Post by Zatoshi Kizukara on Feb 2, 2022 21:12:18 GMT -5
OOC INFORMATION
Discord/Chatango Username (include nicknames): 2Klikstomars#6457
Password 1: Black Hole
Password 2: Moon Pray
Type: Perma-release
Squad: Squad 2 desired
Rank: Academy Student
ZATOSHI KIZUKARA
THEME\\ THE VIOLENCE //
THEME\\ THE VIOLENCE //
AS A PERSON
A kind-hearted stoic with something to hide
Age of Death: 16A kind-hearted stoic with something to hide
Real Age/Age of Appearance: 37/20
Birthday (Month/Day): January 11
Blood Type: O (Rh -)
Height/Weight: 5'10" / 149lbs
Physical Description: Zatoshi is average height with a lean, muscular build that speaks of a disciplined lifestyle. His forearms bear a few scars from his early days working the fishing boats. Reminders of getting caught by the hooks that lined the fishing nets, or by the spines of catfish. His face is fairly androgynous, he can be said to be a bit of a 'pretty boy'. A scar splits his right eyebrow and stretches down his cheek, and a pair of small scars cross on his opposite cheek. Speaking of eyebrows, his are bold but sleek and defined.
His eyes are sharp, active and an icy blue. His hair is black, medium length and nearly always pulled into a low ponytail. He typically carries himself confidently, and has a strong presence in a room despite being a quiet person. When he isn't wearing his academy garb he tends to dress in a light blue kimono or yukata. He enjoys wearing clothes that compliment his eyes. He's almost inseparable from a bracelet made by his two younger siblings, Miku and Miyo. It is made up of a collection of small seashells that has a length of twine strung through them. Despite wearing a rather severe expression most of the time, his smile can be warm and inviting.
Dislikes:
Zatoshi dislikes people who throw their weight around socially, or are overly imposing. As something of an older sibling in the Rukongai he used to feel obligated to ensure his younger siblings weren't being cornered in conversations or otherwise put in distress socially. That big brother mentality has stuck with him and he tends to have an immediate distaste for overbearing personalities in reflex. "You keep talking over him, you have to know that right? But you just do it anyways?"
He dislikes banal conversation. He has an immediate sense for when someone is exchanging niceties or if they're genuinely invested in the conversation. He doesn't feel any obligation to observe social etiquette and will not expend the energy to engage in small talk. He would far prefer silence to meaningless exchange. However, he makes a reluctant allowance if it's clear to him that the small talk is a result of nervousness or anxiety. Most of the time the small effort he is able to force himself to produce in those cases is stilted, and still rings of annoyance despite his best intentions. "Yeah, look, the weather is pretty nice today. Is this going anywhere?"
He dislikes ingenuine behavior. As one might expect with him discarding 'rules of social conduct' that he finds shallow and meaningless, he also has zero regard for how he is viewed by others. As a result of the value he finds in self-expression being honest and straightforward he has extreme distaste for displays of 'saving face', or culturing manufactured behaviors that have the goal of influencing social perception. Putting on a show to Zatoshi has an exact equivalency with moral and/or intellectual dishonesty. As with his other distastes in common social behaviors, Zatoshi makes a slight exception to this for people who are obviously trying to mask anxiety. Slight exception in so far as he understands why they are doing it and can understand that it's not dishonesty for vanity's sake or to achieve an aim, but from a desire for acceptance or a shield of comfort. His attitude towards behavior is still somewhat blunt. "You don't really mean that when you say it. Just chill out, I'm going to figure you out eventually anyways, so just be yourself."
He dislikes sentimentality. This stems from a self-protecting behavior of stoicism. Zatoshi is a master at compartmentalization in so far that he does it constantly. Everything has a box that it will go in, he'll sharpie a label onto the side and then shove it into the attic. Metaphorically speaking of course. Getting him to open those boxes is like trying to remove a cat from one. They're going to claw out at you and disappear back inside. Most of the time anyways. Zatoshi is very aware of this behavior and though he is adverse towards 'getting in touch with his feelings', he can understand when someone close to him needs it - and will make a genuine effort to do so. He has a lot of pain harbored emotionally, and going there mentally is something that distresses him. "I know you feel hurt right now but just... I don't know. Take the time you need to work through it. You know where to find me when you're functional again."
He especially dislikes self-pitying behavior. Zatoshi picked himself up by his bootstraps in the Rukongai, at first being homeless to within three years having a job in a fishing community (a luxury industry in the Rukongai, as most do not need food) and a home to call his own. His distaste for it goes even farther than a 'If I can do it, you can too' attitude however. The main animosity comes from a pragmatic understanding that dwelling in a pitiful state is only getting in your own way - mainly with excuses aimed at letting yourself give up. It's just plain intolerable to him. "Look at me. Wipe those tears off your face, quit your bitching and fight your way through it."
Zatoshi dislikes liars, manipulative people, and petty tyrants. These people represent the collective ball and chain that weighs the rest of society down. They are absolutely the weakest of the herd. Generally anyone who takes advantage of another person as their general motus operandi 'can get fucked' according to Zatoshi. (To one of these people) "Touch me again, and I will rip you apart."
If it wasn't already clear, Zatoshi can be said to generally not like other people. This is somewhat interesting because also according to Zatoshi most people are generally good, or at the very least have good intentions. Which is more credit than a cynic is likely to give humanity as a whole. It's just for Zatoshi in practice apparently good intentions is not enough to avoid his ire. It's further interesting then that he makes so many allowances for people who lack confidence or deal with anxiety -- or that he cares about the well-being of other people in general. This is a conscious decision made by Zatoshi because he believes it to be the right thing to do on a moral level. The morality of it being enough for Zatoshi to follow through speaks volumes about his character by itself.
Likes:
Zatoshi likes to see other people take active responsibility for personal failings. He acknowledges it as one of the hardest things to do. When someone takes ownership of their faults or mistakes he is immediately more likely to include that person in his inner circle. With someone who is so stand-offish to begin with, you truly have to prove your character if you want Zatoshi to take an interest in you. This is one of the best ways of doing so. "Hey, I saw what you did there. That had to be pretty hard to swallow, but good job. Do you need help setting things right?"
