, he's endured it before: and he knows he can keep on going.
Of course, two single aspects don't make up an individual's entire personality- and he is certainly not without his flaws. For all his immense willpower, determination, and kindness- he's only human. Erek has a habit of taking in all of the negative emotions that he feels and bottling them up into his subconscious, his anger at himself, anger at others, even something as simple as sadness. Due to a belief that has been instilled in him from a young age that a "man doesn't show weakness", he is a byproduct of an age in which male soldiers were expected to be the pinnacle of strength, willpower, and determination- unable to show weakness, always in control. This has ingrained itself into his mind, causing Erek to effectively bottle away from any emotion that may become a threat to his "image". Not out of any narcissistic need to look as flawless as possible, but instead because in his mind he feels that he must always be a pillar of strength for others to lean on.
Sadly, this means that he has been the "pillar" for many people, and has never allowed any of that weight to be shifted over to anyone else. Due to this, even though his pillar has constantly been cracked, fractured, and nearly broken countless times- he's become so jaded to the feeling of his own emotional and mental fatigue and pain, that he doesn't even notice. His "Pillar" in his mind is unbreakable, with infinite strength, and he has become so delusional by this thought that he can no longer hear the screaming of his own soul. Burying any negative emotion, any weakness that may rear its head deep into his subconscious and never manages to address it. This, of course, is an immensely unhealthy habit- and though no one ever sees's, causes Erek to at times completely break down. Generally, this happens when he has the least control- usually during his sleep and takes the shape of his nightmares that often keep him awake- mirroring past failures that he blames himself for due to once more, thinking he must be an unbreakable pillar of endurance.
In this way, Erek is often haunted by his own emotions and pent-up frustrations. When most people become angry, or annoyed, they vocalize such things and use something to help relieve their stress- or at the least push the frustration to the back of their mind and then face it later to try and learn from the experiment. However, in Erek's case, he's in complete and utter denial. It's not that he is aware that he's "emotionally pent up", but instead that in his mind there's simply no way he can be angry, or sad- because he's not allowed to be, and this is where we come to one of the largest flaws of Erek's mind. The simple fact that Erek has been a soldier all his life, he has it ingrained in his mind that he cannot truly be independent, that he must serve some "higher power", however- as he is complete without faith, it must be something that he can see, hear, and understand- something he can truly listen too.
Erek is a dog of the military, and a dog without a leash is nothing but a broken beast that falls back on its instincts to survive. Erek, is exactly the same. Without someone with authority to tell him what to do, he's lost. This isn't to say that he needs to check back with his superiors for every little thing he does, he's capable of trusting his own judgment, however- he needs to have a "reason" to do what he's doing. He needs someone to serve, someone to be his goal. Without that base, without a concept of law, order, and a set of regulations to abide by, Erek quickly becomes lost and uncertain- having such things for so long. He simply doesn't know how to deal with chaos, or freedom- the concepts are entirely foreign to him to the point that he views them with fear, aggression, and considers them "wrong", purely because he doesn't know what to do with them. This has suppressed a part of Erek's mind, along with of course assisting in this idea that he must be the "perfect soldier" or a "strong man", it has also forced him to suppress things that don't fit into what he's been allowed to have or do in the past.
Such things as creative thought, philosophy, asking questions related to "why", were all heavily frowned upon. The military didn't want a philosopher, it wanted a loyal hound that would do whatever it had to do without any question. Having his life ruled by simple systems, and regulations for so long- Erek despite his age, doesn't actually know "who he is", as he never got the chance to truly develop himself as a person. Certainly, he is aware of aspects of himself- his kindness, his ethics, what he see's as "moral" to some degree- but that line is blurred when commands from his "superiors" enter the fray. He doesn't know what his interest are, where he truly stands on the scale of morality, never having questioned himself, or his superiors- he doesn't care about his own motives and simply "acts" without thought as to why. This unquestioning loyalty is both a powerful weapon and strength- but as well, it's a critical flaw in his personality as an individual, because really- he cannot see himself as an individual.
