Daybreak Application
Aug. 12th, 2019 08:55 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
aibolitionPLAYER INFORMATION
NAME: Fritz
CONTACT: Fritz#5568 @ discord, dumbhippiekid @ plurk, this journal
OTHER CHARACTER(S) IN GAME: Héctor Rivera
CANON INFORMATION
CHARACTER NAME: Zangetsu to cut the TL;DR. Variously called "The Hollow", "The Inner Hollow", "Hollow Ichigo", or "Zangetsu". Officially he is now called Zangetsu (but shares the name).
CANON: Bleach
HISTORY: (Backstory of the character you are applying with. A link to a wiki article is acceptable. If you are applying an Original Character, this section may be skipped.)
Once, long ago, a shinigami named Aizen was performing a whole bunch of illegal and morally questionable experiments with the souls of the dead. These dead were usually shinigami (powered up dead people who are enlisted to defend the rest) and hollows (souls who were abandoned or corrupted and eventually lost their hearts, turning monstrous and cursed with an eternal hunger for the souls of those they care for most, everyone else to follow). In one of these experiments, a super-powered hollow was made out of the souls of slain shinigami. He unleashed this monster on the living world where it killed several people and nearly killed a shinigami Captain named Isshin Shiba. However, in the nick of time, a teenager Quincy (a sort of human with supernatural power to see and completely destroy hollows, a species once hunted to near extinction by the shinigami) named Masaki Kurosaki came to save him.
Masaki realized that while she was skilled, the hollow was too fast for her, so she extended her hand out to the monster, inviting it in. Of course, it took a great bite out of her shoulder and she held it in what was almost an embrace (oddly, it seemed to relax with this). This, however, was a trick. She made a small pistol size bow and arrow of spirit energy and shot it at the creature's head, killing it. However, in it's death, it decided to take her as a host-- despite the fact that her being a Quincy would mean death for the both of them.
Masaki didn't make it long before the infection began to take it's toll. Isshin arranged a deal with a man named Urahara to save her. This deal would mean giving up all his shinigami power and becoming human in order to stabilize Masaki's soul. A human shinigami and a hollow quincy, the two speant much time together and eventually married and had children. They had a boy first, a child they named Ichigo, (one who protects) and this boy would inherit the majority of this dna nightmare.
Ichigo grow up a smiley and happy boy, always clinging to his mother's hand and considering her the center of his world. One day, when he was nine, his mother was killed by a hollow, something he blamed himself for for many years to follow. He stopped smiling and became a scowling angry boy, swearing to protect everyone he can.
At fifteen, the rest of his family was attacked by another hollow. An injured shinigami named Rukia offered him the chance to save them by taking some of her power, but unwittingly being a freak of nature, he absorbed all of it. From there, he defeated the hollow and was enlisted into fighting many more to protect the town while Rukia attempted to recover.
Unfortunately, Ichigo drew too much attention and eventually Soul Society got involved. They came to kill Ichigo and collect Rukia for execution. Ichigo has his first brush with tapping his own well of power past Rukia's and for a moment he takes on Zan's mannerisms, but the moment is short lived as he's defeated, power apparently destroyed.
Urahara Kisuke rescues him and offers him the means to gain power back and rescue Rukia. Urahara, knowing what Ichigo really is, opts to set off a hollowfication of Ichigo in order to wake up his own latent power. Ichigo, waking in a crumbling inner world, meets with the spirit of his Quincy power, who claims to be that of his shinigami power. He insists Ichigo find said shinigami power in order to stop total hollowfication. Ichigo is successful and (off screen) Zan comes into his slow awakening. Ichigo learns the name of the sword he uses but still presumes the Old Man (as Ichigo calls him) is Zangetsu.
Ichigo enters soul society and goes through many fights, some which involve learning more about his weapon, some that have a mysterious mask showing up upon his body where an attack would have otherwise been lethal. He considers the mask a good luck charm but others around him feel uneasy near it and usually throw it away on him.
