Ludwig Eisenhart Verrlicht (Squad 13 Captain)

[Ludwig Verrlicht]

(Re-grading for Squad 13 Captaincy)

Password 1: [ Gut’s Jawline ]


Password 2: [ #Rekt ]


Type: [ Soul Specialist V1 ]


Squad: [ Squad 13 ]


Rank: [ Captain ]

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-Basic Information-


Name: [ Ludwig Eisenhart Verrlicht]


Age of Death: [ 25 ]


Real Age/Age of Appearance: [200/25]


Birthday (Month/Day): [September 13]


Blood Type: [ AB ]


RP Sample (Optional): [ ]

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-Appearance-


Height/Weight: [ 6ft 3in / 180lbs ]


Physical Description:[


Ludwig is an imposing figure upon first glance, standing tall at 6’ 3” with equally proportioned limbs to boot giving his overall frame a larger look than even Ludwig would expect. It doesn’t help that his overall physique is pretty solidly built due to his training in the german armed forces back when he was alive. His upper body more so than his lower body but make no mistake just because his muscle definition isn’t as prevalent in his lower half does not mean his legs were allowed to skip training. The only thing that seemingly did escape training were his hands. Though large and almost brutish in a way the muscles are more sleek looking more towards precision than strength as they go over longer than expected fingers. His military background however did not stop just at his muscular definition however, it branched out into several areas including his posture. Standing straight up, chest a bit out, a stoic expression and normally his fists balled up at his sides unless holding onto something he almost constantly has his military bearing spot on.


With all the above together on one person Ludwig at first glance almost seems the epitome of military presence, confidence and unshakable virtues. The truth however is far more contrasting, almost laughably so, and the easiest way to see this is in his eyes. For an almost monochromatic appearance his eyes stand out initially because they are a bright green. The kind of green you could compare to a spring day in the forest or fields when life is just starting to sprout out from the roots. Besides being surprisingly inviting to those who move past the initial physical barrier his eyes also show just how much of his heart he wears on his sleeve. His eyes are soft, almost as soft as silk and there’s a surprising amount of care for others behind them with a willingness to meet another more than halfway if needed. However his pupils dart around almost constantly and show that he’s had more than his fair share of troubles and anxieties.



Taking a step back to look over Ludwig’s face in detail shows a stoic military expression. The eyes that were so caring and lighthearted now hidden behind small square glasses that try make his eyes to look smaller and more serious in nature. Though not always easy to see his eyebrows are surprisingly thin and the same shade of dark grey, almost an ashen steel color. The next prominent detail of his expression resides with his fangs, yes fangs. His fangs from his lower jaw actually extend past his lower lip, changing a normal deadpan face or stoic military expression to something akin to a snarling beast. Even more so when combined with the overall rugged appearance and sharp features that come from his german heritage. And last but certainly not least his hair, the same ashen steel color as his eyebrows with a mixture of military blended resembling an orderly chaos given the hair resting upon his head lays where it pleases with only the front commed over but still long enough to go over his eyebrows while the hair on the back of his neck and sides of his head are well trimmed. Never touching his ears nor scaling down his neck and no random strands that try to stand out against the mass. The only exception are the sideburns that go down the side of his face and bottom out at his jawline. From there they follow his jaw a short way before shooting back up towards his fangs tip but only reaching an inch closer at most.



Taking another step back and looking at his attire, Ludwig when given the choice, normally will wear nicer but monochromatic clothes. His most commonly seen attire composing of a well worn pair of black loafers, black slacks, a grey striped black vest with a clean ironed out white undershirt. If necessary an equally dark jacket either grey or black is added. The feature that stands out most however is his abnormally large and gothic cross. Made of silver with an ebony background and outline between the silver and a design that gives it a pointed edge at each end. At its center however is a sizable emerald that shines brightly against the silver and ebony contrast as well as contrasts the simple black chain that holds it against Ludwig’s chest. For his normal work attire Ludwig wears the usual shinigami grab with a sleeveless captain haori. However unlike other captains his haori has gothic cross that covers his entire backside with his squads symbol in the center of it’s jewel. The cross is dark grey in color with his squads symbol a deep emerald green. The last difference is that his overall color is the same black as his standard shinigami garb except at the edges where it stays the same grey as the cross.



Last but not least Ludwig’s reiatsu. For all the monochromatic and sparing use of color in his attire his reiatsu very quickly makes up for it by being a deep raspberry with an almost visible softness and malleability to boot. Only darkening and becoming more jagged when he is under extreme mental duress or becoming more composed and rigid when reverting to his military mindset.


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-Personality-


Dislikes: [


1. Those of the Allied forces:



Being born and raised in Germany while it was at it’s lowest showed just how bad a country can fall. The darker side of desperate people and just how little care the “good guys” can have for a country that didn’t deserve all the blame given to it. Despite coming to an understanding of how events fully panned out that brought Germany to the state it was in his earlier years he still holds a deep resentment for the countries he had to fight against and who put Germany in the position it had been prior.


2. Pens


As any artist knows, mistakes happen. It's not a matter of if, more so a matter of when. So when you make a mistake with a pen you cannot correct it. No amount of compensating will hide the mistake or make it workable and ultimately this ruins the piece. While Ludwig respects those who can do great artwork with pens will never turn to a pen unless specifically needed for a piece due to its lack of ability to correct itself.


3. Studying


Yes it's necessary for art and honestly a lot of things but it's tedious and stressful. And worst yet there’s usually no one around to help things make sense due to time constraints turning the whole ordeal into a fruitless waste of time. He’ll do it if he has too but 9/10 Ludwig will moan and groan about it until it’s done.


4. Those who don’t like art


Art is an expression, whether done poorly or made a masterpiece. All too often are people dismissive of art and what it can do to others, what it can represent and this is infuriating. Especially when it's an outlet for another who can’t find the words to express themselves properly. For Ludwig in particular its frustrating as during Germany’s time in poverty and in the start of the 2nd World War none around him even acknowledged his art as there were “bigger priorities” at every turn.


5. Beer


So despite how “German” Ludwig is and the pride he does take in his heritage he can never fully accept beer. It’s just...disgusting. The aftertaste, hell even the initial taste are akin to rotting cardboard. Why should he like, let alone drink something that's just awful at every point of the interaction? More power to those who can enjoy beer but for Ludwig almost anything else is better.


6. Emotions


Stemming from Ludwig’s diagnosed depression most emotions that he is familiar with and feel on a regular are negative. Their weight at times a far larger burden than he ever lets on. That's not to say he never feels positive emotions or that he can’t handle himself, hell he was military at one point. However there are times they spiral out of control and while he doesn’t physically show it, internally it constantly will eat at him until he lets his emotions loose.


7. Having nothing to do


Being used to the military where there’s always something to do, having a period of time where there’s nothing that needs to be done is awkward. It’s also a time period where if Ludwig isn’t careful his depression can strike and make the time to himself unbearable.


8. Disorganization



To start organized chaos and a lack of disorganization are two completely different things. The military for example is a disorganized chaos. It’s “efficiency” is mostly due to how easily they can all focus on one thing in their way. But for those that have been in the military realize how inefficient it is at times though it has guidelines to follow. When there is nothing to follow and it is merely balls to the wall that is what Ludwig despises. Chaos can stir up many things but nothing can truly get accomplished if no amount of order is there to direct chaos.


9. Anger


If there was an emotion that Ludwig could honestly say he hates its Anger. Anger is the simplest and easiest emotion to succumb to. The ranges and levels of anger are innumerable and the fact that he can shift gears into anger when his depression hits full swing only further fuels his hatred. Even worse his anger feeds itself as he’s angry that he’s angered in the first place on top of the initial reason. It’s just an emotion that could very EASILY be lived without.


10. Excuses


As kind as Ludwig tries and would like to think he is, excuses anger him greatly. It’s not as though they can go away and he gets it. Genuinely he’s been in spots where excuses hold him back but he has managed to push through them with a little time and occasionally some help. If he can push past them than anyone can. And those that don’t aren’t worth the time nor effort. 

]


Likes: [

1. Cartoons


Ludwig’s personal favorite art style and one of his favorite types of tv shows. In cartoons reality’s secondary, people’s enjoyment is the primary purpose. And it works! Outrageous shenanigans done by the characters, the jokes that can be thrown in, and even the animation has a charm unto itself. Single handedly the best way to perk up from a bad day as far as Ludwig is concerned.


2. Candies/Soda


Both of the above were luxuries for Ludwig and even to this day still are, just a far more accessible luxury. One would be hard pressed to find a moment in time where Ludwig didn’t have some kind of candy on him. Soda is bit harder to find but once found it’s fate is sealed.


3. Music


Another expression of the soul and emotions but sadly one that Ludwig can’t do. Playing an instrument would be the equivalent to making chalk grate against a wall but as far as enjoying it that's definitely up his alley. His particular favorites include Big Band and Swing for older variants, newer is for electronic. Specifically this Electro swing, an excellent blend of older and newer styles.


4. Board games


When the time and occasion allow games are one of the best ways to relax and burn time. Chess is the particular favorite for Ludwig but he’s willing to give any game a try. Win or lose it's about enjoying oneself yea? Until it isn’t and then you gotta win but most aren’t usually that competitive.


5. Walks


By all means sometimes the best way to relax is to get away from it all. Granted that's not always likely so going for a walk is the next best thing. At least you can leave the immediate area yea? Especially walks at night, there’s something about the moon and the lack of people around that makes it that much more enjoyable.


6. Art


Go figure an artist who wields a zanpakuto dealing cartoons likes art. Heh it's almost a given at this point. However art is special to Ludwig for the fact that he can express himself the most clearly and easily through it. It's a medium that truly allows him just be and even when his art is of a darker variety it doesn’t matter, it's his art. It doesn’t matter if another understands or likes it so long as it displays exactly what he wants it to.