Unable to view himself as anything more than another "cog in the machine" his own life is worth very little to him, which goes against his actual desires completely. He doesn't have hobbies, or personal goals, and lacks the drive that many individuals have due to this. He works for others and not himself, anything he does being out of necessity to "better the mission" or "better the environment for his teammates". His own desires, goals, or ideals simply don't play a part in his own thought process. This has caused him to become even more frustrated emotionally, but even worse- not even understand why. The combination of being constantly angry, unsatisfied, and without his own personal goal- along with his habit of suppressing any negative emotion the moment it rears its head and refusing to admit its existence, has effectively made Erek into a walking, slow-count time bomb. Ready to snap and explode at the moments notice, without even realizing it's happening.
This suppressed anger is also in part the reason that he holds such semi-sadistic tendencies, enjoying picking on others and teasing them, though it's also simply part of his personality- he also takes a small degree of pleasure subconsciously in seeing others uncomfortable, or in slight pain, as it feels as though they are capable of understanding him. In a way, making him feel as though it's perfectly normal to be in pain, that it's alright to have "weakness", even if consciously he refuses to admit such a thing. Similarly, this is what causes his vindictive streak to have such a powerful hold, as in his way of thinking, vengeance and "getting back" at someone is one of the only acceptable ways for anger to come forth- as it's then warranted since they did something to you first. This is the reason that even when it may be something minor, Erek tends to hold it against the person with tremendous pressure, because it's one of the only outlets for the negative emotion he actually allows himself.
Languages Known: Due to his travels across the world, as well as powerful education and open-minded outlook on the world around him, Erek is fluent in a tremendous amount of languages and sub-dialects, while being proficient in much more. The list of specific languages and sub-dialects are far too extensive to list in a manageable sense, however, it would be safe to assume that he knows most of the languages decorating Asia- especially any within China, Japan, Iraq, and Afganistan. Similarly, any North and South American languages are well within his range, he has dabbled in the language of other continents- but he wouldn't consider himself "fluent" in any of them, enough to hold a conversation, but not without a struggle on both ends.
Goals & Achievements:
- Achieved the ranking of a Commander in a Private Military Special Forces.
- Is considered an Expert in the usage of unarmed and armed combat, with any number of weapons due to a wide variety of training, and real combat experience across the world.
- When moved to a spiritual rich area, near instantly awakened the usage of Blut despite having no previous knowledge of it.
GUARDIAN ANGEL —Quincy Cross: Erek's "Cross" isn't what would normally be called a cross, or even a bangle, at all- instead it's far closer to a Fullbringers item due to it being bound to him out of his attachment to the object itself. In this case, his dog tags- an item that has been with him through hell and back, the tags are his original set from when he started his deployment, though the thin chain has changed countless times, the tags themselves have remained the same. Holding his identification number, and full name engraved into the steel plates, they don't have any unique traits beyond such physically- usually worn around his neck, barely noticeable due to being tucked into his shirt out of habit.
B — "The Breaker": Erek's power is a manifestation of his suppressed emotions-- suppressed anger, bloodlust, and vindictive nature that he refuses to ever allow to surface physically-- has instead manifested as the ability to cause that suffering in others instinctively. This has allowed him to control the concept of pain and damage that others have to varying amounts depending on the level of his power in question. At its weakest, this allows him to cause wounds that he created to stop healing, and instead cause them to become aggravated and expand in their degree. However as the ability progresses, this increases to the point that he is able to manipulate all forms of damage in others-- so much so that he is capable of causing damage he didn't even cause to aggravate, bruising turning to broken bones, a paper cut turning into a gushing laceration, and so forth.
The concept of Erek's power-- quite simply-- is to cause damage that his targets already have suffered to amplify, and to cause those that he has already directly harmed to suffer even more serious damage and pain from his blows. Erek's instinctual desires to harm others, to feed his suppressed bloodlust and sadistic tendencies. This power is based around the manipulation of the reishi around him, causing his attacks to work similarly to a seele in how the reishi around his blows rotates to shred and cause damage to amplify to an even greater extent than normal. However, the key point of this power is that it is a reflection of his suppressed section of his mind-- and this includes more than just enhancing the damage to individuals bodies.
With enough skill the ability allows Erek to enhance the destructive power or damage to anything-- including non-living objects, energy, or other effects. An example would be finding a crack in a wall-- and causing the damage to amplify, crumbling it from the crack outward. Or slashing an incoming spiritual blast of energy-- and causing the small chunk he had slashed out of it, to amplify and shatter the blast. His power is largely based on quite simply destroying anything in his path-- in the most effective and painful way possible. A reflection of his determination, mixed with his suppressed subconscious negative emotions. With enough mastery and power, this could even be used to amplify damage caused by others-- or simply nature itself, such as turning a simple poison lethal, or causing the weak attack of an ally to become a gushing wound suddenly instead.
