Shodōkage, Tatsuya [Captain, Squad Ⅸ]

[Tatsuya Shodōkage 書影]

'Thinking Color'
"Speaking Color"

⋨Opening

Password 1: [Midgets Can't Dunk]

Password 2: [Kuroi's Shoes]

Discord Name: [The Arashi]

Type: [Genius]

Squad: [Squad Ⅸ]

Rank: [Captain, Squad IX]

⋨Basic Information

Name: [Shodōkage, Tatsuya][The Wordsmith]

Age of Death: [21]

Real Age/Age of Appearance: [450/24]

Birthday: [October 3rd, 1664]

Blood Type: [B+]

RP Sample: [RP by Arashi Kawada]

Height/Weight: [6'3/190]

⋨Appearance

Tatsuya is tall, with a somewhat slight frame, albeit broad shoulders. his features are aristocratic, long and graceful. At all times, his hygiene is kept impeccable, perfectly straight and white teeth, along with manicured nails. He lacks facial hair, which sometimes can give him a youthful expression. Tatsuya's hair is raven black, dark and it is considered one of his best features by his admirers. His eyes are dark and red, and can be somewhat disconcerting, with a look of extreme intellect behind them.

Tatsuya's hair isn't stylized, and he doesn't spend much time putting it in postion, yet somehow, he effortlessly makes it look perfect. His skin is pale, the result of a life spent indoors. Despite this, it does not make him look sickly, instead giving his features a noble look. His gaze is fierce, and contains a deep ambition and determination. Strong enough that you could easily imagine him living out the popular phrase of "glaring someone to death". His voice is charismatic, and filled with righteous conviction. He is a leader in every sense of the word.

Considering the effort he goes to keep himself hygienic, it is no surprise that his clothing reflects this fact. Tatsuya strays from the norm in regard to his uniform. Instead of the usual uniform, he wears a dark red suit, designer of course. His suit is extremely expensive, and high quality. Tatsuya's long sleeved undershirt is a pale white, and of equally high quality. Over it is a black vest and red tie. While his attire is simple, it is elegant in that fact, and the high quality is immediately relevant. Tatsuya takes pride in his appearance, although not to the point of vanity, that is saved for his intellectual prowess. Because for all the time he takes to appear clean and organzied, he cares far more about a persons intellect, than their appearance.

His zanpakuto is tied to his body with a simple red obi, made of pure silk. Somehow, despite seeming out of place, it fits his profile, and doesn't seem unusual at all. Something Tatsuya always keeps with him, is his pocketwatch. This isn't any ordinary poket watch however. This one is made from pure gold, and is ingraved with calligraphy that he himself wrote. The words are his surname, Shodōkage, and his squad number. He keeps the watch in his fron pants pocket, and it is connect to his persons by a pure silver chain. As always, the quality of this peice is top knotch. The only thing that shows Tatsuya as affiliated with the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, is the Capatain's Haori he wears draped over his suit.

Tatsuya's body has some muscle, but he isn't overly bulky. On one hand however, Tatsuya is without fat. His hands, like the rest of him, are long and sinewy. He has the hands of an aristocrat, or a musician. over these hands, are soft, velvet gloves of high quality, they are black, and the kind you might find a very rich person wearing. Delicate and graceful, these were not meant for hard labor. Tatsuya's body and face are entirely unblemished, not a mark on them. This is as it should be, one of Tatsuya's standing should not have such vulgar things as scars. Tatsuya's appearance in death, just as he was in life, is only fitting of nobility.

Now we know Tatsuya's eyes are scarlet right? Well, it's a bit more than that. They say that a persons eyes are the window to the soul, and well, this is especially true for Tatsuya. Tatsuya's eyes are large (not comically so, just enough that peole take notice of them) and they have an incredible depth. The bloodred pigmentation of his iris is completely unique, a color unlike many have seen before. It is as if they crossed the bloodiest reds, with the most with a dark and foreboding outlining, and this was the result. They are striking, and piercing. Tatsuya's eyes are commanding. When he looks at you, peers into the depths of your souls, searchning. You feel compelled to follow him, to fight for him. Tatsuya's eyes are one of the many things that make him such a commanding leader.

Now this is a general view of Tatsuya, but he other facets to him. He is very complex, and this reflex even on his appearance. Most of the time, Tatsuya has a facade put up. A mask, concealing his truth thoughts and emotions. When he has this on, he seems like a pleasant person to be around. He smiles often, his eyes upturned and closed, and his face has an innocent look on it. In fact this mask has fooled everyone Tatsuya has ever encountered. However, behing this mask lies the truth thoughts and emotions to the man that is Tatsuya.

Tatsuya's true face is darker. His normally jovial exterior becomes apathetic, and his formerly open emotions cease... Well, for the most part. You see, Tatsuya is cunning, he is a strategist, an intellectual. He makes plans that no one else could even think of, and is always twelve steps ahead. In light of this, when such a plan comes together, a dark and maniacal laughter can expel from Tatsuya's lips, with force and darkness, it consumes him. Or similarly, an evil smrk can come across his face, scaring those who had just gazed upon it.

When in his gigai, Tatsuya's attire is almost identical. However, he lacks the sword at his waist, and his black obi, the only marks that really identify him as a shinigami. Nowadays in the human world, people tend to be younger than they look, so Tatsuya can easily pass for as young as 20 if he were to put in any effort to do so. Of course, there really isn't any reason for him to do so, but if the need somehow arose, he would have the ability to do so. In conclusion, Tatsuya's form in his gigai is very similar to his form outside of one, coincidentally.

The color of Tatsuya's reitsu is a deep, purple. The proper name of this is royal purple. When it flares, it usually seems relatively normal at first. Until he really begins to battle, then it darkens somewhat, and sometimes, standing behind Tatsuya, a sinister figure can be seen, almost like a shadow. This is the representation of his true self that he can't stop. The darkness of its gaze makes you shiver in a warm room. This is Tatsuya's ambition, and his purpose in one single form. In all, it is Tatsuya's deepest desires and thoughts.

⋨Personality

{Dislikes}

⋨The Incompetent - Tatsuya has not patience for those who cannot keep up with him (That is his definition of incometent) ESPECIALLY when that person is supposedly stronger than him, or of a higher rank.

⋨Children - They eat, they poop, and they sleep. There is no value in them. Also, Tatsuya has no idea of how he is supposed to handle them. Should he pat them or something?

⋨Greasy Foods - They have no purpose! They are messy and unhealthy, with no posotive qualities!

⋨Peasants (Simpletons) - In life, Tatsuya was an aristocrat, and in death, his feelings haven't changed. While he sees the neccesity, that doesn't mean he has to LIKE interacting with the trash of mankind.

⋨Guns - They are uncivilized, any fool with a gun in their hands automatically becomes ten times more hazardous, as if their stupidity wasn't enough.

⋨Dreams - What is their point? Though not always, Tatsuya's dreams are often conflicting, and confuse him greatly. He just doesn't like them.

⋨Squad 11 - They are brutes in every sense of the word. Uncivilized, and battle hungry. Although...

⋨Rock Music - For the most part, this genre of music is ugly and vulgar. It lacks the elegance of more classical venues.

⋨Insubordination - How is one supposed to carry out their plan if their subordinates do not follow orders? Arashi has experimaented with fixing this issue. Things like fear work well, but only to a certain extent. That is why he has cultivated his alter persona. He has found that Charisma, and leadership are the best ways to cure this disease from his subordinates.

