Charles de la Croix [TT]

[Charles de la Croix]

[ O P E N I N G ]

Discord/Chatango Username (include nicknames): Genka#0572

Password 1: Kitai's Debt

Password 2: Sanctus Teamwork

Type: Mystic

Affiliation: N/A

Class: Free Quincy - Human (8)

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[ B A S I C   I N F O R M A T I O N ]

Name: Charles de la Croix

Real Age/Age of Appearance: 20/20

Birthday (Month/Day): 05/05

Blood Type: B+


Themes

• General: IAM - C'est Donc ça Nos Vies (Instrumental)
  
• Single-Shooter: MC Solaar - Nouveau Western
  
• Six-Shooter: Stromae - Alors on danse
• Eight-Shooter: David Guetta (ft. Bebe Rexha) - I'm Good (Blue)
• Ten-Shooter: Daft Punk - One More Time

RP Sample (Optional)

SPOILER: Click to show

{Magnum}

The summer sun was beginning to set in the skies above the French town of Bobigny as the afternoon slowly turned into the evening. Its rays - once bright and yellow across a sea of glass and concrete composed of an unending number of buildings both big and small - slowly took on a darker orange hue, and soon, the brightness they shared to this particular neighborhood would be joined by the artificial hues of the many street lights scattered across the city. As the natural and the artificial blended with one another, they would together bring to the majority of the people of this little city one single announcement: "The day is over. It is time to stop, and to go home." Naturally, as to be expected, many heeded the call, and so with a few steps away from the office, the store or the school, the many left their workplaces and headed towards the one place they considered as their ultimate sanctuary. Or at least, that was what many expected would occur during this evening, but there were many who did not quite follow this notion.

There were many amongst these many. Their age varied greatly, though the vast majority came from the juvenile and least wealthy, those whose home was either unwelcoming, filthy, or boring. Among these was a single group of young men aged fourteen to nineteen. It was composed of students, of course, who all came from a single college in the middle of the city. The most of them were delinquents, troublesome ones who believed scholarly institutions to be a waste of their time. In fact, they believed it was such a waste that they simply preferred to not attend any of their classes, and simply do anything else. One of their older members was apart of this majority. He was an nineteen-year old man with longer hair than most, one who held a heavy jacket around his shoulders and a cigarette between his lips. They gave him many nicknames, many which revolve around the cross he carried around his neck, though ultimately, he carried a single name: Charles.

With the end of the school year, Charles and what could only assumed to be his own little band of brothers had decided that none of the classes which remained within this month of June was worth their time, and so they had communally decided to have a trip around town. They had formed a reputation of sorts for the attitude they shared, one that many of the older ones around Bobigny did not respect, but they did not care. In their eyes, their youth was their time to shine, and they were not going to let it turn to dust in some shoddy classroom whose desks are covered in chewing gum, and whose books are dirty and ripped to shreds. It was why they were currently heading onward towards a single convenience store across the block, roughly about five minutes or so away from what they believe to be the worst place they had to go to everyday. One of them, in particular was quite happy that they were heading there. He was quite hungry.

"Putain, I'm starving," the boy walking by the long-haired one's side would moan as he moved forward with the others. He had a cap on his head, one that was evidently too big for him, seeing as it covered almost half of his face. How he was even able to see what was in front of him as long as he wore that thing was a mystery to them all. "You sure the stuff I want is in that shop, Charles? You know how much I love these things."  

The boy's voice held an impolite tone that was nosy and disagreeable, perhaps even annoying, though it did nothing to Charles. If anything, he appeared to enjoy the boy's complaining, as suggested by the smile he carried with him as they moved. "Oui, frêre. It was there the last time I checked," he told the boy nonchalantly, shortly after he let a puff of smoke exit his lips. "No one around right now, no cameras, and the guy doesn't care. Les flics won't come this time around." 

"Even if they come, I can buy us some time," the boy in front of Charles and the other would interject after briefly listening to them, pointing them towards what he was slightly bringing out of his left pocket with his chin. The sight caused the long-haired one to raise a brow, as it appeared the item in the boy's pocket was a revolver. "T'inquiète, it's not real. I just took off the pin at the end."

"It looks real to me."

"That's the point."

The young man was not sure whether this was a good idea or not. The trust in his friend was there; after all, they had gone through a notable amount of things together alongside the rest of the group. However, everyone in this merry band had their fair share of problems, and this person wasn't excluded from this particular fact. Perhaps it was unwise to trust him, maybe even stupid. However, after a few seconds of deliberation, Charles said and thought nothing more of the matter. He just didn't think it that it was that useful for him to think of it, really, especially not at this time of the day. Quite frankly, though he had not said it himself, he too was beginning to feel a little bit hungry. Like his friend, he could go for something that was being offered in the store, like a bag of chips or one of those chocolate bars. They would both carry him long enough to sustain himself until today's dinner with his parents and sister.

A few steps later, the group of young men found themselves entering the convenience store. It was a small and old shop, something that has most likely been in business for a few dozens of years now. The iron shelves were creaky and unbalanced, the lighting was dim and flickery, and the floor was dusty. Even the air appeared to be dirty, though this was probably due to the ashtray that was located near the counter. At a first glance, it was exactly as Charles had described it prior. Aside from them, the shop was devoid of any customers, and there was no surveillance to speak aside from the eyes of the owner of the shop, a man with a long beard and a very bored look that remained behind the counter. Judging by the way he was barely paying any attention to the young men, it was quite clear that he did not care very much for this business or what he sold, which easily explained the state of his shop. This was enough for the boys to catch on and look at each other with knowing smirks. If that man was not going to do anything to them, then there was no reason for them to worry about anything either.

So, they went at it. The hungry boy headed straight for the food aisle in search of a particular box of sweets, while the one with the gun instead looked on towards the newspapers and the lottery tickets settled near the counter and the main door. Charles, him, naturally headed towards the tobacco products which were settled not too far away from the aforementioned tickets. Both he and the gun-wielder kept an eye on the owner, though after a few glances, it was clear that he was not going to do anything to them. Nevertheless, there was something about the owner that Charles felt was rather unusual. He was not paying any attention to the boys, yes, but his eyes, his body, his very being appeared to be immobile. It was strange, enough so that it bothered the young man. If the man had died right then and there for whatever reason, the police would have most likely traced this incident right back to each and every one of them, after all.

With this in mind, the smoker would eventually completely turn his head and attention towards the owner. He did so in a natural manner, perhaps as a means to appear inconspicuous about the whole thing, even if what was happening before the owner's eyes was clear as day. Once he did, he would let out another puff of smoke before pulling the cigarette out of his mouth with two of his left fingers. "How's it going, monsieur? You had a lot of business today?" He asked then with a smile, trying to appear friendly. It would be difficult for anyone to perceive him as anything but an enemy in this moment, but it was worth a try; after all, the man was in a bad enough position as is. "Don't worry, we won't be here for long."

This dialogue Charles was trying to create between himself and the owner was enough to cause his gun-owning friend to smirk. Unlike the smoker, he had not at all noticed how strange the owner appeared to be. "Ouais, mec, you heard him. Don't try anything," he chuckled before pulling out the gun and beginning to mockingly wave it close to the man's head, "or else, we're gonna have to take care of you." 

For a moment, it almost appeared as though the man would groan upon seeing the weapon. However, he was not at all intimidated by it. In fact, aside from the groaning, he did not at all react to the gun. This immobility was such that it made the gun-owner somewhat unsettled, enough so to give the man a strange look. "... What the fuck is wrong with him?" He asked Charles in the moment, who appeared to be just as confused as he was. "Is he having a stroke or something?"  

"Eh, I heard some people sleep with their eyes open." The joke was followed with a smile from the smoker's end, though the gun-owner was not at all pleased by this. Noticing this, the smoker would sigh before crushing the tip of his cigarette against the ashtray near the counter, then turn his head away from the shop owner. "Ignore him. If he's in trouble, we'll use his phone and let the police handle him." 

A few minutes would then pass on inside the shop as the group remained within it. They continued to passively steal whatever they found to be interesting, from the most benign to the most interesting. The only exception to this, at this point, was Charles who decided to remain near the counter with the owner. He wasn't quite sure of the man's condition, but it was quite clear that there was something wrong with him. Now, usually, that wouldn't be a problem to him; if anything, it was more the merrier for them, especially in a place like this with no cameras around. It was just too fishy to him, too suspicious. Was this a trap set up by the police? There have been more activity on their end lately, especially since the latest riots. No... They just do that kind of stuff on the television, not in real life. So then, was this guy connected to some of the gangs in the area? Was he being used as bait? Or was he really just some guy having a stroke? Either way, it was bothering him, and the more bothered he became, the more impatience he began to experience.

After a certain point, the impatience hit a boiling point, and the smoker decided to do something about the man's condition. There was only so much time he could pass by the side of someone who was clearly experiencing some kind of problem, whether it be medical or otherwise. So, with a huff, the man turned his head back towards where the owner was previously situated behind the counter. "Ok, Monsieur, you really don't look well. Let me c-" 

When his eyes stared at the counter, the owner was not where he was previously was. In fact, he was not behind the counter at all, for he instead was now standing near the entrance to the shop. The mere sight of the owner's new position was enough to make Charles' eyes widen slightly in surprise. He had not heard a sound from the man while he moved, and due to the counter's design, the owner should have needed to come in front of him in order to reach his position without directly going over the counter. For a moment, the smoker could only stare as he vainly attempted the situation that he was currently facing. It was just enough time for the owner to reach for the entrance, close the door, and lock it. "Petites merdes... Espèce d'enflures... You want to steal from my shop...?" The owner let out a coarse and unnatural voice as he spoke, turning himself towards Charles as he did so. The grin he sported appeared as though it was stretching his face in a supernatural way. "How dare you... I'll show you... I'll show you all what it means to steal from me...!" 

The smoker's emerald eyes would stare into the owner's as he tried to understand what was happening, though eventually, it all clicked. This person... was not a person, or at least not a Human. He wasn't quite sure of what he was supposed to be, but he was most certainly a creature that was similar to a Hollow. Whatever he was, he did not hesitate. Quickly, he would reach for the cross around his neck and attempt to liberate enough spiritual energy to liberate the bow, much like how he did in his childhood. However, nothing came. Noticing this, the man would attempt to generate enough energy again, though eventually, he would realize a most horrifying truth for both himself and his friends: it had been far too long since he had last trained, and so he had lost some of the spiritual energy he could conjure before. In other words, there was absolutely nothing he could do in this moment to protect himself or his peers.

"Merde!" He swore before quickly bolting towards his friends, who were at the time still wandering around the aisles. "Guys, he locked us in! Get in the back!" At first, the other boys were unsurprisingly startled and confused after hearing Charles' shouting, though as soon as they turned their attention towards the front door, they would witness the owner stand there as his body shivered and cracked all over. His limbs would tense and begin to bleed as bones pierced through the skin, and his body would appear as though it was barely able to contain something within it. A sickening shape was even beginning to be pressed against the inside of the man's face, the visage of a grinning demon. Needless to say, upon witnessing this horrific sight, the boys started screaming and immediately headed straight for a door located in the back of the store. Fortunately, this one was unlocked and lead straight into a storage room. It was big enough to welcome them all, and so as soon as they were all inside, Charles would quickly slam the door behind him.

"Oh mon Dieu, oh mon Dieu, what the fuck is he?!" The hungry boy would scream in absolute terror as he held onto many boxes of sweets for his dear life. "He's gonna kill us! He's gonna fucking kill us!" Meanwhile, the one with the gun would clench his teeth as he held onto his weapon with both hands.

"I knew there was something wrong with this guy! We need to call this police!"

"How?! None of us have cellphones! I told my mom I wanted an iPhone, but noooooo!"

Charles would listen to the two boys and the others bicker between one another with clenched teeth as he watched the door. Whatever the owner had become back there was angry, and it showed in the way it constantly rammed himself against the door. The ramming was becoming stronger by the minute, and it was quite clear that it will only be able to take so much before it flies off its hinges. Eventually, the smoker would clench his teeth before quickly moving forward, grabbing the revolver out of his friend's hand, then aiming at the door. The weight of the weapon surprised him at first, enough so to make him pause and swiftly look over his shoulder towards his friend with a frown. This was very clearly a real firearm. He could tell by the way it felt in his hands and how heavy it was. To say that he was not quite happy to realize that after watching his friend literally wave that thing in front of someone's face was a bit of an understatement, regardless of the fact that someone is now very much wanting to eat their faces off. "Just stay here!" He told his friends then. Before the others could protest his decision, he would quickly open the door right between the ramming and shut it behind him.

When the smoker came out of the storage room, what was once the owner of the store had morphed into something that was deeply unpleasant to look at. His body had been contorted and ripped in many places at once, with a copious amount of blood trailing down his body and following behind his wake. The shape that was previously pushing itself against the insides of the man's face had become even more prevalent, so much so that his eyes were being terribly pushed away. What appeared to be claws were also beginning to push themselves out of his fingers and hands. It was a revolting sight, one that made Charles briefly wince. However, that alone was not what bothered him the most. "You are... Quincy..." the creature would spit as it stood there right in front of the door to the storage room, letting the boys inside it witness the shop owner's body destroy itself further and further as what remained within him liberated itself with its fleshy constraints. "You people killed my friends... You killed them, all of them... I'll show you, taré... I'll eat you! I'll eat you who-!"

A loud bang echoed throughout the store in this very moment. It occurred after Charles pressed on the trigger of the revolver, causing one of the six bullets inside of the cylinder to be shot out towards the creature and crash right into his head. The caliber of the weapon was such that it caused the gun to bounce back in the smoker's hands from the recoil alone, and for the creature's head to be violently thrown backwards into the nearest wall. The shriek of pain that came out of the monster was great and so was the amount of flesh and blood that flew off from the power of the bullet's impact against his head. However, all it did was leave a nasty hole in the creature's face, one that displayed the mask of a Hollow in pristine condition. "Do you think this will kill me...? Do you really think that stupid Human gun is gonna kill me?!" He shouted loudly towards Charles.

"Heh, no. But you know what? I bet it's at least gonna hurt you."

The creature remained briefly stunned after he heard those words, causing him to simply stare at the smoker. The latter, him, was simply smiling at the creature. He was not sure of how he was going to get out of this, and frankly, he did not believe that he was going to in the moment. However, he hardly cared. Instead, he pulled the trigger again, causing another shot to resonate throughout the shop, and then another scream. A few more bullets followed it, with each bringing more and more screams, and blood, and pain out of the creature. There was a delay with each shot, and although it was as clear as day that it was not doing mortal damage to the Hollow, it was definitely hurting him. Eventually, however, there would be no more bullets to shoot, leaving Charles to stare at the Hollow as what remained of his presumable Human body fell to the floor. His new body was incredibly thin, with its limbs so skeletal that they almost seemed like strings. His head was perhaps the biggest thing that rested upon it. It was as big as a Human chest, with a large hole piercing through his forehead and an ape-like mask covering his face.

"You're finally out of bullets... Good..." the Hollow groaned as he slowly stood fully upward, easily towering above Charles to such a degree that his massive head rubbed itself against the ceiling. This movement allowed the beast to show the minimal extent of the damage left by the revolver. All there was were a few bumps here and there, none of which appeared to have shown signs of piercing through. It was clear that this Hollow - for as thin as he was - had quite the resistant hide for itself. "That hurt... It really hurt... I hope you had your fun, enfoiré. Now, I will hurt you... and then I will hurt your precious little friends."

The smoker kept his eyes on the beast as he tried to come up with a solution to this very pressing problem, though admittedly, there really wasn't much he could do. As the Hollow stated, he was out of bullets, and so there was no real way for him to defend himself against the creature any further. His friend possibly had a few more bullets to spare, given how brazen he is to carry such a monster with him in the middle of Bobigny, but it was rather doubtful that Charles would have enough time to return to the storage room to get those additional bullets. In the end, this left him with two choices. The first choice he could make was, well, leave the store. He could slam himself against the entrance, hope that he breaks the door in time, and then run away. Then, he will be able to contact his parents or his sister so they can come take care of the creature. However, there is a chance that he will be unable to break through the door if he does so, and even if he does, it is most likely certain that the beast will have enough time to kill his friends before he gets anyone here. He does not want that to happen. They do not deserve to be eaten alive by this thing. This thus left him with the only other choice he could make... which was to continue defending himself.

It was foolish of him to think he could defeat this thing without a weapon. He was a Quincy, and Quincies are weak to the touch of Hollows. The moment he touches that thing, his body will begin to suffer great damage, and it is uncertain whether or not there will be someone available to clear his wounds by the time this battle comes to an end. In so doing, they cannot fight in melee combat, as to do so is suicide. Yet, with the realization that he was not going to get any ammo any time soon, Charles would quickly grab onto the nearest shelf and pull. Due to its poor condition, the shelf immediately found itself falling straight onto the creature, causing it to groan ever so slightly. It did not do much damage to him, but it was enough to cause his attention to be pulled away from Charles who took the time to rush towards the refrigerator containing various beverages, open it to grab a container of beer bottles, then throw it towards the creature.

Many more items were thrown in such a way, with each more dirtier than the last. Roughly a few seconds after it all began, the Hollow was covered in various fluids ranging from energy drinks to alcohol. Naturally, this was making him angrier and angrier. He was not being beaten, but he was most certainly being ridiculed by this powerless Quincy. Eventually, the beast could not take it anymore, and after letting out a powerful roar that shook the store to its core, he bolted straight for Charles. He - or rather, "it", now that it was clear it had dropped any ounce of Humanity which remained within him - did not say anything more to the Quincy. It simply wanted him to die. The sight of the beast lunging at him was enough to make Charles freeze for a moment before he simply smiled. There was nothing else he could do. The only option that remained now was simply hope that something was going to happen now.

Fortunately for him, something did happen in this moment. Unfortunately for him, however, and completely unbeknownst to him... this would be the last day he would ever see his friends for a long, long time.

For from this point onward, he would be no longer welcome in France.

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[ A P P E A R A N C E ]

Height: 5'7''

Weight: 145 lbs

Hair Color: Dark Brown

Eye Color: Emerald


Physical Description

Charles' physicality has never really once been considered as being impressive in aspect. A time ago, when he was but a child, he was described as a somewhat-furtive and uninteresting little one, one who could only easily blend amidst the masses without much effort. His body never appeared to change even under the constant stress of training - like he was "stuck" in a single physical state of being, no matter the injuries he endured - and overall, he was simply unremarkable. Much of these traits followed him onward as he grew with age, and so nowadays, it is still rather difficult to tell that this man is not a typical Human at a first glance. His Caucasian body is one of lesser strength that showcases slender limbs and narrow shoulders which give him a rather lanky look, and he is somewhat shorter than the average Frenchman. His fingers are short and thin, almost as if they were not at all designed to wield the bow in the slightest, and they tend to become red very quickly when put under certain stress, which is a direct contrast to his pale skin. If it were not for the small scars on his back, you would think that this man never once trained or witnessed the sight of combat in his life.

These unremarkable characteristics are also witnessed upon gazing at the man's face. Though Charles is not particularly ugly or unattractive by most people's standards, there is not much about his style that could be considered as being notable. The beginning of a thin goatee and a mustache can be seen around his mouth, and his hair, long and dark brown in color, is all over the place. The latter easily reaches his thin shoulders, and sprawls with ease during every bit of movement on the man's end, which often causes some strands of it to drop down in front of his face. In theory, this should bother Charles quite extensively, though he pays no mind to it. Instead, he lets the hair rest onto his face for a while, until he eventually pushes it away with the back of his thumb. This naturally hides some of his facial features to a certain extent, causing many to miss much of his youthful attributes. His emerald-green eyes are also often obscured, which is a shame, as their bright shine is perhaps one of the only noteworthy things on his person.