Spirit Weapon: Erek's spirit weapon is somewhat odd, as when most see his attire and history- they would assume that his "bow" would be a firearm of some sort. However, Erek only ever utilized firearms out of necessity and was always specialized in melee combat- earning several badges in exactly that. Due to this, his spirit weapon reflects his actual combat preferences, and does not take the shape of an actual single weapon- instead, his "cross" is used to help him channel and gather reishi into spirit "weapons", in this instance he is capable of creating blades, these blades vary but are all based around modern military weaponry- showing his comfort with them as none of the weapons are of "classical" design. Instead, he tends to summon up combat knives, throwing knives, or bayonet's- amusingly, these weapons do not actually have the capability to fire Heilig Pfeil - because the weapons themselves double as his Heilig Pfeil as well as being his "Spirit Weapons". Tending to use them for both long range by throwing them, or utilizing them in direct melee combat.
LEGACY CREATED —
Origin: Erek's birth was what could only be considered an "unwanted accident", an English Quincy by the name of Jacob Augustus Blackmore, was spending time in America in the hopes of finding other Quincy Clans "across the lake" so to speak in order to maintain the Blackmores pure bloodline. However, as the young man was inexperienced, and full of a desire for adventure and to try new things in this "glorious new country" that he'd never explored- the man was caught up in his own desires instead. Spending nights in bar's, picking up women and enjoying himself in general instead of actually focusing on what his duty was. This led to the eventual meeting and fling with a young prostitute of Japanese decent that he never even got the name from at a bar, a pure whim, one that neither of them thought much of in the days that followed after the alcohol had cleared. However, when it became clear the woman was pregnant, and she had narrowed down the window of when it had been conceived, she hunted down the man- knowing he was from a "posh noble family" as he had put it- and the money he'd paid her in the aftermath had spoken volumes.
This, of course, led to a confrontation in which the man in question refused such an idea- as an illegitimate child would most certainly spell his own doom in the family. Leaving the woman, and the unborn child behind in fear of what it may do to his reputation with money to silence her, the man left Las Angeles- and never returned. Similarly, the young woman knew she was in no way prepared to be a mother, she'd come over in hopes of a better future, but due to racism, bigotry, and generally bad luck- she had nothing to her name. With nothing left to do, when the child was born she left the small child on the doorstep of an orphanage, with the name she had chosen scribbled onto the paper- the boy was sure to suffer enough purely due to his looks. She had no desire to make his life even harder by giving him a name based on her own family- stealing the name of the runaway father, she could only hope the boy would have a better life than her own.
She never looked back, and the owners of the orphanage never knew who had left the baby- and during the time, they never really cared. It was just another mouth to feed, and they could only do what they could in order to help the child survive. Erek would grow up among many other children of all varying ages, fighting for food as best he could, and doing his best to stay out of the way of the older children. However, as his mother had suspected- as he became a more and more intricate member of the orphanage, the bullying began as his eastern traits began to become more and more apparent. After all, he wasn't like everyone else and therefore, as children often do, they took after the adults around them and decided that he was "wrong" because he looked slightly different. Short as a child, he was unable to do much against the bullying- that started out as simple name-calling but gradually began to escalate into physical confrontations.
The women that ran the orphanage attempted to limit it as much as possible, but their protection was seen as favoritism and eventually led to the bullying increasing in degree even further than before. As time began to pass, Erek suffered what could only be called a "trial by fire", as he continued to be abused, eventually the young boy got sick of it and began to fight back. Taken aback by the sudden change, the children that had originally been picking on him, began to instead run crying to the owners of the orphanage. Of course, their concerns were met with "that's what you get" initially- however, it didn't stop. After several days, the violence was continuing to escalate, and it was becoming painfully apparent that Erek had an excessively strong vindictive streak- as he was only targeting those that had bullied him in the past, but that didn't stop him from escalating the violence with each encounter as his anger toward them grew.