7. Germany


Put aside the fact that Ludwig is german himself and is proud to be german. Ludwig just likes Germany as a whole. The area is beautiful, the people strong in one way or another, and it's been around albeit under different names for a very long time. It’s also had its fair share of troubles and bloody history but that's every country. When you look at its core though there’s just so much to like about Germany and its people and history it’s hard for Ludwig to not feel a sense and joy.


8. The military


Let's start off by admitting that not every part is great, in fact as a job the military was shit. Hell it's where Ludwig died for god's sake, really how could he enjoy that? However the military made an impact on him. Taught him how to be stronger than he was, gave him a way to handle his depression, and in a way to fight back against what he felt was wrong. It gave him a sense of purpose for the longest time and for that Ludwig is eternally thankful.


9. Romance novels


More of a guilty pleasure than anything, Ludwig genuinely enjoys reading these when alone. Whether the endings are good, bad, or somewhere in between. Though his favorite is when you have comedy thrown in the mix as well. An interesting twist however is that while he’ll read any he prefers gay romances which is the main reason he reads these in private.


10. Kido


Alright so the reason behind this is absolutely childish. Ludwig enjoys Kido because quite literally its magic and he can imagine himself as a wizard or some such. As a child Ludwig always wished for magic to be a thing though reality showed him it never was. Now as a shinigami with access to kido, you best believe he’s going to try and learn all of them, maybe even make his own.

]


Flaws: [


1. Depression


Ludwig is clinically depressed. While it was never diagnosed by any doctor as of yet even Ludwig realizes something isn’t quite right. His mood swings, the constant fatigue (both mental and physical), and of course...the fact he killed himself are more than enough to show he’s got more than a few things going on upstairs.


2. Stubborn


Despite being as depressed as Ludwig is his stubbornness is something else. If Ludwig believes he’s found the right answer he will follow through until he sees for himself his answer is wrong. This extends to fights, conversations, even how to handle a mundane task. This is getting more actively tackled however as art has taught Ludwig that there are many ways to handle a task. Some in fact can be better than his own but you know the saying, “Old habits die hard.”


3. Difficulty relaxing


Stress management is not Ludwig’s fortier at all. Relaxation comes to him in the form of sleeping and getting very involved in work. Actually relaxing and letting go of stress acquired over time is far more difficult and usually involves explosions whether internal or external to release anything that's been building up.


4. Trust Issues


One of Ludwig’s biggest problems is that he has difficulty trust people. This mostly stems in an emotional/mental sense. As he can safely assume that those who have been in the Gotei 13 can fight or do similar things for their job. But as far as any of them caring or even being willing to acknowledge him, he expects to be looked at as nothing more than dirt. Thus Ludwig is more than likely to go solo on a task or mission to ensure it's not only done right but also so he doesn’t get any ideas about trusting another.


5. Sleeping


Depression does many things, one of them is get in the way of Ludwig’s sleep schedule. Try as he might either A. he doesn’t always get enough sleep or B. the sleep he does get is littered with him waking up in the middle of the night. Thus Ludwig is often seen tired and will occasionally be found sleeping somewhere inside and outside the seireitei. This will without a doubt get in the way of his fighting if he’s in his sealed state.

]


Habits: [

1.Singing/humming to himself


There’s almost never a moment where Ludwig doesn’t have a song going on in his head. This changes by the day and can help or hurt his mental state depending on what it means to him.


2. Doodling in a small notebook.


Ranges from full blown drawings to just doodles and sketches of what's in front or on his mind. Effectively a diary but not one that most will understand as there are hardly any words in it.


3. Speaking in German


Having lived and grown up in Germany and even remaining there for a decade or so after his death, Ludwig is very much comfortable doing everything in german. This can make him hard to understand as he will occasionally throw in a german word when he’s not certain on how to express something. Or when very stressed he resorts to speaking german only. His accent on the other hand is fairly intermediate. Enough to be known and realize but not enough to truly hinder his communication skills in another language.


4. Silently waiting for another’s attention


During his time in the military Ludwig very quickly learned he was not allowed to talk just whenever, let alone when another is busy with another. To fix this he generally will make himself noticeable and just stand quietly as he waits for the other to notice. This can work or can make him seem like he’s awkwardly staring at the person in question even though he means no disrespect by it.


5. Blunt speech


Ludwig was an enlisted soldier. When he spoke he was to the point and there was little feeling necessary. Unless it was casual talk but that was not as common for him. Either way he’s not about to have the most extensive vocabulary and is more concerned with getting the message across than how it is. Certain situations will prompt him to change how he talks but the majority will have him resort to direct messages.


6. Fiddling with his cross


One of his few treasures that was “inherited” to him and was his mother’s. When thinking or just having a moment of piece Ludwig will usually look at his cross, going over it or even holding it still so he can draw it out. 


7. Dwelling on the past


Extends to recent as well as long past events Ludwig is usually going over something in his mind. He’ll tell himself he looks over the memories so he can make sure they stay fresh and so he won’t make a mistake again. To those fortunate enough to see his expression, which tends to show a deep sadness, usually hint that it's more like he can’t come to terms with the past. 


8. Imagining fight scenes


Contrary to almost anything shown by Ludwig he actually enjoys a good sparring session. Especially if he gets pushed back some by it as it’s good form of handling negative emotions. When he’s alone and he’s not fighting occasionally he’ll fight something in his mind, sometimes against someone he wants to fight.


9. Eating candy


Ludwig ALWAYS has candy on him somewhere. Preferably sour candy but sweet candies work just as well. Though he tries to make the candy last over the course of a day that's not always possible and will visibly express his being distraught at when all of his candy is eaten.


10. Sleeping 


Like mentioned earlier while not a “constant” problem Ludwig can often be found sleeping somewhere in public. This is due to his sleeping problems as well as its his best method to relieve stress. Sleeping all the problems away and just letting everything reset. Can last anywhere from 10 min to a few hours if left alone for long enough. 

]


Fears: [


1. Death


Death in almost every way isn’t pleasant. Especially not the way Ludwig died the first time. He was fortunate enough to have been able to continue living as he is now but gods help him if his next death just ends up with him in oblivion. That is the biggest fear for him with death.


2. Being truly alone


As it stands at the moment Ludwig has the potential to gain allies. Be around others and hopefully overcome a lot of what’s hindering him. But to be rejected by everyone, even his enemies is almost more of a death than a literal second death. Ludwig wouldn’t even know what to do if he was put in this situation.


3. Being weak


This speaks on many levels. Physical strength isn’t enough he needs to be emotionally and mentally strong. As well as spiritually now. Granted he can’t be strong in everything at once but being weak in all areas certainly is possible and being forced into that position by his own hand or another's is terrifying.


4. Losing his cross


Aside from his appearance the only thing he has left from his family or really his life as a human at all is his cross. To lose that would be to lose his past and everything about it. His past isn’t pretty and it wasn’t easy but it's what built him to be the man he is today. And hopefully to propel him to be a better and stronger man tomorrow. And while he doesn’t need the cross to do that it gives him a sense of peace in that he can continue on.


5. No acknowledgment for his art


Ok so this is almost a bit ridiculous considering he constantly draws and draws in a multitude of styles. But he was never acknowledged for his artistic ability in life, this fear that he will never be acknowledge in this life for his ability hasn’t left him since. Worse yet would be to be acknowledge and be told his art was the equivalent to trash.

]

Goals: [


1. Become captain of Squad 13


Not only is 13 his favorite number but this squad is...unique in a way. Its definitely different from the rest of the squads. So if he can he’d prefer to lead this squad and start making a name for it and himself as its leader.


2. Be acknowledged by the entire seireitei


This is specifically for both his art and his leadership. It's a tad ridiculous given there’s more than a few people to contend with on both spectrums, including the captain commander, however its his goal nonetheless.


3. Overcome his depression/emotions


A bit of a darker goal but in Ludwig’s mind the best way to deal with a problem is to fix the source. In this case his emotions. If he can fully separate himself from them or find a way to cure his depression then he won’t have to deal with the emotional instability that plagues him. Preferably however he seeks more to be rid of his emotions as opposed to the latter since to his knowledge depression has no known cure.

]


Alignment: [Neutral Good ]


Overall Personality: [


At his core Ludwig is a surprisingly empathetic and caring individual. He’s seen a lot of what the world has to offer at its worst and he’s more than dealt with his own personal hell. Being raised during Germany’s near collapse as a country will do that as will have an undiagnosed case of depression. There’s not a lot that will truly surprise Ludwig as far as what people can do and what the mind can do to itself when its at its limit.


For Ludwig’s day to day on the surface he’s a kind man somewhat quiet man. He works hard to make sure he isn’t a burden to others and in hopes of showing how capable he’d like to be. Helping others along the way because he’s seen how it's like when you have no one to help you. This can sometimes be hindered by his general appearance, speech patterns and the remnants of his military background but once someone takes a step they’ll see just how far Ludwig is willing to go. Sometimes overloading himself with others tasks to make sure they get completed while his take a back seat. To his superiors his military background almost makes it easy to utilize him. Receiving and understanding an order is simple and he’s more than able to keep the distinction between formality and friendly clear. Questioning an order only when it seems like it wasn’t well thought out or when he has a lack of understanding.


However despite the positives he tries to be his internal realm shows almost a completely different story. To start off in Ludwig’s mind he’s battered, broken in more than one way and it's everything he can do to keep taking that next step forward. Wherever that step intends to take him next. In his mind he has a purpose so long as he has goals to reach and thus to reach his goals he has to show he’s able to reach them. Thus he tackles more tasks, tries to do his best with those around him above and below him, and ultimately tries to be the leader he wants to become. However for him he’s always making mistakes. He didn’t tackle x correctly, y needed him to be like this, z was something he should have asked another about. All these thoughts and more constantly roam around in his mind while he has a moment to go over recent events. He is truly his worst critic as he knows exactly why he’s doing something as well as how he handled the events where others can only see the latter and even then it may be blown out of proportion.