During his day-to-day life, the Quincy tends to take on a posture that could be described as being relaxed or perhaps nonchalant in nature. It takes on a laidback look, with his neck and shoulders arcing backwards, and his hips positioned forward. At times, minimal changes will be provided to this stance, though these changes are such that they will be somewhat unnoticeable even to the most attentive, no matter on which surface he is standing on. While sitting, he will tend to prioritize a position that tries to resemble the act of laying down as closely as possible, often doing so by positioning his legs on another nearby surface that is higher than the one he is sitting on. As to be expected, this is a rather crude way to sit upon anything, especially in Japan where modesty is highly-valued. However, no amount of convincing or insulting has ever made him believe that he should change this particular aspect of himself. Why would he bother? It is comfortable this way, and he does not see a need to disrupt his own comfort for the sake of appearances.

The one thing that he tends to do at all times, however, regardless of if he is standing or sitting, is putting his hands in his pockets. It is unclear when Charles began this little habit of his, though ever since his teenage years, he has been taking the opportunity to do so every time it was available to him. Some may say that he began to do so during his early winter years in France to warm his hands, given that he does not really mind not wearing gloves during the colder months of the year. However, it is unclear whether that is truly the case, seeing as he still tends to do so even during the other seasons where it is warm enough to keep your hands uncovered without harm. Whatever the answer may be, this does make for an aspect of his that is indirectly-intimidating, seeing as there is a notable amount of gunslingers who do not hesitate to use their guns while the are being covered by some kind of tissue.

Fortunately, this aspect is not often seen when the man does proper combat, as he tends to keep his hands away from his pockets during those times. However, it would be difficult for anyone to notice this in the moment, as the man's appearance changes to a much more vibrant look during battle. Suddenly, as his weapon is formed, his spiritual energy comes to life, enough so that his hair is pushed back by the surge. His emerald eyes appear brighter, almost as though they are glowing, and they begin to showcase such great focus onto a target that they become almost downright mesmerizing on their own. This focus does not seem to extend to the rest of his body, as it remains natural, relaxed, and ready to act. On one hand, this makes for the appearance of quite the fighter. On the other hand, the fact that his appearance can transform itself into something that is so radically different is rather daunting.

As to be expected from an individual who has previously been living in poorer conditions than most, the kind of clothing that Charles tends to be rather lackadaisical in nature. He does not wear flashy outfits or the suits that are typically witnessed being worn by the usual Quincy, instead preferring something that he can better associate to what he used to witness back home in France. This makes him often wear various combinations of jackets, hoodies, jeans, and sport shoes at all times, even when the climate does not really permit such clothing. The colors of these accoutrements depend, though there often is a shade of white being displayed here and there, which is the only hint one would get about Charles' true nature alongside the chained cross attached to his right pocket. With that said, when the temperature tends to be a little hot, he tends to remove the jacket he is wearing, revealing a simple t-shirt underneath which typically is beginning to show a little bit of age. Why this is the case is unclear, though it is easy to assume that it is because the man simply is too lazy to go buy himself something new at the local clothing store.

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[ P E R S O N A L I T Y ]

Character Traits

SPOILER: Click to show

{Dislikes}

• Bows: The bow - more specifically the longbow - is the defacto weapon of choice of the Quincy. In essence, it is the weapon that one should typically expect to see being wielded by a warrior of the cross, and it is so due to their penultimate weakness to Hollow energy preventing the majority of them from participating in melee combat. Nevertheless, there are a few Quincies who actually prefer not to use the bow. Some do so out of necessity, thinking of it not as a weapon to rely on but rather a crutch that hampers their abilities, while others instead reject it out of principle, a need to renounce their weakness to Hollows. And then, there's Charles... who just doesn't like bows. No, he doesn't dislike them because of some complicated reason or anything of the sort; after all, the concept of the bow is not what bothers him necessarily. He just doesn't like to use them because of the act of pulling the arrow before shooting it. Simple as that.
  
  
• Coffee: The brown beverage has become quite a valuable commodity in the modern world. You can find it in every parts of the world being drank here and there, and everywhere you find it, it is bound to give you energy for the rest of the day. With that said, Charles usually can't find himself capable of drinking it. He understands its effects, and appreciates its value as a means to carry a person throughout a certain period of time, but he believes its taste to be similar to wet cardboard. Not even a mountainous amount of sugar dumped into it can hide the taste from him. Because of this, he tends to often refuse drinking the substance whenever it is offered to him, and consequently thus tends to avoid caffeine-based beverages altogether.
  
  
• Intimidation: It is not easy to anger Charles. Truly, it isn't. Whenever he is around anyone, even the nastiest of Hollows, he tends to be relatively relaxed with them in a rather positive fashion. This causes many to describe him as an overall-friendly individual. However, one thing that eventually causes this friendliness to shatter is intimidation. Like many, he does not appreciate when one attempts to threaten him, be these threats delivered with words or proper courses of action, and so will often respond to these threats with passive-aggressive remarks. If the threats continue, these remarks will unsurprisingly then become more substantial in nature. One may be wise to not let them become too aggressive; after all, the anger of a gentle man is a fearsome thing to behold.
  
  
• Politics: Charles never really found himself interested in politics. From the machinations of the people at the top of Human governments to the petty squabbles he has personally witnessed occurring between leaders of small gangs, he believes it all to be a pointless exercise unworthy of anyone's time that more or less achieves nothing. Why would you bother incessantly explaining what you want for society to succeed if the other doesn't want to understand? Why would you bother attempting to get your point across if it appears as though it never will reach its destination? It is these questions that has made him eventually distance himself from such potent topics. If the people doesn't want to figure things out, then he won't figure them out for them. It's not worth the hassle.
  
  
• Religion: Over the course of his life, the matter of religion was something Charles noted as being what he found to be most distasteful in the matter of politics. Being a Quincy, the man already knows there is no such thing as a "God" out there. All there is in this world is the Emperor, the Spirit King, and whatever is behind the Gates of Hell. In so doing, whenever he sees people bring up what is written in old fairy tale books written more than two thousand years ago in an attempt to tell others what to do, he tends to see them under a less-amicable lens. This lens is also reserved for those who blindly believe in a higher power, regardless of what that power is in essence. Ignorance is bliss in many cases, that is something he can most definitely agree with, but weaponizing this ignorance to the detriment of others is something he finds to be ugly. 
  
  
• The Law: Having lived in a rather-poor suburb of France, Charles found himself eventually developing a sort of hatred for anything related to a sort of judicial system. Police officers, lawyers and judges, the concept of punishment through jail time... He dislikes all of those things, and thinks of them as systems and individuals developed not necessarily for the benefit of others, but rather both as a tool of subtle oppression and as a means to subconsciously dictate what normal people can and cannot do. In so doing, he tends to specifically avoid and distrust Human cops, and does not ever attempt to conform to the law whenever he believes it to be a detriment to his current activity.
  
  
• Arrogance: Part of the reason why Charles found himself hating instruments of justice in so many ways is because of the sheer amount of arrogance rampaging throughout their ranks. Due to their position in society as being individuals located above the majority, a number of them feel compelled to act as though they are morally superior to those who do not hold their positions. This conviction makes many believe that each of their actions are justified, regardless of how reprehensible these actions may be. Charles has dealt with such conduct countless times before, namely from police officers who believed they could take advantage of unfortunate citizens with various tactics, such as bribes. Because of this, he is wary of those who show overt pride in their work, and he is alert with those who are considered more important than him on a societal basis.
  
  
• Authority: Somewhat unsurprisingly, Charles' hatred of the law and the arrogance of superior officers naturally extends to the concept of authority as a whole. As a man who enjoys being free without worry of someone wishing to criticize his ways, he naturally tends to not appreciate those who attempt to control him, which unsurprisingly includes the judiciary departments and those that are part of them. He always appears to be bothered by attempts of limiting his free time coming from individuals other than himself, and though he appears to eventually relent and accept authority at a first glance, he typically tends to simply ignore its influence after a time if doing so advantages him in one way or another. 
  
  
• Work: Work is hard. Very hard, in fact. No matter what this work may be, it most often requires a fair bit of effort, be it physical or emotional. There are quite a number of individuals who like to work, for they see the results of their labors as something to be proud of. This is especially apparent in the country he currently resides in, for there are many workers there who dedicate their lives to their craft with such passion that they find themselves sometimes dying in the office. Charles, on the other hand, is not that kind of person. He, unlike them, is not a hard-worker and never will be. In his eyes, to work is to sacrifice freedom in pursuit of something that is ultimately pointless or benign. Because of this, he often attempts to avoid what he considers to be work, or at least attempts to integrate his hobbies during such activities to mitigate his bother.
  
  
• Gotei 13: Due to his upbringing as a Quincy, Charles held a bit of a negative bias against the Shinigami of the Soul Society during his youth. That in of itself isn't very surprising; after all, the Quincy have had numerous skirmishes with the Shinigami, with one of them almost leading towards their total annihilation. However, as he grew older, the man began to understand that the Shinigami themselves were not the problem, but rather those that they have sworn allegiance to, the so-called "Gotei 13". Though his knowledge of the celestial organization is limited at best and foggy at worse, this realization has made him move his hatred of the officers towards their leaders. Nevertheless, he remains wary of the officers, just in case their allegiances may lead them to attack him.
  
  
• Vandenreich: The walled empire has had quite the influence on Charles' family. His parents have been part of the organization for whoever knows how long, his sister is set to officially join the organization as one of their main warriors, and for all intents and purposes, many believed he too would become an asset of those who remain in the shadows of the Soul Society. However, after being personally educated by a notable officer of the Vandenreich, Charles eventually grew to resent the group. He believes that they represent not what the Quincy should be, but rather what the Quincy once were: vengeful beings who seek to lay waste to everything because they believe that they are right above everyone else. In his eyes, there is no point in joining these people in their holy crusade. To do so would be to sacrifice his freedom to eventually sacrifice the freedom of others, all for the name of an Emperor who has never shown his face to anyone and thus most likely only cares about himself.
  
  
• Hilde Eisenburg: The one true person that Charles actually fears. For many of his younger years, the man endured endless training under the surveillance of his aunt Hilde. Though she trained him in the arts of the bow and has shown him the basics of reiatsu manipulation, her cruelty coupled with her almost-obsessive allegiance to the Vandenreich are what ultimately tainted the image of the organization in Charles' eyes. In fact, for some time, she downright made him believe that being a Quincy was not a benediction, but a curse, and that it would perhaps be better for him to never bother with the spiritual arts. Fortunately, his parents were able to step in in order to completely sever the connection between himself and Hilde, and he eventually came to accept his powers again as something that he must simply deal with. Yet despite this, it will take some time for him to disassociate the people of the Vandenreich with the image of his aunt.
  

SPOILER: Click to show

{Likes}

• Alcohol: Although he does not very much appreciate coffee, Charles has quite the extensive repertoire when it comes to other beverages, most especially those of alcoholic nature. Having been introduced to the realm of beer and wine at a young age by friends and acquaintances both, he has grown used to the exotic drinks and eventually was capable of developing a sort of flair for detecting their quality. Yet, even with that in mind, the man makes sure not to consume these drinks on a regular basis, as his constitution unfortunately prevents him from drinking heavily. Well, that, and getting drunk can be quite dangerous to him considering his other hobbies, and dealing with the constant fear of getting DUIs is not worth the hassle.
  
  
• Cars: It is unclear how Charles came to develop this particular love, but at a certain point in his life, he began to become very interested by everything that happens to possess four wheels. He himself believes that it is because his father tended to purchase him toy cars when he was a child, though given how long ago that was, he himself couldn't really say if that is true. No matter the manufacturer or the model, the Quincy will always find himself drifting towards nearby cars, especially those who happen to have been customized, just to take a look at them. In fact, this interest of his is so high that - despite his very poor skill in machinery - he intends to eventually buy himself a car and get it modified in order to drive around with it. A true steed for a true gunslinger, so they say...
  
  
• His Family: Charles' family are all dedicated to serving the Vandenreich in their own way. His parents patrol the French region of Europe for Hollows on a regular basis, and his sister believes it wisest for her to join the organization as a warrior. Even so, never once have they scolded Charles for his rather-shaky interest in the spiritual arts and the Vandenreich, and for that, he in turn believes them to be very good people that he will love unconditionally for as long as time permits it. They do want him to eventually join the organization to fight by their side, and so they are attempting to push him into developing his powers. That much is obvious, else he would not have been specifically sent to Karakura Town after his mishap in Bobigny. Yet he does not hate them for this. At the very least, in this land he never once visited, he will perhaps be able to make a better life for himself.
  
  
• Fast Food: A lazy person tends to prefer ordering food rather than actually making the food for themselves. That much can be said for many, and as to be expected, Charles is among that many. Due to not having much interest in cooking and cuisine, the man has gotten used to fast food rather quickly, and so most of his weekly diet consists of things that he gets delivered to his apartment. Some may say that this is a disgusting way of life that is also incredibly unhealthy, but Charles has come to quite like the many types of food at his disposal in Karakura Town, and so he does not mind having to eat food in such a way at all. In fact, he even often finds himself eating snacks for breakfast or diner, such as candy, cookies, and imported Pop Tarts. Good thing his way of life forces his body to evolve differently compared to a normal Human's.
  
  
• Firearms: Charles dislikes bows, that much is a given, but that does not necessarily mean that he prefers melee combat. Being a Quincy in nature, Charles possesses the same weakness to Hollow energy that every member of his race possesses, and though he is aware of how foolish he sometimes is, he believes himself not foolish enough to brave Hollows with his fists. In so doing, he realized that there were specific tools that could allow him to fight in long range combat without investing as much physical effort in the act as a bow: guns. Indeed, with a firearm, all he needs to do for the most part is to hold, aim, and pull the trigger. Though the weapon's recoil is still to be noted in this process, it nevertheless has caused ballistic weaponry to be much more alluring to Charles, and so he has thus decided to develop a proficiency in these firearms. The one gun he has grown much fondness over is the revolver due to its antique design and power, which is a liking that will most likely follow him for a long time.
  
  
• Freedom: As an advocate of laziness and a person that is wholeheartedly against authority, Charles unsurprisingly thus tends to appreciate the values of freedom. Though he believes that some aspects of society are needed in order for it to function appropriately, he thinks of it as something that everything and everyone should want to achieve in time, lest they eventually become consumed by the very society they work for. This could be interpreted as a sort of wish for total communal anarchism, especially given that he himself tends to act as freely as he possibly can in spite of his current economical situation, though the man does not believe that this freedom is to be considered as a means to commit evil. Rather, it is only a means to become truly joyful, without necessarily sapping the joy out of everybody else.
  
  
• Music: Due to his background as a member of a somewhat-poor suburban community, Charles did not have a lot of possessions. His room was not really filled with many toys, and most of the ones he possessed were older than what could be found in stores at the time. This had led him to often listen to his father's radio, more specifically local channels that showcased the music developed in his community. From that point onward, he became quite appreciative to many forms of music, especially classic hip-hop and rap. Since he moved to Japan, this liking has begun to expand to other genres, namely electronic and eurobeat, though he still prefers to listen to the aforementioned genres whenever he has the chance to do so.
  
  
• Procrastination: The act of delaying something, more commonly referred to as procrastination, is something that is most easily identified when studying a lazy individual. The feeling causes many to wait for an indeterminate period of time before achieving what they are tasked to do, all so that they can enjoy what they truly wish to do in the meantime. As to be expected, Charles is what could be referred to as a champion of procrastination. Whenever he is given a task that he does not find to be particularly enjoyable, he tends to wait for the very last day until any deadline granted to him before actually beginning to work on what has been granted to him. Fortunately, he tends to be capable of finishing things rather quickly and efficiently, though this attitude leads his "official" work, so to speak, as being rather clumsy in places, and containing errors that could have been easily corrected if they would have been granted more attention.
  
  
• Technology: Over the course of his stay in Japan, Charles will eventually be able to obtain a salary which he will be able to spend on various products. Due to his previously-mentioned destitute background, he never has had many chances to seek modern devices and apparatus, and so he will find himself prioritizing his purchases on devices that he considers to be technologically superior to what he once had access to. This includes computers, naturally, but also other smaller accessories, such as headphones, dedicated microphones, and basically anything that is capable of showcasing some kind of light in one way or another. It's a good thing that the devices he considers are most often cheaper compared to the brand new ones on the market.
  
  
• Video Games: The realm of gaming is a side of technology that he has never really been able to interact with before. Having once only possessed a Game Boy Color onto which he could only play a number of games that was at his disposal, he never had the chance to know much about it, and so did not develop any kind of attachment to it. In spite of this, as he gains a salary, he will find himself slowly discovering games on his computer and grow quite the liking for them. Amongst the ones he will prefer above the rest is an installment in a particular racing franchise focused on tuning cars in order to accomplish several activities that will lead the player to eventually rule the streets as the "Uncontested".
  
  
• Tobacco: Smoking is often seen in younger demographics as a means to be part of a certain group. Because of this, it is not very difficult to imagine that Charles has been convinced to smoke every once in a while while he remained in France. Though he believes this decision to have been rather naive upon looking back at it - especially given that there were more potent drugs that were being distributed back then - the man has since developed a notable liking for the sticks, more specifically the cheap kinds that you would find in general shops all around the world. Curiously, though, he does not believe himself to be addicted, as he has himself taken notable pauses from smoking before eventually returning to it by happenstance. How odd.
  
  
• Quincy & Spirituality: Though Charles does not really appreciate the Vandenreich due to their main beliefs and his aunt's obsessive association with them, this does not mean that he hates being a Quincy and fellow Quincy as a whole. If anything, he enjoys the fact that he has been granted the privilege of being able to wield spiritual abilities - regardless of the fact that he has to see ghosts, Hollows, and other apparitions as a result of this wielding - and that he consequently can interact with others who also possess abilities of their own. It may bring him hassles from time to time and other kinds of bother, but it spices things up, so he tends to say whenever he describes this particular element of his daily life. If he had the choice, he would not wish to get rid of them.
  

SPOILER: Click to show

{Flaws}

• Attracted to the Nightlife: Due to his time spent with the people of Bobigny, Charles has grown rather attached to what most people refer to as the nightlife. Whenever the evening approaches, he tends to often stop what he is doing and head out towards some of the districts of Tokyo that offer such nightly activities. Although this is an inconspicuous element of his life at a first glance, one that could even described as being somewhat inoffensive, he has somewhat developed a bit of a habit of going there. A big habit, so to speak. Naturally, given the nature of these places and what he once was, it is thus rather unsurprising to hear that Charles sometimes find himself getting unconsciously dragged towards what could be considered as criminal activities. Only time will tell if this aforementioned habit will bite him.
  
  
• Exceptionally Lazy: Freedom is a very positive thing for most individuals who have the chance to experience it. It allows them to make decisions without being coerced into them, which can be quite beneficial for many. Unfortunately, it is difficult to tell if such freedom is necessarily good for Charles, as it has caused his penchant for procrastination to rise significantly. In other words, his own freedom causes him to often make no decision at all when it is time for him to do so, thus causing him to become almost-obnoxiously lazy. Work remains undone for long periods of time unless it is of particular significance to him, and much of his time is thus spent on things that could be considered as frivolous and useless in the grand scheme of things.
  
  
• Often Absent-Minded: As a being of unparalleled laziness, it is rather unsurprising for Charles to at times appear somewhat distant and unfocused, almost as if he mentally transported himself towards somewhere else. This is especially apparent whenever he has set out to accomplish something that he believes to not be enjoyable for him or simply bothersome. In a way, it could be transcribed - in his own words - as his method to "deal with the worst things life has to offer". While such cases occur, his mind drifts away from reality and instead towards what he believes to be more pleasant thoughts or memories, such as recollections of his time spent driving onto the Japanese roads, or scenes from the various TV shows and movies that he has watched not long ago.
  