Eventually, the women's hand was forced when one of the other boys was found cradling a broken arm having been beaten into the ground after calling Erek a "slant-eye", the resulting damage was, of course, called for in the eyes of the owners- but they also knew that they couldn't simply allow such extreme violence to take place repeatedly. Attempting to confront Erek on the matter, his temper became even more evident when he accused them of "taking their side" and breaking several pieces of furniture in a fit of rage assuming even they had turned against him as well. Without any options left, they are forced to contact nearby schools and councilors in an attempt to help the boy- and are recommended placing him in a military academy that specialized in "helping troublemakers", with hesitancy, they agree to this.
Within the next week, Erek is sent to the St. Catherine's Academy. It is here that Erek finally finds his "place", in the way that the teachers didn't care what his race was, only about results- after an initial clash with another student, and finding both of them severely punished, Erek quickly begins to adjust to this idea. Channeling all of his energy, anger, and pent up frustration on his work- he begins to rapidly show excellent growth, both in studies and physical development- using the energy he had used for brawling, with instead physical fitness and beginning to even dabble in martial arts.
During this time, Erek's growth continues to paramount- as he pours all of his time into his work, not paying any attention beyond the bare minimum to be polite to others around him. His time is spent training, studying, and sleeping- with little else in between and no desire for anything else. Reveling in the simplicity and enjoying it substantially in comparison to the life he had left behind where he never had anything productive to actually do in the orphanage. Noted for his achievements, he is offered chances at higher level courses and accepts- beginning his first steps to becoming the "perfect cog in the machine" with little else in his life.
By the age of twelve, Erek would graduate from the eighth grade and transfer into the St. John's College High School with high recommendations- and begin his study into the laws, regulations, and system of the military to join the American Army. The goal was simple in his mind- to become the perfect soldier. This drove him to do exactly as one would expect from him at this point, and despite his young age, he continued excessive study in martial arts, physical education, and of course his academics. Taking lessons in combat tactics, extra tutoring wherever it was offered, and constantly spending his free time studying to amplify his knowledge as much as possible. Eventually, this dedication began to pay off in spades, as while still in Highschool level classes, he began to take advanced courses designed for a college education.
At this point is when Erek would be informed he needed to pick a specific area to "specialize in", and with a bit of thought decided the medical field would be most fitting- his first thought about himself that didn't involve being driven "by the rules", but even that was limited in nature due to the trigger having been the rules themselves saying he needed one. Still, despite this, the growth began to show- and his core reasoning for choosing it became obvious: he wanted to help other people, he wanted to save lives. An innate kindness that he had never been able to act on in his past due to his history of bullying and general antisocial behavior from burying himself in his studies. From this point Erek began to dive deeply into the medical field, expanding his knowledge as much as possible as a study into firearms and real military practice as well began to overtake him.
By the time Erek turned fifteen, he would graduate officially from Highschool level courses with honors, and multiple badges representing pre-military achievements, specifically in the medical field, unarmed combat, and armed combat in self-defense knowledge. From here, the young man would begin digging into his first college courses and officially become a College Freshman. Hailed as a genius, he would deny such idea's and simply follow through that it was not some inborn talent, simply a determination and strength of will to push aside everything else for his education and skills growth.
Rise to Power: College years would go by quickly for Erek, whom rapidly achieved his Bachelors Degree in Medicine by the age of eighteen before he would immediately enter Active Duty the moment his paperwork was finalized. Graduating with flying colors, honors, and a list of badges longer than his "courses taken", Erek would enter boot camp and begin his training into becoming a Combat and Feild Medic- during this point he would be offered the chance to skip through boot camp due to his excessive previous training, however he refuses under the context of "bonding with his future squadmates". Due to this choice, respect for the young man grows, and he makes a conscious effort not only to increase his own talents during the camp- but help tutor and assist others as much as possible. Noted for his physical prowess and skill, as well as medical knowledge, he is chosen as a tutor in both fields in order to best enhance the soldier's survival skills in an emergency situation. It would be during this time in Erek's life that he begins to make his first friends- both in the shape of teachers, as well as student and peers. He would pass through boot camp with ease, and be awarded the highest starting ranking as a Second Lieutenant, and official Combat Medic of the American Marine Core. From this, he would spend the next few months being shipped around as a tutor for other camps as the newest crop of graduates would continue to grow until they were all finally given their own squads and commanders- and were given a date to be deployed.