Ichigo eventually comes to face a powerful man named Kenpachi against whom he doesn't appear to be a match. While down and bleeding out the Old Man appears and draws Ichigo back to his inner world. The Old Man stands aside and lets Zangetsu speak up. Zangetsu, assumed at the time to merely be a manifestation of the old man's making, calls Ichigo "partner" and tries to train Ichigo to use "Zangetsu" properly, demonstrating fighting techniques and bitterly pointing out that Ichigo never tried to call out his swords name. He suggests ichigo a selfish idiot, only training himself and never trying to reach out to "Zangetsu" and understand him ("Do you become someone's best friend just by asking their name?"). The Old Man neither confirms nor denies his position. Just as Zangetsu decides enough is enough, Ichigo takes these lessons to heart and the blade is returned to Ichigo. Ichigo rises back up on the outside to face Kenpachi, the Old Man stalling his bleeding and adding power, while the very power of the blade and impression of the mask in the background imply Zangetsu's involvement as well. As a team, the three defeat Kenpachi. The bleeding Ichigo is then rescued by Yoruichi, a friend of Urahara's.
Like before, Ichigo was seemingly saved from death by the mask which Yoruichi takes away. Much later, after some other events, Yoruichi gives Ichigo the means to train for Bankai, a special second-level of strength for shinigami and their swords to acquire. The Old Man manifested in Zangetsu's place and no one watching, nor Ichigo, was any wiser about the truth of Zangetsu. With this power acquired Ichigo went off to save Rukia and eventually face her older brother, Byakuya, the man who had nearly killed him before. Also thanks to this power acquisition, Zangetsu was strong enough to take control for the first time. Ichigo, weakened and about to be struck down, was pushed aside and Zan took his stand. He surprised and overwhelmed Byakuya in moments, all the while scolding Ichigo for using bankai incorrectly, telling him he would show Ichigo how it should be done. When questioned by Byakuya on what he is and whether he's a hollow, he responded (depending on translations), that he's nobody and "who knows/cares" what he is with a flippancy suggesting he didn't entirely know. Suddenly, Ichigo took back control, tearing at the mask and surprising Zangetsu. Despite insisting he was trying to help, Ichigo continued to pull at the mask to the point of it cracking and breaking causing Zangetsu to flail and screech with pain until pushed down entirely. Ichigo pretends the moment didn't happen and the mask makes no more appearances.
Later Ichigo and Soul Society learn of a plot by Aizen who escapes, promising to attack again in the future with an army of hollows at his back. He considers Ichigo especially interesting, likely due to knowing the truth of him to some degree. Soul Society pardons Rukia, and Ichigo and the rest of his friends go home. Things settle for a little while but not long as Vizards, shinigami who gained hollow powers (due to experimentation Aizen performed on them), confront Ichigo as being "on of them". With Ichigo's power fully awakened and Zangetsu at that, Isshin's no longer bound by the magic that had kept Masaki's and then Ichigo's hollow+shinigami power suppressed. Ichigo sense his father's energy but doesn't recognize it. Isshin keeps up his dumb dad act.
Ichigo is disquieted by the vizards and by Zangetsu, whom he believes to be a simple hollow that came from Urahara's work. His mood and Zangetsu's clearly affect the energy around him, making it harsher. When Arrancar, hollows who gained shinigami power, show up, Ichigo wonders again if they're like him, and this sparks Zan to make another attempt at control. Ichigo immediately pushes him down and tells him off, despite the fact that Ichigo would not be evenly matched with the Arrancar without him. He starts to say "I'm your--" only to be kicked by one of the Arrancar. Presumably furious by this response, Zangetsu takes just enough control to freeze their body to stillness, which Ichigo calls him out for. The Arrancar beats Ichigo into the ground but Zangetsu doesn't relent until Ichigo's rescued.