Zatoshi likes to see other people work at improving themselves. The grind is real to Zatoshi. The decision to improve ones circumstances to him is a daily decision that manifests in a disciplined lifestyle of continually and solidly making the right 'little' decisions on how to spend one's time, how to address life's 'little problems', and how fairly they deal with others. He knows that it's an impossible ask to always make the right decisions throughout life, so he recognizes that when people choose difficult options for themselves they are kindred spirits in this ideology. "Do you want to train together? I've seen you out here every day the past week. There's no point in training by ourselves when we can learn from each other, right?"
Zatoshi likes to see people in positions of power that adopt servant-leader methodologies. To Zatoshi organizational effectiveness is a top-down affair. An excellent leader can absolutely form an excellent following, no matter the circumstances. In his experience they set the culture and standard if they have the power to. If they seize that opportunity and use it to focus on empowering their subordinates, mentoring them and backing them up when they encounter resistance they are objectively a good leader. Zatoshi has something of this mindset himself and definitely sees himself as a leader, but he has virtually no problem with following someone else that displays these traits and will do so with fervent loyalty, to the grave if necessary. "Don't you EVER talk about Captain Baccouti like that again. I'm a higher seat than you right? Get a water source and meet me out here in five minutes. We're doing some corrective training for that little comment."
Zatoshi likes children and likes anyone who is kind to them or protects them. Zatoshi wasn't always this way. After becoming a foster guardian for his two adopted siblings in the Rukongai his heart has become soft and malleable when it comes to being a caretaker for the young. It isn't unusual to see him drop all of his barriers with a child, even one that he has no personal connection with. He used to be quite hard on his siblings at first, but it broke his heart when he saw that they had begun to fear him. That isn't something he can stomach seeing again, he'd much prefer to see them smile. "Hi there! What's your name, little one?"
Zatoshi enjoys conflict - even enjoys engaging in violence. This is not something he is currently capable of admitting to himself. He has no moral justification for it, no allowance for it currently. He is completely in denial over this but it is none the less true. To a certain degree he is aware of this subconsciously, but he is not capable of consciously coming to terms with it at the moment. It causes him a great deal of distress on a very regular basis. He acts out in guilt and shame at times after this proclivity causes him to behave in a way antithetical to his morals. These behaviors in acting out too are also atypical for his character and so it's a bit of a self-feeding catastrophe as far as his self-esteem is concerned.
Flaws:
Zatoshi is dealing with that whole 'violence is bad, but I like it so I must be bad' thing right now. That's a pretty big flaw at the moment that effects his stability as a person but it's most likely transient: something has to give one way or another. This problem has to be solved or it's only going to get worse. It is however representative of a more concrete character flaw, and that is that Zatoshi can be absolutely self-flagellating when it comes to trying to hold himself to standards he sets for himself. When he doesn't meet his own expectations, even when he's learning something new about himself or the circumstances were simply out of his control, there is absolutely no reasonable assessment of responsibility for Zatoshi; it's just his fault. It's completely unhealthy from a mental health standpoint even if it results in an admirable work ethic. The underlying cause of that work ethic will absolutely grind him into the dirt if given the time to do so.
Zatoshi also pushes other people far too hard sometimes. Not only does he handle himself like a slave-driver, but it's likely anyone he is forced to rely on will be treated to the same. If you're a training partner of Zatoshi's you can expect him to drive you to your limits - even if this is far outside of your comfort zone. Speaking of - comfort is not something Zatoshi is ever truly concerned with, even if he tries to be at times. Those courtesies he pays to those dealing with personal difficulties? They're not afforded to people Zatoshi needs. He thinks this is tough love and will ultimately make those in his inner circle better, stronger people. He has yet to realize however that his attitude is far from a 'one size fits all' approach.
Zatoshi also often has a very shallow support network. From just how far he keeps most other people at arms length it should come as no surprise that there generally aren't many people that Zatoshi has formed enough rapport with that they really know or care about him. There's really only a select few that could or would step up to help him were he in need.
Speaking on the last point, even if there were more people that might help him Zatoshi genuinely is garbage at is asking for help. He thinks of his problems as his problems. He can solve them. Asking for help is displaying weakness and burdening those around him. He's heard the old expression of 'a chain is as strong as it's weakest link' but has entirely missed the message, thinking instead that it means that you have to be very selective upon who you rely.
Habits:
Zatoshi tends to make very solid eye contact during conversation. He rubs his temples often times when forced to be in the general proximity of someone he finds particularly annoying. He wakes up every day with the rising sun, says a morning prayer, hydrates and then exercises with body weight resistance movements or cardio. Tuesday and Thursdays are run days, Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays are strength days. The weekends are rest days. He typically eats very healthy: fish, chicken, rice, eggs and vegetables are the staples. Avoids red meats generally but will eat them on occasion.
After exercise he gets on with work. Prioritizes obligations heavily, and is proactive about meeting them. In the afternoon he eats lunch and then trains more, but it's mainly combat training. When he lived in the Rukongai he would be attending his village's Bōgyote dojo. In the academy now it's spiritual training and sparring in the training yard. He then eats dinner and says an evening prayer before preparing for bed.
Fears:
Sometimes Zatoshi is afraid he's a psychopath. This doesn't have as much to do with the violence thing as one might assume, although it does play a part. Most of the time he thinks that consciously choosing to do the right thing makes him a better, more stronger person than someone it comes naturally to. That there being a decision made is evidence of virtue, and if there is no decision to make -- someone is just naturally a good, courteous person that takes care of people as their default state -- then there is no actual virtue in their conduct. They're simply behaving in the way that is most comfortable for them. But there are times when Zatoshi feels like an imposter. That having to force himself into making allowances for others and finding himself annoyed by the weaknesses that burden them is evidence that he is a monster pretending to be a good person. As of late this fear is stronger than ever.
Other than that, to be quite honest Zatoshi isn't afraid of shit. There are transcient fears that occur of course -- products of a situation or environment that present themselves -- but nothing that is a deep, pathological and persistent fear. Not of anything. Dying alone? Everyone's gotta go some time. Never finding love? He doesn't know if he'd ever be compatible with anyone anyways (The whole 'am I a psychopath?' thing). That he won't have a legacy? Zatoshi will take everything that he deserves and no one is going to stop him.
No fear here.
Goals:
Become stronger by becoming a shinigami and return to Datonzai in order to check up on Miku and Miyo. Ensure they have remained safe and continue to be so.