The goal was to finally end the Iraqi Kurdish Civil War, that the United States had entered in late due to a hope it would settle itself- but Erek didn't care about the details, only on what his job was. This would become Erek's first year on active duty, and during this time he and his fellow squads would work toward ending the civil war as quickly as possible. In this year, Erek would have his first taste of war, death, rape, and all the other terrible things that happen in "less civilized" countries as well as how those feelings escalate in wartime. Spit on by civilians and unable to react, accused of being monsters that kill children of the country, forced to watch his squadmates die in his arms- some of which he had personally helped train and heard their stories. Without realizing, he had chosen one of the harshest paths as a medical officer- and during this time it also becomes well known that Erek is one of the few "Officers not afraid to get their hands dirty". When other officers stood on the back lines issuing orders, Erek took the fight to them, fighting alongside those that were "simply" enlisted- much to the ire of his fellow officers.
When the war was finished, Erek was promoted to First Lieutenant, and given a time of leave in order to take proper personality and sanity tests to ensure he wasn't unstable- and though he was certainly troubled, there was no sign of severe PTSD or other psychological disorders. Generally, soldiers would then be shipped back to the United States in order to give them time to unwind and spend time with loved ones. However, Erek didn't have anything, or anyone, to come back too. He put in a special request to remain on the battlefield, and after a month of waiting found it was approved- he was to be transferred into the Civil War in Afganistan due to his previous experience in the Iraqi Kurdish Civil War. With this shift, Erek would remain in Afganistan as an active member on the field, training new troops, providing constant medical assistance until he was approached by a unique group known as "Ouroboros" a privately funded military group-- effectively highly functional mercenaries. Officially "retiring" from the American Military to instead join them as a standard special forces member until the war itself ended. At this point, Erek would begin looking into his next "goal", and would be recommended to further his education in order to better his chances at higher promotion.
This, combined with Ouroboros sending him on constant private assignments-- generally assassinations or domestic disputes in which the rich needed their "assistance", would cause Erek to return to school just as suggested to stay closer to the domestic jobs he was now being given. It would be during this time that he would spend the next years participating in a dedicated study to achieve his Masters in Medicine, all while remaining constantly in tutoring and training to further his own skillset as well as the skill sets of other soldiers. During this point he would receive a single promotion due to excessive dedication, and assistance in other soldiers studies- awarded several badges of honor along the way as he gained the ranking of a Squad Leader alongside his final degree. Finally, he would be allowed to return to the active field as the war began to pick up-- and the American Military needed the support of Ouroboros, and he would be shipped back to Afghanistan- now with a fundamental knowledge of the language and culture there built on both his previous experiences, and dedicated book study.
For the next fourteen years of his life, Erek would dedicate himself to bettering not only himself- but the country that he was currently fighting in against the terrorists as much as possible. Fighting in constant battles, diplomatic decisions, acting as a bodyguard on countless occasions for political meetings and cultural gatherings- he would grow incredibly fond of the people of Asia, learning about their cultures, religions, beliefs, and more. As he became an intricate part of many towns, well known as the years passed, his excessive dedication to victory, constant successful missions, and effort to work with the people to ease the conflict as much as possible not only for the war itself- but between the two cultures, between soldiers and civilians themselves, would be rewarded. Rankings increasing steadily as they seemed to fly by, and never once did Erek slow down or halt in his advance. During this time in his life, Erek would meet Natalie Forge, participating in a mission with her-- and eventually, hiring her into Oroborous himself after her personal incident that caused her to be honorable discharged. He would become her commanding officer and friend as he distributed her missions. The two became fast friends, comparable to family more than just another soldier in the field of war.
Eventually, at the end of his fourteen-year stay as he began to approach the edge of his "prime", Ouroboros's contract with him had ended and he had willingly taken a second for another five years-- he was named a company commander, and for the next year would continue this kind of work until the secondary contract had also ended. With his contract complete, he officially "retired" though they were welcome to call on him for private jobs or for emergencies as they wished. Instead, he would begin to contemplate what it was he wanted to do with the rest of his life, now with more than enough financial stability due to the immense pay, danger pay, and retirement funds he was now given constantly combined with money gained through pouring his finances into stocks. He had no need for a standard "job", and so-- he was lost. A soldier without a war. Initially, he was torn, until he would be instructed by one of many friends that he had made in Afganistan to go- to move on, this being because the woman knew that despite how competent a man he was, that Erek was fundamental- hollow, empty as a person. Following the advice of his friend, he would agree to retirement, following her words that he should try and discover more of himself- lacking a home to come back too, and with a savings account that held more money than most rich businessmen with money constantly coming in, Erek would begin to travel the world.