  
• Unconcerned When Unbothered: Charles has a tendency to show a sort of lack of concern whenever he is faced with a few particular dilemmas. Although he believes himself to be an ultimately-benevolent person who does wish to help others to an extent, his signature laziness prevents him from doing so instantly, which can easily cause him to act a bit too late. For instance, should a Human be attacked by another Human in front of him, he will typically prefer to remain disconnected from the attack for a time before it affects him in one way or another. Fortunately, this tends to not occur whenever said Human would instead be attacked by a Hollow, though it remains a rather-problematic aspect of his that even he is not quite proud of.
  
  
• Vindictive When Vexed: On the complete contrary, should Charles be subjected to any form of communication that he believes to be bothersome, concerning or menacing towards his own regard, he will tend to react in a fashion that could be described as being unforgiving. Though this sudden change in attitude tends to be preceded by one or two warnings given to the source of his bother, it is described as being particularly jarring, as it is often surprisingly violent and aggressive. One could say that this is a remnant of his years spent with the downtrodden hoodlums of Seine-Saint-Denis. Others could say that this is what lies beneath the calm he usually shows to others. Either way, it is quite perplexing, and a sign that he is indeed still a young man at heart.
  
  
• Strategically Uncaring: The military strategist Sun Tzu has once proclaimed that "Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat." Yet, despite having been taught the works of the general by his aunt Hilde, Charles has never once bothered to create strategies for himself or others. It would be easy to assume that this is once again the work of his lazy mind, though in reality, it is simply because he tends to make things up along the way, so to speak. Although this does make him appear surprisingly resourceful, quick-witted, and unpredictable, it does, however, often leave him open to getting caught by an opponent who possesses strategies that are innately superior to his spontaneous tactics.
  

SPOILER: Click to show

{Habits}

• Listening to Music: If there is one thing that Charles often does during his spare time, it is listening to music. Whenever he finds himself having simply nothing to do or no work to accomplish, he heads towards the nearest source of music he can find and begins to listen to it. Although there are some auditory genres that will attract him better than others, this particular habit has made him particularly attentive and studious in regards to this side of entertainment, allowing him to appreciate the simple act. That, and listening to music doesn't really demand any great effort from his end, thus preventing his lazy mind from having any say in the matter. A win-win situation in every way.
  
  
• Composing Music: With the latter aspect of his mind, it is rather unsurprising to hear that Charles does dabble in the act of composing music. Indeed, he at times finds the time to open up his computer and begin composing a few tracks of his own with the help of a few audio programs that he was able to find on the Internet. Despite the innate simplicity of the sounds used to create these tracks, they show a side of Charles that is both surprisingly knowledgeable and motivated, as he tends to conduct small-scale research and use notable references to inspire himself. Who knows? Perhaps these songs will make for a fun little playlist to listen to in the near future.
  
  
• Watching Media: The realm of modern entertainment rests within all that can be considered as being part of the "media". It takes many shapes, many forms, and each and every one of them often catches Charles' eye. Regardless of what the content displayed on the screen may be, the man will give it at least a modicum of his attention so as to keep track with what is going on around him to a degree. Popular television shows and interviews with those who were part of those shows, news stations showcasing the evolution of the world in real-time, online clips of various oddities... Charles will watch them all. Yes, even the videos which center around cats and dogs. Those are amongst his favorites.
  
  
• Writing: Similarly to composing music, the man will also at times attempt to write. This tends to often happen after he has seen or experienced something that he believed to be interesting, such as a particular encounter with a Hollow or other entity that challenged him in one way or another. Naturally, this makes most of what he decides to write down - these stories that no normal Human could possibly ever believe to be anything else but fictitious - to take the form of small entries in what could be considered as a sort of battle journal. Some of these entries are at times published elsewhere, such as fictive encyclopedias of monsters and other strange phenomenons, or forums dedicated to the exploration of the supernatural. Needless to say, they can be quite the read, even for those who are in the know.
  
  
• Driving: There is something about being in a car and driving it around that Charles finds to be exceptionally alluring. Perhaps it is the style of the car that is used to drive around, or perhaps it is the skill shown while driving the car itself. Either way, this fascination of his alongside his liking for cars has made the man quite enjoy this seemingly-needless act of self-entertainment. Once he can during his free time, he will find himself going into his car and head onto the roads aimlessly, with no point A or point B, until he simply gets too tired of doing so. This habit of his has also spread towards other parts of his life, such as his job and his interest in the Tokyo car scene. For all that can be said of him, it is entirely possible that he will one day participate in street racing.
  
  
• Gaming: Ah, to free one's self from the world's limitations. At the very least, that is how Charles perceives what is considered to be the realm of gaming. There, behind the screen, lies many universes within which he can act however he pleases with minimal repercussions. It is a very grandiose and perhaps even eccentric way to look at these electronic manifestations, though that is how the man sees it, and it is for that reason alone that he enjoys putting his time into video games. Unsurprisingly, he has quite the appreciation for racing games, especially the ones that allow him to customize his vehicles a great deal. In those games, he does not have to worry about the real funds that he needs to invest in order to gain the parts he needs, unlike in the real world.
  
  
• Smoking: Despite being convinced that he is not addicted to tobacco, Charles can often be seen smoking. In those places, he takes out the pack, pulls out a stick and a lighter, brings the former to his lips, and lights it up. Oddly enough, despite thinking of himself as being a free person at heart, he does not tend to smoke in places in which it is illegal to do so. In so doing, he tends to mostly do so at home, within his car. or in specific pubs that permit him to do so, such as izakaya. Quite unfortunately, despite being so limited, his habit is such that the smell of smoke at times follows his wake. The fact that he hasn't developed anything drastic since he has begun this personal ritual is nothing short of miraculous.
  

SPOILER: Click to show

{Fears}

• Change: The phenomenon of change has always haunted Charles. To see the world become something else, to see himself be metamorphosed into another being that he presently isn't with time... It is a frightening thing for him to consider, so much so that it is often on his mind whenever he is deep in thought. Seeing his life be transformed so quickly into another as he departed to Japan was a very swift and brutal process for the man, and even now, he hopes that he will not experience such a thing occur once again, or anything that could potentially cause a similar impact on his person. He has it good now, fortunately enough, but he knows that this cannot be achieved multiple times in a row. Any more change, and it perhaps could all crumble before his eyes.
  
  
• Growing Old: Age is perhaps the greatest change there is, and it is something that Charles is wary of every now and then. He is aware of its many meanings and of its devastating effects on common individuals. Since he is himself a Quincy, he is aware that he will most likely be capable of handling his reishi with enough care one day to appropriately mitigate the effects of physical aging on his body. Despite this, there is nothing he can do to stop the effect of psychological aging, even if he attempts to ignore it. Only time will tell if he will be capable of acting the way he does now until his eventual end, and that alone frightens him.
  
  
• His Family and Friends' Demise: Given his spiritual awareness and what he has been taught by his aunt, Charles is aware of what awaits him and his acquaintances beyond death. He is aware of the existence of Hollows, of the Soul Society, and of Hell. Considering this, it is thus rather unsurprising to hear that he does not wish for any of them to pass on, and so will attempt to conserve their life whenever the need arises, even if the task is easier said than done. This wish to protect is most apparent whenever he is in the company of other Quincy, as he is aware that the only thing that awaits after them is not the Soul Society, but rather Hell. It is the only place that will welcome those who dare disturb the Cycle of Souls.
  
  
• Destruction of his Possessions: It is natural for any being, be they Human or other, to fear the annihilation of what belongs to them. No being truly wishes to lose what they have worked so hard for, especially when those things are notable in nature. This is especially apparent for those who come from more destitute backgrounds, and quite unfortunately, Charles is one of those people. Though he acts as though he does not mind seeing his possessions getting destroyed, he does show worry whenever his car is damaged or when something that he owns is damaged. He may make some money now, but he is not a rich man, and sometimes, there is no richness that can bring back what you once had.
  
  
• Poverty: Charles' family has never been fortunate. They weren't when they were part of the Vandenreich, weren't when they left it, and weren't once their son left France for Japan. Having been used to such difficulties, they have come to not mind this. However, Charles does not share this sentiment. Unlike them, he believes poverty to be depressing and demotivating, the complete destruction of freedom. It makes him feel as though he is always living on the edge of homelessness, of powerlessness, of the life of a vagabond. In so doing, though he is lazy and tends to avoid work, he will at the very least do a minimal amount of effort in order to remain afloat. It's the least he can do, especially now that he remains in another society altogether.
  
  
• Working in an Office: Unlike a majority of people who remain near cities and metropolises, Charles never enjoyed the idea of working in an office. He does not like the drab colors, the lack of or excessive space, and the politics spread out by the workers that he ultimately believes to be rather pointless. Moreover, he does not appreciate the customs associated to offices, especially those that are practiced by the Japanese people. Simply thinking about the overtime that is expected by most of the managers at the very top of those companies is enough to make him shudder from mere repulsion.
  

SPOILER: Click to show

{Goals}

• Live A Comfortable Life: Charles' main goal in life, for as long as he can possibly remember, is to create for himself a life that he could define as being ultimately comfortable. Within this life, there would be no bother, no problem, and no struggle. In other words, he would have nothing to worry about, and he would be free to do as he pleases forevermore. Of course, at a first glance, this is nothing more than a dream. He is a Quincy, and for he is as such, he is fated to do battle with those with the spiritual gift until he perishes either by their hand or by time itself. Nevertheless, this wish to achieve comfort is what drives him forward, and he will do everything in his power to gain it in his own way. 
  
  
• Get the Best Car: As a car enthusiast, it is only natural that Charles wishes to gain what he believes to be the "best" car, or rather one that best fits his personal preferences. It is a vehicle that he builds for himself whenever he can in his electronic fantasies, one with ultimate acceleration, unrivaled speed, thorough handling, and the cherry on top of it all, dashing style. Considering the sheer ludicrousness of the amounts required to build such a vehicle, it is unclear when he will be capable of doing such a thing, let alone how. For now, however, he shall keep reaching for it. If money is all it takes for him to get the car of his dreams, then he'll get that money, even if it takes him years to do so.
  
  
• Achieve Perfect Marksmanship: Though defeating Hollows and using weaponry is not quite what Charles believes to be his goal in life, he is not ashamed to admit that he - much like any warrior of his kind - possesses pride in his ability to fight. As it turns out, his own abilities reside in the realm of marksmanship, and so he naturally wishes to perfect his own marksmanship. By becoming a greater gunslinger, he will be capable of defeating foe after foe with ease, and in so doing, return to his comfort as quickly as he possibly can. Hey, it might be selfish and most definitely a product of his own laziness, but even so, it is a goal like any other.
  
  
• Solve the Quincy Problem: What divides the ones in black and the people of the cross is the way the both of them treat Hollows. When the former "kills" a Hollow, they do not kill it; rather, they eliminate what makes it a Hollow, and then send what they once were to the Soul Society. In contrast, when the latter does the deed, the entirety of the Hollow is eliminated. There is nothing that remains after the passing of a Quincy's arrow, not even a remnant of the Soul it pierced. That is what Charles refers to as the "Quincy Problem", and the very core of the conflict between his kind and the Shinigami. Since comfort is what he wishes for the most, the man has long since believed that the one thing that would guarantee a comfortable life for himself is a means to resolve this problem. How he is going to do so, however, is completely unknown to him as of yet, and it is unclear to him whether the Quincy themselves would even attempt to resolve it, especially not while the Vandenreich itself exists.
  
  
• Break the Eternal Conflict: Unsurprisingly, Charles does not believe that solving the Quincy Problem while necessarily bring an end to the hostilities between his kind and the Shinigami. This eternal conflict has been going for far too long to stop after the resolution of its core. People from both sides were lost to the battles. Families were torn, generations were erased, and with that, many of the Quincy believed it best to remain in exile far away from the long-reaching hand of the Gotei 13. Yet, again, the gunslinger wishes to solve this. War shatters comfort, and if solving the core of this conflict cannot bring him comfort, then he will seek to instead bring an end to the conflict itself, even if that may take an herculean effort.
  
  
• Reach Absolute Peace: And therein awaits the result of this herculean effort: the end of war, the beginning of tranquility, love and peace for all. As the conflict will come to an end, Charles will become truly capable of achieving a life that he would consider to be comfortable. No more would he have to hunt Hollows, and no more would he have to defend himself against pious or vengeful Shinigami. He could finally be left alone, at peace, to do however he pleases. Perhaps the people of the Gotei 13 and the Vandenreich will be capable of reaching that conclusion as well. It will take time, of course. Everything does. But one day, they perhaps will live in harmony, away from the bloodshed, the pain, and the tears.
  

Alignment

Charles' longing for freedom has made him relatively become uncaring the world around him in more ways than one. He does not believe in any judicial system, for he believes the idea of the law to be a limiter to his freedom, and he attempts to avoid what he believes could possibly be bothersome to him. Even so, though the reasons for its existence are unconventional at best and somewhat selfish at worse, a care for others is also there beside his aforementioned longing, a certain kindness that is not often perceived in this day and age. As such, despite the negative traits he showcases on a daily basis, the gunslinger is easily defined as nothing else but a being of Chaotic Good. His methods will most likely gather the ire of some of his peers, perhaps even hatred, but never will these methods lead him to harbor the wish to harm another or to watch another perish before his eyes without doing anything to prevent such a thing from occurring. Well, unless that another bothers him in a truly bothersome way prior to their upcoming demise, that is.

Overall Personality

Long ago, when a certain child of the De La Croix family was little, he was told many stories. These tales - crafted via the recollection of events spanning thousands of years and perhaps even centuries - spoke of the lives of legendary men and women who marked Humanity. There were a few who were gifted, ancient Fullbringers of higher power who brought peace to the land by submitting it to their will. Then, there were others who were but normal Humans, the powerless who somehow were capable enough to wield greater strength through other means. And then, amongst them all, there were the sons and daughters of the Emperor, the Quincies. The child listened intently to these stories, taking into account their feats, their defeats, their rises, their falls... and as he listened, his then-underdeveloped mind understood a single lesson. This lesson was simple, direct, to the point. It was that, no matter what you are and what you may become in the near future, all is equal, even those who were supposedly designed to be superior from the start.

This philosophy is one that is unbecoming of a Quincy, or rather, unfitting of a Quincy who could once become a part of the Vandenreich. If anything, the lesson learned by the aforementioned child theoretically made him a heretic, for to think in such a way is to assume that even the Emperor is equal to his subjects. It is an abominable and awful belief, one that could easily attract great scorn from many who currently remain in the Holy Empire, seeing as after all, the people of the Vandenreich must treat one another as being unconditionally below the one who rules them all. Yet this lesson is the one Charles learned throughout his youngest years and thereafter from his very mother and father, and it is what could be considered as having been the very core of his principles from the very beginning. If not, it is at the very least what has inspired his current principles to become what they are now to an extent.

It would not be surprising to learn after these previous paragraphs that Charles is quite the unusual Quincy. Unlike many of his peers, he does not believe in the superiority of the Vandenreich above each and every other race that exists in this world, and he therefore does not quite believe that he would be suited for their organization either. He is not one who could be described as a pure warrior per say or a person that wishes to fight all day and night long without interruption like a few of his peers and who knows how many Shinigami that remain within the Soul Society, and he has no real emotional affinity for the bow or many other weapons for that matter. Hell, he could not even be perceived as a man who - all things considered - has many or any great aspirations whatsoever. No, he is and has none of those things. However, in a way, it is these peculiar attributes that make him quite the strange being.

Charles, as an individual, is a being who does not seek anything else in his life but his own personal comfort, the freedom to do as he pleases. Indeed, he wishes for nothing else, and it is thus what drives him forward at all times. He wants to live his life within his own ways - whether the world wishes him to be capable of doing so or not - and he yearns to be capable of accomplishing this feat safe and sound, even if it means to do battle here and there every now and then in order to get it. This means that he wants enough money to pay the bills, enough food and water to survive to remain comfortable at all times, and as much time as he needs in order to fully immerse himself in the joys of his own free time. He smokes, he drinks, and he plays, all for the sake of his own enjoyment. He will also bring himself to do good deeds when he needs to, for he can only ignore the evil around him for so long before it starts to break his comfort into a thousand pieces.

Naturally, this line of thought is incredibly selfish and can easily transform anyone into what could only be described as something akin to the laziest person on earth. There are ways in which Charles somewhat triumphs over this assumption, though ultimately, he is no exception to this, as laziness is indeed an important part of himself. More often than not, if the man has no motivation to do a certain activity, he will not attempt to participate in or complete it in the slightest until he is coerced to do so. This is reflected in both his school work and his time as an employee of various shops all around Karakura Town, where he is perceived as often completing the work given to him very late or outright not presenting himself to his post whenever he doesn't feel like it. Yet, despite this, there clearly are activities in which he will show a great amount of motivation for. Such activities include the likes of interacting with music to any capacity, watching the television or the computer, and writing, with the biggest outlier being driving.

For reasons unknown, the man possesses a great liking for driving cars. He wants to possess a car, to tune it as much as he possibly can, and then to drive it as quickly as possible. In his eyes, traveling in the four-wheeled vehicles is amongst the greatest things one can do, as it allows anyone to achieve great freedom in the matter of a few seconds. In a way, to be behind the wheel and to push on the pedal as hard as he possibly can is the most potent of drugs he could ever have access to. The roar of the engine as it is pushed to its limits, the screeching of the tires as rotating rubber finds itself being viciously pushed against dirt and asphalt, the sight of the gauges going further and further up as everything goes even faster... It is unclear when this is going to become old for him, especially with the development of his abilities, but from the looks of it, it sure will take quite some time before it all does.

There are times in which Charles will have to do battle, even while he is driving. During those times, the Quincy takes on slightly cockier aspect of himself. He taunts, downplays, and appears to underestimate. However, the sheer focus in his eyes tells a different story. With a single look, one can tell that behind his eyes is a cold urge to eliminate, to return to his precious comfort with the aid of a couple of bullets. This urge reflects in the way he moves around his enemies and the way he fights, with each both showcasing an innate confidence in his capabilities despite his physical limitations as a Quincy. Considering what kind of person it is, the presence of this urge is hardly surprising. The less time it takes to take care of his enemies, the more free time he'll have for himself later.

All in all, it is unclear what awaits Charles in the near future. Perhaps his attitude will be his downfall, leading him to an excruciating death at the hand of the one Hollow smart enough to take advantage of his little quirks. Perhaps it will instead allow him to reach heights so great that no other person but himself could potentially reach. Regardless of what kind of fate has in store for him, the Quincy will make sure that it does not become one in which he believes him to be disadvantaged. He will not allow anyone to take his comfort away, even if it happens to be the people of the Gotei 13, the Hollows and Arrancars of Hueco Mundo, or even the Emperor of the Vandenreich himself that wishes to oppose him.

[Charles de la Croix]

[ A B I L I T I E S ]

Note: Due to Charles' "Mystic" Type and him being Rank 1, he receives a +50% bonus in Spiritual Pressure, a +25% bonus in Reiatsu Strength, and a -50% penalty to both Strength and Speed.