⋨Hollows - To be clear, Tatsuya mainly doesn't dislike them because of their choice in, shall we say, food. No, Tatsuya loathe's hollows for their mindlessness. They don't think! He was sure, that if someone could organize, not only the arrancar, but all the hollows of Hueco Mundo... The Soul Society would have quite the problem on their hands.

⋨Most Authority - Tatsuya dislikes most authority for the simple reason that, well, he consideres them beneath himself. In his mind, he is far superior to them, both intellectually, and in power. Although there are some exceptions, for the most part, Tatsuya internally hates others Authority.

⋨Illegal Drugs - They dull the senses, and shield a person from the true way the world is. Only weaklings use this substances, because they can't accept the world for the way it is, and have to let themselves drift in their own mind, prisoners to their desires.

⋨Romance - A useful endeavor, at least to control the common masses. The perfect wedding can ease many of the peasants minds. This doesn't mean he has to LIKE it though. Romance is useless in practical society. In reality, I think Tatsuya is just to vain to care about someone more than himself.

⋨Hell - This place gives Tatsuya shivers just thinking about it. In life, he thought of hell as an abstract concept, but in death? The fact that it is a REAL place and that he could conceivably go there? Terrifies him beyond beleif.

⋨Hell Races - They are further proof that the aforementioned place exists. ^

⋨Pizza - Tatsuya dislikes this for all the reasons he dislikes normal greasy foods, bu ten times worse. Because, for some reason, because it has several of the food groups, people seem to think that it is... healthy... IT'S NOT DAMNIT!

⋨Weather - It is always such a hindrance to the plans Tatsuya makes, somehow, either by rain, sotrm, snow or blizzard, mother nature seems to find a sick delight in finding and destoying his well laid plans.

⋨Okusa Shogen- The man is completely uncivilized, caring for nothing other than battle, and snow cones. In addition, he is, well, to put it mildly, an idiot, and in the eyes of Tatsuya, that is the final straw. SO while he cannot bring himself to hate the happy-go-lucky captain, neither can he stand to be around him for lengthy periods of time.

⋨Rape - It is disgusting and vulgar. A repugnant act that no human should condone, or, god forbid, actually participate in. Only the scum of the earth would even consider this action.

⋨Clowns - ... They creep Tatsuya out... Those perpetual smiles... They're all trying to kill him!

{Likes}

⋨Organization - A disorganized force, no matter how well led, will fall everytime to a disciplined force. It has been proven time and again that dicsipine and organization outways numbers time and again.

⋨Calligraphy - Ah, this art is beautiful. Making words in such a way always calms Tatsuya and helps him think. In fact, this is quite possibly his favorite activity.

⋨Chess - It is the game of kings after all, the strategy is evident in every game, and Tatsuya always wins. Mostly because he's smarter than his opponents, but also because he is a strategic genius, and well, Tatsuya likes to stroke his ego occaisionally by obliteration a lesser strategist.

⋨Shogi - ^

⋨Squad XI - Because while the are bloodthirty savage brutes, they do make excellent pawns.

⋨Squad I - The only squad that could hope to comprehend the genius that IS Tatsuya Shodōkage! Show a normal shinigami an ingenius plan, and they'll just shrug it off, but show a Squad 1 member, and they will tremble in awe!

⋨Meditating- Tatsuya finds the action of calming one's mind and body very benefiting to his mental processes. It helps clear his mind and formulate plans, and he tries to do it at least once a day. After all a sound soul dwells within a sound mind, and a sound body. (Ha! Reference no Jutsu)

⋨Gambling - This 'sport' can have a very strategic edge to it if you play the right game, and Tatsuya finds it frighteningly easy to, shall we say, relieve, people of their hard earned cash.

⋨Squad !V - To put it simply, Tatsuya knows the need that every army or organization has for medical preffesionals, and for fulfilling this role, he holds a bit of respect for the soul societies resident healers.

⋨Grammar - Ah the set of rules and regulations that govern the written word, if only everything was as structured as this system. There is never any need to wonder if something is right or wrong, because the answer is always there. At least, for those who know grammar. tatsuya know's this stuff like the back of his hand.

⋨Intelligence - In truth, to Tatsuya, this is a person's defining characteristic. he judges everyone by their percieved level of intelligence. If they happen to lack in this particular area? They are designated lesser by him. That doesn't mean they don't have their uses however... Manipulation is a powerful tool.

⋨Manipulating Events - That's the most wonderful feeling isn't it? When all of that hard work and effort you go into planning and execution pays off. Those perfect victories? Tatsuya will sacrifice anyone and everyone for these. They are all peices on a board to him.

⋨Thinking of things in terms of chess - In general, Tatsuya thinks of people in terms of chess. Usually, they are pawns, but occaisionally a knight or bishop comes along. And very rarely, a queen...

⋨This shade of purple - Tatsuya doesn't really know why, but this has always been his favorite color. usually he doesn't dispense with such trivial things, but he really does enjoy this color for some reason he just can't seen to comprehend.

⋨Kidou - A wonderful art, it's existence ensures that Tatsuya doesn't have to get his hands dirty most of the time! All except for those truly extreme circumstances, Tatsuya can simply use kidou to dispose of his opponents.

⋨The Soul Society Calligraphy Club - It doesn't exist YET one day, when he reaches power, Tatsuya SHALL create a calligrapy club that shall outrival any other! It's name shall be known throuout the world of artisitc writing!

⋨Blonde's - Tatsuya doesn't really know why ((I do, te he!)), but he has always favored blonde's. Not in any way that matters, if he were recruiting for a jub, he wouldn't someone over a more qualified person for having bonde hair. But if they were exactly the same as far as the purposes for the 'mission', he would probably choose the blonde. It's certainly strange, but Tatsuya can't explain it.

⋨Symetry - Hey, it's orederly, neat, and for the most part, beautiful in it's simplicity. What can he say? Tatsuya'a got the 'feels' for symetry... So sue him.

⋨Smoking- His one real nasty habit, Tatsuya finds smoking relaxing, and conducive to thinking.


{Flaws}

⋨Sociopath - Tatsuya really doesn't care about anyone, only there value for his plans. He can feel emotions like anger, or even satisfaction, but in regards to other people, he could care less. If you haven't gotten it, he thinks of most people as PAWNS, to be used in whatever ways he sees fit.

⋨Narcissist - Tatsuya is very self centered, even though he doesn't think of himself that way. In reality, he focuses too much on himself, and can miss some things occaisionally. he'll also assume people are doing things to get to him, because OBVIOUSLY, they must be trying to figure him out.

⋨Pathological Liar - Tatsuya literally has an alternate persona that he uses to hide his true thoughts and feelings from everone that matters. This persona is intelligent, hard working, and very pleasant and polite. It is also very dull, at least to Tatsuya, most people would think of him as a really cool guy.

⋨Inexperienced - Tatsuya is, shall we say, inexperienced with the opposite sex. He's not homosexual, he just has never had time for them, to busy focusing on his own plans. He has never had an actual romantic relationship with someone, unless you count 'fake' ones that his alternate persona participated in. Those were never serious however.

⋨Victories Cannot Be Handed to Him - Tatsuya cannot stand, cannot let stand, victories being handed to him. His narcissism doesn't allow for it. He wants to see his opponent try, use all of their might to defeat him, only to be utterly destroyed. He wants his superiority to be evident in everyway. To have an enemy just, give up, is unnacceptable to him, and he'll back away from a fight to let his enemey's recover, or something of the like if one were to do such a thing.