His biggest and most obvious flaw are his mood swings brought on by his depression. Things as small as a paper out of place or a joke that wasn’t meant to be offensive can set him off on the wrong day. Ending up with him being far harsher than he ever wanted to be or say something that while may have needed to be said could have been said differently. If he still has enough control the next worst part comes in that he will leave the immediate area and ignore all those around him aside from those of a higher rank. This ability to retain some lid over his anger and mood swings brought on by harsh punishments for not being able to do so back while he was in the german military. But all the while his main goal is to find a space to calm down where he will not drag in others and harm them further than he may have already. Thankfully however when he’s had his time to calm down and he’s pulled himself together he learned from his mother to apologize for his wrong doings. Thus he will always apologize and more often than not will take all the blame on himself in his attempt to make thing right with the other.


When all is right with his mental world however, on the rare days they come by, he’s arguably a completely different person. While he still holds onto a number of his inhibitions he can handle them better. Such as his trust issues, while he may not trust those around him any farther than their job, or maybe even less so if shown such, he will find ways to work with them and even do his best to be understanding of any problems they have or come up with. Which leads into one of Ludwig’s best traits, he’s a problem solver.


Ludwig has an uncanny ability to look at a situation from an angle that most others may not have been able to for one reason or another. One of the biggest reasons being he’s an outside and another due to the fact he has considerable lifetime experience despite being “young” relatively to those around him. This leads to solving problems with far better solutions than may have initially been foreseen. Even complicated problems such as how to handle subordinates or how to make sure a message is conveyed correctly and accurately come easier to Ludwig. Its for this reason Ludwig feels he can with some time and a lot of effort still become a good captain for squad 13 despite his problems on the emotional and mental side.


As for his personal relations Ludwig outside of work related areas is fairly quiet and almost obscure. Unless specifically asked to be with another usually he’s off to his own quarters or somewhere around the seireitei doing anything from drawing to sleeping or even just watching others enjoy themself. While he doesn’t mean to be as unapproachable as he may come off it's hard for him to really come up with a reason to do anything with another as he doesn’t feel he’ll do anything but screw up around them. Better to keep things simple and have their relationship be work related where he knows he can do the task at hand and do it well for the most part.


An interesting contrast in all this is how Ludwig handles emotions. On the inside he despises them, specifically the negative ones and being wary of the positive ones. Only ever truly feeling comfortable with any he deems “neutral”. On the outside however Ludwig pretty easily shows off how he’s feeling. Usually staying with a soft smile or a thinking expression when in a neutral state of mind and very clearly angered/sad/upset when something is bothering him. Likewise when something does elicit positive emotions from him he almost comes off childish in how happy he can get. He almost beams joy and can have them come from something as small as complement to finishing a daunting task or an art piece he struggled with.


Try as he might Ludwig can only hide so much of his emotions and to those who pay attention to his aura/energy one can tell when he’s in a dark spot his energy darkens considerably from raspberry red to almost a red-violet and it's usually “fluffy” appearance becomes sharp and jagged. On the flip side if he’s happy his energy swirls around him like running water and turns a good few shades lighter, similar to a darker shade of watermelon. An interesting difference however is when Ludwig goes into his military mindset. When under mental/emotional duress Ludwig will actually change in demeanor to that of a cold and distant soldier. Tunnel visioned by what's in front of him and concerned with only how to correct the problem at hand. He only comes out of this when given ample time to himself or once the problem is fixed. His energy in this case turns to a mixture of dark grey/raspberry and takes on a limited and almost solid form, like armor, around Ludwig.

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-Powers-


Fighting Style: [


Ludwig is a bit of a misnomer as a fighter due to his initial weakness and subsequent power increase when he’s released. This effectively makes Ludwig a two stage fight, one that if his opponents don’t know prior or don’t adjust to quickly will inevitably be their downfall. This misconception is one of the biggest parts to Ludwig’s overall game plan but not such an intrical part that it makes or breaks his entire fight. It's more an edge that assists him early on so that even when his opponents catch on later he’s already made enough progress to maintain a step ahead.


With Ludwig sealed his overall abilities are nothing worth writing home about, average or slightly above average at best his only goal in this state is to survive. Normally that comes in the form of trying to dissuade his opponents from continuing a fight while analyzing them on the very large chance they will not listen to him. Should they choose to press on and Ludwig is forced to fight he has to make the decision on when the best time to release is. In the meantime Ludwig’s only real ability to maintain himself is through evasion of any attacks that are coming his way while hindering his opponent as much as possible through kido. Which leads into a surprising point, Kido is actually still fairly effective for Ludwig despite his weakened state and can also throw off his opponents even if only momentarily. And with a varied array of kido in his arsenal Ludwig is likely to have something for almost any situation.


Eventually all things have to come to an end and usually this end is pretty quick for Ludwig as he really doesn’t have the ability to maintain in sealed state. So when an opportune moment arises Ludwig will release his zanpakuto and subsequently release any inhibitors he had prior to that point. This is a little known fact in that Ludwig while he doesn’t physically change changes mentally and his natural inhibitors to his physical prowess as well as spiritual are effectively turned off. While it doesn’t all come at once even its stepped approach is more than enough to keep his opponent wondering what happened and allowing Ludwig to take advantage of this confusion. From here on it's about using what he’s learned thus far about his opponent and following a plan of attack that they aren’t well suited to fight against.


Naturally this is fairly easy for Ludwig to achieve given his entire ability is limited only by his creativity. If he needs something to fight at a distance he can. If he needs something for close range that isn’t his pencil he’s got that. If he needs an ally to keep his opponent on their toes he can make a few. All of this based off his best strength, his reiatsu’s potency which was already fairly good but now on a whole new level in his release. At this point in their fight, Ludwig is quite literally able to keep up through sheer diversity of his tool set and this includes his Kido which can at times fill a niche he couldn’t otherwise.


Once the initial shock and surprise from Ludwig’s transformation wear off it's effectively a battle of wits and stress management. Should the fight continue on for a while yet or he is still being pushed into a wall is when Ludwig will consider bankai. Bankai for all intents and purposes should quite literally seal the deal for Ludwig because he makes the battlefield his cartoon. Between the ability to now affect what's around him and the rules his enemies and himself are subject to the game changes from one of gaining an advantage to one of attrition. Ludwig’s bankai is entirely based off how much fatigue he can induce in his opponent on top of what was already accumulated prior to this point. With Ludwig receiving a lesser amount of fatigue between him and his opponents in theory this should give him the edge he needs to finish the fight.


On the whole a fight with Ludwig pretty much boils down to, can he survive long enough to release? After that its can he win via his opponents potential lack of knowledge or can they be countered by the sheer versatility he can bring to the table? And if not can he out last his opponents? A series of questions and mindsets to keep the opponent on their toes if they weren’t already from the sheer madness that his cartoons try to induce due to their nature as cartoons. At the end of the day though if possible Ludwig is more than alright with stopping a fight if it means both can just walk away. Each side has their reasons for their actions so if possible Ludwig would rather find a common ground and have each side get something rather than having one side have a loser. And if that's not possible well time to grit his teeth and do the best he can. Not much more that can be asked of him at that point.

]

Zanpakutou Spirit Appearance(Optional):[/b] [


Karvaldia takes on the appearance of an elderly woman, a woman who despite her apparent age seems all the more capable of taking the reigns of the world. Her hair is white almost silver from the way it shines from its natural sheen, however towards the ends of her hair this white/silver bleeds into a rich raspberry hue. Her hair while usually free to land where it so chooses is occasionally tied up by a means only she would be capable of achieving. And as if her hair wasn’t striking in it’s own way her eyes continue this trend by being a yellow that could only be equal the shade of the moon as it rises in the evening sky. Bright, boundless but with the wisdom of millennia and cunning only experience can give. Her eyebrows follow the same with her hair aside from the changing of silver/white to raspberry. Her face beyond this is fairly unexceptional aged as one would expect an elderly woman albeit with the good fortune to not have a great deal of wrinkles showing.


Standing a grand total of 5ft 5 in she’s fairly short by comparison to Ludwig whose almost an entire foot taller than her. This isn’t the only contradiction between the two, her attire is also a great deal more colorful. While varying depending on the occasion she usually wear an open white crisp white button up with their sleeves rolled up to her elbows and the top two buttons left open. This is usually paired with simple black pants and short heels. Nothing overly dressy but enough to display some of that self confidence that seemingly oozes from her. Even her smile shows a soft confidence edged only by her knowledge of Ludwig. However this usually fades off after the first look to show a softer more caring smile.


As far as her personality entails, Karvaldia is soft spoken but with a charisma that would draw in anyone nearby to listen to her. Confidence remains one of the best words to describe almost everything she says or does. Every word seems planned, her tone adapting to the situation to make the most impact. She’s a unique mixture of no bullshit and patience, usually waiting out Ludwig’s responses before speaking herself even if she vehemently disagrees with him. While she never flaunts her experience and views on what Ludwig has gone through she does use her cunning to nudge Ludwig in directions she feels are best. Manipulation at its base but with a genuine intent to help Ludwig improve himself by being a guiding force. To Ludwig she’s family, taking up something reminiscent of an elder figure for him.