Ichigo's spends significant time after that in a deep depression while Zangetsu makes more attempts to make his presence known with increasing aggression. The Arrancar close in more and more and the power of Aizen's army looms as a greater and greater threat for Ichigo and the shinigami. Rukia comes back and makes an attempt to shake Ichigo out of his slump, saying that Ichigo just needs to overpower him because that's the kind of man he is, but even that only goes so far as (in Ichigo's mind) the hollow proves to be something he can't just beat back. Eventually Ichigo caves and seeks out the vizards. He demands they teach him their secrets which they're insulted by. He engages them in a fight, refusing to let the inner hollow loose despite being egged on. The vizard in question, Hiyori, says that if he won't let it out then she's just going to kill him. Eventually, he's overwhelmed and in that instant Zangetsu takes hold. Rather than sneering and taunting and grins like usually, Zangetsu reacts to the vizard with an animalistic shriek of rage that startles the group. He lunges for Hiyori and slams her into the wall, intending to choke the life out of her, only for him to then be dogpiled by the other vizards, mask broken.
They take him in and set up a space for him to face the "inner hollow" in the inner world while his body transforms and fights them outside. Zangetsu waits for him in the inner world and the Old Man is nowhwere in sight. Despite the grin, he looks furious. Ichigo demands to know where the old man is and Zangetsu is vague, asking which sword he means before leaping at him, swinging, and then screaming that he is Zangetsu. He explains to Ichigo through metaphor of life and death that whenever any of them is in control their appearence adjust accordingly. Ichigo believes that if he beats Zangetsu in that case then the Old Man "Zangetsu" will come back, to which Zan scoffs. Ichigo tries bankai but is surprised to find that Zan, naturally, knows it as well.
As the fight escalates within so too does it cause the hollowfication of Ichigo's body to go faster. The body fights against the vizards even more fiercely, revealing abilities of all kinds and a willingness to lose limbs in the process of regenerating them.
Zan suggests having fun but Ichigo doesn't have the patience for it, continuing to attack. An unimpressed Zangetsu hits back harder and when Ichigo is left staring in dull shock, Zangetsu loses his own patience and throws him. Zangetsu then explains that Ichigo's problem is that he doesn't have the instinct for this. He has no drive or will or bloodthirst, he won't do what it takes to win, and that ultimately will get them all killed, not just Ichigo. Zangetsu elaborates this through another metaphor about a king and a horse, saying that the king is the one who's in control and that he's had it with Ichigo's weakness and games. He stabs Ichigo and says that he'll take the crown for himself.
In this moment, through shonen nonsense and/or resolve, Ichigo draws up power that changes the shade of the blade that's pierced him and Zangetsu's clothing too. Zangetsu steps back in shock and, hypocritically, stares stunned. Ichigo pulls the blade free and turns on Zangetsu then, stabbing him in turn. There's a brief and strange look on Zangetsu's face, confusion and disgust and betrayal somehow, and then the rest of his clothing changes to black before he begins to dissolve away, defeated. There's just a pause and then he brings a grin back and details how he guesses he'll accept Ichigo as the king, but he can't waiver at any moment or he'll rise up and crush Ichigo. He then warns Ichigo that if he really wanted to use his power then he shouldn't die before Zangetsu can come back, telling Ichigo to take care before he disappears and Ichigo awakens, hollow form crumbling away.
Ichigo uses newly gained hollow powers to boost himself in fights against the Arrancar. While it helps for a little, his control over the power is negligable and he still faces loss. It's only with the kidnapping of Orihime, when he enters Hueco Mundo, the world of hollows, to save her, that he makes any significant improvement. Fighting the Arrancar proves more difficult than fighting soul society. They're harder won and wear Ichigo down as well as those he travels with. In all this time Zangetsu remains a mostly unconscious tool, aware of things only through his experience as part of Ichigo.