⋨Arrogance - Many people confuse this trait with narcissism, however, there is a difference. The major flaw with this trait is, that while most of the time, Tatsuya measures his opponents skills correctly, but on some ocaisions, he might underestimate his opponent. This can be crippling! All of Tatsuya's plans are perfectly created, and a change like that of an opponents abilites can be devestating. Thankfully, Tatsuya is the best strategist there is, So he can change his plans in light of this in the blink of an eye.

{Habits}

⋨Thinking of Things in Terms of Chess - This extends not only to people, but battles and situations. In his mind, Tatsuya often refers to people, especially subordinates, as chess peices. The vast majority of them are pawns, but there are a few more important peices. It should be noted that Tatsuya is willing to sacrifice anyone for his goals, in the same way someone might sacrifice a pawn to call checkmate.

⋨Thinking of his time Before Death - Tatsuya often finds himself thinking of the past. More specifically things he would change if he could do it again. In fact, the power Tatsuya wished he had more than anything, would be the power to turn back time. He feels that if he could go back, and replay his life over again, he could have accomplished all of his goals. And in truth? There is actually a quite large probability that he could.

⋨Calligraphy - If one were to try and find Tatsuya, chances are he would be writing his calligraphy somewhere. It's actually gotten to the point of ridiculous, where, he will write calligraphy the same way other people doodle when he is bored. All of this practice has made him extremely fast in it, several times faster than a normal person writing normal words. yet it still retains the ethereal beauty he imbues it with.

⋨Planning Schemes - Tatsuya does this literally all of the time. While he's writing, while he's training, hell, half his dreams are of him planning something! He has every inch of his life planned out, of course, they are flexible. Every good strategist realizes that all plans can change, and that the best plans account for this fact.

⋨Smoking - As mentioned earlier, Tatsuya is an avid smoker, he can always be found with a cigarette in his mouth. He actually enjoys other people's displeasure at this nasty habit, it's humorous to him.

⋨Flair in Victory - When Tatsuya's in a particularly good mood after a victory, he tends to add a bit of dramatic flair. A short monologue, or lighting a cigarette and taking a long drag over his opponent, blowing it in their faces, he lives for those moments.

⋨Maniacal Laughter - When he has the chance, when he can drop his mask, Tatsuya has a truly villainous laugh, its a bit unnerving really, like he's laughing at the joke that is the world, to think to stand against him.

⋨Checking His Pocketwatch - Considering how he plans, he needs the time quite often, so he tends to check his watch to determine what his timeframe is. It can be annoying to his enemies, wondering whats so important.

⋨ Playing Violin - The sheer melancholy a violin a have on the soul is exquisite, its also the only outlet Tatsuya allows himself (albeit unconsciously) to show what a truly sad person he is... Deep inside.

{Fears}

⋨Fear of Death - Tatsuya has a very intense fear of death. He doesn't want to die, he has so much more to do in this world. Sure, he would be reincarnated, but THIS version of him thinking RIGHT now would be gone. He wanted to change this world, assert his dominance over the inferior peoples!

⋨Fear of Hell - This is an extension of his fear of death. While tatsuya didn't THINK he would go to hell, there are no guarantee's in this world. One day he would die, it may be thousands of years from now, but he would die. And what if he went to this place? Yes... Hell terrifies Tatsuya.

⋨Amnesia - In much the same way that Tatsuya fears death, he also fears amnesia. You see, the main reason that Tatsuya fears death is because, even though he knows he will be reincarnated, he won't be the same person. Well, what makes a person a person? Tatsuya beleives its their memories, so having amnesia would be like a living death to him.

⋨Fear of Defeat/Failure - This event is unimaginable to Tatsuya, no, not unimaginable, inconceivable! It does not exist in his mind, and the mere idea, the mere THOUGHT that this disease might inflict upon him its curse is absolutely horrifying.

⋨Fear of Being Found Out - Tatsuya relies on his image to others, it's extremely useful, and someone seeing his darker side (without his intentions of course) would present a fracture, a flaw in his perfect plan, and he cannot abide that, to be frank, it strikes a deep vulnerable part within him, even if he tries to play it off.

⋨Fear of Abandonment - Despite his sociopathic tendencies, Tatsuya fears being truly alone. Not in the sense that he has major attachments to people, but that he sees himself as the King, the Chess Master, and without his pawns, his games, he really has nothing but himself.

⋨Being Outsmarted - To say Tatsuya is proud of his intelligence is an understatement, and the very idea that someone could defeat him intellectually is anethma to him. It is a deep fear, and should it be triggered, it would rouse extreme anger and irrationality, and also touch on his hidden feelings of insecurity.

⋨Trust - ... Considering his past, Tatsuya is deeply afraid of ever truly trusting someone again. This fear of betrayal is intense, and the source of his sociopathic tendencies. The only people he can trust are his enemies, he can trust in their lack of mercy.

⋨Being Maimed or Scarred - Tatsuya is quite vain, and the thought of such a thing happening to him is heavily repulsive, so he takes great measures to avoid such a thing.

{Goals}

⋨To make sure the entire world knows his name, that they know he is INVINCIBLE. He will not be stopped until the mere thought of his name gives his enemies pause, nay until all of his enemies are dust in the wind. His conviction is fierce, and his determination unshakable. This is Tatsuya's only goal, and whether this brought him to abandon the Soul Society, or lead them to greatness, he doesn't care. He would succeed, whatever the cost.

Of course, to achieve any goal, a good strategist knows to break it into steps.

⋨Achieving Captaincy - While this is a rather boring and average goal, it must be said. Captaincy is the highest rank currently achievable for Tatsuya (That he knows of). A neccessary goal that must be met for ihis dream.

⋨Achieve Shikai, and then, Bankai - It really doesn't need to be stated, but the neccessity of these too things is of the utmost importance.

⋨Eliminating Central 46 - As long as they survive, they have the authority to 'veto' anything Tatsuya plans. In order for his dream to succeed, their must be no higher power than Tatsuya himself.

⋨Overall Personality

When looking at Tatsuya's alignment, most would not expect True Neutral for that. Yeah, there's a reason for that. Tatsuya just doesn't care he doesn't care about morals, or right or wrong. Good an evil, he could care less. All he cares about are his goasl, and they happen to coincide with the forces of good? Or if they so happen to bring him to the evilest depths of humanity? He will do so. As far as 'lawful' and 'chaotic' go, the same standard exists. If his goals brought him to save societies, or let them fall into anarachy not seen in this world before, he will do it. Tatsuya doesn't care if the world burns, or he ushers in a new era of peace and prosperity if his goals are fulfilled.

In battle, and indeed in all of his day-to-day life, Tatsuya is calm, focused, and determined. He does not fall prey to the petty tricks of his opponents. The exceptions to this rule are few, but large in their reaching. If Tatsuya were to somehow lose to another (Which has never happened to him before) he may change in personality... I'm not speaking of losing in such things as a battle, or contests of pure strength, Tatsuya doesn't care so much about those. No, I'm speeaking of contests of intellectual properties. Things like chess, or battles, where he is battleing with his opponent, mostly with his mind, going head to head, using strategy.

Something about Tatsuya that is immediately apparent, whether while his facade is up or not, is his supreme confidence. Tatsuya is utterly sure of himself, to the point that he seems like he always knows what to go, and has a plan. This is actually true most of the time. This isn't the 'cocky' confidence either. Tatsuya is just sure of himself. He knows his capabilities, quickly figures out his enemies, and formulates a plan to combat them. To his superiors, this makes him a very reliable subordinate. Not only is he a warrior, but he is also a thinker, and planner. He is not limited to following set instructions, and from a vague command, can immediately deduct what needs to be done, and does it.