]

Inner World(Optional):[/b] [


Ludwig’s inner world is something reminiscent of a german countryside from the Rhineland. Hills and valley’s each absolutely covered in trees as far as the eye could see. On the edges of where one can view there are even mountains, suggesting perhaps more lies in this inner world. The world itself has a few weather patterns that occur but usually stays with a light snowfall with a partly cloudy evening sky looked over by a full moon. The temperature as far as Ludwig and Karvaldia are concerned feels like there’s a cool breeze but ultimately doesn’t quite match the otherwise would be frigid temperatures. Silent aside from the soft sounds of the wind blowing by and woodland creatures that Ludwig has yet to find.


Karvaldia resides in a rather large cabin on the top of the highest hill. The cabin itself isn’t anything special as far as layout and even what furniture you’d find in a normal house. The only noticeable difference is a room towards the back of the cabin. This room overlooks the valleys and hills beneath it as well as is an art studio. Paintings of different periods of Ludwig’s past as well as people that Ludwig can only imagine are family. Some even describe goals, thoughts recent and old, and one that changes to show what his emotional and mental state is at the current time. All the paintings for his past, including his family, however show the passing of age in that they are fuzzy, hard to place, and in the cases of people their faces are unrecognizable. This is where usually Ludwig will find himself when he travels inside to his inner world, upon the only stool in this room and in front of a blank canvas with the painting that describes his emotional state propped behind him.

]


Zanpakutou Appearances: [


Sealed state:


Ludwig’s zanpakuto in his sealed state is about as unassuming as one can imagine. It’s sheath is black leather wrapping with a the handle of the dagger reaching past the leather holding it to his waist. The blade itself however is the most interesting part about it given it looks surprisingly modern. Double edged with the backside being serrated on top of the cutting edge. The blade total is about 30 cm total width 20cm dedicated to the blade itself. The rest of the handle is a simple leather grip comfortable to the grip but unlikely to slip.


Shikai:


So if Ludwig’s sealed zanpakuto gave any reason to think his shikai would be a weapon in the literal sense then the shikai is sure to surprise. Ludwig’s weapon is a notebook and a #2 pencil. His notebook is about the size of a normal 150 page book with a solid black covering and pure white paper pages inside. His pencil is pretty simply what you expect from it. Pink eraser on top, metal holding and then the wooden length with a sharpened point.


So at this point if you're not confused yet here’s another kicker. Ludwig’s weapon is actually just his notebook. The pencil is completely composed of reishi and serves as a tool to imprint his reiatsu into the drawings in his notebook. The interesting twist is his pencil can actually change its size and do so quickly, growing up the length of a normal longsword at its maximum with its width growing to about 2 and a half in. This allows his pencil to be used as a weapon given the evident lack thereof otherwise.


Bankai:


Up to this point the shikai and sealed states have been interesting to say the least. Bankai follows the same vein with it’s biggest change being the world around distorts into a cartoon. With technicolor similar to that of Looney Toons and a style to match it takes only a few moments before the world for all intents and purposes is in fact a cartoon version of itself.


In the meantime while the opponents are realizing the world for up to half a mile from Ludwig has changed into a cartoon a couple more subtle changes have taken place as far as the notebook and pencil. The notebook at this point is something more akin to a grimoire, black leather with stainless steel edging and etchings giving each cover a gothic cross design. Almost identical to that of the cross on his necklace but without the emerald. The pages while much more numerous look similar to parchment in color and feel. The pencil changed only somewhat, instead of the usual now having a white eraser head and a tan wooden exterior.

]


Zanapkutou Release Names


[


Shikai: Draw out your soul’s desires, Karvaldia!


Bankai: Make the world your masterpiece, Karvaldia!


]


Overall Ability: [


What is the goal of every artist? It’s simple, to give their artwork life, bring it into existence and have others take note of it. Acknowledge it even and hopefully have a profound effect on them afterwards. Ludwig like every artist holds this goal so it only makes sense his zanpakuto helps him achieve this albeit not in quite the same way most artists would try to do. His zanpakuto literally brings his artwork to life. That’s right he’ll literally fight you with cartoons and the logic that comes only from toons. Its an artist's wet dream to have their work become a reality and is literally the highest form of art possible. His generating cartoons manifests by him literally drawing it out of his notebook or some form of paper. This works by applying his reiatsu into whatever he is drawing onto at the moment and depending on the size and complexity determines how much reiatsu is needed to have his creations become reality.


However the costs for each drawing vary depending on both size and complexity. For sizes the ranges begin at Small, then Medium, Large, and end at Huge. Small ranges from 2 cubic feet and smaller and has a base cost of 50 reiatsu. Medium between 3-5 cubic feet with a base cost of 75 reiatsu. Large between 6-7 cubic feet and a base cost of 100 reiatsu. And finally Huge being anywhere from 8 cubic feet to 10 cubic feet and starting at 150 reiatsu. For every two cubic feet past 10 there is an additional 50 reiatsu to cost.


Complexity refers to how much knowledge and understanding there would have to be to make his drawing operate correctly. As well as how much detail is needed to be put into the drawing. Complexity comes in 3 levels, Simple, Intermediate, and Complex and for each level more time in a post must be dedicated to their creation with Ludwig's speed dictating how quickly he can draw in a given situation. A gun would be an example of a complex drawing, while a mallet would be an example of something simple. For Simple objects there is no increased cost to the base and they can be drawn up in a matter of seconds. For Intermediate there is a 25% increase in reiatsu cost while for Complex there is a 50% increase in cost for the drawing. Complex drawings also demand a deep understanding of what is being drawn out and thus even if drawn correctly should Ludwig not understand his drawing it will inevitably backfire on him. Such as the gun in the previous example would explode in a typical cartoon fashion, damaging himself as well as wasting his reiatsu.


The final bit for his ability despite what it implies is actually the most simple. What makes a cartoon a cartoon? The fact logic applies different or rather the lack thereof at times. Arguably the real strength behind his creations is that each of them have cartoon logic apply to them. Something that normally couldn’t happen, such as walking on the air so long as one doesn’t look down, absolutely will happen. Applied cartoon logic however varies depending on the situation at hand and can absolutely backfire on his creations as well as aid them. Such as tripping over something on the ground and literally rolling past the opponent and into a tree only to be knocked out.

]



Shikai Overall Ability: [


Like mentioned before his shikai’s overall ability is to make his cartoons become more than just a drawing. He brings each drawing into a physical object/being however like all things even his creations come to an end at some point. This varies depending on if what he draws is animate or inanimate in nature. If he draws out an inanimate object such as a hammer for example it will last so long as he is holding onto it at no extra cost per post. Animated creatures however are not so fortunate, life is hard to bring out in a drawing, and even harder to maintain. Thus while he can draw a living creature unless he infuses reiatsu into it on a semi constant basis it will fade back into nothing more than a thought. However upkeep for something that is created is not nearly as expensive as the initial creation and thus for 75% of the original cost he can maintain a creature. On the flip side however while his inanimate creations will disappear if not in his immediate vicinity his animated creatures can go a short distance from Ludwig. His animated creations due to the constant reiatsu demand they are able to withstand being upwards of 75 ft from Ludwig before fading out of existence.


A couple other key points to distinguish here is that there is a limit to how many objects or creatures can be generated. That limit in shikai is 5 total and can only be up to an intermediate level in either animated creatures or inanimate objects. These objects and creatures can also only be up to medium as far as size is concerned and cartoon logic is strictly applied to the cartoon generated. Examples including a creature could run on air for a short time so long as it does not look down, the body or a creature or object contorting in an odd shape to dodge an attack, or upon destruction explode violently before disappearing, etc. The potential for an explosion however is limited only to creatures upon death and is not harmful inherently. However what this explosion does do is produce a thick reiatsu gas that matches Ludwig’s reiatsu color and serves only to impede eyesight. The amount of gas produced and how long it remains is equal to the size the creature falls into upon its creation. (I.e. A small creature makes a 2x2 cubic foot cloud that lasts only for a post before dispersing. Meanwhile a huge creature creates a 10x10 cubic feet cloud and lasts 4 posts.)


A special point to make note of in Shikai is Ludwig’s pencil itself. Besides being able to enlarge itself it is replaceable. Should it break, have no eraser, whatever you can imagine as a problem Ludwig can for 50 reiatsu remake this pencil as it would be at the start of Shikai. It’s durability however due to it being more of a tool than a weapon in nature is that is has a 1.5x durability where his notebook being the “weapon” would have the 2x durability of a zanpakuto. Only one pencil can exist at a time thus if Ludwig makes another pencil the remaining (if any) are destroyed upon the new pencils creation. This pencil also does not count against his total allowed objects/creatures that his Shikai can have out at one time. 


Lastly comes the abilities of the objects and creatures Ludwig creates while in Shikai. Inanimate objects created while in shikai have a durability and offensive capability equal to Ludwig’s highest spiritual stat. Creatures on the other hand follow an increased durability going to 1.25x Ludwig’s highest spiritual stat. Their offensive capability is also different in that they follow Ludwig’s highest spiritual stat but can apply it as either a physical force or reiatsu attack depending on what's drawn. As for speed and senses they follow Ludwig’s base stats for speed and senses. 

]


Bankai Overall Ability: [


So you have the ability to make cartoons a reality, where does one go from that point on? You make the world around you your cartoon that's what! Ludwig’s bankai uses his inherently radiating energy to change the world around him into a cartoon version of itself. This world extends up to a maximum of half a mile in all directions from Ludwig that will follow and maintain Ludwig as the center of the toon world. With others who manipulate the area around them to their advantage Ludwig’s bankai will work to meld with the already active/activating ability and only enact a clash if one of its passives is countered against. Normal ability clash rules apply if this occurs.


The first of Ludwig’s passives are that all damage inflicted by those inside the toon world generated by his bankai is exaggerated. Cuts will go deeper, explosions are larger, temperature based attacks are more extreme, just to name a few ways that attacks are affected. So long as the opponent isn’t a class 0 or has a 2x higher offensive stat then Ludwig this passive affects everyone. If this passive is resisted however damage received nor damage given are exaggerated.