(That's literally it right now. Zatoshi's life is somewhat upturned right now, and planning far into the future is not something he is capable of doing at the moment.)
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Overall Personality:
You can pretty much piece together exactly what kind of person Zatoshi is from the other personality sections. He's an anti-social thinker that is deeply concerned with examinations on morality, virtue, and other philosophical matters that are immediately applicable in life. He's a tough-hearted young man who is doing his best to explore what it means to be a moral human being, what it means to be reliable and strong. He's a true warrior at heart, reveling in the joy of combat while still pursuing discipline in all that he does. He longs to be a person who acts as a lighthouse for others, guiding them in times of crisis. He has a long way to go. After all, who will rely on someone who will not show trust and goodwill towards them? Someone that perhaps they don't even know despite working alongside them for a very long time?
It's a good summary of him. The specifics? Zatoshi is exacting about his behavior to keep it in line with his values. Honesty? Zatoshi does his utmost best to never say anything he doesn't one hundred percent stand behind. Often times he'll remove himself from a heated conversation to take a moment to calm himself and figure out exactly what he wants to say. There are caveats to this; if someone is acting so belligerently that he has no reason to believe he'd ever care about interpersonal consequences in the future he may just fly off the handle and let loose.
This very deliberate manner of managing his behavior extends to other things as well. When he gives counsel or advice he is very careful about what counsel he gives. He wants to make sure he understands the situation thoroughly and offers a direct course of action to immediately improve the situation if he can.
Overall he can be said to be direct, blunt, honest and concise with his communication, for better or worse. There are definitely times when that combination of traits can rub someone the wrong way. Zatoshi doesn't really care. Don't ask him his opinion if you don't want to listen, and don't expect him to blow smoke up your ass either.
History:
"So here's how this is going to work," he leveled the bokken down so that its point divided the space between the two sitting men. "You're going to give me back the ryon you stole from those two kids at the market today - and I'm going to consider not beating the hell out of you."
The two men looked at each other from across the campfire before bursting into laughter. Zatoshi's eyebrow twitched with annoyance. "Look kid, I don't know what you're talking about." The one to the left spoke as he tilted his straw jingasa back. "Why don't you put that down before someone gets hurt?" The rice simmering in it's iron pot above the fire contributed the only sound heard for a few moments, aside from the crickets in the evening air.
"If you think you can take me for a fool or intimidate me, you are mistaken." Zatoshi said, his voice flat and cold. "What kind of cretinous filth even steals from children in the first place? Have you ever even thought of doing an honest day's work in your life?"
The other man spoke now as his hand slowly dropped to the side of the log he sat on. "Hey, we were travelling through and we needed the coin for rice. Maybe teach your kids not to flaunt money openly, eh? Or maybe teach them--" SMACK! He didn't get much of a chance to finish that thought, as the bokken Zatoshi held crashed into his face, the youth having lunged and brought his arms across to deliver a strike. Jingasa-hat stood as he picked a sheathed sword from beside the rock he sat on - and broken nose dragged himself from the grass after rolling through it. He held the knuckle of his thumb to the side of the bleeding bridge of his nose and blew hard. Mucus and blood left one of his nostrils as he stood. His own sword was already held in the hand he had hidden earlier. Zatoshi's eyes darted between them as he held the bokken out in both hands, backing up wide-eyed a few feet as he tried to keep them in front of him. Realization had struck.
These were not just regular low-life vagabonds. These were hardened criminals and they had already planned on killing him. At least if broken nose's actions were anything to go by.
"Alright, kid." Jingasa hat spoke calmly, nodding as he tossed the scabbard to his sword aside. "Don't get cold feet now - we'll do it your way."
"Yeah, yah fuck 'ead," Broken-nose spat, his voice nasally muffled, wiping his face with an arm as he unsheathed his own sword and they both began to advance. Zatoshi's mind was quickly emptying, panic from the sudden change in circumstance gnawed at him hard and his heart pounded in his chest.
"AAH!" He suddenly shouted loud, darting forwards a step as he raised his weapon. Jingasa only faltered a step, - Broken nose took a quick step back. They laughed afterwards, looking at each other with extreme bemusement but Zatoshi had already learned what he needed to. He circled away from Jingasa towards Broken Nose's side. He moved a bit faster and so did they as he tried to work his way to the campfire. A rough tactic had begun to form in his scattered brain. Before he could quite make it into position Broken Nose charged. He brought his hands up above his head and Zatoshi immediately recognized the strike coming from his training. He dropped his bokken and lunged to intercept the strike in the same motion. Longer weapons like swords became awkward in the clinch. Zatoshi's hands caught his wrists, trapping the sword above them as Zatoshi's right foot crossed to the ground in front of Broken Nose's right foot, twisted to face the side. This was the wind-up the throw, his body coiled and twisted to one side like a wound-rope. He followed through hard. His left foot stepped through as he pivoted on his planted right foot to press his back against Broken-Nose's chest, pulling down on his wrists as Zatoshi lifted his hips under his and ripped Broken-Nose over his back and slammed him against the ground.
He turned to face the true threat of the pair just in time to see a sword coming down from over Jingasa's shoulder. He tried to lunge away but it still caught him. Blinding pain shot through his face as the sword bit through his eyebrow and immediately he couldn't see from his right eye. Had he been blinded? There was no time to assess damage as he shouted in pain and took another step back. He felt heat against his leg -- the camp fire.
His teeth grit in rage as his mind seized upon his previous plan. Jingasa prepared to make the cut that would kill him, gathering his sword beneath his hips at his side in an upward stroke. Just before he could deliver it Zatoshi snatched the pot of boiling rice from the campfire and slung the water at his face. A scream came from the man as he doubled over, staggering and trying desperately to dry his eyes with his free arm. Zatoshi knew he was out of the fight for at least a short while. He turned to look where he'd last left Broken-Nose only to find him charging with his sword chambered for a thrust. That pang of panic and adrenaline hit as hard as ever, but again his martial discipline had prepared him. He waited for the moment the thrust would come and pulled his left foot aside, hands coming to hands and lifted his right foot between Broken-Nose's to lift his rear leg while yanking his arms to throw the two of them to the ground together.