To his subordinates, Tatsuya's charisma, and strategic awarness makes him one of the best leaders in the Seireitei. He takes the time to learn everything about his comrades, from their powers to their personalities. With this, he knows exactly who is best for what, who works well together, and who does not. This isn't done for sentimental reasons, this is done for the pure fact that it makes missions and operation far more efficient, and with a much larger ratio for success. This method has been proven time and again for Tatsuya, and he has great support in it.

Tatsuya is a huge believer in "The ends justify the means". To him, the only thing that matters are results. If that means he has to destroy a village to defeat his opponent, he will do it. HOWEVER, Tatsuya always weighs the price. If destroying the village would do more damage to his goals than losing the battle, he'd rather lose the batle. So while Tatsuya doesn't have moral restricitions, he realizes that his peers do, and abides by them (usually) in order to keep his reputation, which he keeps because for now, it is necessary for his goals. In essence, Tatsuya believes that the ends justify the means, but if the means don't justify the ends, it's not worth it. This means, that if the cost is higher than the reward, he won't do it.

If you noticed in his flaws, Tatsuya is not very experienced with the opposite sex. He just doesn't have time to worry about things like sex. So it's not all that surprising that, when Tatsuya gets in a compromising situation with a female, he doesn't know what to do. In fact, he usually does everything wrong. He gets so embarrased that it is a huge contrast from his usual confident personality. It's actually pretty comical when you think about it. His cheeks will flush, his mind will race, and he will atempt to get as far away from the person as possible. Shouting apologies all the while.

The most important thing to cover as far as Tatsuya's personality goes is, of course, his other persona. Call it what you will, a facade, a mask, an alter ego. Regardless, this is a persona that tatsuya has cultivated since even before his enterance into the soul society. While his thoughts remain the domain of his usual self, the majority of his actions sre dominated by this side of him... At least when others are around. In places like his inner world, or if he is absolutely certain, without a shred of doubt that no one is around, or can see him, his true self emerges. The change between the two is incredibly drastic, and someone seeing the transition would think that it was two different people taking control of the same body. Tatsuya is that good of an actor...

In his false persona, Tatsuya is kind, confident, a leader of men. He is what everyone looks for in an excellent subordinate, or superior. Incredibly intelligent, and with more than a touch of strategic prowess, this charismatic individual seems to be blessed with both charm and intelligence. He is polite to all around him, and seems somewhat humble despite his obvious skill and confidence. To his subordinates, he is patient, kind, and always is open to talk, or give advice. People feel a desire to fight for this man. indeed, he seems to be a model leader. Skilled in combat, politics, and intellectual endeavors, he still manages to retain a sort of 'good guy' exterior, and is known for his fairness and honesty.

This sharply contrasts to Tatsuya's normal personality. Arrogant, narcissistic, but with with more than enough brilliance to back it up. With just as much charisma as his other persona, this is Tatsuya's true self. He cares for no one but himself, and often has an apathetic look on his face. That, or a smirk, almost evil in its look. He is prone to the dramatic, and often has maniacal monologues, or laughter inside of his own mind. This is the person described throughout this app, and his facade is simply a mask, a tool, to be used and discarded when its use has run out.

While he may seem dangerous in his lack of morals, at this point in time the soul society need not fear him. Even with his questionable morality, he is still a brilliant strategist and leader, and his goals coincide with the soul societies at this point in time. One day far from now he might leave, but it is far from now. Honestly? It is very unlikely he would turn against the soul society, they have to useful a purpose for that. Yes... Tatsuya could bring much glory to the Seireitei if given even the slightest chance. Something else different about him is, he loves to be underestimated. To him, this can only be a good thing, and is the reason he is still an unseated shinigami despite all of his skills.

Alignment: [Passive Neutral]

⋨Power

Fighting Style:

Tatsuya is an incredibly wily opponent. His wits in conjunction with his various skills make it so that most opponents find him incredibly difficult to deal with. In battle, Tatsuya doesn't use his zanpakuto as much as most Shinigami. He simply isn't as skilled with it as he is in other types of fightting. That being said, if he is facing an opponent of considerably lesser power, he will attempt to conservT his energy by engaging them in close quarters combat. Ifyou ever see tatsuya fighting someone with his sword, it means that he considers them trivial, easily defeated by his least proficient skill.

When it comes to close combat, Tatsuya relies entirely on evasion and counterattacking, he has put considerable effort into learning skills in footwork and evasion, to ensure he never has to take damage in the first place. He tends to wait until an opportunity presents itself before striking with a close range kidou to either damage, bind, or throw his opponent off of his guard in order to put himself in a better position.

Tatsuya's real power lies in his skill in the more mystical arts. Not only is Tatsuya's spiritual power more than a little impressive, his mastery and control over that self same substance is equally impressive. In fact, Tatsuya considers himself one of the foremost users of kidou in the Soul Society, right behind those who devote themselves to the art, such as those of the Kidou Corps. Tatsuya can claim mastery over many spells in both Bakudou and Hadou, and uses them to great and terrifying effect.

Tatsuya rarely, if ever, relies on brute strength to gain victory in a confrontation. He always is putting his superior intellect to use, analyzing his opponent, coming up with strategies and countermeasures. His tactical mind is perhaps the greatest in the Soul Society, and enemies should beware the many and varied traps that lay within.

In release, Tatsuya must either rely on his massive reitsu reserves, or his own or an enemies blood. Depending on the opponent, Tatsuya tends to use a bit off all three, rationing his precious resources to their best effect. Tatsuya uses the sheer versatility of his release to overcome most foes. How can an opponent guess his next move when his power is literally limited to his imagination? Why craft an elephant when there are so many darker creatures to summon? Tatsuya tends to employ many, almost eldritch abominations with his Animuses.

In combat in general, Tatsuya keeps at a range, using kidou and his released abilities to combat an opponent, keeping them at a distance. He'll maneuver his opponent into his trap and then spring it, utterly defeating them in sudden, unexpected force. Tatsuya is a patient man... He can wait to destroy you. However, this lack of aggressiveness in combat, can leave him open to certain foes.

In point of fact, Tatsuya never releases unless he has to, he tends to rely on his wit, skill in evasion, and kidou to outmaneuver his opponents and finish them. If he IS ever forced to engage in his release, he is prepared to utterly destroy any opponent he comes across, releasing is a threshold for him that, once crossed, means he doesn't allow his opponent to survive.

In any confrontation, Tatsuya's policy is constant movement, to avoid becoming penned down, this goes for enemies of both close, and long range. He is heavily reliant on his ability to outmaneuver an opponent on a strategic level. He will take and seize any advantage he can gain, even if it's simply maneuvering the sun at his back. Everything is a weapon to him. As such, he generally doesn't start with overwhelming force, unless necessary.

Instead, Tatsuya prefers to entrap his enemies, using maneuvering, and his extensive kidou repertoire, to cunningly force his enemies into a corner, before exterminating them with extreme force and prejudice. To him, as long as he has power to spare, there is no such thing as overkill. He's also very calculating and pragmatic, if he feels that its worth it, Tatsuya is perfectly willing to sacrifice people in order to defeat an enemy. He is a firm believer in 'The ends justify the means'.

Tatsuya doesn't generally use hakuda, or even swordplay. He is, and always has been, a tactician above all, and prefers to use his spells to great effect. In fact, Tatsuya has very little proficiency in swordplay or hakuda at all. tatsuya makes up for this with his extreme footwork, able to avoid and outmanuever almost anything, in this way, Tatsuya is extremely fond of counterattacks, dodging and then explosively replying with kidou.