The second passive is that no one inside toon world’s area of influence can die, instead what occurs is all damage inflicted is changed to fatigue damage. This fatigue comes both physically and mentally after the person is brought back to their physical peak. This fatigue accumulates with the fatigue from techniques and once a significant amount of fatigue is accumulated the person will be forced unconscious. Stars and other cartoon objects will swirl around their head and the sound of chirping/tweeting will let others know when they have gone unconscious. Those knocked out will remain unconscious until 3 posts after Ludwig ends his bankai. However this can be delayed with a 3 in Damage Recovery or Strength of Will, allowing Ludwig or another more fatigue to be accumulated before getting knocked out.


For Ludwig in particular he can shake off two “knock outs” before being threatened with unconsciousness himself. If Ludwig however does go unconscious his bankai will end and his zanpakuto will revert to its sealed state forcing him to remain unconscious for 4 posts after his initial loss of consciousness. The second passive can be resisted by class 0’s or if an opponent has a 3x higher offensive stat than Ludwig which will allow another to kill someone despite toon world’s influence. However only class 0’s can resist being forced unconscious by fatigue, those class 1 and under remain under the influence of fatigue damage unless they have a 2x higher offensive stat. 


The last ability his bankai enacts is a reduced total cost for his drawings both animate and inanimate. This reduction is 50% less reiatsu needed to create and maintain any drawing made while his bankai is active as well as increases their range to the range of his toon world. Objects and creatures drawn while toon world is active also have a higher durability, objects now have a 1.25x Ludwig’s offensive stat and creatures have a 1.5x offensive stat before being destroyed. This even extends to Ludwig’s pencil which now has a 2x offensive stat durability just as his notebook does. His bankai also allows for Ludwig to draw complex, large and huge objects or creatures for their associated costs. 

]



Zanpakuto Techniques: [


Shikai Techniques


1. Bag of Comic Relief



Description:

As the name implies it's quite literally a bag that “holds” all inanimate objects Ludwig can possibly draw himself. What better for a cartoon artist on the fly than a quick and easy bag of shits and giggles? It works by tapping directly into Ludwig’s reiatsu pool and allowing him to manually form an inanimate object at half the cost it would otherwise take to draw out. Any object so long as it is under the Simple complexity can be brought out as well as 5 different Intermediate objects per thread. Once an Intermediate object is pulled out the counter reduces by one for the current threads 5 that can be pulled.



Drawback:

The biggest drawback is the objects formed by bag of holding last only for the post they are used or in the case of being thrown at another until they hit/miss the other. They also have a reiatsu strength equal to half Ludwig’s reiatsu strength due to their rushed and unrefined creation. They are also limited to select number of Intermediate objects and all Simple objects, no Complex objects can be pulled out from it.



The bag itself can also easily be destroyed as it has a durability equal to Ludwig’s highest offensive strength. One hole in it will also cause it to be useless no matter how small the hole is though depending on the size of hole can be fixed in the next available post. If this is done the bag will lose its 50% reduction in cost while maintaining its other limitations until destroyed or another hole is made.



Costs 200 initially to create and then to maintain is another 50 reiatsu per post.





The Ole Switcheroo



Description:

Ever seen a cartoon where a character unzips their self to reveal they are another character? Or what about when they pull out a small black hole and hop into it? Maybe even painting a picture and running into it. Point is cartoons have a wacky way of escaping trouble when necessary. Ludwig can use any method he prefers, so long as it’s cartoonish in nature and end up switching places with another cartoon object or animated creature. Or vice versa if he needs to go where they are. This counts as a step technique and works at the normal 10x speed that a shunpo would have. This can act as both a means of escape as well as a means of getting in a surprise counterattack to an unexpecting opponent. If the stepping technique limit was already reached for that post this can still be used however but at double the initial cost.



Drawback:

While the initial use can vary and confuse opponents it's fairly simple at what the point of this technique can do. An opponent who pays attention or has a good memory will easily be able to figure out where Ludwig’s going. Let alone what methods he can use to try and maneuver himself. It’s also required to have another object animated or not to be out and outside of Ludwig’s immediate area, 5ft around him at any side, and extends to the farthest said object or creature can be depending on the release.



Costs 150 reiatsu per use until stepping limit is reached at which point it doubles in cost and fatigue. As well as a 2 post cooldown after each use, forcing Ludwig to have to choose his switches properly.





Explosive Remarks



Description:

Remember the saying sticks and stones can break my bones but words will never hurt me? Yea...now they do. Inherently a passive ability this technique is two fold. Initially everything said by Ludwig is shown in a speech bubble except the letters look like random symbols. The maximum amount of symbols is 5 at a time with a minimum of 1. How many symbols generated is determined by how many words Ludwig says. For every 2 words he makes a symbol. The number depends on the size of the sentence spoken. Ludwig’s voice however hasn’t changed as far as auditory reception and after a few seconds these symbols and the speech bubble disappears. This speech bubble however actually has a physical aspect to it and can be broken with an offensive stat greater than half Ludwig's OS.





The second part of this passive is more where the namesake comes into play. If Ludwig pays 25 reiatsu per symbol he can break the speech bubble and have the symbols fall down. If he lets them fall or if he grabs one mid drop and throws it the symbols will explode with the radius of a hand grenade and the power equivalent to Ludwig’s reiatsu strength. In bankai Ludwig gains more control over this ability and can pay for however many symbols he would like. The remaining symbols disappear with the speech bubble when broken.



Drawback:

First drawback is the speech bubble lasts merely a few seconds (5 seconds at most) so the decision to utilize it for defense or offense if possible is very time sensitive. Even when timed properly the speech bubble isn’t that hard to break which nullifies the second part of the ability.





If the second ability is triggered the explosions absolutely can and will harm Ludwig if there are too many for him to catch. While toon world will not allow physical damage to occur even at one hand grenade equivalent will cause a noticeable amount of fatigue to Ludwig. Lastly they can be detonated prematurely once the speech bubble drops the symbols by another hitting them with an attack thus wasting the ability and potentially harming Ludwig if he’s within explosive vicinity.







Bankai techniques



The World's my Comic Strip



Description:

With the introduction of shikai anything that could be drawn could be made into a reality. With the introduction of bankai came the ability to make the world around a cartoon. But what can all the extra really do now that it's in a cartoon style? It can be changed into an animated cartoon of its own that's what! With the world around already in a cartoon style using his pencil Ludwig quite literally only needs to draw on whatever he wants. Be it fire, a cloud, even that boulder just sitting around it doesn’t matter what he draws on so long as he imprints the necessary reiatsu into it can become an animated cartoon.



The stats associated for the object however will vary depending on the nature of the object. A boulder would be strength predominant while fire would be reiatsu strength for example. Speed and it’s offensive stat however change depending on the size of the object being drawn on. This changes by 200 per change in size. Smallest being 800 speed with 200 for its offensive stat and huge being the opposite with 800 in its offensive stat and a 200 in its speed. Sensory stats are the same as Ludwig’s.



Drawback:

These cartoons have a post limit of 4 posts before returning to the state they were in prior. Their costs also must be maintained per post otherwise they will revert back. Their cost is governed by size however with an extra 200 reiatsu tacked on the base cost. They are also strictly limited to toon world’s radius, if they should be drawn outside the limits they will immediately be returned to their uncartooned version. By the nature of being animated they are intermediate at minimum. Lastly Ludwig can only have a maximum of 2 cartoons generated by this technique at one time. These cartoons count against his maximum total cartoons allowed in Bankai.



OC do not copy!





Description:

They say the best form of flattery is imitation yea? So what better way to flatter someone than to draw them out as a chibi? It's not the same whether it's due to a slight discoloration, change of clothing, whatever the case may be it's not the exact same but it looks distinctly like the being that it’s based off of. Following this the chibi version can fight similarly, speak similarly, and even copy the basic overall power that original possesses as well as their racial stepping move. They also get the advantage of having cartoon logic applied to them, including the passives of Ludwig’s bankai.



Their offensive stats are based off of Ludwig’s highest offensive stat placed instead into the originals prefered offensive stat. The speed of the chibi is the same speed as Ludwig as are their senses. This chibi lasts for 5 posts or until destroyed/defeated by the opponent and can be commanded to attack in a certain way or will refer to the original’s methods of attacking. It will however try to come to the aid of Ludwig as much as possible.



Drawback:

It takes 5 posts of combat with the selected opponent to even start this drawing as Ludwig needs to focus and study his reference for the chibi. The initial cost starts at 500 with an extra 100 reiatsu for each level of release if the copy is being made at the time of their release. To actually do this drawing once the prior requirements are met takes a full post of drawing where during that post the only movement allowed is a shunpo, general area movement, or the minimum needed to dodge an attack. If stopped mid way through the drawing Ludwig has to start over on the next post. This counts towards his total cartoon limit in Bankai.





My Pencil is Mightier



Description:

So surprisingly enough Ludwig’s pencil is not actually his zanpakuto and as such is fair game to be manipulated as needed. Normally his pencil is used as both his weapon and utensil to bring his cartoons to life however it has an almost laughably simple ability. It can disperse reiatsu with its eraser, and not just his own reiatsu but his opponent's reiatsu.



This can work in a variety of ways, such as erasing a reiatsu based technique that's fired at him, dispersing reiatsu from an area it strikes, even erasing his own creatures or objects. This ability to disrupt another's reiatsu based enhancement or completely disperse their reiatsu based attack however demands Ludwig have either a superior offensive stat to his opponent if they are the same level or a single class level difference. If either requirement is met the reiatsu at the point of contact the attack will be erased in a manner befitting a poorly erased picture. (I.e. it looks smudged, definitive lack of color, things of that nature.) If it disperses reiatsu that was on the body and serving as an enhancement (Hierro for example) until the end of Ludwig’s next post that area no longer gains the benefit of that technique or a technique that required reiatsu on that portion of the body is cancelled.