They hit the ground hard together and the struggle immediately began. Zatoshi's back was pressed against his opponent, while Broken-Nose's sword arm was isolated out in front of him under his arm pit. His hands immediately set to work trying to pry his opponents fingers from the sword when he realized Jingasa was staggering over to join his friend. Fire-light glinted off the sword blade in his hand and Zatoshi realized this could quickly be the end of him. If he let go of Broken-Nose to fight Jingasa, he was completely fucked. If he didn't, he was completely fucked. There had to be a way out.
There had to be a way to win. He had to fucking win. Broken-Nose's arm squeezed hard on the chin Zatoshi was tucking to his chest to prevent himself from being choked out. Icy blue eyes were burning with the rage of battle, an animalistic rage up at Jingasa as he came to make the kill. Jingasa staggered over, turning his blade around in his hands to raise it for a stab. "You... Stupid fucking kid.." He panted out with pain and exertion.
Zatoshi grunted as he lifted a foot and kicked Jingasa's knee. The strike caused him to hyper extend and lose his balance with a shout, falling forwards just as Zatoshi roared, using all of his bodyweight to roll the pair of them onto Broken-Nose's back and point the sword they were fighting over upwards. Jingasa's body crashed down on top of them both with an audible metallic 'snap', and a wet grunt sliding from his lungs. The struggle beneath him continued as Broken-Nose abandoned the attempt to choke Zatoshi out and instead his hand slid over his face, feeling slick with his partner's blood. Zatoshi didn't know what he was trying to do -- go for his eyes or something else but he wasn't going to let it happened as he grunted and growled and struggled. As soon as he felt the fingers on his face he opened his mouth and bit down hard on a pair of them. A metallic taste entered his mouth and a scream filled his ears. Suddenly his opponent's grip on the sword lessened and he yanked it away.
He could still hear Jingasa gurgling and struggling to breath on top of him, his limbs moving slowly as their owner's life faded. He shoved upwards on Jingasa to roll him off just as Broken Nose started to crawl to his feet. He spat the fingers out of his mouth and rolled onto his stomach. The sword felt much lighter now, and that was when Zatoshi realized the blade had broken. It had snapped off under Jingasa's weight a few inches from the tsuba and formed a jagged new edge. With right eye squinted shut Zatoshi shouted in rage and exertion, sliding himself across the ground to catch Broken-Nose's pant leg just before he could sprint away. He pulled him to the ground once more, and began to drag himself on top of the older man.
"N-no.. No!" Broken Nose's voice had taken on a tone of fear as he felt Zatoshi climb atop him. He wormed himself off of his face to roll around and catch Zatoshi's arms, stopping the broken sword from pressing into his neck. Their arms shook with exhaustion and the struggle between them as Zatoshi groaned with effort. He picked his hips up off of Broken-Nose to rest all of his weight on his arms, shoving as hard as he can and he slowly began to win, the jagged tip pressing closer and closer.
"Y-you don't have to do t-thii.. Khhhkggll.. gll" The blade slowly pressed through his throat through the side of his trachea. Just as the blade sank in, blood from his carotid filled his airway he had been trying to plead for his life. Zatoshi bore down harder as the resistance Broken Nose put up abated, pressing the blade in all the way to the tsuba. He gasped in breath, chest heaving as he sat back and watched the dying man whose bloody hands groped at the open air, eyes darting and flitting as desperation flew through him.
"Yes... I did." Zatoshi grunted out. His eyes were distant still, staring at the death that was transpiring until within a few seconds Broken Nose's arms fell limp and the man was motionless entirely. He dragged himself up and staggered to the edge of the lake. He crouched there and slowly began to wash the blood from his arms and face, peering across the water at the lights of his village. He looked down, for the first time seeing the cut that split his face open, his fingers gingerly pressing against the skin around it. He felt... Nothing. Not even when his heart rate finally began to drop. A peaceful sort of nothing, like a fullness -- a satisfaction. Not as if he was hollow, but as if he was complete.
He shuddered and stood. It was a long way back to his home and he had to think.
. . .
In the morning Zatoshi had come to all of the conclusions he'd needed to when he heard that there was a gang of men with swords and horses in the village. It was a matter of time before they found the bodies. Miku and Miyo, the two orphans he had adopted as his younger siblings would have to live with Tamari, their neighbor for awhile. Zatoshi had to disappear, before someone said something to the gang about the bokken he had taken from the dojo last night and all of the dots were connected. Miku and Miyo could not be put in danger by his actions, and so he couldn't be here any longer.
As soon as he'd left his home and slipped out of town a plan formed in his mind. He knew for a long time now that he was spiritually active. The hunger pains told him that. He would go to the shinigami academy, get stronger -- strong enough to protect Miku and Miyo from anything he needed to -- and he would come back for them. It had been a tearful departure, but Zatoshi knew it couldn't be forever.
AS A COMBATANT
It all fades away
It all fades away
Unarmed:
Unarmed Zatoshi has practiced Bōgyote, a martial art found in the Rukongai for self defense purposes for a few years now. It most closely resembles Japanese jujutsu in conventional martial arts. In this he has some decent proficiency. He is a bit faster than most but his stature makes him favor foot-sweeps and sacrificial throws over conventional 'power' turn throws. It's less taxing for him physically to employ either his or the opponent's momentum against them rather than straight leverage and strength to force a throw. In the clinch his speed and dexterity allow him to pummel for control deftly, though with larger opponents not getting bullied and head-snapped downwards can be tiring. He tries to transition from the clinch to a throw, and from the throw into a dominant position as quickly as possible because of this - often attempting to force the first opportunity he perceives. Something of the trait of an amateur martial artist (being in a hurry that is) but none the less it is his way.
Swordsmanship:
As can be expected from an upstanding denizen of the Rukongai, Zatoshi has had no formal training in swordsmanship. He's killed two men with a sword but this happened due to a combination of luck, tactic and reliance on his Bōgyote. He still really only knows which end to hold and which end to cut or stab with.
Mentality:
The one thing that can be said to be "S tier" about Zatoshi as a combatant is that his mentality is unassailable. You get two kinds of fighters when you take someone who is deeply cerebral and put them into combat: The first lets fear and doubt force them to envision all of the ways things are going to go poorly. Their nerves creep in during their constant introspection. The second is able deeply and unshakably commit to a fight. For Zatoshi this is exactly the case. Part of the reason why Zatoshi secretly enjoys fighting is that once he has made that decision it seems to ring of such finality that his mind is finally able to shut off. Once he has made the decision that a fight is happening it all melts away. His focus for once is fully directed into his perception of the outside world and the moment that is transpiring.