Ichigo is confronted by an Arrancar named Ulquiorra, the one most responsible for Orihime's capture and fate besides Aizen himself. Ulquiorra attempts to rile Ichigo and steer him off helping a friend, something that doesn't work until Orihime is mentioned. Thrown into a rage, Ichigo attacks, but he's hardly a match. He manages to surprise Ulquiorra with the power of the mask, but ultimately Ulquiorra kills him as easily as stabbing him in the chest with just his hand. Ichigo collapses and his energy dissipates with his death. Orihime is taken from her prison by another Arrancar named Grimmjow who makes her heal Ichigo back to life so they can fight, something that actually works.
Grimmjow and Ichigo proceed to fight and Ichigo is forced into using the mask in order to protect Orihime. She reacts with fear, thinking of the time she was attacked by her brother as a hollow, and Ichigo, seeing this fear, fights poorly after that point. It's only as he's nearly beaten that she shouts down at Ichigo not to die, expressing that she cares about him (even despite the mask) and doesn't want to see him get hurt anymore, for his safety is the number one priority for her. Moved by this Ichigo defeats Grimmjow.
More fights follow. Ichigo faces Ulquiorra again and although he's grown stronger he's still no match. Ulquiorra defeats him, this time blasting a gaping hold in Ichigo's chest and letting the corpse plummet from a tower. Orihime catches him with her power but can't heal him due the energies of the blast and the fraught moment. She has a break down as Ishida, another friend, is hurt as well by Ulquiorra. She cries for Ichigo's help and somehow, in death, he hears it.
Together as one barely conscious being, Zangetsu and Ichigo rise up as a hollow, a form different than Zangetsu's last and closer to that of the hollow that merged with their mother. They don't respond to verbally for the most part, roaring and growling and otherwise remaining silent. They attack Ulquiorra and rip off his arm (which regenerates), then blast away half Ulquiorra's body, toss it aside, and then take their sword to prepare and stab Ulquiorra's throat. Ishida interviews and says that Ichigo won't be human anymore and after a moment of slight struggle they then throw the sword at Ishida to get him aside. Orihime cries out and they speak for the first time to her, saying in broken words, "I... will protect... you..." They then turn back to Ishida, preparing to blast him away, when a semi-reformed Ulquiorra leaps up, cuts part of the mask, and causes the explosion to backfire on them. They collapse and before Ichigo wakes up as his conscious self, he's healed by the hollow power. He wakes to find a terrible scene and no memory of what happened.
There are more fights, more things not involving Zan. Ichigo eventually makes it to Karakura town, his hometown, where Aizen and his army are facing off against the shinigami. Ichigo runs into his father who reveals himself a shinigami and then says that to be Aizen Ichigo needs to learn a secret technique from Zangetsu that "[his] own Engetsu" didn't want to teach. Isshin takes him to an in-between world to train and Ichigo enters his inner world only to find it a flooded ocean. The Old Man expressed in the past that he hates when it rains in that world and that it does so when Ichigo's upset.
The Old Man is there but does not appear old at all, instead a teen boy. He yells at Ichigo for the state of the inner world and then says he'll drag out the source of Ichigo's despair. He draws out Zangetsu, who climbs to his feet now with claws, long hair, and the new mask of the form they fought Ulquiorra in. Ichigo is confused by this and Zan points out that it's been a while, asking if Ichigo recognizes him. Once he does, Ichigo curses that Zan's not gone and Zan scoffs that it's a "real tear-jerker". Ichigo assumes the "Old Man" wants him to defeat Zangetsu again, but the Old Man denies this. Instead, he angrily says that Ichigo will have to beat them both. They fuse together in one combined form and face Ichigo, saying they don't intend to teach Ichigo anything.