Of course, as stated before, Tatsuya is fond of traps. He will often use the environment to force people into situations where they cannot dodge his attacks easily, or simply puts him in a more advantageous position. He can do this with basic terrain, OR even use his zanpakuto's abilities to aid him, using animuses to herd his enemies how he wishes, or his bankai to effect the terrain on a massive scale.

His zanpakuto truly is a boon to any strategist. The sheer versatility of it, makes it a toll tatsuya can use to extreme effect. Generally, Tatsuya uses the ink for it, however, if the opportunity presents itself, he will use an opponent's blood. He tends to use bakudo and counterattacks to allow these hits to land. Also, if Tatsuya is attempting to conserve his reitsu, he will use his own blood, though, unless the situation is dire, he will not use very much of it.

Zanpakutou Appearances:

In it's sealed state, Sophos Scriptos is somewhat smaller than an average katana, in reality, it is a wazikashi. Tatsuya has a flare for the dramatic, and this can be seen in his zanpakuto. It's sheath is a deep, striking royal purple. The sheath, or 'saya' is smooth, and devoid of blemishes of any kind... However... it does have a defining characteristic. From either end of the saya, kanji can be seen in calligraphic writing. Almost all of these words are unentelligible, due to how many of them there are on the sheath. The blade itself is elegant, with a very light curve to it. It is obviously made of the ery highest quality materials, not only for beauty, but for practicality. At the hilt of the sword, are mother of pearl enlays, and the wrappings are black, with the same color of the saya at the base.

When releasing to Shikai, the sword shrinks down into the form of a large calligraphy pen. With a pen tip (called the nib) measuring an inch and a half, it is abnormally large for a pen, but woefully small for a weapon. However, this is just the first part of the Shikai. As the sword shrinks down, the Shinigami’s clothes transform into long flowing robes made up of individual sheets of paper of various colors. The clothes are easily made up of hundreds of pieces of paper, all layered together into a weave.

When the clothes are finished transforming, the scabbard of the old sealed Zanpakutou starts to leak out a thick black ink. The entire container is filled with this ink, and it slowly drips out and runs down the side as the Soul Reaper moves. The last transformation in Shikai is the appearance of a large spiritually durable scroll. When rolled up, the scroll is comparably thick to a linebacker’s arm in girth. When fully unraveled, the scroll measures thirty feet in length. Even when fully extended, there is still a thick wooden pole at the end of the paper. The scroll is able to be moved by the Shinigami’s mind, and moves at speeds equal to himself.

The Bankai is special in activation. While it has a call out phrase, as most do, very few people will actually be able to understand it. It’s not that it is in some odd language or anything, it is just that the words are going to come out muffled. In order to activate Bankai, the Shinigami must swallow the pen of their Shikai whole. As a result, it is impossible to skip straight from a sealed state to a Bankai state unless the Sealed blade was swallowed, usually a difficult task. Although knowing Tatsuya... nothing is impossible.

When the pen/blade is swallowed, the scroll shreds itself and the Bankai activates. The robes undergo the biggest change in appearance. The hundreds of papers fly upwards as if caught up in a massive updraft leaving the Shinigami wearing thin shorts and bare chested. The pages scatter over an area of a few hundred meters and transform into pen shaped spears, raining downwards slowly. Hundreds of these pens litter the area, able to be picked up by the Soul Reaper at any time. If someone “unworthy”, meaning someone who is not Tatsuya tries to pick one up, it will feel impossibly heavy.

When the robes are finished scattering, four large paper limbs emerge out of the Shinigami’s back. Two come out of the shoulder blades and two out of the lower back. These limbs have black arcane scribbles all over their length and are Spiritually Durable. These limbs are thirty feet long, just as the scroll was, however, they don’t have fingers like normal arms do. Instead, where there should be fingers there are pens. This makes for a total of 20 pens that ooze ink, rather than need to be dipped into a well. This oozing happens because the Soul Reaper’s blood has been completely converted into the black ink.

Zanapkutou Release Names:

[As the Pen is Mightier than the Sword, let your writings prevail, Sophos Scriptos!]

[Let our writings prevail until the end of Time. Let our name be known throughout the whole of Space. Let all know the name of the Master Wordsmith, Sophos Scriptos Summus!]

Overall Ability:

The Overall Ability of Sophos Scriptos is to transform the written word into a lasting change. Words have the power to change the world for better or for worse, and Sophos Scriptos can harness that change to modify itself. This is the basic ability of the release, which will be explained later. First, the Zanpakutou needs ways to write. It has two ways to do this - through Ink or through Blood. It also has two different ways of writing with blood. Either the blood of Tatsuya, or the fresh blood of someone else.

Writing with ink is the easiest way to write, but the most costly to Tatsuya. Dipping into the well in his sheathe or simply writing with the pens in Bankai costs 100 reiatsu per noun or adjective. If he stabs himself with the pen, or simply takes from an open wound, these costs are halved to 50 reiatsu per noun or adjective. However, if he stabs an opponent or takes blood directly from an open wound (i.e. not from the ground where blood has been spilled or from a corpse) these costs are halved again to 25 reiatsu per noun or adjective.

But what do these words –do- exactly? By writing down a noun, Tatsuya can transform the paper into that noun. Size limitations do apply, meaning he can’t turn an 8.5x11” piece of paper into a full sized tank, in Shikai, anything he creates can't exceed his own body mass. However, in Bankai, Tatsuya has much more leeway, concievably creating something much bigger, like a tank. By writing an adjective, the object gains that attribute. Meaning, by writing “Fiery”, the scroll would become engulfed in flames. However, if he wrote “Fire” the scroll would become fire, and thus be really hard to write on any more. There are a few specific nouns that cannot be written normally, and those are fully covered in Zanpakutou Techniques, because they have special effects.

Without techs, Tatsuya cannot create anything automated or sentient, anything that acts on its own or moves around besides simple unidirectional propulsion. All nouns and adjectives throughout the entirety of the power follow typical Clash rules. Adjectives such as Invincible would be ineffective at best because superior offensive stat would still be able to power through them.

Shikai Overall Ability:

The biggest limitation of the Shikai is that Tatsuya can only write upon his scroll or on pieces from his robe. He can write with Ink, his Blood, or someone else’s fresh blood for the various costs explained in the Overall Ability. If he were to write “Sword” onto the scroll, the segment on the far end of the length of paper would become a sword. This is the standard use of nouns. Whatever is written on the scroll, the end of it becomes that noun. There can only be one noun in use at a time per paper, unless it is a compound noun. Compound nouns, such as “elephant tusk” or whatever, count as one word for purposes of cost, because they are one object.

The appearance of the nouns is all dependent on his imagination, so he does not need to specify “blue fish” or “red fish” if he wished to make a fish. Moving on to adjectives from that statement, which are self-explanatory, writing an adjective makes the noun object characteristic of that adjective. If there are no nouns active, then the adjective describes the scroll as a whole, else, the adjective usually describes just the noun. More will be explained in Zanpakutou Techniques below about exceptions to that rule. In Shikai, Tatsuya can have a maximum of 3 adjectives on a noun at a time, but they cannot contradict each other. He cannot make a Hot Icy Sword in Shikai.

About Firearms, as a note. While Sophos Scriptos –can- create guns and such, it comes at a cost. Each individual piece of ammunition must be created separately from pages from his robe. This comes at a pretty hefty set up time, as well as a fairly large reiatsu cost. Not to mention, the pieces of paper are the standard 8.5x11” sheets. The surface area of that sheet is not big enough to make ammunition such as rockets for an RPG. As far as stats go, each time he creates a firearm it will be based off of a currently existing one on site, and will be reffered to as such in thread.