Statistics

Physical	Spiritual		Sensory	Miscellaneous
Strength: 25 (50-25)     Speed: 25 (50-25)	Reiatsu Strength: 50 (40+10) Spiritual Pressure: 150 (100+50)		Instincts: 50 Senses: 50 Energy Sensory: 0	Light Aura: 70 Dark Aura: 30 Healing Expertise: 0

Skills

Mental	Battle		Body	Utility
Calm Mind: 1         Analyzing: 1	Weapon - Revolver: 1 Spiritual Arts - Quincy: 1 Battle Analysis: 1 Battle Focus: 1		N/A	Driving: 1

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[ F I G H T I N G   S T Y L E ]

At a first glance, Charles appears to be a person that is rather disconnected from the realm of fighting. Though he enjoys talking about his favorite weapon and does sometimes recount the tales of his exploits in battle with what seems to be ample pride in his abilities, there is nothing else about him that seems to suggest that he has ever fought anything in his life to begin with. In fact, he has a tendency to prefer talking things out rather than immediately go all guns blazing, seeing as he personally believes that such an outcome would be more comfortable for both himself and the assailant in most circumstances. Thus, whenever he finds himself in such particular circumstances, the man will typically attempt to avoid incoming attacks from his opponent, all the while giving multiple warnings to his opponent. He will do so in a fashion that holds the same style he showcases while going about his daily life: with a kind of nonchalance that is only saved by his senses.

As to be expected from many of his opponents, however, the most of them will completely ignore his warnings and attempt to use his nonchalance to their advantage. Some of them will attempt to get him by surprise, while others will instead grow angry from the assumption that he is not taking them seriously. Though this will annoy the Quincy more often than not in such cases, as he very much believes that what is going to happen next won't be comfortable in the slightest, he will concede to the fact that the aforementioned outcome will be impossible to reach for the time being. When this realization of his is accomplished, he conjures onto himself one singular thought: eliminate the source of discomfort at all cost. When this occurs, his emerald eyes widen and his spiritual energy begins to rise until his inner self becomes whole. Until this fight comes to an end, whether it be peacefully or not, he shall remain awakened, allowing himself to fight more appropriately.

Like many Quincy, Charles' main fighting style revolves around the use of ranged weaponry. A quick fighter at heart, he uses his affinity to do battle at a distance in order to both overwhelm his opponent and leave them eventually incapable of fighting back. Though this is often accomplished through the simple act of shooting bullets at a rapid pace that the opponent cannot typically respond to, the primary method used by this Quincy in order to properly complete this process is through the use of a technique made most famous by American gunslingers of old: the quick draw technique. As the western rendition of the samurai's Iaijutsu technique, the quick draw revolves around the same philosophy of combat, which is the act of unsheathing the weapon from its holster during battle. It too requires good posture, precision, and speed, though all of these traits are most especially emphasized, seeing as the quick draw was designed to face opponents in combat who also used the very same technique. In other words, unlike the Iaijutsu technique, the quick draw is not just a counter-attack. Rather, it is a show of speed and dominance, a proof of power over the other. 

Naturally, the quick draw technique was designed to be accomplished with a compact firearm in mind, as most of the greater firearms tend to be big or unwieldy to properly draw them out of their holsters. The most common weapon used for quick-drawing notably include the pistol or the revolver, the both of which can be holstered near or on the hip much like how one holsters a sword near the same part of the body. In so doing, combined with the fact that Charles simply hates using bows, the Quincy's combat style will feel incomplete while using a classic Letzt Stil. His shots will be somewhat imprecise due to the speed at which he does to pull the string of the bow, and therefore, he will often miss his shots. Moreover, the strength of his arms will be tested quickly, making the battle a joyless experience for this particular Quincy. However, this joylessness will disappear once he will gain the ability to conjure his true Letzt Stil: the Renaissance. In that moment, the man will fight more aggressively with a calm, almost hypnotic joviality to his step, using his environment to his advantage in order to reduce his opponents into nothing more walking pieces of Swiss cheese.

Though he is somewhat jovial and full of himself during this moment, the gunslinger nevertheless remains fully aware of his capabilities against an enemy. With every shot taken, he analyzes, taking count of the damage delivered by his bullets onto the enemy's body, and noting how painful it was for them. One would assume this accurate analysis to be accomplished in order to find weak spots in an enemy's defense, and though this is partly true, it is not quite the case; rather, it is to see whether or not the enemy is too strong for him to take care of. Indeed, since he cannot find himself being touched by a Hollow, he must deduce whether he can or cannot defeat the opponent he is currently fighting without assistance. Should he believe himself to be at a complete disadvantage to such a degree that winning against the aforementioned opponent is impossible, he will attempt to exit the fight as quickly as he possibly can, most often with the aid of a vehicle if the fight is taking place in the Living World.

Since the Renaissance is a rather small weapon by conventional standards, Charles is capable of doing battle against a numerous amount of foes while he is in a vehicle, most specifically a car. Indeed, despite the impracticality of this improvised "fighting style", the man is capable of using these four-wheeled pieces of machinery as a sort of makeshift mount. While in a car, the man drifts and accelerates to quickly avoid incoming attacks, and takes shots from the driver seat window. If the danger of death is imminent, he will even use the vehicle as tool for ramming into his opponent, even if each successful ram will cause his bank account to have a seizure. Much to the further displeasure of this bank account and his own heart, he will also attempt to go onto dangerous or downright illegal roads in order with his vehicle in order to escape or eliminate the enemy, even if the risk of destroying the aforementioned vehicle is high during this process.

Due to the nature of the Renaissance as a conjuration created from his own spiritual energy, Charles will rarely find himself separated from it. However, in the rare cases that he both is separated from his weapon and is also incapable of regenerating it with further spiritual energy, he will attempt to use the secondary weapons at his disposal, which will most often depend on the situation at hand. At times, it will be a Purification Blade that he keeps around for work, while at other times, it will instead be random items that he can find around the area, such as bottles, cans, and even chairs. Since he does not have much expertise in the former and the latter will most likely do no damage in the slightest to any enemy, they will mainly be used to allow him to either find what is preventing him from conjuring his Letzt Stil... or plainly run away. What? It's not shameful for a Quincy to run away if they find themselves unable to use a bow, especially if it's against a Hollow!

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[ L E T Z T   S T I L ]

Renaissance

Long ago, in an empty Living World devoid of any form of civilization, the first of the Humans remained. Initially inept and unintelligent, they were akin to beasts. They survived solely by luck and instinct, and when confronted by a greater being than themselves, their weaknesses would swiftly remind them of their physical inability. Yet as they remained, they became crafty. They fabricated tools of survival and of the hunt. What was once only a stone became a spear, and with the discovery of fire, the sharpened rock was turned into steel, permitting them to create blades of all kinds. Bows and arrows were also created in this time, allowing Humans to hunt from a distance most animals could never rival. These tools were no match for the higher weapons, those which were crafted in realms beyond their comprehension, but it was more than enough to guarantee their survival in the wilds. Slowly but surely, with these tools, the Humans proved themselves capable of surviving in the wilds, and thus, they created many civilizations. Beast became man, and the animals which remained lost all of the power they once had over the world. In other words, Humans were reborn by their own makings as the truest predator within the realm.

With the advent of Humankind, however, these beings became aware of their respective civilizations. They would go on to meet with others they did not recognize or could not understand. After a time, these misunderstandings would cause conflicts, and so, soon, the world became not about man versus beast, but rather man versus man. There were a number of civilizations which prospered together as one, though most historical cases have long since proven that the majority of cases instead led to battle, then war. During the passing of each generation, a new conflict will arise, and so new tools therefore needed to be created, to be perfected. The blades became bigger, sharper, and sturdier, while the bow evolved into countless iterations. Eventually, the bow was transformed into an entirely different weapon, one which projected iron with the simple press of a trigger. This new tool became to be known as the now-infamous rifle. Like its predecessor, it too was perfected. Its loading mechanisms were perfected, its accuracy straightened, its shooting accelerated. Its form was also made more compact, until it became time to separate these forms from the rifles. These were the first handguns, or pistols.

As time proceeded, the use of these handguns became more common within the Living World, and eventually, most melee weapons such as swords and spears were discarded from military use. Indeed, they became more of a commodity or pieces of collection, whilst firearms began to be used as the Humans' main tools of war. Yet, despite this evolution, those from the spiritual realms preferred to continue using traditional weaponry. Though the majority of them are capable of using magic in one way or another, the brunt of the Shinigami force still use the blade to this day with only but a few key exceptions. The same could be said about the Quincies, as despite their wish to create devices and other tools of warfare, they continue using the spiritual bow. Considering the widespread use of the antique ranged weapon, the respect for tradition and their innate weakness to the Hollow's touch, there is but a limited amount of those of the cross that actually wish to use a different weapon. Nevertheless, that amount is there, and Charles can easily be considered as being among them.

Charles' spiritual energy has always been considered to be rather strange. Unlike the power usually associated with most of his kind, it is strangely underpowered in most circumstances, so much so that it is itself barely capable of forming into something of note. This particular issue was reflected throughout most of Charles' childhood, as despite having been put through his aunt Hilde's abusive training regimen, he is still unable to properly shoot an arrow with the spiritual bow even to this day. He claims his lack of efficiency with the bow is due to him simply disliking it for what it is, and although this is partly true, there is a greater reason behind it all that he himself is personally aware of. The reason is a very simple one indeed: the spiritual energy contained within him is such that his arms cannot pull the arrows that are produced from it, as their innate potency renders them incredibly heavy to his meager body. In other words, he needed another way for him to use his spiritual energy, another means to shoot it out of himself while maintaining a steady accuracy in battle. This eventually led the man to the aforementioned firearms of the Living World, and from this guidance, he was able to understand what he needed to do. He needed to create another tool of war, another device that would allow him to further his abilities unappended. Thus was born the Renaissance, the rebirth of his Quincy arts.

The Renaissance is a weapon conjured by Charles via the innate Letzt Stil ability of his kind. Like most weapons created by those who carry the cross, it is conceptually a construct that was manifested via a concentration of the spiritual energy contained within him. In essence, it is unsurprisingly a representation of his fighting spirit much like how a Zanpakuto is the representation of a Shinigami's fighting spirit, or the remnants of an Arrancar's humanity taken shape. However, it also represents his will to remain free of all burdens, from all rules that are imposed onto him, by allowing him to either completely break them or make his own. This process is mainly achieved by the weapon through the destabilizing of spiritual energy, a process as chaotic and as brash as change itself. Although the Renaissance is originally a spiritual bow like any other, Charles has taken many measures to mold it into a shape that could be considered as being worthy of being used by himself. As such, the weapon possesses many characteristics which are typically not found in the majority of the armaments conjured by the Quincy. Below can be found a list of those characters, from the simplest to the most complex:

SPOILER: Click to show

{Properties}

SPOILER: Click to show

{Class 6 - Form: Un Nouveau Départ ("A New Beginning")}

The Renaissance's primary characteristic, a Form Property in aspect that allows Charles to freely express the weapon as its true self beginning from Class 6 and onward. For preference, this Property remains almost always active in combat, perpetually taking up one of Charles' available slots.

At a glance, the weapon appears as a handgun taking the form of an antique western pistol most reminiscent of a LeMat revolver. It possesses a long barrel connected to a cylinder system and a leather grip, complete with a trigger underneath the cylinder for efficient and effortless shooting, and a hammer behind that same part for quicker, yet less accurate combat maneuvers. Since it is a handgun in nature, it is unsurprisingly much smaller than the typical spiritual bow, and so it can be easily hidden from view either within one's pockets, jackets, or even a holster. Anything could do the trick, so long as one is capable of finding an appropriate sheath for the thing. However, the weapon's silvery material renders it easily identifiable, preventing Charles from using it very well as a stealth weapon. Not that it matters anyway, since it is doubtful that such a weapon could ever be used furtively.

Upon its creation at Class 6, the weapon oddly does not actually use the cylinder system described previously. Instead, upon pressing the trigger, it utilizes a small cannon located underneath the main barrel. The same goes for the weapon's hammer. This cannon, which acts similarly to a sort of underbarrel, shoots conventional Quincy arrows which possess an amount of firepower equivalent to Charles' Offensive Stat. Due to its disconnection from the weapon's main cylinder, the cannon showcases a rather meager rate of fire, as it is about as fast as the speed at which a regular Quincy shoots a projectile from their bow: one arrow per post. The nature of these bullets, be they their speed or efficiency, can be changed by the Quincy to an extent after he reaches Class 5. Regardless, the appearance of the gun itself remains unchanged.

At Class 4, as Charles' begins to comprehend the nature of his spiritual abilities just a little bit further, a new trigger appears before the weapon's trigger guard. This new lever takes on the previous responsibility of the main trigger - shooting conventional Quincy arrows from the underbarrel - whilst the main trigger is finally granted true access to the cylinder. Meanwhile, the hammer retains access to the underbarrel while also being capable of accessing the cylinder. By the standards of the Living World, this would be considered as being quite a puzzling and even non-nonsensical design, as it is naturally impossible for the hammer's mechanisms to reach the underbarrel... but that does not matter to Charles. If it works, it works.

Once its owner achieves greater power at Class 1, the Renaissance begins to take on a shape that is less recognizable in comparison to the firearms manufactured in the Living World, as the spiritual energy contained within it is such that is shapes the weapon into something that appears almost noble in nature. It becomes somewhat larger with a thicker cannon and cylinder, a response to the use of higher calibers, and becomes engraved with metallic waves flowing from the trigger guard to the ends of each barrel. At a glance, it almost appears as though the waves are moving, flowing with immense spiritual energy.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Class 5 - Firing: Mille Et Un Kilomètre à l'Heure ("One Thousand and One Kilometer Per Hour")}

A standard projectile shot by the Renaissance travels through the space which surrounds it at a Speed of 800. It does so in a straight line, which renders it very similar to conventional projectiles shot from the more standard weaponry manufactured in the Living World. It also makes it somewhat predictable, even if it is shot at an incredible velocity that will most likely be difficult to avoid for most of those who become hostile to Charles. In an attempt to solve this predictability, the man found himself looking towards the many characters and other personified pieces of fiction he has witnessed either through a screen or on a page, gunslingers who were somehow capable of performing feats of superhuman ability with their bullets. Now, the most of these feats were plainly impossible, or at least impossible from Charles' perspective. It was just fiction, nothing more, nothing less... but if there is something in this world that is not fiction, it's the existence of spiritual energy. With a bit of effort, one can use it to liberate themselves from the limits imposed onto one's self by reality.

It was from this logic that the Renaissance's second characteristic was created, a Firing Property in aspect that brings to Charles many perspectives for the basic nature of his projectiles. For a certain amount of reiatsu, Charles can modify certain physical aspects of the projectiles he has created for his weapon before shooting them. This process is accomplished by inserting spiritual energy within the barrel of the Renaissance, which causes the energy contained within the projectile to be affected. The aspects which can be modified are listed below alongside the amount of reiatsu necessary in order to complete their customization:

• Direction: The point in space which the projectile is supposed to head towards after being shot out of the Renaissance. For as long as this point is located in Charles' field of vision, this aspect of the projectile can be modified in order to have it instantly head towards that point's direction after being shot, leading to quite the jarring phenomenon. Costs 100 reiatsu to apply.
  
  
• Speed: The Speed the projectile takes after being shot out of the Renaissance, between 0 and 1000. Initially meant to head towards its destination at a Speed of 800, the projectile may have its velocity changed to a lower value in order to trick targets or to use it at a later time. This modification is nullified the moment the projectile comes into contact with a surface. However, this can be used to Charles' advantage. For example, a single projectile can be shot at a Speed of 10 to have it slowly travel through space, before then being shot by Charles with another projectile, subsequently causing a ricochet effect to occur between the two. Costs 200 reiatsu to apply.
  
  
• Trajectory: How the projectile reaches its destination. This can be used by Charles to change the projectile's base trajectory, which takes the form of a straight line, into something that is more akin to a parabola or even a circle. In other words, if used appropriately, this effectively allows Charles to bend bullets in order to shoot around one or multiple surfaces, or even to trap opponents by having projectiles circle around them. Costs 300 reiatsu to apply.
  

SPOILER: Click to show

{Class 4 - Power: C'est Reparti ("Here We Go Again")}

For many years, the bow remained the defacto ranged weapon for many of those who remained within the Living World. It allowed them to fight from a distance away from danger, all the while doing so with a simple weapon that did not require a great amount of understanding from the shooter. However, as time went on, further simplicity was demanded from the weapon, and so it became a crossbow. This conception utilized bolts instead of arrows, and required much less physical strength to be used, as all that was needed in order to shoot the bolt was the press of a trigger. Later on, this crossbow then evolved into the first firearm, a rifle which replaced the bolts with gunpowder, then bullets. This allowed it to become not only more powerful, but also more accurate, as a bullet could travel further than an arrow, especially the rifle's greater firing mechanisms. Eventually, this too wouldn't be enough for the shooters. This time, though, it was not necessarily more firepower that they required from the gun. No, this time, it was a better way to store its ammunition.

At the time, standard ranged weaponry was typically fed a single projectile at a time, a design that was ironically inherited from the bow. As battles then were much slower-paced than what is now usually witnessed in the Living World, never was arisen a need to make these weapons faster; after all, if one wanted to shoot faster, they simply needed to do so by themselves. However, as battles became faster and faster with the slow removal of typical infantry tactics, the need for quicker shooting became apparent. Thus was introduced the additional concept of the magazine. Once it was adopted and then popularized, riflemen from every part of the world suddenly became capable of shooting at much swifter rate of fire without the need for constant reloading. Shortly after, this concept was brought to smaller firearms in the form of the cylinder. This is where we find the Renaissance's third characteristic, a Power Property which can easily be described as the very core of the firearm itself.

Upon unlocking his access to this characteristic, Charles can begin using the cylinder of the Renaissance as intended by filling it with different types of ammunition. These types of ammunition - bullets manufactured from Charles' own spiritual energy - are, in function, similar in aspect to conventional bullets manufactured in the Living World, and so they can be treated in a similar fashion by a gunslinger. They are listed as follows:

• Quasar: A strange bullet that looks less like what it is supposed to be and more so something akin to a small emerald funnel. It can be generated by Charles after reaching Class 1 for 1000 reiatsu. Its material is soft to the touch, flimsy, almost as if is made not out of a sort of metal, but rather plastic. The exception to this is the end of the funnel itself, a metallic part which appears to be designed to grip onto something. Due to its unconventional design, this bullet can only be effective at a close range, as any longer ranges will cause it to dramatically slow down to a crawl (-250 Speed / 20 ft) until it falls on the ground and simply dissipates. However, should it be able to reach a target, its true nature will very quickly reveal itself to its victim. Upon contact with flesh, the metallic tip of the funnel with launch itself through the target's skin and muscle before then latching onto it, causing itself to enter contact with the stream of spiritual energy located within the target's body. Once this is successful, it begins to suck out the energy into the funnel, allowing a vapor of liberated reiatsu to float away from the target. This vapor cannot be removed from the battlefield through conventional means, and grows at a pace of roughly 500 reiatsu per post taken away from the target's reserve up until a maximum of five posts has passed, after which the Quasar bullet dissipates into the ashy vapor. If a Class 3 or above target possesses enough Strength to surpass half of the Offensive Stat used to generate this bullet or a technique capable of achieving the same result, they can destroy the funnel by grabbing it and ripping it out of themselves. If the target is below Class 3, they must surpass the entirety of this Offensive stat.
  