It's not quite peaceful. There's the roar of adrenaline in the back of his mind - a white noise rumbling that precludes impact, his blood pounding in his head, but it is the closest he ever gets to peace from his thoughts. It's as if at that very moment all that exists is him and the opponent. He loves this to the core of his being. It is literally the best feeling in the world to him.
SATSUJIN NO SEISHIN
The Spirit of Murder
The Spirit of Murder
There is something lurking deep in Zatoshi's soul. His love of combat and his morals directly collide. His baser inclination is imprisoned by his thinking mind. Zatoshi had no desire to be a killer, and a killer is exactly what he thinks of himself now. It revolts him. The fact that he took the lives of two men over pennies is something he never thought would be a reality and yet here it is. Worse, he couldn't bring himself to shed a tear over it. Worse still, if he's honest with himself he'd probably assert that they deserved it. The worst of all, that he enjoyed the whole thing. The tension, the urgency, the silence in his mind until that moment of release and rush of endorphins: the kill.
This is something that is true at the very core of Zatoshi's being and all his conscious mind does is deny it. This is a problem when zanpakuto form from an imprint of the wielder's soul. The spirit that cultivates in Zatoshi's zanpakuto is everything that he doesn't want to acknowledge about himself and more. What this results in is a fractured connection to the sword spirit - a pale shadow of its true self as Zatoshi is barred from fully connecting with it until he can fully connect with himself.
Weapon Appearance:
Satsujin materializes in its flawed shikai state (the state it is permanently forced into due to Zatoshi's spiritual pressure) as a katana of ordinary dimensions. It is heavily battle-worn, having a frayed grey hilt-wrapping and a dull brass pommel and tsuba, a patina long having formed over them. The blade itself wears a few chips and notches in the blade, and the whole thing rattles inside its sheath - fitting so poorly that the sword will fall out if turned upside down. In fact it seems to want to slip out of its sheath. A fact Zatoshi rectifies by tying the blade into the sheath with a peace-knot, preventing it from being drawn easily even in an event of sudden distress.
Spirit Appearance:
Satsujin appears as a suit of crimson hon iyozane dou (Late edo period armor). A pair of swords sits at his waist under a thick, rope-like uwa-obi. Under its helmet a dull iron mask of a skull with fangs sits, seemingly empty underneath. There is something deeply off about it however. A rotting stench emanates from the armor. Flies sometimes climb out of the mask before flitting off. A miasma of sinister aura permeates it. When it speaks the voice is a deep rumble that distorts and trails off.
Release Powers:
Satsujin no Seishin's overall ability is to physically and metaphysically manipulate blood. Physically this manifests in the ability to telekinetically move blood, and to change its molecular structure to a crystalline one and back again. Metaphysically it is able to break reishi found in blood down into raw reiatsu.
The Blood Volume System: Most of Satsujin's techniques rely on blood that has been spilled [i.e. outside of a person's body] as a resource. As such, blood found in a scene will be quantified as a Blood Volume (BV) for use in techniques. Since most or all of the blood found in a scene will be a result of an injury, all qualifying injuries will be assigned an injury severity that determines how much they add to the BV available for use by Satsujin.Design note #1
Hemokinesis: Satsujin's ability to physically move blood has some guidelines associated with it. It is a passive ability and does not require any reiatsu to use. It has limitations: Firstly that the blood must be oxidized. This is why blood still inside the body is off-limits for manipulation. Secondly that the blood be within one hundred meters of the wielder. Thirdly is that blood being manipulated has a maximum speed. Ordinarily this is 100 speed. When blood under Satsujin's control is near a person however, it seems to become 'excited' and begin to move faster quite quickly. Starting at a distance of 12 meters it begins to accelerate in 45 speed increments - so at 12 meters it begins to move at 145 speed, 11 meters 190 speed and so on. This caps out at 6 meters and under from a living person, at which time the blood is flowing at 370 speed.Design note #2
This is something that is true at the very core of Zatoshi's being and all his conscious mind does is deny it. This is a problem when zanpakuto form from an imprint of the wielder's soul. The spirit that cultivates in Zatoshi's zanpakuto is everything that he doesn't want to acknowledge about himself and more. What this results in is a fractured connection to the sword spirit - a pale shadow of its true self as Zatoshi is barred from fully connecting with it until he can fully connect with himself.
Weapon Appearance:
Satsujin materializes in its flawed shikai state (the state it is permanently forced into due to Zatoshi's spiritual pressure) as a katana of ordinary dimensions. It is heavily battle-worn, having a frayed grey hilt-wrapping and a dull brass pommel and tsuba, a patina long having formed over them. The blade itself wears a few chips and notches in the blade, and the whole thing rattles inside its sheath - fitting so poorly that the sword will fall out if turned upside down. In fact it seems to want to slip out of its sheath. A fact Zatoshi rectifies by tying the blade into the sheath with a peace-knot, preventing it from being drawn easily even in an event of sudden distress.
Spirit Appearance:
Satsujin appears as a suit of crimson hon iyozane dou (Late edo period armor). A pair of swords sits at his waist under a thick, rope-like uwa-obi. Under its helmet a dull iron mask of a skull with fangs sits, seemingly empty underneath. There is something deeply off about it however. A rotting stench emanates from the armor. Flies sometimes climb out of the mask before flitting off. A miasma of sinister aura permeates it. When it speaks the voice is a deep rumble that distorts and trails off.
Release Powers:
Satsujin no Seishin's overall ability is to physically and metaphysically manipulate blood. Physically this manifests in the ability to telekinetically move blood, and to change its molecular structure to a crystalline one and back again. Metaphysically it is able to break reishi found in blood down into raw reiatsu.
The Blood Volume System: Most of Satsujin's techniques rely on blood that has been spilled [i.e. outside of a person's body] as a resource. As such, blood found in a scene will be quantified as a Blood Volume (BV) for use in techniques. Since most or all of the blood found in a scene will be a result of an injury, all qualifying injuries will be assigned an injury severity that determines how much they add to the BV available for use by Satsujin.Design note #1
- Minor Injuries | Are not incapacitating or life-threatening, but also generally not superficial. Examples: A cut that fully penetrates the skin layer, but does not fully sever any veins or arteries. Severed capillaries fall into this category. Superficial wounds to the face, neck, and groin area also qualify for a minor injury due to the concentration of blood in those areas. Minor injures contribute 50 BV immediately and 10 BV every post after until the bleeding is stopped.