Exploring the world starting with North and South America, Erek would dive into the other cultures of the world- and during this phase of his life is when his spiritual power would truly awaken for the first time. While in New Mexico, intending to enter the Mexican border after having studied the languages and culture enough to not feel as though he was intruding- he would experience a shift for the first time. An invisible beast attacked him- a blurred image that he couldn't quite focus on. His firearms were powerless against it- worst, those around him couldn't see what he was fighting, not even the blurred shape that he could vaguely see, and the police were being called due to his fired bullets. Forced to enter hand to hand combat, the beast wounded him, however, the pain was nothing new to Erek. The difference, however, was that this would be the first intricacy of a hollow's reiatsu entering his body.
His reiatsu reacted violently. His Blackmore blood rearing its head, caused his spiritual potency to suddenly increase, forcing the limited reishi of the area into himself and mending the damage he had endured- but more importantly, allowing him to suddenly see the beast with clarity. However, he was weaponless, and even if he had a weapon- his bullets had done nothing against the creature. It would be at this point, that he would feel a searing heat against his chest- his dog tags, white hot, a soft whistling noise escaping them. For the first time, Erek would summon forth his Quincy powers- his blood having been forcibly awakened by the hollows reiatsu, and when his glowing blade of reishi sliced the Hollow in half, the resulting chaos would become the first true milestone in Erek's new life. It would be at this point that other nearby Quincy would discover Erek, and with a bit of testing and questions, offer him answers if they returned with them back to "The Order". Full of questions for the first time in many years- Erek agreed.
Call to Action: After the Quincy found him, Erek is sent to the Castle of the current Queen, Freyleif Jökulsdóttir, finding the pregnant young woman outside her castle resting after her duties. The introduction is short and smooth, and she takes an interest in his apparent latent talents when it comes to the usage of blut- welcoming him into the order and naming him a Knight after a meal and brief lesson, as well as finally giving the man some answers on what the spiritual world was, who the Quincy were, and just as importantly- what he was to do from there on out. After joining the order, Freyleif recommends that he seek out Amelia, his likely new captain. However, instead, Erek would linger in the Castle- wanting a stronger grasp on his new abilities and the lore of the Quincy as a whole before he approached a commanding officer for a position or any serious responsibility.From here, Erek begins undergoing basic tests, studying in the castles great library and working alongside Freyleif to better learn his Reishi control, as well as his control of his blut. Rapidly becoming apparent that he holds an unusually high aptitude for it, as well as holding a unique form of blut that Freyleif, having never seen before, immediately begins to study alongside Erek out of curiosity- delving into her own thoughts on it and how to benefit the race from it. They begin working to combine this unusual regenerative blut, with her current capability to utilize reishi healing- working toward creating an entirely new skill based around them. This rapid awakening would begin working toward Erek's ability to take in reishi and enhance his body to even greater heights- during this time he also begins to notice that his combat style is considered "completely unorthodox" by normal standards of the Quincy.
From this point, Erek leaves- transferred to Japan, specifically the Tokyo area where he meets a young woman by the name of Mei Rowan, who begins to help him better understand the basic layout of the Quincy order. Including its laws, how to view the Shinigami on a more "accurate view" than Freyleifs disappointment, more in line with outright hatred. Learning from this hatred, Erek begins to build a general understanding of the spiritual world- combining both of their views to be considered open minded by Quincy standards, but still far from forgiving for the actions the so called "Death Gods" have caused over the years. This includes their current law to "apprehend or kill" Quincy that simply tries to defend themselves during a Hollow attack- due to this, he begins to nourish his own negative feelings against the beings without meeting one.