Drawback:

Needs a superior offensive stat or 1 class superiority to initiate. However if the attack is 2x Ludwig's OS it cannot be erased nor can class 0 techniques be erased. Successive uses will wear down is eraser until he has none left effectively nulling the use of this technique unless reiatsu is spent to make another pencil. Physical contact has to be made between the eraser and the opponent or their attack and it only affects reiatsu based moves. On top of all this it doesn’t actually harm the opponent whatsoever. Lastly this can only be used once every 2 posts even on a failed attempt. Cost for this technique is equivalent to the equivalent technique class cost of the technique that is being erased.


Other Techniques:



Mastered= *


Proficient= +


Learned= no mark



Shunpo*

Redirection+


Spiritual Pulse+


Spiritual Projection+


Bakudo #11: Haihin (Waste)+


Bakudo #55: Mutsohoyo (Painless Embrace)+


Bakudo #61: Rikujokoro (Six Rods Prison of Light)+


Bakudo #63: Sajosabaku (Locking Bondage Stripes)+


Bakudo #81: Danku (Splitting Void)+


Hado #1: Shō (Thrust)+


Hado #33: Sōkatsui (Blue Fire, Crash Down)+


Hado #35: Raikou Kawa (Lightning River)+


Hado #41: Kanji Taiho (Stone Cannon)+


Hado #50: Mabarashi Dangan (Fast Bullet)+


Hado #53: Surasorutoiera (Area Thrust)+


Hado #90: Kurohitsugi (Black Coffin)+


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



-History-


Birthplace: [ Cologne, Germany ]

Current Residence: [ Seireitei ]

Memorable Figures: [

Heinrich Verrlicht


Rosemunde Verrlicht


German Military


Adela Verrlicht

]


History: [


The beginning of the end:


The Great War had only ended only a year prior and yet despite the overall low atmosphere and unrest with the Weimar Republic on September 13, at 11 in the evening Ludwig was born to the Verrlicht’s. The Verrlicht’s comprised of a family of four before Ludwig’s arrival, Klaus Verrlicht a man of 43 years and the proprietor of a small clock/watch store and Adela Verrlicht, 37 years of age and wife to Klaus, she was a commission artist in name only and more of an odd jobs handler any other time. His two siblings consisted of his sister, Rosemunde Verrlicht, the eldest sibling at 14 years of age and the middle child Heinrich Verrlicht, a young lad who’d only recently turned 9. Their family wasn’t particularly wealthy nor were they particularly famous for anything, in fact in the grand scheme of things they were more than anything, forgettable. A common family just trying to make it through the time of war and hoping like any other family for the best despite the failings of the country and those in charge. Ludwig was named one of a few blessings that had occurred of late despite the troubling times, the first being Klaus had not been forced into the last war and the second, arguably most important, they still had food on the table and a roof over their heads. There were more than enough that did not share in these blessings, only getting more burdens by the day.



For the predominant time as a growing child until the age of 10 Ludwig was cared for practically by each member of his family. The Rosemunde being the eldest sibling however was more than often taking care of Ludwig given it was her “duty” even if not spoken aloud. This in part came about due to a number of events happening at the time. The first and foremost reason being the decrease of the value in a mark. From his birth to just 1923 the mark had dropped into MILLIONS to equal the worth of one american dollar and it didn’t matter who you were at that time. Rich, poor, starving, fed, or anywhere else on the spectrum everyone was suffering because of it. However to Ludwig he neither saw much nor understand what little he did of this effect on his family. Klaus and Adela worked tirelessly to ensure that while Ludwig grew up he never had to suffer from the setbacks of the country while for the two older siblings they worked to help make their lives as peaceful as possible considering the circumstance. Each however knew the worst would happen at some point for at least Heinrich given his age and where Hitler was making subtle hints towards.



For Ludwig however life was at its peak, things were clearly troubled on the surface but to his childish eyes it was a minor problem to be swept under the table. With the guiding care of Rosemunde, Heinrich’s “training sessions” and his mother's rare moments to teach him part of her artistic craft each day was filled to the brim. Something new to learn, something to keep working and something to always enjoy even if sometimes his older brother or even his sister on the rare occasion were harsh. On days he felt particularly adventurous he would drag one of his siblings to see the Cologne church. Once in awhile they’d enter either to look over all the artwork inside or go to the top of the still building church even if they weren’t necessarily supposed to. Most times however they would walk around it, gazing upon the gothic architecture and wondering how one could make something, an idea become a reality like this. Days like these would be some of the best memories Ludwig would have as his life progressed, and become his hope while everything else seemed to crumble around him. 


Over the years however the tolls for life were reaching a high point, especially in the Verrlicht family behind closed doors. Rosemunde seeing her parents struggle to make any amount of money took up to prostitution to help fill in the ever widening gaps. Despite her best attempts to hide this from her parents it eventually was found out and while their appreciation for her intent was there they could not help but stick to their older traditions. For Rosemunde this wore on her, the disapproving looks, the subtle hints of displeasure and even once in awhile the unwillingness to accept her money. For Hienrich he’d grown into a capable young adult and by the time Ludwig was 10, he was 19 already. He’d avoided the growing conscription into the german army by his parents best efforts and his own cunning however problems between him and his father were coming to a bud. Stemming from Heinrich’s belief in Hitler and his father’s great disapproval of both his ideology and what was happening around them fights continued to arise. Sometimes going into full blown fist fights. This however bleed into his relationship with Adela, unbenounced to her more and more of their money was going to a growing drinking addiction for Klaus and while she never quite caught on she did see the fist fights. It weighed heavily upon her heart but given the circumstances she could not reasonably leave due to the financial burdens of the entire family.



Eventually however as all things come to an end so did the seemingly peaceful life of the Verrlicht’s before Ludwig. Starting with his older brother finally standing up for his beliefs. What Ludwig didn’t know was there had been a fist fight earlier that week and it was the final straw for Heinrich who’d already talked to a recruiter, signed and was planning to leave for the military the next day. Standing up at the dinner table and specifically looking at his father he calmly, quietly, and with as much force of will as he could muster made it very clear what would happen. To say the shock was evident in the family entirely would be an understatement. Things were falling apart but such a blatant move against the family was something no one in their sober minds would have thought to occur. An argument of course occurred at the spot but what could be done? Heinrich was to leave and Hitler nor his subordinates would ever allow this action to be reversed. This was the tipping point for the family, from here on things only became progressively worse and one by one it felt like Ludwig was losing his family in it’s entirety.



A few short weeks after and his eldest sister finally decided to stand her own ground as well. Though by this point Klaus’s alcoholic addiction was heavily present so as one can imagine...it did not end well. Another fight came about and Rosemunde finally having enough fought back, it was her choices that had kept the family afloat while times only got worse. It was her that had sacrificed just as much at at the age of 24 was now a whore so her family could try and re patch itself. Klaus in his fury from his daughter did the unspeakable...He raped her in front of his wife who only had the strength to take Ludwig away and whisper sweet nothings in an attempt to keep him together. The few moments of this however were all that was needed to destroy yet another part of the young boy’s psyche. His family was truly shattered. The people he once knew and grew up with were gone. He had no one but maybe his mother when she wasn’t trying to deal with his father. The only thing worse that could happen now would be losing her as he knew without a doubt he’d lose his sister by the morning.



To no one's surprise Rosemunde was in fact gone by the morning but in her stead came others. Those of Hitler’s own ranks because while she disliked what they were doing, they were in fact the only ones with any authority around. And the last thing she wanted was for her youngest sibling to be in the now shit hole of a house. Though Ludwig was only 10 he was more than capable of becoming a soldier if he were taken into the hitler youth program and trained from then on. He would never have to see his parents again and hopefully if the gods were merciful he could find his elder brother and he would look over him. With this in mind and a heavier heart Rosemunde found the people necessary and by 8 in the morning Ludwig was taken away from his parents forcefully. The last thing he would ever see of his mother would be the tears she wept as he was taken away and his father getting beaten as he had tried to stop them in a drunken rage. It was then the weight of reality shatter any remaining hope for him, he’d lost everything. Quite literally and figuratively as he hadn’t even the time to pack but had been scooped up. Sad to say however this was only the beginning for Ludwig.


Picking up What Remained:


The next few years flew by for Ludwig as he was taken away to what could only be called a training camp for those too young to join the military. On the outside however it was a boarding school funded by none other than the Fuhrer himself for the sake of enlightening the young and preparing them for the challenges to come. This of course was false and even if those around knew it there was nothing they could do to stop it. Leaving the school to be lead by placed in charge and allowed the students to be broken and rebuilt as they pleased. For Ludwig this brought about many changes to his life, most terrible but a few able to give him the will to push forward. However anything seemingly beneficial only came as he was nearing the last couple years there.



His initial weeks in the program were some of the hardest he’d ever had between losing his entire world effectively, being forced into a structure that he knew nothing about, and learning his only relief in the form of art was contraband the onset of depression began to rear its head. Three things were all he had left of his past a gothic cross his mother had given him years back, his memories of his childhood, and the gift of art he’d learned from his mother. 2 of which were never allowed while he was training or in classes on the school grounds. His remaining however only faded more and more as time went on. Eventually despite the rough initiation things for Ludwig did finally hit a stable point. Beatings in the form of physical training happened, classes were boring but peaceful due to the lack of training, and he had meals every day and time to sleep. So despite Ludwig’s inner world shattering or having been shattered to pieces his outer world remained constant and steady. Changes to his schedule were noted early on with some time prior to allow those being kept there time to prepare for the changes and while he was in a hell of sorts he had others experiencing the same thing, here at least he wasn’t alone. 