The fight lasts for three months. Ichigo eventually grows accustomed to the fight and reflects that if Zangetsu wanted to he could've destroyed him to start with and wouldn't have to teach anything. He notices Zangetsu's blade radiates loneliness and wonders why. Eventually, he works out an idea and, instead of attacking back as the fusion lunges at him, he simply lets go and lets himself be stabbed. The fusion congratulates Ichigo on working it out and Ichigo comments that it doesn't hurt. The spirit explains that it's because Ichigo's accepted the blade as part of him, which means that of course it can't hurt. The fusion bows their head and starts to weep and when asked why, they explain that (as opposed to Karakura or everyone else) what they wanted to protect was Ichigo. They state that Ichigo will learn everything he needs to know from the blade (that is Zangetsu) and that once this attack Ichigo's learned is used, Ichigo will lose all his shinigami power for good. The skies and water clear up in the inner world and the merged spirit sadly wishes him goodbye.
Ichigo then goes to face Aizen and successfully beats him using this ability. Ichigo's powers eventually disappear. The manga time skips seventeen years later and follows a side-arc in which Zangetsu makes no appearance. Ichigo handles troubles involving a group called Fullbringers, people who had a parent who was attacked by a Hollow before their birth. According to them, traces of the Hollow's powers remain in their mother's bodies and are passed on to them at birth, and thus for a time Ichigo utilized fullbring abilities that resembled the hollow form of that first experiment that fought his mother (unbeknownst to Ichigo). These powers are eventually taken away and then his shinigami powers are restored by the captains of Soul Society.
The following and final arc follows a group of remaining Quincy declaring war on Soul Society (and capturing Hueco Mundo as well, to the distress of the hollows). This is led by a man called Ywarch. Ichigo faces him but is easily defeated, saved only by latent Quincy powers that activate in Ywarch's presence. Ichigo gets up but is stopped by another Quincy who breaks his bankai blade in half. Ichigo later learns that a broken bankai can't be repaired. Ichigo will need to go to the palace of the soul king in order to have it reforged (and forging was never something he did in the first place). He is told to fight beings called "Asauchi", blank sword spirits. The spirits recognize the mistreatment of Zangetsu and attack fiercely. After three days, Ichigo fails and is sent to the human world.
Back home, Ichigo faces his father who elaborates how he and Masaki met. Ichigo, finally understanding that the hollow was meant to be part of him the whole time and now at last knowing his Quincy ancestry, heads back to Nimaiya, the man who forges the swords. Ichigo faces the Asauchi again but instead of fighting, they kneel before Ichigo. Ichigo extends his hand and says "you're the one" as an Asauchi lifts his hand to take Ichigo's. The plain appearances melts away to resemble that of Zangetsu, the masked "inner hollow" and Zangetsu quietly looks up.
As Nimaiya works on forging, he points out to Ichigo (who was somehow oblivious to it) that the Asauchi resembles the "inner hollow". He explains that Zangetsu is Ichigo's true blade and that the spirit who'd been calling himself Zangetsu was "fakin the funk". Nimaiya points out, as Ichigo enters his inner world to face the Old Man, that the spirit there actually resembles that of Ywarch. It's finally revealed that the Old Man is a piece of Ywarch's spirit, something that's part of every Quincy, and also the source of their Quincy power.
Ichigo reacts with Immediate horror and despair. Rain falls and he demands the Old Man explain himself. He states that it's true and that his name is not Zangetsu, causing one of the inner world buildings to crumble. Ichigo continues to ask for an explanation and if he was lied to, if he can trust the Old Man. The Old Man then explains that he is neither an enemy nor an ally but has never tried to lead him astray (besides the name). He then asks if Ichigo had noticed all the times before, that the Old Man always used the hollow to teach about the sword, and whenever Ichigo couldn't lift it, when his life was at risk, it was really the hollow, Zangetsu, who had come through to save him all along. Ichigo, shaken by this, doesn't respond. The Quincy spirit then admits that he didn't want Ichigo to be a shinigami, that he had in fact taken measures to suppress the power and Zangetsu to hold Ichigo back. He explains that he wanted to spare Ichigo pain and the fact that he, Ywarch, would have to one day kill him. But the Old Man states that over time his heart wavered and that he's decided to relinquish his hold on Ichigo, stating he's proud and finally at peace.