While his skills are growing, when introduced to an overwhelming energy within Karakura, Erek is overwhelmed- his skills he had been honing in reishi control diluting due to being unable to control how much of the overwhelming amount of reishi he absorbs. This leads him to begin rapidly growing in a base level of power- but his skills taking a backseat due to his slow, steady growth- incapable of actually utilizing reishi properly in the thick new atmosphere. During this point of weakness and being overwhelmed, Erek meets a young woman named Sasha- a fellow Quincy whom helped him fight a Hollow, that leads to an eventual short date and talk regarding the Quincy, as well as an agreement to help one another out, and the exchange of numbers in order to better access one another for training and more talks.
As he begins to steadily, slowly regain his abilities from the shock- he has begun to rapidly grow stronger thanks to having to learn to cope with Karakura's overwhelming reishi and dangerous area's. This has effectively caused his own reiryoku to rise along with his reiatsu instinctively, in order for him to survive and endure the high spiritual climate. As he begins to adjust, he begins to seek out further information on his bloodlines- specifically in the hopes of learning how to properly master them beyond the instinctual level of control that he's managed thus far. This leads to him transferring temporarily to Europe, after finding out that many of the stronger, pure blood clans originated from the continent- and begins seeking out possible purebloods to assist him in his search.
It is at this point, while on a plane transferring to Europe, that Erek would get word that Freyleif's children had been killed- her lover severely wounded, as were many other Quincy. The assailant: a high ranking shinigami. This would be the first major turning point for Erek, in which he realizes that there was no illusion of him having "plenty of time to work" or "grow stronger". The Shinigami were now slaughtering children, outright assaulting the Queen herself. There was no longer time or room for hesitation or slow growth. It would be this reason that he would reach out with far more intensity than before, and meets a young woman named Luna de la Cruz- where they begin talking about his bloodlines possibilities, and more importantly- delving into his own capabilities, outlooks, and knowledge of the Quincy as a whole. Taking her opinions and lessons to heart on the subjects, it's here that Erek begins to make his way further into the act of becoming a full-fledged Quincy of the Order. Begining to dedicate his time to research not only his bloodline but learning of it- studying into the "Blackmore" clan with the assistance of Calendrea Hughes.
With new fuel to burn in the shape of his hatred for the Shinigami- spawned by the views of those he had talked to, and outright ignited by the death of his new friends children- innocent infants, Erek is convinced that the Shinigami are nothing more than a heartless military that seeks only to keep their own supremacy over the "weak humans". His determination would rise to break that idea if they thought humanity would just roll over then they had learned nothing from the countless deaths that they had witnessed over the years. Driven by an ambition to shatter all the Shinigami's illusions of humans being frail, weak, fragile, and easy targets- Erek's training reaches a new crescendo. Returning to Karakura with the new information of his bloodline in tow he begins seeking out fellow Quincy to train and not only greatly increase his own strength- but also help others grow as well.
He had been a soldier without a battlefield. A bloody hound without a leash, or an owner. A broken man without a real goal, or desire. But now, his fire had been re-ignited. It was a brand new war, and it was one he fully intended to win by crushing the Shinigami's heads under his boots.
First Release
Power Effects: Any damage caused by Erek cannot be healed naturally, and will continue to bleed, cause pain, and hinder movements as per usual unless supernatural healing is used-- when it is healed through supernatural means such as regeneration, or healing abilities, their skill is lowered in rank by the difference between it and Erek's power skill's rank minus one. For example, if someone had Expert Regeneration and Erek had Novice Reishi Manipulation-- their regeneration would be reduced to "Journeyman" when dealing with wounds caused by Erek. This effect only lasts only as long as the targets are within range of Erek's aura-- escaping the battle itself revokes this as his reiatsu stops "stunting" ones healing capability.
Power Description: Erek's power at its current level is the ability to cause any and all damage caused by his attacks to become practically impossible to recover from as long as you remain in the aura of his reiatsu, requiring an expert healer generally in order to deal with wounds caused by him in the field-- or requiring retreat so that the wounds stop bleeding and heal naturally without the interference of his reiatsu and reishi manipulation. The power causes Erek's reiatsu to directly agitate the reishi inside any wound that he creates, causing the wounds to become nearly impossible to close or heal without supernatural interference. This causes continuous bleeding under normal circumstances as well as making them very difficult to heal or regenerate. Furthermore, the constant grinding of this shredding reishi around the wound site can also cause significant secondary pain to the nearby nerves. At its current level his ability to amplify damage is limited to living targets, and only passively affects his attacks-- he is not yet able to "amplify" the damage afterward.