  
• Soleil: A turquoise bullet which is round in shape with an open core design. It can be generated by Charles after reaching Class 2 for 500 reiatsu. At a glance, it resembles an iron sphere perfectly carved from the inside out to showcase the emptiness within, one which strangely does not dissipate upon being shot out of Renaissance. As such, it would be easy for an opponent to mistake this type as being the weakest amongst those that can be shot from the Renaissance. Yet the Soleil type is almost the most powerful type of the ones available to Charles, as it acts not quite as a bullet, but rather as a spiritual energy battery. Indeed, after it is shot from the Renaissance, a Soleil bullet will become more powerful each time it strikes a surface. In other words, it becomes increasingly more powerful each time it is reflected, gaining a 10% Offensive Stat boost with each reflection up to a maximum of 2x Offensive Stat. A maximum of three reflections can be achieved per post, with each of these group of reflections granting its initially-empty core a differently-colored sphere of energy. A blue sphere means that it has reached a 30% boost to Offensive Stat, while a cyan sphere instead signifies that it has reached a 60% boost. Finally, a blinding green color represents a 2x boost to Offensive Stat, with the very last reflection of the bullet granting 20% instead of the usual 10%. 
  
  As to be expected, the nature of the Soleil bullet's core causes it to be quite volatile in nature. Not quite fragile, but also not quite solid. This leaves it susceptible to complete destabilization should any more energy be granted to it by a projectile shot from the Renaissance. Considering this, if Charles decides to shoot this bullet as it is being reflected against the environment, it will become so unstable that it will enter a state of deconstruction, leading it to multiply itself into smaller projectiles until it disintegrates into atoms. The way these projectiles are created effectively allows Charles to use them much like standard shell-based ammunition fed to shotguns manufactured in the Living World. The amount of smaller projectiles created by this process depends on the number of reflections committed by the Soleil bullet, as showcased by the following effects:
  
  
  
  • La Pluie Éméraldine ("The Emerald Rain"): Created from a Soleil bullet that has been reflected nine times or more. Its cyan has turned into a vibrant emerald sheen, one so unstable that it threatens to destroy the entirety of Charles' surroundings upon its release. Creates twenty projectiles.
    
    
  • La Pluie Céruléenne ("The Cerulean Rain"): Created from a Soleil bullet that has been reflected six times or more. It has turned into a brighter cyan as it reached higher power, though has subsequently become more unstable as a result. Creates ten projectiles.
    
    
  • La Pluie Lazuli ("The Lazuli Rain"): Created from a Soleil bullet that has been reflected three times or more. Its blue is brighter in aspect, more vibrant and deadly as it became more unstable with each reflection. Creates six projectiles.
    
    
  • La Pluie Bleuté ("The Blue Rain"): Created from a Soleil bullet that has been reflected less than three times. It is blue in color, synonymous of Charles' nature as a Quincy. Creates four projectiles.
  
  
  
  
• Étoile: A bullet of a cyan color so reflective that it is often described by those who perceive it as being almost transparent in appearance. It can be generated by Charles after reaching Class 3 for 75 reiatsu. Unlike the Nuage type, it does not possess a pointed tip, and so instead only looks like a cylinder. Its structure is distinctly cold and metallic, and it easily sticks to surfaces due to its innate magnetism. In comparison to the other types which can be ejected from the Renaissance, the Étoile type is less offensive in aspect as its main use is not to hurt, but rather to act as a container for a specific kind of energy. After shooting an Étoile bullet out of the firearm, Charles can decide to release the energy within the bullet at any given time, causing it to evaporate and therefore liberate the power within. Once it is released from its confines, this power takes the form of a solid star. This star is about half as durable as Charles' Offensive Stat, is easily visible due to its cyan color and its size - which is comparable to the dimensions of a soccer ball - and magnetically guides bullets shot from the Renaissance towards its position. This magnetism is supernatural in nature as it effects the spiritual energy liberated from bullets, and so cannot be removed through the aid of the conventional laws related to metallic attractions. This star can be removed at any given time should Charles wish it so, and is half as durable as Charles' Offensive Stat. Perfect to realize incredible feats of marksmanship or to plainly confuse opponents.
  
  
• Comète: A bullet in the shape of a blue cylinder with a pointed tip painted in white, akin to what Humans of the Living World refer to as "Full Metal Jacket" ammunition. It can be generated by Charles upon successfully accessing the Renaissance's cylinder for the first time, with the amount of reiatsu required to generate it being in accordance to the amounts associated with the generation of conventional spiritual arrows per class. After being shot, its structure dissipates to reveal a spiritual projectile which is similar in shape and dissipates upon having accomplished its objective. It is designed to act as a replacement for the standard arrow that is usually conjured while using a spiritual bow. Although it is quite standard in nature without many unique qualities to it, its structure allows it to maintain great velocities over long distances as well as penetrate its target with ease after being shot, which makes it a rather efficient ammunition type for most combat encounters.
  

Although the Renaissance's cylinder is originally composed of six slots that can be filled with bullets, this core part of the weapon can hold many more as Charles grows in strength. It may also become capable of holding bullets of higher caliber capable of delivering more devastating impacts upon landing. The numbers associated to these values may be found below:

Class	Number of Bullets	Maximum Bullet Hole Size
Großmeister (0)	10	10 m²
Vorkämpfer (1)	8	5 m²
Veteran (2-4)	6	0.5 m²

Due to the cylinder's design, each of these bullets can be fired successively. This effectively makes their rate of fire much swifter in comparison to the typical rate of fire associated with spiritual bows. However, there is a natural caveat to this advantage. Much like how one can eventually find themselves with an empty firearm, the Renaissance can run out of bullets. Indeed, once all bullets have been shot out of the cylinder, Charles must reload the weapon with more ammunition. It is an inconvenience of this new form, one that would not at all be dealt with whilst using the spiritual bow, but it is the price to pay for those of the cross who prefer to avoid using bow strings to project their spiritual energy. Reloading the Renaissance takes an entire post, during which Charles must manually create the bullets he wishes to use with his spiritual energy, then insert into the cylinder. Should Charles have, in his words, La Flemme ("Laziness") to accomplish the entire reloading process, 200 reiatsu can be used during it in order to directly generate replace every cartridge within the weapon with the ones he wishes to use. This maneuver can only be executed by the Quincy after he becomes capable of generating Étoile bullets.

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{Class 3 - Mass: Elle Perçe Tout ("She Pierces All")}

Much like any firearm of the Living World, the Renaissance is typically only capable of shooting a single projectile at once, be they arrow or bullet. This is mainly due to the design of the weapon's main barrel, as it is not large enough to fit more than one projectile at a time while firing. Whilst a single bullet at a time is most often more than enough for the occasion, given Charles' innate gunslinging mastery as well as the strange characteristics held by the projectiles shot from the weapon, this can potentially leave him in a bind depending on the opponent, as some may wear protective gear allowing them to survive the wrath of a single projectile more than once. In so doing, the man began to once again experiment with his spiritual energy in order to further his understanding of his weapon and the ammunition created by it. Eventually, this study led him to develop the Renaissance's fourth characteristic, a Mass Property in aspect that allows Charles to further empower the projectiles shot out of the Renaissance.

Similarly to what he can do to his projectiles via the weapon's second characteristic, Charles can modify certain aspects of the projectiles he has created with or for his weapon in exchange for a certain amount of reiatsu. However, what is done in order to accomplish this process differs slightly, as the spiritual energy used during this process is not inserted into the barrel in order to affect the projectile contained within while shooting. Rather, it is directly injected into the projectile itself. The sheer quantity of spiritual energy included in this process causes the projectile to become unstable in nature, which eventually causes it to burst forward, transforming it into a bright beam capable of piercing through both flesh and steel with ease. This bullet retains its efficiency through the piercing of three consecutive attacks or defenses, with this efficiency depending on the amount of reiatsu spent to create it, as showcased below:

• La Lance Éméraldine ("The Emerald Lance"): Created from a projectile which was supplied with 2000 reiatsu before it was shot from the Renaissance. It can be identified by its color, a blue so pure that it has begun to turn into a shade which is closer to a blinding green. The power within this projectile is so potent that it is capable of piercing through major attacks or defenses, which are typically invoked by Class 1 and Class 2 warriors.
  
  
• La Lance Céruléenne ("The Cerulean Lance"): Created from a projectile which was supplied with 850 reiatsu before it was shot from the Renaissance. It can be identified by an even brighter blue closer to a cyan color. As a projectile with more power than its younger brethren, its power allows it to pierce through attacks or defenses whose output is more so average, the both of which are typically invoked by Class 3 and Class 4 warriors.
  
  
• La Lance Lazuli ("The Lazuli Lance"): Created from a projectile which was supplied with 200 reiatsu before it was shot from the Renaissance. It can be identified by its bright blue, which is not so far removed from the color of a typical Quincy arrow. Although it is infantile in nature, this projectile possesses enough power to pierce through minor attacks or defenses, which are typically invoked by Class 5 to Class 8 warriors.
  

The projectile created with this Property cannot be affected by Mille Et Un Kilomètre à l'Heure, as adding spiritual energy to both it and the insides of the Renaissance's barrel will cause it to become too unstable, leading to an explosion. This explosion is as powerful as Charles' Offensive Stat and covers a circular area of about 10 feet. Though this may be considered to be a rather small blast at a glance, its potency can severely harm Charles... or something else, if used wisely.

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{Class 2 - Heart: La Ruée Vers l'Or ("The Gold Rush")}

The Renaissance - like the majority of the weapons that have been and are currently being manipulated by supernatural entities - is a construct that was fabricated with spiritual energy. The material which it appears to be made out of is not quite a metal or anything which resembles, but rather a certain quantity that has been shaped, stabilized, and then solidified into a number of parts. The same can be said for the bullets which are to be supplied to the weapon, with the only difference being that they contain spiritual energy whose goal is not necessarily to be maintained, but rather to be liberated into a target, most often by causing the bullet to become slightly destabilized with additional spiritual energy. With this and the other characteristics of the Renaissance in mind, it is thus easy to understand that what makes a spiritual construct whole and stable at once is the amount of energy contained within it. A simple concept, all things considered.

But what happens when this concept is applied to beings of the Living World? Unlike those of the spiritual world such as Shinigami and Hollows, the bodies of Humans - including Quincies and Fullbringers - do not really differ from a construct. They are objects, mere receptacles for what remains within, which is the Soul. Therefore, it is easy to compare them to the aforementioned bullets of the Renaissance... which means that it is thus, in theory, possible to destabilize the Soul by injecting an excessive amount of spiritual energy within it. A weak Soul, meaning one that is incapable of withstanding such an excess, would instantly collapse upon being subjected to such an increase, causing the person which was built from it to suffer from a very unpleasant death in the process. A strong Soul, however, would be capable of surviving this instability by forcing itself to use this excessive energy. Perhaps it is arrogance that has brought Charles to develop this ability, or perhaps it is his own Soul's deep will to free itself from its constraints that has brought it about. Whichever the case may be, it is this concept that has brought about the Renaissance's fifth characteristic, a Heart Property in aspect whose intention is to empower Charles at all cost.

By spending 1500 reiatsu, Charles can induce one of the bullets located in the cylinder of the Renaissance with an exorbitant amount of spiritual energy that is much greater than the amount he typically grants to them via the other characteristics of the firearm. This causes the body of the bullet to disintegrate, leaving only the energetic compound contained within it behind as it becomes more and more unstable. Once he believes the time has arrived for him to use this energy, the Quincy raises the gun to his head and pulls the trigger to shoot himself with the enhanced projectile. Though it appears as though the man has committed suicide at a first glance due to the impact of the projectile slightly throwing his head to the side, the contact between himself and the projectile causes the latter to enter a transformative state as it touches the aura naturally emanated from him. Overridden by this powerful aura, the projectile's spiritual structure collapses and is absorbed by it, causing Charles' body to suddenly become the receptacle of this energy.

Due to the presence of the energy within his body and therefore around his very own Soul, the latter begins to naturally take in this energy. As to be expected, this causes it to enter an unstable state. However, rather than completely disintegrating itself into nothingness, the power contained within it causes it to supply Charles' body with the energy, granting him with one of the bonuses below depending on the Quincy's Class for the next three posts:

• Âme Platine ("Platinum Soul"): A form that is available to Charles after he has mastered this characteristic, meaning at Class 0. Doubles Charles' Speed and Spiritual Pressure, and removes all reiatsu costs related to the use of his weapon's Properties. With his Soul now fully accustomed to the excess of energy, Charles can now redistribute this energy with utmost efficiency, granting him with what could be considered as his utmost potential for a short time. This is reflected in the brighter white of his form, a platinum more splendorous than the previous gold and the late silver.
  
  
• Coeur d'Or ("Heart of Gold"): A form that is available to Charles after he has learned how to better use this characteristic, meaning at Class 1. Doubles Charles' Speed and Spiritual Pressure. His understanding of this characteristic has led him to better comprehend the limits of his Soul as well as how much energy can be redistributed into his body, causing his eyes and aura to take on a bright golden sheen that is almost blinding to the eye. Despite this, it still feels like something is missing.
  
  
• Yeux d'Argent ("Silver Eyes"): A form that is available to Charles upon the creation of this characteristic, meaning at Class 2. Grants Charles with a 1.5x boost in Speed and Spiritual Pressure. Though his Soul is capable of withstanding the spiritual energy that has been forcefully injected into it, it is somewhat incapable of using this energy to its full potential. This causes his eyes and aura to become silvery in aspect, a color not far from the top, but not powerful enough to be considered as such.
  

The enhanced projectile can remain within the Renaissance for a short time before being released onto Charles. However, its presence leads the weapon to become slightly more unstable over the course of time, seeing as for as long as it remains within the gun, the weapon's spiritual core is absorbed by the projectile. Should the projectile remain in the gun for more than two posts, the gun will vanish altogether and the projectile will explode into a ten-feet wide explosion. Like the one generated by the previous Property if misused, this explosion is as powerful as Charles' Offensive Stat and covers a circular area of about 10 feet, leading to minimal, yet guaranteed damage to the weapon's surroundings.

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{Class 1 - Power: Liberté Pour Tous ("Liberty For All")}

All constructs made of spiritual energy can be molded, stabilized, solidified, and then destabilized. That is an incontestable truth that must be understood by all beings aware of the world beyond the constraints of the Living World. However, what even many spiritual beings fail to comprehend is that this truth extends far beyond the likes of constructs. In the realms beyond, all matter - even the most basic of them all, the elements - are composed from reishi, particles of spiritual energy almost akin to atoms and molecules. Without this core component, there would be no Soul Society, no Hueco Mundo, and no Hell. Sometimes, this reishi is pure, remained as is for the taking by what will eventually come to be referred to as Souls. At other times, it is corrupted, malignant, a material so dark that it twists and corrupts everything that touches it. And then, there is the kishi, the distant cousin of reishi that is completely organic and non-spiritual in aspect, conceptually preventing anything from the Living World to interact with the worlds beyond.

Charles was made aware of this extended truth very early on during his youth. It was taught to him by his own mother through various drawings. The drawings themselves were not made by a professional, of course, but from them, he was able to figure it out. For much of his later years, he believed this lesson to have been granted to him because his mother wanted to inform him of the dangers of corrupted reishi. As he and his family were Quincy, they were thus extremely weak to it, and so they could die if they ever accidentally happened to directly come into contact with it. However, with further training and mastery over his own abilities, the man will begin to realize that, much like himself, reishi is but a particle that is subjected to many rules. If it goes against the rules, it begins to change until it either becomes a different version of itself or something that could not even be described as such. Though it is a particle in aspect and therefore not quite a conscious thing, Charles will believe this fact to be something that is innately unfair for it. As such, he will begin to conceive a means to liberate it from its constraints, if not for a small amount of time. Thus was eventually created the Renaissance's sixth and final characteristic, a Soul Property in aspect that intends to bring about the liberation of the world's most primitive element.

Most of the abilities that Charles will create during his journey focuses on the destabilization of the spiritual energy contained within a construct. This destabilization consequently allows this energy to react in strange ways by effectively breaking its own limits. However, the intent of this particular characteristic is not to simply destabilize spiritual energy, as in a group of reishi combined with one another in order to form a whole. Rather, it is to destabilize the reishi itself, the smallest particle. The Quincy will attempt to reach this conclusion many times during training, and as to be expected from such a radical concept, it will often lead to poignant failures; after all, to liberate reishi itself is to effectively liberate life's primordial material, something that should not usually be done by most individual, especially a Quincy such as he. Yet after a time, it will be able to achieve his goal by creating a special type of ammunition to be supplied to the Renaissance: the Univers.

The Univers is a bullet which appears to resemble a sort of marble of a lime color. It can initially be generated by Charles for free, yet despite this, it possesses spiritual energy so dense and powerful that only a single one of itself can remain within the Renaissance's cylinder, else the entire weapon will disintegrate into nothingness. At a glance, the bullet appears to be indistinct with nary a single detail to speak of, but further observations may be capable of realizing that it possesses clouds and is apparently composed of some kind of liquid, almost like it is so advanced that it has taken the form of a miniaturized planet. Once the bullet has been shot from the firearm, it heads onward towards a particular surface located within Charles' surroundings as any bullet would before it phases through the target, leaving what appears to be a sort of wet patch behind its wake. Should this process be completely successful, the surface will then begin to undergo a process of deep destabilization as the particles forming it are each rendered unstable until it finally collapses, ridding it of its purity, corruption, or normality.

Typically, such a collapse would lead the particles to eventually disappear. This is because unstable reishi eventually loses all semblance of shape and form, which causes the world itself to reject its existence and therefore erase it from being. However, instead of undergoing this usual process, the reishi particles which once formed the surface remain, effectively breaking the world's natural will to erase them. Now diverted away from their typical fate, the particles begin to undergo something akin to a minor evolution as they develop a sort of consciousness. This consciousness is extremely simple in nature, so limited that it is akin to what is described from the simple actions of molecules or bacteria, yet despite this, it compels the reishi to immediately be attracted to Charles. In this attraction, they develop one primordial objective: to serve him to the best of their abilities until they can no longer do so. In so doing, they begin to act as their liberator's guardian, a being not quite under his bidding, but also not against him.

The somewhat-conscious reishi - deemed by Charles as Ceux Qui Ne Sont Plus Misérables ("Those Who Are No Longer Miserable") - could be effectively described as a mist or cloud of particles that is initially immobile. At a glance, they take the shape and color of the prior object from which they were conceived from, with their true nature only being perceptible by those located very close to them or by others who possess a Senses stat of at least 200. Due to their modified nature, they cannot be absorbed by other entities, and they possess a total durability equal to Charles' Offensive Stat. The number of the particles at Charles' disposal depends on the size of the surface that he has shot with the Univers bullet, as displayed below alongside the amount of reiatsu required to liberate them from their natural constraints: 

• Immense: Objects much greater than life such as electrical pylons, office buildings, planes, etc. Grants 2000 particles for 2000 reiatsu.
  
• Large: Large objects that are so large that a Human being can naturally wander around within them, such as suburb homes, garages, etc. Grants 1000 particles for 1000 reiatsu.
• Medium: Medium-sized objects that begin to be larger than a typical Human being, such as cars, furniture, etc. Grants 500 particles for 500 reiatsu.
• Small: Small objects that are often simply big enough to be picked up and carried around, such as fragments of glass, kitchenware, toys, etc. Grants 100 particles for 100 reiatsu.

Upon their creation, the reishi will begin to act independently from Charles in an attempt to serve their purpose of protection. This act is mainly accomplished by these particles through the act of shapeshifting, or rather, the changing and solidification of their shape so as to achieve an offensive or defensive form. This process is achieved at a Speed roughly equivalent to double Charles'. Despite being quite simple in nature with very limited complexities being formed from it all, conclusions of such a process include the creation of blade-like strings that can cut and pierce through flesh and bone, the manifestation of a protective shield around Charles, and the formation of platforms to be stepped onto for movement. Since the reishi cannot be moved from the original position from which they were conceived, seeing as they essentially use it as an anchor, changes done to themselves are usually achieved by moving their particles into a certain direction away from their original position up to a maximum of 100 meters away from their anchor. This can naturally lead to potential environmental side-effects, such as the collapse of nearby structures or foundations.