One of the biggest weaknesses to this power is that Tatsuya is not immune to anything he creates. He has the technical ability to make a nuclear bomb, however, he would be destroyed by said bomb. It is attached to him, with no way to detach it and flee from the site of the explosion. Not only is he not immune to his own power, but he is weak to his own power. Anything that he creates has the potential to backfire if not written correctly. The scroll is connected to his bloodstream, so not using the right nouns could potentially deliver spider venom or similar right into his system.

Bankai Overall Ability:

In Bankai, there is great power that comes at a cost. Because Tatsuya’s blood becomes ink, he loses the ability to write with his own blood. So, he can either write with ink for 100 reiatsu per word, or he can write with someone else’s fresh blood for 25 reiatsu per word. However, he no longer has a scroll with which to write on for a reason. He is no longer bound by the restriction to write on that scroll, and can write on anything, even air if he has the talent.

Conceivably, Tatsuya can create 20 nouns at a time. These nouns are not manipulated mentally, so they would either need to have logical self-propulsion, be grasped by the paper limbs, or be wielded in Tatsuya’s hands. In Bankai, Tatsuya can store the fresh blood of someone else in limited quantities in the pens, rather than needing to use it all at once. Fifty letters worth of ink can be drained out of someone in a single touch, or even caught out of the air as it spews from a wound. It still cannot use blood that has touched the ground or been from a corpse, though.

The increase in power in Bankai comes with a great increase in creative strength. Seven adjectives can be used on a single noun, and they can contradict. A Hot Icy Sword would both burn and freeze on contact. While a Burning Freezing Stunning Blinding etc. Sword would be powerful, it would still have to make contact with someone, as well as cost the full amount of reiatsu for each adjective.

While Tatsuya still isn’t immune to, say, a bomb that he creates, he has the added passive ability to write adjectives and nouns on his own body. If he coats his arm in fire with the “Fiery” adjective, then he would be able to set things on fire. He does not take damage for doing so. That body part is immune to the effects of the self-writing. When a noun is used, the entire body part becomes that noun. This can be potentially harmful in application. For example, while a liquid would still retain the same general shape of the body part, a noun like “lava” could be very damaging to the rest of the body.

There are small limitations on what adjectives he can use on his own body using his Overall Ability, made mention of in Zanpakutou Techniques because they have special costs and drawbacks.

Zanpakuto Techniques:

Technique Name: Origorsum

Release Level: Shikai

Technique Description and Effects:

This technique is a Shikai only technique that allows Tatsuya to write a special word. This word has no effect if attempted to write with the Overall Ability, because it has a special cost and effect. This word is “Pen”. To initiate this technique, the scroll must be rolled back all the way into Tatsuya’s hand, and Pen written on the tube of the scroll itself. When that is done, and 300 reiatsu is paid, the scroll will absorb into the Soul Reaper’s hand.

The forearm will then become like metal and grow extremely large. The entire forearm will form the nib of a pen the size of a human body, and yet will weigh like nothing to Tatsuya. This technique is purely offensive. By stabbing the nib of the pen into an opponent, blood can be drained from the body in large quantities. It will pull enough blood to fully drain the opponent dry in 5 posts of prolonged contact, with even a single post being enough to weaken opponents not used to blood loss. Obviously, if this attack cannot penetrate the skin or the opponent removes themselves from the nib before a full post has been reached, it will pull no blood or less blood, but even getting just under the skin is enough to drain quite a bit of blood. The pen lasts for 2 posts unless it enters an opponent, then it fades as soon as they remove their body from it.


Technique Name: Signatex

Release Level: Shikai

Technique Description and Effects:

This technique is a simple utility technique that is only needed in Shikai. By removing a page from his robes, paying the cost of words written on it, and then adding a reiatsu cost of 100, the text of the paper can be sealed. Rather than forming the noun and adjectives combination, the paper simply retains the ink on it, folding itself into an envelope. This envelope, when opened, releases the ink inside, forming the object that was inscribed upon it. This envelope can be given to allies, or taken by enemies, or used by Tatsuya himself. It costs no reiatsu to open the envelope, and it has no defensive durability. If it is cut open, the object is released.

Technique Name: Animusus

Release Level: Shikai/Bankai

Technique Description and Effects:

Normally the nouns of Sophos Scriptos are completely static. In fact, without using this technique, they always are static objects that must be moved by Tatsuya. Animusus allows Tatsuya to write into existence a moving, thinking object. By paying the reiatsu cost of 400 and then either drawing away a pint of his own blood or writing with an entire pen full of an opponent’s blood (must have drawn for a full second to fill up the pen in Shikai), that blood can be used to write a single noun in a very large font.

The noun could be “elephant” or whatever, and will create a normal sized version of that noun. The created object must be a living being else it will be inert and ineffective. That creature will move at a base speed of 300 and possess a base strength of 400 in Shikai, stats doubled in Bankai. Only one Animusus Noun can exist at a time. In Shikai, adjectives cannot be used. In Bankai, elemental adjectives can be used for an added pint of inkblood/pen worth of opponent’s blood. One element maximum at a time, though. It should be noted that the creature summoned cannot be humanoid, or use reitsu techniques or the like.

Technique Name: Atramenuenta

Release Level: Bankai

Technique Description and Effects:

Remember how Tatsuya swallowed the Shikai to activate Bankai? Well this technique allows the Shikai pen to return. Even if the Sealed Zanpakutou was somehow swallowed to activate Bankai, the Shikai pen will be used in this technique. It just works that way. Anyways, by paying the reiatsu cost of 200, and disgorging the pen into the mouth, the Shinigami can launch out a flood of ink over the battlefield. The pen becomes like a fire hose of ink, drenching all it touches in the thick liquid. This ink has no special properties beyond regular ink besides being awful to get in one’s mouth, ears, eyes, and clothes.

Technique Name: Stilorbis

Release Level: Bankai

Technique Description and Effects:
This is one of Tatsuya’s most costly techniques, yet it has the most raw power. This technique possesses the most offensive capabilities of all of them, but also is the most tricky to use. To use this technique, he must lift one of the many spear-like pens off of the ground and stab it into himself. This could be in his abdomen, or even just one of his Bankai limbs. The same blood runs through them. After draining a pint of blood, which is a considerable amount even in Bankai, he writes on the ground with it and pays the reiatsu cost of 800 plus the cost of the adjectives and noun that he used.

Writing on the ground causes every one of the other pens scattered around the battlefield to rise up and be animated, writing the exact same set of words. This creates hundreds of copies of the same item. This can be dangerous as allies and enemies would be subjected to the item, not to mention the Soul Reaper himself. He still isn’t immune to his own objects in this manner. He is completely unable to use Animusus in conjunction with this technique. He can only use his Overall Ability, and even that won’t protect him. If he had an adjective written on his body, and attempts to make an object that would use the same element, he will become just as damaged as his opponents and allies if he is hit by it.