Ichigo comes to accept that both the Old Man and Zangetsu were there to help all along. He accepts them both, for what they've done and tried to do, and as parts of him. He resolves to call them both Zangetsu and both are reforged as dual sword spirits and dual blades. The three of them become a team of "one" and they go to defeat Ywarch himself. Many more battles are had. When Ichigo actually faces Ywarch he's much friendly about Zangetsu and even jokingly teases that he's got to "wake him up". The larger of the dual blades Ichigo wields turns white and when Ichigo draws on his hollow power, the fusion goes far smoother than it ever has before and Ichigo/they say to Orihime not to worry as "This time, I'm still "me"". The final battle with Ywarch concludes the manga.
STRENGTHS:
Exuberance: Zangetsu tends not to believe in restraint. In any given situation he espouses letting loose and embracing thrills. This is typically in regards to fighting as he's from a shounen manga and his appearances revolve around that, but he also pushes against a lot of areas in which Ichigo holds back. For example, he doesn't seem to believe in "moping" and prefers to take to things with a grin-- even if he's not necessarily happy. Given his lack of freedom and general disapproval of most of Ichigo's choices, I believe it's safe to assume that he'd rather adopt a "life to the fullest" approach. Evidence for this can be found within his volume poem wherein he says that one has to move forward and embrace every experience because otherwise you aren't living and are already "dead".
Cunning: Also as evidenced in the poem, Zangetsu has a thirst for knowledge. He wants to grow and gain and take from the world what he can. He prides himself on being "smarter" than Ichigo, whether or not that is necessarily true. He enjoys riddles, metaphors, and challenges. He espouses instinct in battle but it's not simply impulse he speaks of. In fights, he cleverly manages to corner enemies or stall them with new tricks. He understands that the best way for Ichigo to learn is through genuine threat in the moment and thus utilizes that, dropping the act as soon as Ichigo's out of sight.
Loyalty: While not a trait that people expect of Zangetsu and one he rarely ever shows, I feel it has significance enough for it to be seen as vital to his character when he does deign to show it, especially as it changes the entire interpretation of his character.
The reveal that pins him as having been the "real" Zangetsu all along means that many, many efforts in the past that were seen as being done by the Old Man were actually done by him. The powers that Ichigo gained could not have been gained unwillingly, something the Old Man expresses later. He gets angry at Ichigo and I don't think that it's untrue that there was an attempt on his life during the vizard arc. However, he nevertheless takes the time to teach, expressing anger at the way things have been going, which would be entirely needless if he only wanted to take Ichigo's life and didn't see it as a necessary thing to take over if Ichigo did not learn. When Ichigo was in danger of being cut too deep, Zangetsu summoned his mask upon their body of his will-- something that isn't the simple thing it seems when a later appearance shows that tearing at or cracking his mask causes severe pain. He manages to take control to save Ichigo's life on two other occasions, one of fully, and the other in a sort of half-concious state likely shared with Ichigo too. What's notable is that, while all previous efforts to help could be argued as self-protection in their shared form, the near death state that gives him control the second does bring it to question why he wouldn't allow Ichigo to die in order to achieve this. Further challenging is the Old Man expressing that Zangetsu's attempts to help were real. But the final nail comes earlier when Zangetsu deigns to let Ichigo uses a final power boost of sorts to defeat Aizen, something Zangetsu doesn't actually need or care about. This final power is one that will essentially "kill him" or erase his consciousness and so is a HUGE cost to him, even aside the tearful confession of wanting to protect Ichigo. Nevertheless, though he could've chosen not to, he allows Ichigo this power.
While his loyalty to Ichigo is still tenuous at best his unspoken loyalty to the Old Man is apparently unwavering. While he could have, at any time, outed the Old Man for who he truly was and further clear his own name, for reasons unnamed (but what I assume to be a sort of gratitude and partnership) he never does this. He allows the Old Man to take his name and role and even supports the act. The most he ever calls it to questions is by saying, now that he's the more powerful spirit, that that means he's Zangetsu, ergo they both are. The Old Man unquestionably makes Zangetsu's existence worse with this lie and he clearly suffers for it, but Zangetsu never responds to the Old Man with any spite or negativity whatsoever. They work together well and fust with complete ease. By all means, the Old Man may be the only person Zangetsu unwaveringly likes.