Ceux Qui Ne Sont Plus Misérables are initially meant to remain active on the battlefield until they are destroyed by an outside force. However, should the battle come to an end, their natural instincts will begin to make them understand that they are no longer needed. In so doing, they will attempt to join Charles so as to rejoin his reiatsu reserves. If they are capable of physically reach him, they will lose all solidification and enter a state of spirituality that will allow them to enter the Quincy's body and Soul, granting him half of the reiatsu spent to create them. If this action is impossible, they will instead simply allow the world to recognize their irregular nature and erase them through the act of complete disintegration, as without Charles, their limited life is ultimately meaningless.

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[ T E C H N I Q U E S ]

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{Marksmanship}

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{Tir Rapide ("Quick Draw")}
Technique Name: Tir Rapide ("Quick Draw")

Technique Type: Gunfighting | Quick Attack

Technique Element: None

Usable by: All races

Class: 4

Technique Reiatsu Cost: N/A (2x or 600 Speed), 50 (3x Speed)

Technique Description and Effects

A classic shooting technique reminiscent of Iaijutsu that is also most often seen in popular Human media. The user rests their weapon into a holster of their choice - be it a proper holster, a pocket, or anything else that can comfortably store their weapon without any hindrances - before then awaiting the right opportunity to strike. Once this opportunity shows itself to the user, they swiftly remove their weapon from its chosen holster before then shooting at the target. In hindsight, this is a totally normal shot with no special properties involved. It does not possess increased firepower nor does it have any additional effects. However, this technique is processed at double the Speed of the user or at a Speed of 600, depending on which is faster in comparison to the other. Thus, it is often executed with such swiftness that it challenges the opponent's Analysis and/or Battle Analysis skills, causing them to be reduced by 1 while the technique is in effect. In other words, it effectively causes the opponent to be more susceptible to being hit without even realizing what just happened in the moment.

A Marksmanship skill of 2 is necessary in order to be able to execute this technique, and that same skill must be of 3 in order to master it. Should the user be patient enough to become proficient with this technique, they will become capable of immediately returning their weapon to its holster having accomplished their shot. This allows them to potentially repeat this technique several times over if they dare to do so. In contrast, mastery of this technique will allow the user to understand that they can perform such a quick draw with a Step technique in order to execute it at triple their Speed rather than double, making a large number of opponents only capable of witnessing a blur as the user is shooting at them.


Drawbacks and Weaknesses

It is naturally impossible to execute this technique with a melee weapon, as the use of projectiles is involved. Larger weapons also often do not permit for the execution of this technique, as they render the latter too slow to be worthy of use with them. With that said, even if the user of this technique processes it with a smaller ranged weapon, preparations are required. This includes a notable quick-drawing stance and the positioning of one's hand near the holster, both of which can be very obvious to those who have already seen the technique before or others who have an Analysis or Battle Analysis skill of 2 or above. Although this does not mean that they will be necessarily capable of responding to the quick-drawing in time, it can easily lead the practitioner of this technique to become a very predictable combatant should they use it many times over in the same battle.


Made by: Charles de La Croix

Reserved? : No

[Charles de la Croix]

[ H I S T O R Y ]

Birthplace: Bobigny, Seine-Saint-Denis, Île-de-France, France

Current Residence: Karakura Town, Western Tokyo, Japan

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{Memorable Figures}

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{Lucien de la Croix}

Charles' father. Née Eisenburg in a long line of Vandenreich loyalists, he was taught how to become the perfect soldier upon the passing of his fifth birthday. He was shown how to handle the bow, both in its physical and its spiritual form, and was educated in the art of war against the enemies of the Quincy, namely Hollows and the Shinigami. Upon the completion of his education, Lucien then began his service within the Vandenreich where he began to showcase the results of his upbringing. His excellent capabilities as a sniper allowed him to rise quickly throughout the ranks of the Vandenreich until he eventually became to be referred to as a Captain. Shortly after his promotion, he was introduced to his personal assistant, Lieutenant Océane Beauchêne. Though their relationship was formerly only professional by nature, it grew warmer in time until they began to consider themselves as a couple. By then, what was once an ice-cold soldier of the Vandenreich had changed into a man whose faith in the organization had been disturbed. He did not feel rewarded for his efforts, and he believed that all awaited him while serving his position was not only his death, but also the death of everything that which he had come to refer as his world. In so doing, as the doubts began to become excessive, the man eventually decided to step down from his position and take on a more minor role within the organization.

Nowadays, the humble Lucien resides in France alongside his lover and the family they have created, trying to make a living for himself as both a factory worker and a man of the cross. Despite having long since stopped participating in the great battles so usually perceived by the Vandenreich, he is still capable of taking out several Hollows from great distances without breaking a sweat.

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{Océane de la Croix}

Charles' mother. For much of her early life, she was raised as a normal Human citizen, as her family did not wish for her to be involved in the works of the Vandenreich. They believed the secrecy of her true nature to be necessary. Unfortunately, such a secret could only be maintained for so long, and after she found out, she renounced her Human life and fully dedicated herself to the cross. For years, she served the organization without fail, using her downright-prodigal skill in the bow to take down several enemies of the Vandenreich, and therefore reach the rank of Lieutenant. Then, she served underneath Lucien Eisenburg as his assistant, and eventually began to see him as a partner. From there on, she would begin to share some of the feelings he held for the Vandenreich. She did not believe that everything he said of the organization was right, especially in regards to how he believed the Emperor perceived him and his work, though she found herself agreeing with him in regards to what awaited him in their near future. So long as they remained in their current positions, it was clear that the only thing that awaited them was death, either from a Hollow, a Shinigami, or some other threat that is currently unknown to them. With this mind, she agreed with his decision to occupy a lesser position in the organization, and decided to do the same so as to remain with him.

Today, the stoic yet hopeful Océane remains in France with her husband and her children, trying to support them the best she could by working alongside Lucien both at the factory and on the battlefield. Though her skill has somewhat lessened over the years spent living as a normal Human, she nevertheless remains an excellent combatant.

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{Charlotte de la Croix}

Charles' twin sister. As the daughter of Lucien and Océane, she shared much of her earliest childhood with her brother in peace and tranquility. Together, they experienced their younger years with the kind of joviality to expect from children, and in so doing, they forged between one another a connection that could only be witnessed among twins. It was this connection that allowed she and Charles to withstand the abusive training conducted by their aunt, and it is clear that, without it, they would have been left broken. After going through what could be considered as one of their most regretful in their lives, however, Charlotte would stray from the lesser path Charles decided to follow, and instead better embrace her spiritual self. In so doing, for much of her teenage years, the girl would double down on her training regimen and schedules, mastering maneuver after maneuver, technique after technique. Once she believed her training to have finally reached a point which she could describe as one of completion, she went on to finish her Human education, and then officially joined the Vandenreich.

The bright Charlotte currently serves the organization as one of its Privates. She still sends many letters to both her parents in France and her brother in Japan to this day, informing them of her accomplishments, of her deeds, and of her advancements amidst the organization. Every now and then, the girl also keeps an eye on Hilde, making sure to keep her distances from her at all times.

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{Hilde Eisenburg}

Charles' aunt and Lucien's sister. Like her brother, she was taught and trained in the Quincy arts from a very young age in hopes to become the perfect soldier for the Vandenreich, and she began to serve the organization at the time her brother began to do the same. Together, they served, going on various missions where they would eliminate all that stood in their way. The only difference was that she was not a sniper, but rather a close-ranged specialist, a master of the spiritual zweihänder. Considering her preference for such a weapon rather than the bow, she was and still is often seen by the organization as both a brave and perhaps foolish warrior, as any mistake against a Hollow would bring her a very painful death. Lucien shared very similar thoughts, so much so that he began to express his worries to her. Ultimately, this act caused Hilde to believe that her brother thought as her as a weakling, which caused a rift to be created amongst the both of them. From then on, she saw him as nothing more than a coward and a fool, something that should not be imitated, but rather shamed and ridiculed. Such thoughts remained for a very long time, especially after her brother stepped down from his position as Captain... until she learned that he had created a family for himself.

In hopes of preventing Lucien's kin from becoming similar to either him or what she believed to be his "heretical wench", Hilde traveled to France and sought to personally train both Charles and Charlotte in the Quincy arts. At first, Lucien and Océane both refused, though they eventually relented. In the end, though it was more so out of tradition than anything else, they did want them to be aware of what they both are and to not find themselves in a precarious situation in the near future. Unbeknownst to the both of them, however, what Hilde would call "training" would be nothing more than physical abuse disguising itself as such. This went on for a few years until the parents were made aware of the abuse and subsequently banished Hilde from their home shortly after a battle ensued between herself and Océane. This aforementioned battle was such that it left the bones within Hilde's sword arm shattered into a thousand pieces.

Despite her grave injury, the loathsome Hilde continues to serve the Vandenreich as faithfully as she possibly can to this day. She harbors a great hatred for the one who has destroyed her arm, and so often monitors the progress of her assailant's children in hopes of tormenting them once again. A form of vengeance, one would say, as unflattering as it may be.

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{Moriyama Shunsuke}

A mechanic that remains not far from the apartment complex Charles currently resides in. Having shared the gunslinger's passion for car since a very young age, he has been studying them for as long as he can remember with the help of his father. For years, he was able to understand the extensive physical concepts and complicated machinery related to the vehicles, and so, after his graduation from Karakura High School, he decided to open up his own garage within Karakura Town. Though he is widely known across the city for perhaps being one of the most reliable repairman around, his passion for cars have gone so far that he actively attempts to create the best cars that can ever roam the streets of Japan. Unsurprisingly, this particular goal mixes well with Charles', and so the two have become great friends ever since they have met one another. It's a good thing that he doesn't bother going too far deep into the man's business. The last thing any Human needs on their conscience is to become aware of the creatures which leave bite marks and claw marks all over a vehicle.

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{Gushiken Machiko}

One of the two residents of apartment 11, a few doors down the hallway Charles' is located. Daughter of a single mother, this modest young woman worked hard throughout her life to support herself and the person who has raised her. At first, it was simple odd jobs here and there, such as lawn-cutting and animal rescuing, but eventually, she was able to find her principal source of income via her mother's field of expertise: computing. After a year of self-training, she believed herself to be competent enough to offer some of her services as a professional contractor. Included within these services are the creation of small-scale tools and programs, the testing of certain networks as a white hat hacker, and the making of websites for various businesses, such as the domain currently occupied by Shunsuke's garage. Considering the nature of his work, Charles has been conversing with her from time to time in hopes of having her open a website for his services. Being a normal Human devoid of the spiritual sight, she naturally does not believe in his line of work in the slightest. Nevertheless, money is money, and there is no point for her to deny her services to him because she does not think that ghosts are real. It wouldn't be the first time she's made a weird website for a weird fellow.

One Step at a Time

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{1) Of the Iron Mountain}

It is said that those of the invisible empire - the one history came to most commonly refer to as the Vandenreich - declare their loyalty to the organization from the very beginning of their lives. It is a contract as invisible yet as plain as the empire itself, one forged at the very moment they are confirmed to have been gifted with the power of their Emperor, and it is what drives many of the Quincy to head forward with the greatest of convictions. Some may believe this aforementioned contract to not be a choice or a decision to make, but rather a burden, a curse, something that the Quincy must abide to for fear of becoming an outcast to the societies of the Living World, or worse. However, much of the empire's people do not see as such. Instead, they perceive it as a sign of gratitude from the Emperor that they must fulfill, like serving a preached deity in favor for one's birth or for being supposedly granted one's successes. But of course, like many organizations in the world, there exists exceptions to this rule. Those of the de La Croix family could be considered as such.

Many years ago, before the great modern conflicts between the Vandenreich and those of the Soul Society, there was a man. His name was Lucien Eisenburg. The latest descendant of a line sworn to serve the Emperor, he and his sister Hilde - like all of those who came before them - were contracted at birth to serve the Emperor until their deaths would come, and so they were tasked to become the greatest Quincies there could ever be. Upon their fifth birthday, they began to study the bow, learning of its use and intricacies. Oddly, it appeared as though one preferred to conjure the sword in its stead. Upon their seventh, they began to study the art of war, of strategy and of tactics, participating in several games and simulations conducted by their family. Upon their twelfth birthday, they were demanded to defeat Hollows in a specific German town until they no longer could, a task that they  successfully accomplished without requiring any form of supervision. Finally, upon their eighteenth birthday, they were both registered into the Vandenreich, acting from there on as the Emperor's faithful Privates. It had been an exhausting journey. However, the journey was yet to be over.

For many following birthdays, the siblings served Him without fail. He killed Hollow after Hollow, proving himself to be a most impressive sniper as he tore the creatures asunder from a distance which far surpassed the average of his peers, all the while Hilde would charge onward with a blade of her creation. Then, when the time came for him to face those of the Soul Society in combat, he alongside what appeared to be his eternal partner in battle would do the same to the Shinigami who dared question the might of the Emperor. It was a ruthless life, one which demanded them to risk their lives on an almost weekly basis. Yet, it was for them both a life that they would not ever begin to dare abandon. In their eyes, to serve the Emperor was their existence, their reason for being. To remove this reason from themselves would be akin to erasing all that they accomplished together thus far in His name, and worse, to fail Him.

As time passed further passed, Lucien would be granted a promotion to the prestigious rank of Lieutenant. Those of the Vandenreich believed his skill to be noteworthy enough for him to them occupy such a position. His sister Hilde, however, remained as a Private. There were many questions from her end, of course. She was as diligent, as performant, and as faithful to the Emperor as his brother was, and yet she was left to instead remain in the lower ranks as though her skills were not being recognized by Him. The answer to her every questions, one granted to her by a higher officer of the Vandenreich, was as simple as it was discretely cruel: "We do not reward those who are so eager to throw their life away with a blade. We are Quincy, not Shinigami. You will remain as you are now until you understand."  Lucien was aware of these words and their significance, and agreed with his then-superior. He who was of limited sympathy then even went as far as to convey his worries to his sibling in regards to her use of the sword. Yet Hilde did not agree. At this moment, a rift was created between them, one that would ultimately sever the bond that they have shared since their birth.

Lucien would never once be paired with his sister during a combat operation again. For all that he knew at the time, he believed that the words which she screamed in his direction upon learning of his worries would be the last that he would ever hear from her. Despite this, his faith in the Emperor and his wish to serve Him had both remained undeterred, and so he proceeded with his higher tasks. Though there was a number of officers within the ranks that believed his performance would be affected by his separation from Hilde, Lucien's shooting remained as it was. In fact, he had inadvertently become more powerful than ever, for he now did not have to worry about accidentally shooting Hilde in the back while he remained far behind. Many Hollows fell from his arrows, and many more Shinigami did the same. This cycle went on for one more century until he would be appointed to the rank of Captain. He was granted a number of officers to manage, many more tasks, and a title, all of which he would uphold for a few more years. As the conflict between Shinigami and Quincy continued, he would also witness the fall of many of his peers, including many a few of his Lieutenants.

Eventually, an exception would come to him. She referred to herself as Océane de La Croix. As a newly-appointed Lieutenant under Lucien's supervision, she was tasked to follow his orders to the letter, or at the very least to the best of her capacity. For the first few years she followed the man, the woman proved herself to him, showcasing great efficiency in the art of the bow. She could not shoot as far as he could, much less reach the level of focus he by then so effortlessly conjured during every confrontation he was personally tied to, but her skill was nevertheless prodigious, as she was believed to be one of the fastest archers serving within the Vandenreich. This speed of hers was noticed even outside of battle, as she would rapidly complete any other activity that she had to complete with what could only be considered as superhuman velocity and capability. With that in mind, the Captain eventually decided to appoint her as his personal assistant, as he believed that her efficiency in regards to completing reports and other paperwork was greater than his.

Due to the creation of this partnership, the two officers often gathered themselves and spoke with one another on many matters. They discussed military operations, the prominence of Hollow activity in the Living World, and the wishes of the Emperor as the Vandenreich continued their battle against the Soul Society. Such conversations were once short, though they soon began to become longer and longer until they found themselves speaking to one another for hours. This was often an exercise of patience for Lucien, though as he continued to have these conversations with Océane, he began to appreciate them. He found her energy and her will to be a flattering contrast to the cold indifference that was showcased by many of his officers, and her opinions were often interesting to him. Likewise, the woman enjoyed her time with him. Despite his cold exterior, he could see him for the care that he held for the Vandenreich and its people, and his wish to persevere amidst it all. Eventually, they began to appreciate these traits of one another even further, and at a certain point, they fell in love.

There began a most intriguing romantic relationship at a glance. Though they maintained an illusion of simple camaraderie and familiarity before their soldiers, it was quite clear that they cared for one another more deeply than as simple fellow officers. It was stated from the way they often remained with one another at the Silbern, or when they went to battle together. Nevertheless, it could said that these years would be amongst the happiest days of Lucien's life. He was continuing to serve the Emperor with the same ardor as usual, yes, and he continued to a true presence during the many conflicts which took place between Quincy and Shinigami, but he felt complete. To see him slowly rid himself of his previous coldness also pleased Océane. She believed that he was becoming something akin to a true person, someone who was not simply a weapon for the Emperor. Individuality in these frigid outskirts, after all, was a boon to them all. Yet it is because of this newfound individuality that Lucien was experiencing that his feeling of completeness would very quickly come to an end.

The man never once had been worried for the sake of others. He believed it to be something that every officer of the Vandenreich needed to be parted with, else they find themselves committing mistakes. However, as his relationship with Océane continued, he began to develop worry for her being. He started to care for her in ways that he never once thought to be necessary, from the way she handled herself in battle to the enemies that she was going to face. Then, as this worry became stronger, it began to spread to his other subordinates, and then the rest of the soldiers who served the Emperor. Finally, as this evolved care for others fully developed into a great unending worry for all, the ice that formed shattered as he looked towards Him. He began to question his loyalty to a being he had never once seen or met in his life, to question his ultimate belief in an individual who appeared to not show any care for the death of those who had fallen for His image.

These questions, like many others before them, were brought to Océane. When she first heard them, she was hurt by her lover's sudden change of heart in regards to how he perceived the Emperor. She was hurt not because of the fact that his perception was now negative, for she had long noticed that he was beginning to change his mind over the course of time. No, she was hurt because his perception had begun to create a struggle within Lucien's heart. He was a Captain of the Vandenreich, superior officer of the invisible empire under His name, and so there was no simply no way this struggle of his was ever going to be permitted should it ever be somehow made public. In fact, the possibility of this struggle's existence being treated as a sign of heresy against the Emperor was high, and heretics are evidently not treated well by those who serve Him. And yet, despite all of this, she too began to understand why Lucien thought this way. She too began to realize that there was no real hope for them within the empire, no goal beyond serving Him, no future beyond dying for His sake. It was painful to realize this, evidently so for the one who was taught since a very young age to become an officer of the Vandenreich, but it seemed as though it had been only a matter of time before he would've eventually found himself thinking of such matters.

His loyalty put at a risk, Lucien found himself pitted against the beginning of a most cruel crossroad. For the sake of ending his struggle, he had to make a choice between two paths. The first path would lead him to continue his following of the Emperor and His will with his worries. This would be done regardless of his current struggles, in hopes that they simply disappear over the course of time in one way or another that he was not quite sure of as of then. Meanwhile, the second path would instead bring him to abandon his servitude as an officer of the invisible empire to go and look elsewhere. For many more years, he would believe himself more fitted to follow the first path. However, every time he would take it, he would come back to the beginning of the crossroad a time later to make the choice once again. Eventually, this cosmic farce of his own making could not be tolerated any longer. He needed to make the one choice that he believed would be best for his sake, what would guide him towards something new away from the Vandenreich.