Technique Name: Ultimaerbo

Release Level: Bankai

Technique Description and Effects:

The Ultimate Technique. Every high class Soul Reaper has one. The Final Form of their Bankai, that transcends the simple appearance and goes beyond to new heights of power. Ultimaerbo needs a bit of wind up, requiring Tatsuya to have spent at least 4 posts in Bankai before activating. This technique will consume all remaining reiatsu, and will require at least 1200 to be paid. This massive outpouring of reiatsu and ink will be written with an entire hand of pens all pressed together to make a single point. Writing on his chest, Tatsuya will place the noun “End”

This will cause the Bankai’s Final Form to activate. This is an unnatural Final Form. Rather than increase the scale of the Bankai, making it bigger and fiercer, it compresses the Bankai, making it dark and focused. The arms and their pens all suck into the body and the entirety of the Shinigami’s flesh is converted into Ink. This makes him immune to physical damage that doesn’t have the capacity to completely disperse his liquid body (A shockwave with strength double to his defensive stat would be able to produce this). While he is not immune to reiatsu damage, if it is not at least Class 3 and possessing superior offensive stat, the attack will be unable to destroy him.

Having no reiatsu, this makes the Final Form unable to write words as normal. Instead, the Soul Reaper has the ability to convert his limbs into objects by shaping the ink of his arm into the phrase. The objects created can only have 1 standard element as an adjective rather than having the ability to be complex. Because this is the Ultimate technique of Sophos Scriptos Summus, the noun portion of the ability is much more powerful. Rather than just one object being created, the limb will transform into fifty of that noun, all arranged in a porcupine pattern. The noun is sword? Fifty swords. Similar to the drawbacks to Shikai, unless one limb was to become ammunition, it would be difficult to create firearms during the Final Form

The Final Form technique itself lasts for 3 posts and then ends. When it ends, Tatsuya will be out of reiatsu, out of stamina, out of consciousness, and on the verge of death. If anything is to disturb him before he can get medical attention or a full 24 hours of rest, he will most likely die.

[/spoiler]

Other Techniques:

HoHo:

Shunpo - Mastered
Shunkassou - Proficient
Shunpo Karin - Proficient
Ashibumi Daichi - Mastered

Bakudo:

Bakudo #87: Tsutsumi - Proficient
Bakudo #67: Sukkiri Sekisho - Proficient
Bakudo #80: Gachan - Proficient
Bakudo #58: Kakushitsuijaku - Proficient
Bakudo #61: Rikujokoro - Mastered
Bakudo #26: Kyakko - Mastered

Hado:

Hado #81: Baundo Zetsumei - Proficient
Hado #88: Hiryū Gekizoku Shinten Raihō - Proficient
Hado #90: Kurohitsugi - Proficient
Hado #50: Mabarashi Dangan = Proficient
Hado #33: Sōkatsui = Mastered
Hado #1: Shō - Mastered
Hado #4: Byakurai - Mastered

General Spiritual Techniques:

Ash Burning: Ahctually
Ash Burning: Sticky Ash

Cinematic Techniques:

Ash Burning: Replacement

{History}

Birthplace: A small mountain village

Current Residence: Hokutan, Tatsuya owns a large house in Hokutan's mountain range.

Memorable Figures:

[The King - Tatsuya's Father]

[Kenden Shodōkage - Tatsuya's Uncle, Heir to the Throne]

History:

SPOILER: Click to show

{A Prince is Orphaned}Tatsuya was born to the house Shodōkage, in feudal Japan, approximately 450 years ago. His exact birth date is unknown, but the day he celebrates, October 3rd, is the day he was found. In the first few weeks of life, Tatsuya was orphaned. He was born in a small mountain village at the border of two lands at war with each other. It was a terrible war, one of the worst in the history of either of the nations, and it was reaching it's final, bloody end.

In the last days of this war, the fighting became particularly vicious, and towns that had no strategic purpose were targeted in rage. This was truly uneccessary, Tatsuya's home was actually OUT of the way, the soldiers had to actively go there to sack the village. Towards the end of this particularly savage raid, a royal convoy drove into the village. Inside the last cairrage was the king himself. He was furious. This village had actually been one of the countries own.

Yes, these soldiers had raped, pillaged, and murdered their own country men. This was apparently do to a simple error with the commanders maps. You'd think that this would be bad enough right? The fact that they had betrayed their sacred vows to protect and defend, of course, the commanders of these companies denied it, but they could not escape the fallout that would follow... Nobody could, in fact, they were all summarily executed.

But no, it gets worse. You see, the king had just sent his only daughter to this village several months prior. Throughout the war, the royal faily had been in constant danger, and when it was found that the king's daughter was pregnant, the king made the decision to send her to this village to hopefully give birth in safety. While this WAS a border village, it was small, and out of the way, so the princess had been thought safe. In fact, the reason she was there was for anonymity.

But due to a military commander's error in geographical paperwork, the village had been targeted as the enemies, and the princess had been killed. just a few weeks earlier, Tatsuya had been born. The princess had actually secured her son's life, by hiding him inside of the secret safe room that had been built for her. Inside of the cabin she had been staying in, there was a secret basement, concealed from all but the princess and her personal guard, whom all died in the defense of the town.

Unfortunately, a soldier had seen her run ino the house, and she knew that if he found it empty, he would tear it apart trying to find her, eventually finding the safe room. If he found her however, he would have no reason to search further. So with a few last soft words to her son, she shut the door to the hidden safe room. Slowly, she stood up and stared at the door waiting for her soon to be murderer. She fought savagely, with a heart and resolve that she was so beloved for with her people.

Sadly, the soldier did not finish her quickly, and did unspeakable things to her before finally, mercifully killing her. The princess was strong however, and did not cry out. She did not give her killer the satisfaction of hearing her scream, and instead stared defiantly at him... But not before he had broken both of her arms after she had gouged one of his eyes out. This man, when everything came to life, was tortured for years at the behest of the king, until Tatsuya's 13th birthday, where he slit the mans throat himself.

SPOILER: Click to show

{The World Against Him}It did not take long for the kings men to find the princesses body, and shortly thereafter Tatsuya. When he heard the news of his daughters death, the king ordered the execution of every soldier in the raiding company. He quickly left with his grandson for the capital, but not before watching the man that had murdered his daughter burn at the stake for his crimes. And so ends the story, of how Tatsuya, Royal Prince, wwas orphaned. This is only the beginning of his short, and tragic life.\

Tatsuya grew up. As he grew older, he was seen as the perfect heir by many. Handsome, Intelligent, charismatic, he had it all. Yet despite all of these traits, Tatsuya was NOT the heir to the throne. Three years after Tatsuya was born, the king's wife bore him a son, and despite Tatsuya's advantage in age, the son, Kenden, was now the heir to the throne, having the better claim. Growing up, the sudden change in how he was treated by some, affected Tatsuya greatly, and in fact helped him become the calm strategist he became, instead of a spoilt brat.

From the start, the new prince was, to put it simply, a brat. He got whatever he wanted, when he wanted, HOW he wanted. His favorite phrase was "I'm the royal heir!". This he shouted at servants whenever they questioned him. He also seemd to take a pleasure in taunting Tatsuya with this information. Although, to be fair, Tatsuya never gave him the pleasure, he was far to busy studying, and training to care so much about the royal title. Besides, he had grown up knowing his place, he felt no envy.

One day, in the summer of Tatsuya's 17th year, the kingdom once again went to war. This in and of itself was of no great concern, in this time period, wars were created and ended often. One of the intricacies of Tatsuya's home nation was thus. To ensure that the royal family had a 'stake' in a war, they were required to send a member into the military. This was usually decided by a sort of draft. Now that the the particulars are out of the way, let's move back to Tatsuya.

The very next day after the war war began, all of the male member's of the royal family came together... All 328 of them. Let me explain, while the main branch of the royal family was fairly small, There were many smaller noble families that, while still in line for the throne, were not technically considered royalty. These people, as they were still considered heirs to the thrrone despite not being royalty, were part of the royal drafft.