- Major Injuries | Are not incapacitating, but may become life-threatening in time. Examples: Deep cuts to the limbs that sever major blood vessels. Impaling injuries to the abdominal cavity or to the lungs. Major injuries contribute 100 BV immediately and 25 BV every post after until the bleeding is stopped.
- Catastrophic Injuries | Are either incapacitating or immediately life-threatening, or both. Examples: Limb amputation. Cuts to the neck that sever the cartid artery or the jugular vein. Impaling injuries to the chest cavity that injure the heart or aorta. Catastrophic injuries contribute 250 BV immediately and 50 BV every post after until the bleeding is stopped or the victim exsanguinates.
- Exsanguinations | This category exists to address casualties that have already bled to death or have bled so much they are in hypovolemic shock and at death's door. A player character will generally almost never belong to this category. It is a flat blood value meant to make casualties that are set dressing for a scene a resource for the zanpakuto, not a threshold to evaluate a player character bleeding to death. Exsanguinated characters are worth a flat 500 BV each - Satsujin is a battlefield weapon. A mass-casualty battlefield with many dead or dying is exactly the place it is meant to be.
Hemokinesis: Satsujin's ability to physically move blood has some guidelines associated with it. It is a passive ability and does not require any reiatsu to use. It has limitations: Firstly that the blood must be oxidized. This is why blood still inside the body is off-limits for manipulation. Secondly that the blood be within one hundred meters of the wielder. Thirdly is that blood being manipulated has a maximum speed. Ordinarily this is 100 speed. When blood under Satsujin's control is near a person however, it seems to become 'excited' and begin to move faster quite quickly. Starting at a distance of 12 meters it begins to accelerate in 45 speed increments - so at 12 meters it begins to move at 145 speed, 11 meters 190 speed and so on. This caps out at 6 meters and under from a living person, at which time the blood is flowing at 370 speed.Design note #2
Satsujin's capacity for moving blood is limitless under these constraints. It can occur in any volume, any direction, any shape and as many individual masses of blood moving in separate directions or flows as the wielder desires.
Techniques:
Bankai?: With his current flawed connection to the sword spirit and the resulting 'corrupted' manifestation of it in shikai, Zatoshi is unable to reach Bankai. Satsujin no Seishin is perhaps not even the real name of this zanpakuto, but a corruption of the real name. Bankai is simply something that could never come of such a flawed connection.
Design note#1: As far as 'amount of blood' is concerned, BV is not a system of liquid measurement that scales linearly like ounces, gallons or milliliters. It would be very difficult to create a cinematic powerset that does stuff with telekinetically moving blood while still adhering to the amount of blood human beings can actually physically bleed. Techniques have descriptions of 'size of effect' for the amount of BV used and it may vary from technique to technique for balance reasons (i.e. 100 BV might mean more for one technique and less for another.). It's a little jank but it's the best way I can think of allowing individual techniques to be rebalanced without having knock-on effects with others.
Design note#2: Hemokinesis is designed this way to allow a ton of counter-play to the entire kit, and to force Zatoshi to use hemokinesis powers in a very specific way. Almost the inverse of a pack of wolves attacking an encircled prey item. If Zatoshi keeps his blood close to him, it's fast and responsive. If he chases someone with it, they can utilize a step technique after pulling it away from him and 'strand' the blood out in no man's land where it's sluggish. If it's a long range character Zatoshi is particularly vulnerable. He's on a time-limit if Blood-for-Power is active, utilizing shunpo will cause him to outrun any blood volume he has to close the distance, which he's probably going to have to since BfD is not a good option for a prolonged engagement at long range, and it's the only offensive technique he has that isn't burdened by hemokinesis' restrictions. It does still give him an area to excel at however: close range fighting, especially in enclosed spaces where getting away from the blood isn't really an option.
Design note#3: Blood-for-blood is designed with a minimum range of 3 meters to prevent Zatoshi from using puddles of blood as land mines, prevent him from doing autohits with blood-soaked clothing, and to again possibly offer counter play to the technique by creative writers. The true version of this sword that is planned has a bankai that would make the landmine-puddle thing particularly egregious and it shouldn't be an option.
Design note#4: Ah yes, the classic sword blast. Blood-for-Destruction is designed to be the most powerful attack in Zatoshi's arsenal, and also the one that is the least economic option for him to use regularly. 200 BV can be a lot, especially when facing an opponent that is countering this powerset well to begin with and denying access to blood as a resource. To decide to use it during a losing fight is an act of desperation. To use it in a winning fight may be a mistake as lessening Satsujin's ability to 'corral' an opponent with multiple harassing blood volumes may be the chance someone needs to turn the tables. When is it actually appropriate then? When it's an even fight and Zatoshi needs that extra punch to gain the advantage, or when there's an opportunity to kill multiple fodder enemies in a single stroke and gain BV rather than lose it. As Zatoshi is on a ticking clock, an ability to swiftly generate blood off of a group of fodder enemies could really help him get the ball rolling in resource generation. This is definitely one of the pieces of his kit that support his niche, (Fast, close-range combat against multiple weaker opponents. Crowd control, basically.) and can allow him the resource generation to face off against a peer adversary (If Zatoshi gets 'fed' early on by weaker opponents he's going to be much harder to deal with.).
Design note#5: Blood-for-Blood and Blood-for-Creation both reserve the blood volume being used for the entire post. Meaning Zatoshi cannot use BV to form a shield, state he blocks an attack with it and then liquify the shield and use the BV again for Blood-for-Blood or Blood-for-Destruction all in the same post. He can use both techniques in one post, but he must be able to split his pool of BV and have enough for both things he wants to do.