It was thus decided at this moment that Lucien Heisenburg would resign from the position of Captain. Shortly after, in a twist that even Lucien himself did not believe would occur, Océane had decided that she would do the same. Together, they would from there on occupy positions within the empire that was more so administerial in aspect, something considered to be of higher power than Privates, yet of lesser importance than Lieutenants. This way, they would still serve the Emperor, but they would be stationed in an area of the Living World where danger is much less prevalent on a daily basis. The news came at a shocking pace, enough so that it barely left any time for the rest of the officers of the Vandenreich to react, but eventually, these news would be begrudgingly accepted by all. In their minds, it was their decision to not occupy these positions any longer, and there was nothing they could do about it if He had no objections to it.

With no surprise, Lucien would quickly find himself disowned by the Eisenburg bloodline after he and his lover would begin occupying their new positions. To them, his decision was a sign of weakness unbecoming of their family, and so he was no longer fit to be treated as being part of it. In an instant, he was left devoid of both the wealth that he had experienced for almost two centuries and the name he had been granted since his birth. This was a brutal realization for Lucien, but he had been expecting it; after all, it was because of the Eisenburg that he was the person he had been for so long. After a time of deliberation with Océane, the girl suggested that he take on her name, as it would be most fitting for the area that they would be stationed in.

Thus, Lucien de La Croix came to be, and with his wife, the two of them would begin to occupy their position in the French town of Bobigny, a town located within the department of Seine-Saint-Denis near the capital. A year or so after they began to occupy their position, Océane announced to her husband that she carried two within her belly, and a few months later, their twin children were born: Charles and Charlotte.

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{2) Crossed Beginnings}

The de la Croix family was not particularly known for their wealth. In fact, in comparison to most of the people who they resided with in one of the apartment complexes of Bobigny, there wasn't much between them and the rest of the families who remained there. The positions held by Lucien and Océane at the nearest factory led to a form of work that was repetitive and monotone with nary a single ounce of excitement to be gained from it, and their pitiful salary could barely grant them anything from the Living World barring the essentials, such as their home itself and a bit of food. Nevertheless, in spite of all of these difficulties, they were happy. Here in France, there was only but a limited number of Hollows to take care of, and the Shinigami were barely paying them any attention. They were at peace, away from the chaos of the battlefield and the damned creatures that it conjured in its wake. Such was reflected in the way they treated their children.

Charles and Charlotte both shared a very happy early childhood. From the moment they were born, they were together. They played with one another with the meager amount of toys at their disposal, shared many likes and dislikes, and often were paired whenever they went outside with their parents. This happiness of theirs, so pure and innocent, was something that Océane especially cherished. She was enamored by their smiles, their laughs, and their shine, and so sought to make them remain as such for as long as she possibly could. Due to her position at the factory alongside Lucien, this was rather a difficult decision for her to make, as her time at home was limited. There was only so much she could do all the while maintaining her identity as a Human amidst the masses. But even so, she persisted, pampering them to the best of her ability as well as educating them with the ways of the Living World. One of her favorite methods behind the accomplishment of her objective was the counting of stories before bedtime. Her son Charles appeared to be the most appreciative of these between he and his sister.

For some time, the family's schedule and activities remained as they were, untouched by whatever remained around them. The father and the mother continued to go to work, the children remained at home with a caretaker, and when the parents returned, the mother took care of the children in the caretaker's stead. It was not a plentiful life, and it was not one that could be described as being particularly exciting. If anything, it was somewhat mundane. Even so, it was a boon for the de La Croix. This particular neighborhood of France may not be the wealthiest or even the safest there is in accordance to the typical conditions related to western civilian life within the Living World, but those associated to the region's high criminality rate had not yet affected them personally. The number of Hollows that roamed the area as well as the amount of Shinigami who patrolled the region were also notably low, which voided the typical worries associated to parenting Quincy children. Unfortunately for them all, this peace would come to an end upon the children's fifth birthday.

It was a winter day like any other, a few days past Christmas. Lucien and Océane had been granted a brief holiday-themed vacation for them to enjoy before New Year's Eve. It wasn't much, only but a few days before the advent of the current year at the time, but it was enough for them to spend some time with their children. Charles and Charlotte both were as happy as they always had been prior. They enjoyed the snow, the blowing of the cold wind against their faces, and then the warmth that awaited them inside in the form of hot chocolate beverages and heated food. The father remained by their side as the children enjoyed their time in the cold, supervising them as the mother took care of the cooking inside. It wasn't often that Lucien accomplished this supervision, but he believed it best that he do so on that day. He wanted to see the twins enjoy themselves for once, and the sight of the snowman they had begun to build brought warmth to his heart. That was, until he saw a figure in the distance who was approaching them. A large, tall, bulky, figure. He did not recognize it at first, but once he did, his heart froze. It was his sister Hilde.

Indeed, it was her, the swordswoman that he had once seen as his comrade in battle. Her figure had changed to something that he had at first not recognized, but it was still the very person that he had not seen or communicated with in years. In an instant, the mood had changed. No more was it joyful, pleasant, or bright. It had all been replaced with the cold of the Silbern who followed behind Hilde's wake, a sentiment so cold that it somewhat frightened the children and brought Océane outside. At first, the large woman feigned happiness. She appeared glad to be able to meet Lucien after such a long time had passed since their last meeting, to witness that he had conceived what appeared to be very happy twins, and to see that he was now living a quiet life alongside his a charming wife. Yet her brother knew that her words were lies, for there was no warmth in her words. It was all simulated, fabricated as an excuse to come close to him once again. Of course, his assumptions were right, and in so doing, Hilde would drop all pretenses and reveal the reason behind her presence on that day.

Apparently, the woman believed that it was now the time for the children to be trained in the Quincy arts. They had both reached what she believed to be the most appropriate age to begin wielding the bow, and she believed it wisest for them to begin training now in hopes of most effectively serving the Emperor at a later date. Hearing this frightened the couple. They had intended them to begin their training eventually once they would be ready to do so at a later time, but not now, especially not while they were still experiencing the happiness of their youth to its full extent. They were beginning to see souls, yes, but that was not at all enough in the couple's eyes. In so doing, they first refused Hilde's offer, thinking that it was much too early for them to do anything of the sort. Unsurprisingly, however, the woman insisted, citing that the conflict with the Shinigami had worsened as of late, and that the need for future officers had therefore dramatically increased.

Those were lies, of course. The conflict between the Shinigami and the Quincy was still relevant, but it had not changed since Lucien and Océane had taken on lower positions. In fact, it appeared as though the Shinigami had taken too much damage to be concerned by the likes of the Vandenreich for the time being. However, at the time, these were convincing, for the couple did not have as much access to this kind of information than before. They were now informed from time to time in the form of small reports sent to their home, after all, with a relatively small amount of words and codes to work with. As such, once they were told such things by a person who had become more than a simple foot soldier after Lucien's leave, the two parents hesitated. They did not want their children to be put through harsh training regimens... but at the same time, they did not want them to be casualties of war like the many other Quincies who were slaughtered by the Shinigami. Eventually, after hours of debating, they relented to Hilde's demands. From that day forth, she officially became their trainer, or in other words, their caretaker...

... in name only.

The following years would perhaps be amongst the most brutal the twins could have possibly gone through during their childhood. In a show of cruelty and expert emotional manipulation, Hilde would act kindly and affectionately in the presence of Lucien or Océane. She would treat the children as though they were hers, dotting them with compliments, various gifts, and promises of a successful future, causing the parents to treat her as politely as they have treated everybody else in Bobigny. However, once the couple would be gone from the house, the large woman's attitude would take a drastic turn. She would train them continuously, relentlessly, and without a stop in sight as severely as she possibly could. She would watch over their every move during training, their every action, criticizing them in sadistic ways as she did so. Not once would she congratulate them for accomplishing something, and not once would she show any pride in their work, preventing them from doing the same. And if they failed to accomplish the task given to them? She would beat them, doing so in precise ways to make sure her brother and his wife would not be able to see the wounds.

The twins suffered immensely. They cried, they screamed, and they even attempted to defend themselves against her more times than once. However, for five years, there was nothing they could do to stop the vile woman from continuing to uphold this terrible abuse. In time, the two twins learned to comfort each other as they suffered this abuse, unable to tell the parents out of sheer fear for their and their parents' lives... all for the sake of being able to use the spiritual bow and understand the Quincy arts. Charlotte was able to hold on, being able to withstand Hilde more efficiently due to her innate expertise with the weapon, but Charles could not, for his skills were meager in comparison to his sister's. His precision was paltry, his body weak was and frail, and the spiritual energy within him was below average at best. Hilde spoke grandly of his potential, but he scarcely believed that he had any, especially after being beaten by that very same person for so long. This lack of confidence in himself was such that he found himself on the brink of collapse many more times than once. If it were not for his sister's presence, he would have long since abandoned all hope, and found himself broken into pieces.

After the five years passed, the twins had changed. They still smiled before their parents, but it was not out of happiness. They remained strong before them, but internally, they were beaten and bruised, and Hilde had made sure that they could not see their external wounds. Yet this torture could only go unnoticed for so long before a mistake would be made from the swordswoman's part. This mistake took the form a single bruise on Charles' body, more specifically his forearm. It was small, so much so that it was somewhat imperceptible without a keen eye, but it was very clearly a small wound left by something which had pierced him in a specific part of the wrist. Océane would notice this wound as she prepared dinner for the children shortly before the beginning of one particular summer. Her son explained that it was nothing more than a scratch most likely caused by something he hit by accident, but the preciseness of the wound told otherwise. Hilde also assured her that there was nothing to worry, but her suspicion couldn't quite be quelled. As such, later that night, she would discretely inform Lucien that she was going to oversee the children's training on the next day, whilst Hilde would believe that the both of them were gone. Lucien did not object to the idea, as he too felt that the presence of the wound was strange. However, he could not be present due to his obligations at the factory.

The next morning, the mother feigned to leave the apartment complex in the morning alongside her husband. Her spiritual energy had been concealed, thus preventing Hilde or perhaps the children from detecting her, and she remained silent, watching over them like a hawk. Discretely, she would watch as the large woman would bring the children outside towards an abandoned industrial facility located a few blocks away from the complex. The facility itself did not worry Océane; after all, the space in Bobigny that could be used in order to train in the Quincy arts without causing a disturbance with the Humans was limited. No, what worried her was what she was able to see inside the facility, namely by scouting the windows located on the roof. The space inside had been filled with various props and other targets for practice, and the walls and the floor were covered in many holes. There were both new and old holes, as though they were purposeful left damaged. There also appeared to be blood stains on the floor as well.

Quietly, the mother remained there as Hilde and the children entered the facility. The twins, unlike the last time she saw them this morning, had none of their brightness. The both of them appeared as though they were expecting the worse to come, all the while their aunt stood tall above them, gazing down at them with severe eyes. Then, they began their training. For the first hour, Océane remained where she was, analyzing the training process as much as she could. At a glance, there appeared to be no issues, aside from Hilde who seemed as though she quite enjoyed shouting and speaking loudly. But then, shortly after the end of the aforementioned hour, Charles made a mistake while he trained with the bow under the large woman's supervision. He hadn't pulled the string of the bow with enough strength, causing the arrow to be shot in a very limp fashion before falling onto the ground, leaving another hole. In response to this, Hilde approached the boy, raise a hand, and slapped him straight across the face.

This swift act of violence was such that it left the mother briefly stunned for a moment, as though she had been unable to understand what had occurred then. She hadn't believed Hilde capable of doing such things to the children, and she hadn't thought that Charles would have taken the hit without any response. It was a sign that he had been treated in such a way several times before, something which severely shocked Océane tot he core. This shock of hers prevented her from acting for a little bit longer as she watched the training unfold. Whilst Charlotte would succeed in her shooting relatively well-enough, Charles would not. Each time he failed, he would get berated, shouted at, and then eventually stricken. This needless exercise continued ad nauseam in a sickening display of utter cruelty and violence, something which Hilde apparently seemed to enjoy over the course it all due to the smile she wielded in the moment. Océane continued to simply stare at the situation in shock, before eventually, as Hilde raised not a hand but a fist, her patience was broken.

Charles and Charlotte watched in both relief and terror as the hand that hit them so many times was eviscerated in the matter of a second. The fist exploded, hit by one of their mother's arrows, while the arm which it was connected was brought down by three consecutive arrows with such strength that it was ripped off from its sockets. The pain did not reach Hilde then, as before she could even whimper from it all, Océane suddenly appeared before her in a flash to deliver a swift punch to her stomach. It was done with such strength that she was sent flying across the abandoned facility until she crashed against the furthest wall, causing a great dent to appear onto it. When Hilde came to her senses, the mother stood before her with a look of great anger that she had never before wielded. She screamed obscenities at the larger woman, accusing her of having hurt her children for all this time under the pretense of training. In response, Hilde screamed back while fighting against the pain, telling Océane that it was the children's own good, and that they were now stronger than ever before. This only infuriated the mother further, and in response, she shot the children's aunt in her other arm, piercing it with ease and thus prompting a scream of pain from Hilde.

It is unclear what would have happened should Océane have been allowed to further harm Hilde in the moment. For the first time in her life, anger had completely consumed her, transforming her into an instrument of vengeance for what had happened to her children. What was instead clearer was that she was not allowed to continue further harming Hilde, for Lucien then appeared in the abandoned facility and demanded that she immediately calm down. Apparently, the mother had been so angry that she was emanating an intense amount of spiritual energy, causing her to be detected by the man from almost across the entire city. Such spiritual energy could potentially attract Hollows and Shinigami, therefore putting their entire family at risk. With that said, once he was able to understand what was happening the facility, his concern for Océane turn into shock, then anger towards Hilde, albeit in a more-controlled fashion. He could not believe that his sister dared to use such terrible methods of training to teach the children how to use their own spiritual energy, and he was ultimately disgusted and mortified by everything that had happened between her and the children. As such, with no hesitation, he banned Hilde from his home, demanding her that she never once return to Bobigny, else he would make sure that he loses her other arm.

Furious yet defeated, the large woman would return to the Silbern. Meanwhile, the family returned home for the day, with the two parents taking an emergency leave from the factory for the day. The both of them would profoundly apologize to Charles and Charlotte for what happened, with the poor Océane ending up in tears over it all. She went so far as to describe herself as a failure of a mother for being unable to realize what was happening sooner than she had, and even a failure of a Quincy, as she had almost allowed her entire family to be put in danger due to her emotional outburst. In a shocking display of maturity and understanding, however, the twins forgave both their mother and father for what happened. They did not believe that what they had endured was their fault, but rather only Hilde's, as she was the one who had been cruel to them, not their parents.

In the end, with Hilde now gone, it was all over, and they could now finally move on.

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{3) Neuf-Trois}

Considering that they now did not have a trainer anymore, Charles and Charlotte now were faced with a new dilemma. Indeed, though their training had been difficult, it remained incomplete, and it would unfortunately be unwise to stop now. In hopes of helping their children move on quicker, Lucien and Océane suggested that they would be responsible for the training of the twins from now on, promising them that they would not nearly be as demanding and as punishing as Hilde. This pleased Charlotte, seeing as she was still interested in wielding her powers in hopes of acting as a more efficient Quincy. However, Charles' disinterest was unequivocal. After all that's happened and how paltry her mastery of the arts has been thus far, he believed himself not suited for the arts of his kind and instead perhaps simply better suited to remain as a simple Human for now. Though his parents were greatly disappointed by this news, they did not criticize him for feeling this way; after all, he had gone through a most terrible experience alongside his twin sister. In so doing, they allowed him to stop his training altogether and instead focus entirely on his Human life.

For the next few years, the boy and his sister would find themselves heading towards a public scholarly institution. It was a drastic shift from the homeschooling that they had been used to ever since their birth, but it was a necessary change, for they were growing both old and lacking of need for a caretaker. Whilst it was true that this shift was somewhat difficult for the children to get accustomed to, much of this difficulty came from their recovery of their abuse. It was clear that they had been stripped of the joviality they both shared during their younger years, and now carried themselves in a very different fashion. This was made most apparent in the way the twins behaved in school. Charlotte was more orderly and strict, perhaps even a bit cold at times, which was quite uncharacteristic to how she previously interacted with those around. Meanwhile, Charles had grown somewhat distant, unfocused, and unable to concentrate very well on things that may be important to him.

Though Charlotte's behavior did not change her ways very much, seeing as she continued to focus on perfecting her grades and her performance as a Quincy at once, Charles found himself often wishing to escape the responsibilities that had been brought onto him. In class, he almost always paid no attention to his teacher or what was being taught to him, and outside of it, he was often seen nearing the exits of the school, almost as if he was constantly considering leaving the premises. Despite this clear lack of interest, however, he was dong surprisingly well in school... or rather, well-enough if one considered is clear lack of interest for the academics. It was doubtful that his results were ever going to rival his sister's, seeing as she was much more studious than he could ever be, but he nevertheless remained afloat. In the eyes of his parents and even his sibling, that was really all that mattered for now. He needed those successes, even if he did not work nearly as hard to gain them in comparison to others. As he grew older, however, this lack of interest began to become problematic.

The department of Seine-Saint-Denis is commonly referred to as the "Neuf-Trois", in reference to the number it once carried long ago in the legal scriptures of the French governmental body. For many years, it has represented an area of France that is often considered to be amongst the country's least fortunate as well as its most dangerous. Charles has been moderately aware of this for some time during his childhood, seeing as the television and the radio often spoke of many crimes which occurred in his hometown of Bobigny, but he became naturally involved in the shadier communities of the city as he further lost interest in furthering his education within the Living World. Indeed, the more times he skipped classes, the more he explored the city, leading them to various individuals that were shadier than the last. Eventually, unbeknownst to his parents, he became a criminal himself as he engaged in minor criminal activities with some of his friends.

The activities the young Quincy found himself involved in were never expressively violent. They never involved the harm of another being - well, at least no physical harm, to say the least - and no blood was ever spilled. Small bladed weapons and other makeshift weapons were at times involved, but the most of them were used to threaten rather than to be used in such a way. Nevertheless, all of these activities remained illegal, with them mainly revolving around theft and burglary, with a sprinkle of illegal substance usage and underage drinking. His sister Charlotte was aware of her brother's involvement in a few of those activities, and has gone as far as to bring this matter to him personally in an attempt to dissuade him from continuing to act so recklessly. However, she ultimately decided not to bring him to the lawmakers of the Living World or her parents. Why she did not decide to do so is unknown to even herself.

Charles' little escapades would continue for quite some time as he grew older until he reached the age of eighteen. By then, he was barely seen attending his classes, as he only headed to school whenever there was an examination on that day or anything that he found to be worthy of his attention. Instead, he mostly fond himself wandering around the city of Bobigny with a group of delinquents around his age. There were many in this group that he considered to be his friends, though this was mainly because they all shared the same disinterest in the academics more than anything else. Regardless, the then-young man committed several criminal activities while within this group, all of which mainly revolved around those which were previously mentioned. Some of those who were part of his group also began to show a will to go further in their crimes in order to become a proper gang. Charles was not quite sure if he wished to be a part of such a group, but he remained with them nonetheless for the time being so as to see where things would go. That is, until one faithful day where he and his friends headed to a particular location near their school. In that moment, he would be very quickly reminded of his roots.