This however did not stop the nightmares he had every once in awhile, the onset of internal mood swings and allowing his depression to fester as each day passed. Thankfully however most of this wasn’t noticed by those around him, how could they? Everything that had or was continuing to fall apart was inside Ludwig’s head. No one could hear the quiet voice that whispered lies to him when he was given a free moment. He never allowed himself to show the inner turmoil as others that succumbed to their emotions were given extra beatings and occasionally forced the entire class into a beating. Despite the internal turmoil there was peace in the structure, Ludwig had more than enough to keep his head clear of his emotions as tasks at hand were deemed more important. And once he’d gotten used to the schedule he was able to find little crevices for his own mental reliefs. Whether that came in the form of a secret stash of art in a small notebook or finding someone to chat with for a moment didn’t matter, what was important was learning that the more efficient he became the more time there was for smaller things. But if he could not muster the strength to focus on the task at hand he’d fall behind and any small luxuries would be a distant thing of the past.



Up until right before Ludwig turned 18 things remained fairly the same. The major difference that came into play however came in not one but two forms. The first his being caught having drawn art, for years at that as there were several art “diaries” he’d managed to stow away in the meantime. While his punishment from those in charge was harsh but swift the damage to his psyche lasted until he left the academy. His art books were not just confiscated but he had to go through each picture and explain the meaning behind each. Go over every aching memory, troubling thought, fear, and worst of all his past. And the worst part was watching them all be burnt right before his eyes. Seeing everything about himself over the years being burnt away and all his emotions and thoughts turned to dust as nothing else mattered at this place. What mattered was if you could survive until graduation. After watching everything he’d drawn up be burnt to ashes he was let go and escorted back to his rack, the effect of their actions prevalent in his face thus making no further action necessary. His depression doubled inside, the spreading darkness that had been threatening to consume him only occasionally now felt like it had him surrounded. Singling him out and compounding upon itself as he was trapped in shackles forced to watch. The outward effects of exhaustion, being in a daze and even lack of care lasted only a couple days, in part due to his staff’s “assistance” as well as his own need to distract himself. From here on Ludwig did everything in his power to distract himself and not allow any thought, any emotion that could even remotely allow him to fall back into that hole. If that meant exercising like a madman or staying up until he passed out from exhaustion to study so be it. And it worked and once he ironed out the details he made a system that allowed him to almost never have to deal with anything of a mental nature that wasn’t directly linked to his work.



One thing however could not be stopped and it never allowed itself to be restrained. This was his preference in sex. While mentioned as an act that occurs it was never truly talked into and the most important fact about sex was that no one in their right mind should be attracted to their own sex. For his last couple years this ensured an extra level of stress and worry that would plague him to no end. While his methods of distraction worked wonders they did little while he was around his classmates in the bathrooms or the communal showers. A small part of almost every day became a struggle if only mentally that could only really be solved by making the time in which these thoughts or events occurred be shortened drastically. In the back of his mind however it plagued him and his mind prompted many a thought when alone in the evening. Stalwart in the ways taught to him however he resisted his mind and continued his efforts to focus on the task at hand, graduating. And eventually after years of what could only be described as training he finished. Top of his class in both grades and physique and would have been argued as the most “german” of all if only he’d had blue eyes and blonde hair. Within a few days after Ludwig transferred over the military an enlisted but a higher than average rank for his time in the academy and his level of performance at the academy.


The Finale Between Siblings:


Upon joining the german army Ludwig was given a gift that he could have only dreamed of, his brother. Heinrich had been in for the 8 years prior to Ludwig and had since his joining gained a relatively high rank and was one of three in charge of a section for that particular branch of the army. It was nothing short of a miracle one that Ludwig could not have even begun to dream about. Though initially disheartened by Heinrich not initially recognizing him one look from their mother’s gothic cross that Ludwig had held onto made any question fade away. For the first time in years his brother gave a genuine smile with the promise of setting time aside to catch up on everything that had happened between them.



To neither’s surprise that promise was put off for a short time before coming to fruition and once the time came Ludwig finally had another moment and a reason to keep fighting for. He had his brother, things had been rough for him and still were in some ways but he was there. Tough as nails as he’d been since Ludwig could remember, now all that was left was to find his sister. Adela was a bit of a sore topic for Heinrich however and while the promise was made to speak more of her it would have to be another time. With another promise made Ludwig’s life finally seemed to be pulling itself together. For this brief period of time there were no nightmares, his depression had fucked off to god knew where and he could actually smile with a sight that he could previously have only dreamed of in mind. Though the military was harder than his schooling he adapted quickly and soon found himself taking everything in stride, especially his leadership position of a handful of men. It wasn’t anything special but having 10 others under his charge also gave Ludwig more reason to keep pushing for his best. He had 10 lives that were under his care, he couldn’t afford to not be able-bodied.



For all this good however game to an end as it was eventually decided to invade Poland, the start of the second World War. To say it was unforeseen would have been a lie anyone in Germany could call out and so it happened and the section of the army under Heinrich and Ludwig was only one of many called to action. War, Ludwig could never have expected anything he saw until he witnessed it first hand. Death. The destruction of an entire country. And finally its subsequent takeover by not only germans but soviets. Ludwig had started up another contraband art book but with knowledge from before kept it safely stowed on his person and only drew when certain no other was around. 5 weeks passed and Poland inevitably fell, or more accurately was crushed. Once things stabilized enough the siblings section left again but now headed for France. Upon hearing this a new will spread through the ranks, revenge in its purest form. No matter the person the buried anger from beneath was present in the now crooked smiles and understanding of what all was going to be given to France when the time came.



And so it was to be that revenge came swiftly and with as much anger and hatred as was humanly possible. Heinrich himself took great pleasure in crushing any survivors himself that were found and captured, Ludwig on the other hand while having an intense anger himself felt there was enough extreme violence. However he never made mention of this to others instead preferring to take the opportunities that came to draw and allow others to take their opportunities to finally give back all they’d gotten two decades prior. How could he tell them to control themselves? Some had lost families, friends, hell some unfortunate souls lost their homes and land that had been there’s generations prior. Everyone suffered from the economic depression and unjust treatment by the victors of the first World War of which France was one of the biggest perpetrators for the situation Germany had been in. Ludwig in his mind could never tell them not to harm those that harmed them prior and so while the acts never sat well with him, he instead walked away. France shortly after fell almost as quickly as Poland did and for all those that remained, which were many still, it was a time to rejoice. Anger, pain, and other negative emotions were repaid as was given to them years before. For the next couple of years Ludwig and Heinrich would remain in France, watching over and making sure no rebellions gained ground.



While Heinrich found himself to only grow more content and at peace Ludwig had begun to take a turn for the worse. His depression was setting in again and while not very fast it was coming at him harder than before. The destruction and sheer amount of death he’d witnessed already was weighing on him and sometimes he could even swear he heard their screams and howls when it was otherwise quiet. To add to this his brother had found out about his art journal and while he swore he would not mention it, Heinrich made it very clear he hoped to find extra ash lying around for his brother’s sake. And worst yet Ludwigs urges for another man were coming on stronger than he’d experienced prior. It all started to add and weigh more on his mind especially as a large portion of his problems could not be mentioned to his brother or anyone. Heinrich however unbenounced to Ludwig had noticed the more subtle changes to him. While he never caught onto his homosexual preferences he could tell war was taking its toll on Ludwig and that events from prior had never truly left him as they had himself. It wasn’t until they were later called into action yet again in 1942 to attack the Soviet Union that Heinrich made any active decisions to aide his sibling.



When word was passed down to Ludwig that they were ordered to go north to the Soviets the shock on his face could not be contained. They had been allies only a year or two earlier and their influence on the german armed forces had been almost nothing but beneficial from word that had been passed down to him. But Hitler was in charge and things had worked out thus far, if they were going to attack they had no choice but to attack. All he could do was hope that there was good reason behind it and that the ever growing number of lives he was in charge with were able to make it home when all was said and done. This of course would not be possible as time would show. Initial progress was impressive and the Soviets were losing almost as harshly as Poland or France however they held on. Whether it was due to sheer size or their ability to resist Ludwig did not know but what he did know was that their advance had cost them greatly. One such cost was Heinrich.



One man was all it took. He’d snuck by and avoided capture until he found Heinrich who called for backup as soon as he saw him. But several shots later and both men were dead, Heinrich who’d been show 3 times with one in the head and the other in his chest and the soviet with several in his back. The last ray of light in Ludwig’s world died that day. His abyss swallowed him completely with one resounding question filling his mind “How could he have allowed his brother to die?” The days after were the worst with Ludwig being as inconsolable as humanly imaginable bitter tears almost a constant, his book burnt to ash by his own hands, and his anger propelling him to kill every soviet he could find in the hopes that somehow his brother would come back. As well as the hope he could die and join him if he just kept fighting.



Ludwig somehow in a seemingly cruel twist of fate managed to avoid dying himself all the way until 1945 in one of the last fights in his own country. Sometimes it was because of luck, others because of those under him taking the shots for themselves and begging him to live on after, and sometimes his dwindling crew was just ahead of the fights as their imminent retreats continued. But none of it mattered to Ludwig he’d lived and his brother died and he’d lost the last living person in his family as far as he knew. What more could he lose? He’d already lost a number of those beneath him and above him. Germany was going to experience another loss soon enough, it was a given. There was nothing he could do. Nothing that would change anything. He was worthless and always had been, he’d just never seen it prior. Or maybe it was better to say he’d ignored that and hoped for better. Whatever the case Ludwig had effectively nothing else to lose as far as his mind was concerned. And so what does a man with nothing else to lose do? He ends everything to make sure that nothing will harm him again. Ludwig in the peace and quiet of a broken german building and with his brothers Luger shot himself in the head and died shortly thereafter. Only moments before having been filled with regret, anger, sadness and any other number of negative emotions one could possibly imagine and somewhere with the smallest amount of hope possible that once he was gone so would all the problems. And maybe, just maybe he’d get some form of relief. This relief was short lived at best as in the same spot he’d killed himself he soon found himself as plus with a chain attached to the nearby ground.