Design note#6: I've become made aware that techniques having multipliers is very out of vogue. The last time I applied here was 2014, and back then basically every release technique had a multiplier associated with it, so this powerset is kind of built from a bygone era. Sadly, I came up with the core concept of the sword (Blood-for-Power), and loved it. I can't really think of a way to make that power differently without just convoluting the powerset with yet more systems to allow the techniques to occur in more powerful variants. If a cute and smart way of maintaining this idea is proposed that wouldn't further make a mess of this already admittedly messy powerset, I'm so down to explore it. But I do like the place it's in now, and I'm a bit attached to the way it works. I am however, not attached to the numerical values of anything here. You staff here will know the balance of the characters on this site far better than I, and I trust your ability to guide me through adjusting what needs to be adjusted.
Design note#7: I'm aware this powerset is kind of unimaginative. I still think it's really cool, okay?
Techniques:
- Blood-for-Power(力のための血): Blood-for-Power can truly be considered an attack from Satsujin against Zatoshi. It activates the moment it is drawn from its sheath, even if this is not desirable. It begins to metabolize his blood into reiatsu. This gives the other techniques of Satsujin their power, but can be life-threatening for Zatoshi. As more of his blood is broken down into reiatsu, Satsujin's pressure on Zatoshi begins to manifest physically and mentally. Upon the sword leaving its sheath, Zatoshi's irises cloud over to a dull red. Over the course of Blood-for-Power enacting his irises softly glow more and more crimson. Mentally this pressure manifests in 'amping up' Zatoshi, driving him into a violent rage. It is important to note that use of Blood-for-Power is mutually exclusive with conversion. At no time will conversion ever be able to 'stack' with Blood-for-Power. If conversion is used while Blood-for-Power is active it will only affect the cut-back effect and the strength of techniques that are not release techniques.
Blood-for-Power's effects are organized into stages. These stages are as follows.- Stage 0. This is a false stage - as Zatoshi's spiritual pressure will not allow a sealed form of his zanpakuto Stage 0 is the sword's state when sheathed. Blood-for-Blood and Blood-for-Creation has no technique multiplier at this stage. Blood-for-Destruction is completely unusable.
- Stage 1. Posts 1-2 when the sword has been drawn. The metabolic process has leaped into full tilt immediately. This can be described as being very similar to a rush of adrenaline for the user. Zatoshi's eyes become a dull red. The pressure to fight and kill is there immediately. There are no negative side effects yet. Blood-for-Blood and Blood-for-Creation both receive a 1.2x OS technique multiplier. Blood-for-Destruction starts at a strong 1.4x multiplier.
- Stage 2. Posts 3-5 after the sword has been drawn. Side-effects from the metabolic process have begun to present themselves, while spiritual power continues to increase. At this point Zatoshi's eyes have a very soft crimson shine to them. The pressure to fight and kill is interfering with his ability to think consciously and his judgement/risk assessment capabilities. BfB and BfC both receive a 1.4x multiplier. BfD ramps up to 1.8x. At this point physically, Zatoshi is beginning to feel the effects of circulatory distress and low blood pressure as more of it is metabolized. Strength and speed both have dropped to 80% of their original value.
- Stage 3. Posts 6-8 after the sword has been drawn. The point of no return. Zatoshi's eyes have taken on a moon-light bright glow. He is no longer capable of making a decision to stop fighting, or to hold anything back. He is fully committed to killing his enemy, and third parties regardless of affiliation may be mistaken for enemies should they attempt to intervene. BfB and BfC are at 1.6x, BfD is now at 2.0x. Strength and speed both drop to 60% of their original value, at this point Zatoshi has become clumsy, slow, and physically weak from blood loss. His body is entering hypovolemic shock. Consciousness is not expected to continue for much longer.
- Stage 4. Post 9 after the sword has been drawn Zatoshi can no longer maintain consciousness and has been bled into a critical condition. Blood-for-Power ceases to metabolize his blood any further, but enough has been removed from his system that he will need extensive bed rest to recover. Upon awakening he will not be capable of walking unassisted, most likely for a few days at least.
It is important to note that as the physical negatives from Blood-for-Power arise as a result of blood loss that Zatoshi being injured may exacerbate and shorten this timeline. Specifically, if Zatoshi experiences a minor injury the timeline for negative effects is treated as being one post ahead of where it really is. In the event of a major injury, two posts. Catastrophic, three. Positive effects and mental side effects are not shifted by this. If Zatoshi is injured during Stage 0, negative side effect tracking will not begin until Stage 1 begins.
- Blood-for-Blood(血のための血): Satsujin weaponizes its hemokinesis. Starting at 50 BV, the wielder can cause a volume of blood they are controlling to suddenly accelerate to supersonic speeds (800 speed once it has reached top speed after 3 meters) and then crystalize before impact with the target. It does not so much crystalize into a single mass as it does a collection of shards similar to shrapnel. This can cause devastating tissue damage as well as being more difficult to defend against. It has a maximum range of 10 meters from the volume of blood being used for the strike, and once it begins accelerating it cannot curve its flight path much. Blood-for-Blood is the main offensive technique for Satsujin in the sense that it is the one that will be utilized most often, and can be considered an 'economic' option for offense as whether Blood-for-Blood penetrates through the target, misses, or deflects/fails to penetrate it will convert back into a liquid blood volume after the strike concludes. The damage Blood-for-Blood is able to cause varies with the amount of BV being used for the technique, not its technique multiplier. That multiplier exists to determine the hardness of the shards and their ability to punch through defenses or opposing techniques. Blood for Blood does have a few disadvantages: One that it is definitely not silent. The sound of a cloud of crystal shards accelerating, breaking the sound barrier, and then decelerating has a very unique scream that fades in and fades out again, very similar to the doppler effect. It naturally happens very quickly occurring over such a short distance, but it is loud and distinctive. It has a minimum range of 3 meters which is the distance needed for the blood volume to reach its top speed and fully crystallize. Design Note #3
Wounds from Blood-for-Blood tend to manifest as a cluster of individual wound channels from shards that are relatively tightly spaced on entry, but can tumble and make a variety of exit wounds and tissue damage. As such BV used for the technique is best described in the surface area the entry wounds would spread across, or basically how wide the attack is across.BV used Diameter of attack Reiatsu Cost 50 3" 100 100 6" 200 200 12" / 1' 300 ...double previous ...double previous ...+100
Blood-for-Blood caps out at a 500 reiatsu cost max for special situations in which there is enough blood to do devastating large volume attacks such as encircling an enemy with blood and closing in on them from all directions. A BV that is appropriate must still be allocated for a 'capped out' attack where the diameter of attack can fully encompass the target, but the reiatsu cost does not increase. One attack also truly means one attack. The blood moves together with the same timing, towards the same point in space. It may be possible to catch multiple enemies in the same attack, but again it must be one attack. If it can't move at the same timing, towards the same target it does not qualify as one attack.