SPOILER: Click to show

{4) Watchman}

The location in question was a simple convenience store. At a glance, it appeared as though it was about to run out of business very soon. There were no cameras or any other apparent surveillance to speak of, and the store itself appeared to be filled with old dust and dirt. The owner of the store did not seem to be entirely there as the group entered the shop, only giving them slow glances from time to time. It was needless to say that the owner's actions were rather strange, though at a first glance, the group simply believed him to be inattentive, Charles included. If the owner of a store could somehow not sense that there was something odd behind the presence of so many customers appearing at once in the aisles, then he either had some kind of problem that wasn't and perhaps shouldn't be within the group's interests, or simply didn't care that his wares were perhaps going to be stolen. Either way, this was an opportunity for the group to make bank while they still could, and so they went on ahead through the aisles taking whatever they could find.   

As time would go on while the group remained in the shop, however, the owner's behavior would progressively catch more of Charles' attention. The man's general slowness and lack of reaction to what was happening around him was unconventional even for the people of Bobigny. He didn't appear to be drunk and neither did he seem under the influence of a drug or another substance altogether. Eventually, the young man began to believe that the man was either experiencing some kind of mental episode or was having a stroke. At first, he remained inactive, preferring to keep watch over the group rather than the defenseless owner. Yet after a few more minutes passed, he began to show concerns for the owner's well-being; after all, the last thing that he wanted on his conscience was to have someone die on his watch, especially someone who appeared to be in great need of help, even if he and his friends were stealing from that particular individual. Unbeknownst to him, however, this man he so wished to seek help for in the moment was already long gone.

The owner of the store, this apparently-sick man, was not at all what he appeared to be. Indeed, he was not sick nor was he hurt, for he was not even Human. With a speed which easily surpassed Charles', the "man" had locked the doors and had begun to transform, or rather to shed his disguise. Bones were extended with terrible cracks and splinters, muscles were twisted and pulled, and the skin that was meant to surround them all was pierced and then ripped away. It was a sickening transformation, one that even Charles' friends had the displeasure of witnessing. However, unlike them, only he could properly understand this man's true nature. Only he could witness the shape of the mask that was being pressed against the man's face from within. Only he, out of all of them, could comprehend that they were not at all facing a simple monster that crawled out of some dank hole or urban legend... but a Hollow.

Immediately, Charles attempted to return to his roots and generate the spiritual bow. It had been a long time since he had done such a thing, but after all that he had gone through under Hilde, he believed himself capable of recalling how to summon it once more. Alas, as he tried to conjure the bow, nothing would come. After all this time avoiding training and ignoring his true nature, his spiritual energy had lessened into an unusable state and he had lost the ability to use it properly. In other words, he was unarmed against a creature that could kill him with a single touch. Should he had been anybody else in the moment, he would have perhaps been beckoned to flee the premises; in fact, it was a decision that lingered in his mind then. Yet, despite this, he sought to seek immediately shelter for his fiends first and foremost, and then a weapon. He was not going to do well against the creature, but he at the very least was not going to go down without a fight.

The other boys were brought into a storage room located in the back of the convenience store. It was rather small and cramped, but its door was sturdy enough to withstand the Hollow's assault for a time. Meanwhile, Charles fought to the best of his ability with a firearm one of his friends had brought to the store. Originally, the weapon - an American revolver that was illegally brought into the country through unknown means - was to be used only as a means to intimidate, and the Quincy even believed it to be nothing more than a prop. Its true nature had bothered him then, but given the circumstances at hand, it was a boon. With it, the man shot the Hollow several times, weakening it with every shot. Unfortunately, despite the gun's firepower, the Hollow remained strong against every bullet at Charles' disposal. There was simply no way a conventional weapon created by Humans would be capable of taking down a Hollow, no matter the caliber of its bullets.

With no more bullets to spare, the man's fate had been decided. He would not beat this Hollow here, no matter the many times he attempted to do so with the use of the shop's wares. Yet he would not die by this creature's hands. On the contrary, he and his friends would survive, as just as the Hollow lunged with great speed towards him, it was suddenly struck by a great arrow. It obliterated the main door, disintegrated the aisles, and then lodged itself deep into the core of the creature before sending it flying across the shop. Somehow, the creature had survived the first arrow after it crashed into the nearest wall, and almost attempted to attack Charles once more. However, before he could do anything of the sort, the arrow suddenly let out a spiritual discharge within its chest, causing a small blast that left the Hollow with a second hole that was greater than the one in its forehead. By then, Charles was able to recognize this technique: it was one of his father's. At first, he was happy to see that his sister he come to save him... but as he turned his head towards the destroyed entrance to the shop and saw his sister Charlotte's worried eyes staring right at him as she stood there panting, having just ran away from school to come check on him, his relief was soon turned into embarrassment and regret. These negative thoughts would unfortunately follow him home where his parents awaited.

The parents were relieved by the fact Charles had survived. They were glad that the creature had not touched him or his friends, and had made sure to make arrangements with the Vandenreich so as to rid the Humans of the memories of the battle. With that said, their horror was apparent. It had been made clear by this assault that Hollows knew of Charles' nature, which meant that he was releasing just enough spiritual energy to now be hunted down by the creatures, yet did not have enough mastery over this energy to properly control it and refine it like Charlotte's. In other words, this was the first Hollow that had personally targeted Charles, but it was most definitely not going to be the last. If Charles continued to live his life as a Human and not Quincy, more of the monsters were going to attack him, and eventually, there would be a time where no one would be able to save him. To say that this was a problem was nothing short of an understatement for every de La Croix.

Their son understood his situation wholeheartedly. His decision to delay his training had now proven to be short-sighted, and so, he suggested that he resume his training with Charlotte. In his words, "it's been a while, but I'll get the hang of it again." However, much to his surprise, his parents believed this to be a lackluster solution. Apparently, his sister had made such incredible progress on her own that he would be unable to keep up with her. His father even argued that to pair him with her would waste the both of their time, as one was too far away from the other. It was a harsh remark, one that slightly hurt the twins, but even they knew that it was right; after all, even Charles knew of how hard Charlotte had been working as of late to perfect her archery skills due to her interest in eventually joining the Vandenreich. As such, Lucien and Océane proposed another solution altogether, one that they believed could allow Charles to re-develop his abilities as quickly and as efficiently as possible: Karakura Town.

The Japanese suburb was known by the son to an extent. He was aware that it was this current era's Jūreich, and that it was thus where most of this world's spirits could be found. With that said, he was not certain of what the location could do for him, as Hollows were more prevalent there, and so he would be at a greater risk of being caught by the creatures in the area or the Shinigami that are actively patrolling for them. In response to his confusion, Océane explained that it is exactly the presence of these spiritual entities that will allow him to develop his powers further, as the amount of spiritual energy released in the area will in turn cause his own abilities to be "jump-started", so to speak. Charles was not quite sure if he believed in his mother then, mainly because this notion appeared to him less as a fact and more so a sort of theory. He was also not sure if he appreciated the idea of heading off to Japan after having spent his life in France for so long. Nevertheless, he eventually relented. If moving to that place was going to help him, then he might as well go.

And so, a few weeks later, the man packed his bags, left the apartment complex he had come to refer as his childhood home, and took a plane to the land of the rising sun.

SPOILER: Click to show

{5) City of Souls}

The travel from France to Japan was comfy for Charles. Though he obviously was not given a first class seat in the plane that carried him from one end of the Living World to another, the people within the plane itself were nice and quiet, with nary a single screaming child or ranting old-timer. It allowed the young man to reflect on himself, to look back on his past life as it became smaller and smaller in the window while the plane rose in the sky. As he did so, he recalled the small memories that remained of his earlier childhood, those that were unfortunately tied to Hilde and her awful training, and then the ones tied to the times spent with his friends in Bobigny. It was a long and arduous thing to recall it all, but he believed it necessary; after all, though he was only heading to Karakura Town with the idea of fixing his powers in mind more than anything else, he was leaving his old life behind and starting anew in a whole other country.

Roughly twelve hours later following the beginning of his flight, his plane had reached Tokyo. He was immediately struck by how different France appeared to be in comparison to Japan. Unlike Bobigny, the streets of Tokyo were incredibly clean with barely any traces of dirt or pollution, and its people were incredibly polite. There were a few odd looks given to him, especially since he was not particularly good at talking in Japanese or even English for that matter, but everyone was able to give him the directions he needed. After one night spent at a rather fancy hotel to take a rest from not only the flight itself, but also the sudden change in time, he took a taxi ride to Karakura Town towards the apartment his parents had bought just for him. How they were able to do so was unknown to him, but ultimately, it did not really matter. A few more hours later, he had settled in the apartment, and he was now officially a resident of Japan. Well, a temporary one, at the very least.

From there on, it was rather unclear as to what was going to happen now. Though his parents had granted him money prior to his leave, there was only so much available to him, and so he would eventually need to find himself some work in the area. If he did not, this place was going to be taken from him, and he would be left without home, food, and water. The mere idea of having to go to work - especially in a place in which he had extremely-limited knowledge over the language and the customs - was rather bothersome to him, but it was unfortunately the only thing he could do for the time being whilst his spiritual energy came into being. At the very least, there weren't too many innocent souls that were wandering around his apartment, and for the time being, the amount of Hollows that were near his home was null. Thus, he still had time to prepare himself and his abilities for what was to come, for better or for worse.

Here, in this country, he was most likely not going to see the friends he has made at school again. In fact, it was possible that he was never going to even go back to Bobigny once more. The people there - Humans who are so disconnected from his and his family's true nature - are all ultimately better off not knowing that he was now in Karakura Town and that he was going to use his presence here as a means to further his spiritual abilities. It was also clear that he was going to have a hard time living in this little town, seeing as he is, again, completely alien to this place. The Japanese people are also most likely going to have a hard time accepting him, as he was both an outsider and someone whose passion for education was incredibly low. For all he knew, they most likely already perceived him as a bum, someone who was not going to provide their society with anything aside from an occupied apartment and the smell of cigarette smoke following his wake. However, Charles was not going to give up. If his parents are so sure that he will become a stronger person here, then he will trust in them.

Besides, maybe it'll be fun.

[Zeich Yajuu]

Grader #1 is yours truly! Let's get started, shall we?

First off, wow! This is a very, VERY solid app for a TT character! Call me impressed. From what I see, we really only need to address the powers.

...Unfortunately, we have a bit of a snag here in that your powers are not following our current Quincy power framework. We can likely translate it over, but we're going to need to do some work to make sure that we have it set up in the proper manner. You can see how the Bow Release works in Section 2, for more specific research, but I'll give the tl;dr here.

The Letzt Stil, the Bow Release, does not give you the ability to alter its form so easily. At base, all Quincy will start with a basic spirit bow like Uryu's, and then via properties are able to change its form, powers, and similar abilities that go with it. We need to take what you have here and then break it into the various Property options we have.

So our properties and the Class you unlock them at are as follows:
Form (Class 6) - This is the shape and form of your weapon. You can use this property to make your revolver, but be aware that it uses up one of your property slots, of which you can only have three active at a time.
Firing (Class 5) - This is how your weapon is fired and the special properties associated with its firing, such as the ability to curve or redirect it in flight, etc. You could probably organize your bullet type by arrow Class into this category. Your bullet types could also be considered a separate Firing Property, or could fit into a Power category (see next).
Power (Class 4) - This is a general and overall power that is available when this property is active. This is a very flexible power, so long as you associate it with your theme, so there's a lot you can do with this.
Mass (Class 3) - This is a property that affects the quantities involved in your power. Whether this is number of shots, number of projectiles fired at once, size or spread of projectiles, size of the weapon, etc.
Heart (Class 2) - This property is something that's focused personally on yourself, rather than something output in the manner of your other properties.
Soul (Class 1) - The outgoing version of Heart, this is an ability that is spread from yourself, rather than contained and focused on yourself.

As you can see, your Renaissance can at least fill the first two or three categories, but you're going to need to redesign your abilities to fit the properties system we have for our Quincies. As a note, you can use a higher-Class property slot for a lower-Class property, like using up your Mass Property slot for an additional Power, Firing, or Form Property.


Finally, on the point of your custom techniques - these are really cool, and you've put a lot of thought into them, but unfortunately, you are not of a Class to be able to use them. You can only use techniques that are a Class above you at best, and as a TT, that means you're Class 8 and can only use Class 7 techniques. You also don't get "techniques" with your Letzt Stil, just properties as mentioned above.

[Zeich Yajuu]

Alright, round two now that we've got this squared into our format!

A New Beginning - No issues here, and I like the idea of an evolving form! Since it doesn't change anything mechanically, I'm down for it!


One Thousand and One Kilometers Per Hour - I think this is fine, but to clarify: any of these changes are determined when fired, and cannot be changed once fired, yeah? So for example, you cannot fire a 200 speed bullet and then suddenly accelerate it to 1000? I know once it's hit any changes on speed are negated which is fine (and I like that trick shot idea) but otherwise, changes made are set with the bullet that's fired? If so, I'm fine giving this a pass.


Here We Go Again - Unfortunately, we're cramming way too much into this one ability, namely the various things the Soleil bullet can do. We're starting to push into multiple properties territory with the semi-techniques (and the various interactions from the exploding one, too). Technically each bullet really feels more like its own unique Power too, as they are very variable effects. I will grade them as they are right now, but I think they need a bit more of a cohesive theme to them to maintain as one property.

Quasar - Eyyyy, spiritual ash and Reiatsu drain? Those sound familiar. :P We're going to need to define the slow-down you mention (X speed/Y feet, perhaps?). As for the destruction of the funnel, it is really hard to destroy a bullet that is lodged in your body, so I'm not sure that is a drawback. Maybe make it last 5 posts maximum, and lower the cost of the bullet to 500, so you're getting a net gain still?

Soleil - Depending on how we handle the reactions, I would simply make this a bullet that gains OS based on number of reflections, with a maximum per post. Maybe a 10% boost per reflection, with a cap of 30% increase per post? (You can certainly reflect it more times for an attack at different angles, etc, but limit how much it grows in powers given reflection limit is entirely based on a controllable environment).

Etoile - You've got some old names with bullets in here, as a note, such as the Ciel bullets (they're also mentioned in the paragraph beneath the bullet count table, too!). Besides that, how does the star guide the bullets? Is it the magnetism so it curves or turns them, is it reflective? How large are the stars, in terms of how well people can spot and react to them if they choose to strike them?

Comete - Basically a basic arrow. Rather than 50 Reiatsu/bullet (as that would force you to be paying for Class 3 arrows at all times, essentially), just make them follow the standard arrow cost per Class. That gives you a more variable "basic" bullet. Unless I'm misunderstanding the difference in this type, of course!

After grading the bullets, I feel like the only one that stands out is Quasar here. We have basic bullets, then bullets that can cause redirection/reflection, then bullets that gain a benefit from being redirected/reflected. It'd be best if we remove Quasar or find a way to tie it into the theme that we've got going with the other three types. Once we've got that, I'm fine approving it as one whole property, though we'd probably have to remove all the Soleil reactions, as they're definitely starting to fall into their own unique territories.


Thunderbolt: Unfortunately this falls into two different abilities in the end, because while I get the concept of "I spend Reiatsu to destabilize bullets" it comes with a choice of which type of destabilization and makes them completely different shots. Variable Reiatsu costs under one is perfectly fine, as the technique functions the absolute same with increased potency based on cost, but the shotgun shot and the laser shot are both very different abilities and uses for this ability. Of the two, I recommend the laser one, as defense piercing is going to be more potent in my opinion.

On that note, you're going to need to clarify "major attacks or defenses." You mention ones used by characters of a certain Class, but are you saying that it'll pierce four defenses or attacks of that Class? If so, the balance is a little whack on the upper end - you're spending 1000 Reiatsu against 3200/2400 (4x Class 1/2 abilities). It's better balanced in the lower categories, but we're probably going to need to tone it back here.


Gold Rush: An intriguing ability, and I love the concept and explanation behind it! The only thing I can't really pass is the 3x stat buffs for three posts - that's a bit excessive. We would need a severe drawback for two triplings (even Gate only does double, and comes with double Reiatsu costs to everything as a drawback) or else we would need to reduce the potency.


Liberty For All: Unfortunately, this ability does not really seem to mesh with the rest of the theme of this Release. It's fine up through destablization of objects you strike, but after that it gets a bit out of hand. We've got free particle control with a relatively powerful OS - durability equal to the user's - 3x the speed, somehow able to cause spiritual reactions for costless flame equal to the user's OS, potentially huge (with the possibility for a complete refund) Reiatsu restoration, and significant healing. All of these really do not fit with the theme of your gunslinging, in which we've got types of firing, unique tricks and bullets, and destablization to release energy as it advances. I feel that it goes too far and allows far too many options after it destablizes objects. I would leave it with the destablization and perhaps a reaction as a result - a collapse on itself without that core structure, causing explosions equal to the user's OS, with the ability to destablize a certain range in a chain reaction, for example. I feel like it still wanders away from the gunslinger concept, but based on how it's evolved through past properties, it can probably work out this way.


Finally, onto your custom techniques. I can grade Fanning and Quick Draw, as they are unreserved techniques and thus can be submitted to the Technique Database, but keep in mind you cannot start with them as you are only Class 8 - unless you are a Technique Master or Prodigy. Fanning can be picked up as early as Class 7, and Quick Draw at Class 5. As for A New Look, it will have to be re-submitted when you are the appropriate Class - Class 5 or higher - and have the appropriate TTP to learn it as you have to have the points banked before you make reserved customs.


Fanning: I'm not sure what the benefits of this technique are - since only the rate of firing is doubled, and we don't really have a set speed for firing rate as opposed to projectile speed (which is set), this feels more cinematic and something you could likely accomplish via description in a post rather than as a technique. Can you elaborate on what you would intend to do with this mechanically?


Quick Draw: I feel like thresholds expecting 200 Senses or Instinct is very rough, as these average out at around 150 for a lot of people. Being Class 4 means it should be something that can see counterplay from people around the same area, so we're either going to need to lower this or alter its effects. If I may make a recommendation: rather than going off of those stats, perhaps an alternative would be something akin to "an opponent's Battle Analysis or Analysis is treated as if it were one rank lower when responding to this ability." This means that you're still getting the same advantage of someone not reacting as quickly or understanding what is happening, but in a manner that does not practically auto-hit a large portion of our populace with a mid-range technique. This is doubly so on the mastery allowing for "making opponents who have less than 200 Senses or Instinct completely unable to respond to it," which is a near-definitive auto-hit.

[Zeich Yajuu]

Alright, I'm just going to jump to anything else that needs balancing.

Quasar Bullet - Include that any technique of Class 3+ that has half the OS can also destroy the bullet (4- would require superior OS) and I think I can be okay with it. 500/post is very steep but there's a good deal of counterplay so it might get a pass there.

Platinum Soul - I'm not sure I can agree with getting an extra property. Keep in mind that while you may be choosing to unlock this aspect at Class 0, your Heart Property is still Class 2. It makes sense to refine how much Reiatsu you're using since it's all pouring through you at this point, so I'm fine with nullifying Reiatsu costs up to a set amount, let's say 3000 Reiatsu, since you're spending 1500 to trigger this.

Liberty for All - the only thing I have to question here is what the "resistance" is in their stats. Their OS is based on Charles', but what is the resistance that is 1/10th? Is it the threshold required to damage them?

Fanning - As this can put your arrows up to 1200 Speed at Class 6, this is a bit overpowered. I'd say +50 Speed to the given shot per 25 Reiatsu spent, maximum 100 (+200 speed) at this Class. If you want this to go to a 50% boost I'd have to put it at Class 4 or 3.

[Zeich Yajuu]

Alright, with our discussions and changes, I'm willing to give this my 1/2 Approval!

[Col Arana]

[2/2] APPROVED

Training tier, so Class 8 with 5000 Ryo, 15 Skill Points and 340 SP.

Let us know when you're good to go, and we'll move Charles over to approved characters.