Standing at the head of the great hall, was the king. He was the man who held the honor of drawing forth the name of the man who would serve. In front of him was a heavy oaken box, within it werea number of slips of paper... 328 slips to be exact. They were all face down, and they all held a name. What one would fnd iff the lifted one of the slips up owever, was the name Tatsuya Shodokage. If they were to lift another... Tatsuya Shodokage. Yes, every single name was the same.

Now you may be asking why? Well, to put it simply, Kenden was not well liked. Tatsuya on the other hand was. He also held the 2nd best claim to the throne. In fact unbeknownst to Tatsuya, a number of noblemen have been planning a coup... With Tatsuya as the figurehead. The king was old, and despite how much he cared for his Grandson, he loved his kingddom even more, and this was the first step to preserving the union of that kingdom.

Tatsuya would go to war, and he would die. If not in battle, then an 'accident' could be arranged. Regardless of whatever happened, Tatsuya would die. And he did, although not as expected. He survuved 3 years in a warzone. His brilliant mind and charisma allowing him to aviod the assasination attempts, and to rise through the ranks, all the way to colonel. For the assasins, the situation was growing worse and worse. He was gaining the support of the military. Something very dangerous. Finally however, an attempt did succeed, one from a source Tatsuya didn't expect.

You see, all this time he had thought that Kenden was the one trying to kill him, for obvious reasons. But he found the truth when in a visit to the capital, the king himself slid a dagger between his ribs... Calling him to his chamber's, the king emraced Tatsuya in pride and joy, only for a treacherous dagger to find it's way inside him, directly into his heart. It had been the first time Tatsuya had left his guard down in 3 years... He had paid the price for it.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Afterlife}

After his death, Tatsuya was sent the Seireitei by a nameless shinigami. He was exceedingly lucky, landing in Rukongai, northern district 1. After his betrayal, Tatsuya vowed that he would never again let his guard down, never let anyone close, and become strong enough that no one would eveer be able to hur him again. Joining the Spiritual Academy some years later, Tatsuya quickly showed his brilliance and graduated at the top of his class.

Tatsuya first entered the Gotei 13 in Squad 1, where his organizational ability and tactical mind were greatly valued, he however subdued his combat prowess for a time, hoping to gain power above what his rank should afford. This way he could surprise any enemies he encountered. Soon enough however, his skill and talent could not be denied, and he swiftly rose the ranks.

As a matter of fact, Tatsuya was extremely gifted in command and organization, his skill in strategy a great boon to the soul society. He found himself more and more often leading, or commanding missions above his pay grade. This was simply because he delivered RESULTS. His mission completion record is spotless, without even a single failure. This is because Tatsuya does NOT lose... Ever. He may or may not be a little bit perfectionist about it.

There is one mission in particular that secured Tatsuya's rise to the top. It had been in the human world, Tatsuya was a 3rd seat at the time, and leading a squad of shinigami in an important extermination mission. A large mass of hollows had been sighted in the area, and the area was a densely populated city. The magnitude of loss of life would be palpable, that is, unless Tatsuya and his men could stop it. To this end, Tatsuya had taken his time, there was no point in rushing in and failing.

He sent men in to scout out the area. Turns out, it was filled with regular hollows, retaining an honor guard of menos and adjuchas, but worst of all, at the lead was a vasto lorde. This... was bad. It was a time when Captains of the Soul Society were dropping left and right, they simply didn't have the manpower to send one out. They were going have to defeat this force alone. Tatsuya however, was up to the challenge. Quickly sketching out a plan to his men, Tatsuya sent them to their positions.

he had them mount a distraction, whilst Tatsuya himself attacked the vasto lorde. This was largely succesful, allowing Tatsuya to engage him one on one. Of course, Tatsuya, being a strategist, had more up his sleeve than that. Trhough manuevering his footwork, and good old predictions, Tatsuya managed to force the vasto lorde to use a cero on a rather large dam he had spotted when surveilling the area.

This actually allowed his men to fight the hollows much better, being able to utilize air ground, and enabled them to take the advantageous position in the battle. For them at least, it looked like they would be victorious. The real problem was the vasto lorde. tatsuya was actually forced to release his bankai, being one of the rare few 3rd seats capable of such a feat. in the end, Tatsuya used his bankai tocreat amaze of mirrors with his pens, and shot out a kidou which grew more powerful the more it bounced, effectively trapping and obliterating his enemy.

After this Tatsuya recieved a commendation from the Captain Commander himself, not as the Czptain Commander, but rather as the Captain of Squad 1. To this day, Tatsuay is reasonably sure this event is what secured him his Captaincy. It was a rather austere affair, simple, with a calm and quiet, hoest honor, but Tatsuya prefered it this way anyway. he rather respected the Captain Commnder, for his power and intelligence, if for nothing else.

Of course he didn't trust him, as he trusted nobody. If one paid attention, Tatsuya always kept his eyes on the Captain Commander, and never turned his back on him. However, Tatsuya played it off exceedingly well, he acting skills on an entirely different level than most. Although is possible that the perceptive old bull noticed. It is exceedingly difficult to hide one's true emotions from a man as experienced as the Captain Commander.

As he rose higher up the command structure, Tatsuya noticed more and more, just how feeble the Thirteen Court Guard Squads had become, Captains falling left and right like common peasants. Captains were supposed to be the epitome of power, an unreachable icon of sheer strength. And yet their enemies were stronger. Tatsuya decided then and there that he too would become a Captain, and show the world what a True Shinigami was.

As the days and years passed however, Tatsuya felt himself growing steadily more and more reserved. Alone. He was amazed at the sheer stupidity of some of his fellow Shinigami. Most of them didn't give any thought other than Charge when they attacked an enemy in a blinding rage. No wonder the average Shinigami was nothing but fodder in real battles. he inteded to change that, streamlining their strategies, and turning them into the superior force they should be.

He did see some paragons of power and tactics however. Kyomei Kuchiki, the Kidou Master, Sozen Kuchiki, a man of poise and intellect and sheer unadulterated power and skill. Men like these took on the enemy and defeated them. The mighty Sozen even defeated the Primera Espada! Proving once and for all that Shinigami were superior. But in time, even this Titan fell. WHen he heard the news, Tatsuya felt simultaneous despair, and determination to succeed this great man.

All the wall Tatsuya grew, he learned, he rose. Until he too had become powerful, he had fought battles against the quincy, the hollows, the arrancar, always in a minor role, commanding undeated officers in the battles of footsoldiers, far away from the titanic struggles of the upper echelon. Until one day he found himself obliterating these enemies with ease. In fact, he remembered the mission whence he defeated that vasto lorde quite clearly.

Apparently the upper class had seen his power as well. For he found himself summoned at the command of the Soutaicho himself. Tatsuya met this the way he met everything, with complete grace, and a hint of arrogance. It was about time, he had grown powerful enough to lay waste to his foes. To destroy the Soul Society's enemies. He would lead the Soul Society to greatness. He knew this the way he knew he breathed.

[Tatsuya Shodōkage 書影]

SPOILER: Click to show

{Stats & Skills}

Stats

Strength - [150] Points (50)

Speed - [300] Points

Spiritual Pressure - [300] Points (750)

Reitsu Strength - [400] Points (1000)

Light Aura - [0]

Dark Aura - [100]

Instincts - [125] Points

Senses - [50] Points

Energy Sensory - [0] Points (0)

Healing Expertise - [75] Points (25)

Total SP: [1400] Points

Skills

• Smoke Steps Level 4
• Kidou Level 2
• Mental Incantation Level 1
• Battle Analysis Level 3
• Analysis Level 3
• War Strategy Level 1