- Blood-for-Creation(創造のための血): Satsujin utilizes its hemokinesis for defense or utility, hardening a mass of blood into a solid crystal formation. As described in Blood-for-Power, the crystal formations made by Blood-for-Creation have an ability to weather damage determined by the stage Blood-for-Power is currently in. Blood-for-Creation's ability to create objects is rated by the maximum length of dimension a specific blood volume is capable of creating.
BV used Maximum Dimension Reiatsu used 100 12" / 1' 100 200 24" / 2' 200 400 48" / 4' 300 ...double previous ...double previous ...+100
Blood-for-Creation's formations if broken may revert back into a blood volume, or may not depending on the nature of the attack that broke it. Blood-for-Creation's formations do not cap out in reiatsu cost the way Blood-for-Blood does. If a 32 foot by 32 foot cube of crystal blood is for whatever reason desired, the user must use the full 3.2k BV and pay the full reiatsu cost of 600 - but it cannot deal damage (dropping it on someone isn't an option).
- Blood-for-Destruction(破壊のための血): Satsujin pulls in a volume of blood, metabolizing it into reiatsu before releasing it in a red destructive blast from a sword stroke. Blood-for-Destruction's power is dependent on the stage of Blood-for-Power. It always costs the same amount of blood volume, and always costs the same amount of reiatsu. Blood-for-Destruction forms an arc in line with the sword stroke in a 45 degree wedge over distance, and travels very quickly at 800 speed. Maximum range 200 meters. This technique destroys the blood volume used completely. Design Note #4
200 BV, 200 Reiatsu used.
Bankai?: With his current flawed connection to the sword spirit and the resulting 'corrupted' manifestation of it in shikai, Zatoshi is unable to reach Bankai. Satsujin no Seishin is perhaps not even the real name of this zanpakuto, but a corruption of the real name. Bankai is simply something that could never come of such a flawed connection.
Design note#1: As far as 'amount of blood' is concerned, BV is not a system of liquid measurement that scales linearly like ounces, gallons or milliliters. It would be very difficult to create a cinematic powerset that does stuff with telekinetically moving blood while still adhering to the amount of blood human beings can actually physically bleed. Techniques have descriptions of 'size of effect' for the amount of BV used and it may vary from technique to technique for balance reasons (i.e. 100 BV might mean more for one technique and less for another.). It's a little jank but it's the best way I can think of allowing individual techniques to be rebalanced without having knock-on effects with others.
Design note#2: Hemokinesis is designed this way to allow a ton of counter-play to the entire kit, and to force Zatoshi to use hemokinesis powers in a very specific way. Almost the inverse of a pack of wolves attacking an encircled prey item. If Zatoshi keeps his blood close to him, it's fast and responsive. If he chases someone with it, they can utilize a step technique after pulling it away from him and 'strand' the blood out in no man's land where it's sluggish. If it's a long range character Zatoshi is particularly vulnerable. He's on a time-limit if Blood-for-Power is active, utilizing shunpo will cause him to outrun any blood volume he has to close the distance, which he's probably going to have to since BfD is not a good option for a prolonged engagement at long range, and it's the only offensive technique he has that isn't burdened by hemokinesis' restrictions. It does still give him an area to excel at however: close range fighting, especially in enclosed spaces where getting away from the blood isn't really an option.
Design note#3: Blood-for-blood is designed with a minimum range of 3 meters to prevent Zatoshi from using puddles of blood as land mines, prevent him from doing autohits with blood-soaked clothing, and to again possibly offer counter play to the technique by creative writers. The true version of this sword that is planned has a bankai that would make the landmine-puddle thing particularly egregious and it shouldn't be an option.
Design note#4: Ah yes, the classic sword blast. Blood-for-Destruction is designed to be the most powerful attack in Zatoshi's arsenal, and also the one that is the least economic option for him to use regularly. 200 BV can be a lot, especially when facing an opponent that is countering this powerset well to begin with and denying access to blood as a resource. To decide to use it during a losing fight is an act of desperation. To use it in a winning fight may be a mistake as lessening Satsujin's ability to 'corral' an opponent with multiple harassing blood volumes may be the chance someone needs to turn the tables. When is it actually appropriate then? When it's an even fight and Zatoshi needs that extra punch to gain the advantage, or when there's an opportunity to kill multiple fodder enemies in a single stroke and gain BV rather than lose it. As Zatoshi is on a ticking clock, an ability to swiftly generate blood off of a group of fodder enemies could really help him get the ball rolling in resource generation. This is definitely one of the pieces of his kit that support his niche, (Fast, close-range combat against multiple weaker opponents. Crowd control, basically.) and can allow him the resource generation to face off against a peer adversary (If Zatoshi gets 'fed' early on by weaker opponents he's going to be much harder to deal with.).
Design note#5: Blood-for-Blood and Blood-for-Creation both reserve the blood volume being used for the entire post. Meaning Zatoshi cannot use BV to form a shield, state he blocks an attack with it and then liquify the shield and use the BV again for Blood-for-Blood or Blood-for-Destruction all in the same post. He can use both techniques in one post, but he must be able to split his pool of BV and have enough for both things he wants to do.
Design note#6: I've become made aware that techniques having multipliers is very out of vogue. The last time I applied here was 2014, and back then basically every release technique had a multiplier associated with it, so this powerset is kind of built from a bygone era. Sadly, I came up with the core concept of the sword (Blood-for-Power), and loved it. I can't really think of a way to make that power differently without just convoluting the powerset with yet more systems to allow the techniques to occur in more powerful variants. If a cute and smart way of maintaining this idea is proposed that wouldn't further make a mess of this already admittedly messy powerset, I'm so down to explore it. But I do like the place it's in now, and I'm a bit attached to the way it works. I am however, not attached to the numerical values of anything here. You staff here will know the balance of the characters on this site far better than I, and I trust your ability to guide me through adjusting what needs to be adjusted.
Design note#7: I'm aware this powerset is kind of unimaginative. I still think it's really cool, okay?