Coming to Terms:


The relief Ludwig seeked was only temporary. Emotions and feelings that were cast to the side were eventually returned to him tenfold with the realization his life wasn’t exactly over per say. Granted his new life was limited and unsurprisingly noisy from the wailing and shock of other plus’s who’d died prior to him. While this did not deepen his depression it did nothing to alleviate it and so Ludwig did what only he could do, sit and wait. He watched as others found his corpse, grieved and eventually burned it to the same ashes his art turned into. A new way to understand Ashes to Ashes as far as Ludwig was concerned. The worst thing he saw was the same action however done by others, knowing that they too would be in for the shock of their..afterlife when they found that nothing else would change.



Not even a day later Ludwig was found by a shinigami. To this day he never remembers who this was despite having asked the name, what he does remember however is his intense anger at them for trying to take him to what could affectionately be called heaven for him. Ludwig resisted all he could eventually forcing the shinigami to leave him be due to his sheer unwillingness to allow the Konso to occur. For Ludwig though how could he go to this “heaven” or sorts? He’d not only killed himself like a coward but would only cause more problems due to his emotional instability. If he killed himself once already imagine what would happen now that he’d crossed that line. Hell he’d killed others how could anyone truly think he wouldn’t do the same in a fit of rage? And none of this was even mentioning if he ever met someone from the allied side. His experiences in war would surely takeover and at minimum a fight would happen. No he deserved to stay as he was, bound to the crumbling building and disappearing into god knows what, hopefully nothing, or whatever else happens to a person when they die.



And this was how Ludwig was for years to come. Enough that even Ludwig himself was unable to continue counting. The same unnamed shinigami or another would try and take him to “heaven” and he’d resist until they finally left him. His chain corroded and almost 50 years later when it almost eroded away he was Konso’d and sent off to the Soul Society. How ironic that he was as far as he was concerned “forcibly forgiven” while he slumbered. One of the MANY shinigami over the years must have come back or maybe he’d just been watched by the last one, either way his guard finally went down. And bam. He was somewhere else, heaven by what he was told. From then on all he could do was make the best of his situation. Over time meeting many from both the allied and axis powers as well as many others, years quickly counted as time went on and old wounds closed up but remained as scars. The final step in his life didn’t occur until he was stopped by another random shinigami who’d taken note of his spiritual presence amongst the other souls.



The talk was brief as were most conversations at that point, mostly due to Ludwig’s unwillingness to deal with others but the point was made. Time had passed, things happened and there were many others who had similar problems and similar events happen in their life. The only way to move forward was to try and better one’s self and one of the best ways was to join the Soul Society’s military. The word military alone sent many shivers and tore at old wounds but it also brought about a sense of purpose that hadn’t been seen by Ludwig in decades prior. Though his initial answer was a quick blowing off of the shinigami he inevitably sat down and thought out seriously what his options were. There wasn’t many and he wasn’t making any progress as things stood. He was instead just moping around and more than likely taking steps backwards. More time passed, a few more years came and went but eventually Ludwig joined the academy passing the entrance exam without so much as second thought.



The remainder of his time there was spent predominantly to himself and working. With a new purpose in hand to make it to the Gotei 13 squads he had little time to really work with others. At least as far as outside necessity. But to his peers he never quite shook off the military bearing that guided him through every interaction and thus was the reason he eventually decided the 13th squad was his only option. A unique squad for a broken person who needed something in his life to guide him. The years flew by and before he knew it this cake walk of a school had finally had him graduate albeit not quite top of his class as his goal never entailed he make that high but he was within the top 5 students for his sheer amount of time and effort put into his studying and work. An old habit that had stuck around from his days in Hitler youth to continually combat his depression. From here on out it was his job to be whatever he would end up deciding to be. To continue to fight his depression and find an answer to it that he was never allowed to prior. And hopefully along the way grow in strength, not just in spirit but in person as well. But all this was on him and with a new purpose in mind it was time to see how the challenges posed by the Soul Society would be thrown at him and how he’d handle them.


Taking things one step at a time:


Squad 13 was a mess when Ludwig initially joined it due to the massive attack on the squad a few years prior. Despite the vice captain and the few other seated officer’s best attempts chaos predominantly reigned for about as many reasons as there were new recruits and by the look of things, it wasn’t going to get better until someone from outside the squad stepped up. Sadly the Seireitei at the time was busy dealing with other matters including attacks that harmed other squads which meant that for the near future the squad just had to maintain as best it could. This particular brand of chaos however was one Ludwig had seen prior to his life as shinigami back in his military career with the worst part was knowing it would destroy the squad if left alone to its own devices. Ludwig however was new to the squad, he couldn’t make a difference when he didn’t even know what the overall job of the squad was let alone try to fix what madness had taken hold of the upper chain. The obvious answer then was to take his time, learn about the squad, its problems and figure out how to do his job as best he could. Only then once he had a decent knowledge over his job, the overarching problems, and a bit more rank than he held currently could he even begin to start fixing the squad as a whole.



It took time, a lot of time in fact. A decade to become a seated officer, a couple more decades to rise from 5th seat to 4th and so on so forth.However Ludwig’s ability to fix the problems of his level, those beneath him and even those above him was getting noticed amongst the chaos of the squad. It wasn’t terribly far fetched to say that while the Seireitei as a whole seemed to forget about squad 13 and its problems Ludwig did not and those who were under his direct command were seen to be in a far more stable position and more aptly able to handle the chaos thrown at them from other situations both in the squad barracks and those outside. This was shown a few times when a lack of communication had sent a small corp of soul reapers from 13th squad to the human world inevitably running into more trouble than they could handle given the orders had specified even recruits could handle killing a few hollows. What wasn’t said until hours later was the hollow in question was a Menos Grande and it was specified new recruits could not handle it as it seemed to have more intelligence than the average menos. Even though Ludwig was only a 3rd seat at the time he’d been the first to give orders for a rescue mission and the first with his small group to join him. As fortune would have it he arrived before any deaths had occurred and managed to fend off the menos until the new recruits and his group had left for the Seireitei. Another couple hours later returning himself with his fair share of wounds but having beaten the Menos with his unusual shikai.



This event alone made him eligible for the vice-captaincy which at the time meant Ludwig would be handling the entire squad as the original vice-captain had plans of leaving and a new captain had not yet been decided upon nor given to Squad 13. However with that unlikely even then and the squad needing a legitimate captain and not just a vice-captain acting as such Ludwig took it upon himself to take the position himself. First thing was first however, he needed to learn his Bankai and he had to be able to handle the captaincy aptitude test given he couldn’t just fight over the position. With the squad by now mostly stable in their operations both administrative and hands on due to his constant efforts over his time in the squad he was able to shuffle around responsibilities to the higher seated officers and take on more time to study and prepare himself. It took almost another decade after his making vice-captain before he could even begin using bankai and even then he’d actually been able to on accident. Through considerable conversations and training with his zanpakuto spirit Karvaldia he’d figured out her name hadn’t changed and the phrase was one she constantly mentioned to him as encouragement. In reality she’d given Ludwig the ability to use Bankai years prior and was trying to subtly teach him the phrase so he would think he’d accomplished it. With one of the two things needed for captaincy completed all he needed to do now was ensure he was as prepared as possible for the exam.



5 years flew by just from the sheer amount of work, personal training, and studying for the exam. It came as no surprise to everyone but Ludwig that he’d passed the exam not just with flying colors but with no errors. With his mastery of Bankai he was given the rank of captain a few months later. The ceremony was quiet and almost solemn but with the other captains in attendance it enforced the weight of the responsibility Ludwig now held on his shoulders. Especially given that despite his best efforts his squad was still small and arguably the weakest due to sheer numbers and overall combat ability. But it was still his squad and it was up to no one but him to fix this now that he had the ability to make the squad almost whatever he wanted it to become. Similar to those in charge of the past who made it a genocide squad, or to the more recent where it was simply a transportation managing squad. It was Ludwig’s turn to decide what his squad was going to become and how he was going to lead it. So far he’d done well and lead by example to inspire those around him. Now he had to go past that and show them a path, an idea, to follow. Though the weight on his shoulders only grew more heavy at this thought, Ludwig couldn’t help but smile to himself during and even after the ceremony. His turn to be the force of change came and now he had the ability to back up whatever direction he chose for his squad. Not every day would be a win and not everyday would show progress but it was all only a matter of time before he could show the results of his choice. The big question remained however, where was the squad going to go? Only time would tell for him but whatever the path he was certain he could show not only his squad but the Seireitei a new path and bring everyone to a place no one had reached prior.

[Ludwig Verrlicht]

Stats and Skills

Stats

Base — Sealed — Released

Strength: 100 — 25 — 100

Speed: 200 — 50 — 200

Reiatsu Strength: 400 — 400 — 1200

Spiritual Pressure: 300 — 300 — 900

Instinct: 200 — 200 — 350

Senses: 100 — 25 — 100

Energy sense: 100 — 25 — 100

Healing expertise: 0 — 0 — 0

Light: 75

Dark: 25



Skills

Strength of Will- 3

Weapon: Cartoon Drawings- 3

Battle Analysis- 2

Learning- 3

Mental Incantation- 2

Damage Recovery- 2

15/15 Skill Points