The final show of loyalty is one more difficult to parse as it is hard to tell how much is shared with Ichigo. However, as both weren't entirely conscious at the moment, I believe the point is moot. Many of Ichigo's friends are supportive of him but less so of the hollow. They may support Ichigo's use of the hollow power, but not Zangetsu himself, if they're even aware of him (most aren't). When Orihime Inoue sees the mask in use by Ichigo, she reacts with fear, remembering her brother. She changes her tune however when her fear for Ichigo overcomes her fear of the mask, and she calls out for his safety, a direct challenge to the idea that the mask is a problem and something that evidently touches Ichigo. Whether it makes an impact on Zan or not, the merged and only semi-conscious pair rises up later for the express purpose of protecting her-- and only her. He displays no loyalty to Uryuu Ishida who insists that his actions will make him less human, and he's outright brutal towards Ulquiorra, the man that essentially killed them (twice). Ichigo himself is horrified by what is down to the latter two later implying that at least some of this is Zangetsu, and therefore implying he's involved as well in the open statement that he desires to protect Orihime. What I take this to mean is that those who get past the act of his making are presented some manner of loyalty.
FLAWS:
Stunted: Due to being hollow and in the situation that he's in, he's rather emotionally stunted. He pushes back against just about any connection with anyone, reacts with hostility, and openly disregards others. He paints himself up as a terrible monster (which he is in many ways) and refuses to push back against assumptions but nevertheless reacts with fury when people act accordingly. At one point Ichigo rejects his help and, in a fit, he freezes his and his other self's shared body on purpose and gets them both injured (not without pain either). Any person that treats him like his enemy is treated like one in turn. He digs himself a hole and rather than try and explain himself, he chooses to dig deeper out of spite.
This ultimately ends with him being extremely, suffocatingly lonely, so much that his sword (which, as elaborated, actually is him) radiated said loneliness and desperation. He gets into a fusion with the Old Man and allows Ichigo to assume that is the Old Man who is speaking and teaching various lessons, but the lessons all revolve around Zangetsu's power, what Zangetsu will lose, until the fused form sheds tears... from Zangetsu's side. When it's later revealed Zangetsu is, in fact, Zangetsu, the sword and shinigami power, he still lets the old man speak for him, notably muted in behavior as well until he's finally accepted.
On top of this is that, as a hollow, emotional connection is naturally more difficult for him as a default. There will be certain concepts of basic kindness and friendship that he just can't grasp, or would do so with difficulty. Trust is twisted in hollows, care is turned to something more selfish, and sympathy or care turned toward them is met with anything from confusion to actual physical pain (naturally, with their hunger being based around this). It's not impossible for hollows to form connections, but it is significantly more difficult and Zangetsu is no exception.
Reticent: Despite not believing in restraint, Zangetsu does not vocally acknowledge any of his own feelings unless through a filter (i.e. in a shared form wherein he does not have to take full or any responsibility). Like every hollow, he has a mask which is meant to shield their vulnerability (lacking hearts) from the outside world. Although he doesn't wear it (except when taking over) originally, as his situation worsens, he relies on it more and more. Despite the obvious cue for feeling worse, he keeps up with scatching taciturn responses. Most damning of all is the fact that while Ichigo was given the reveal for Zangetsu much, much, much later, Zangetsu himself never outlined the truth. Had he done so from the start, he would have undoubtedly been able to manage the teamwork they had by the end of the manga and he, in general, would've been treated with more respect and care. Instead he allows the assumption of him being purely hollow (and a random one at that) to thrive at the cost of himself. Even when seemingly being up front, he chooses metaphors to teach and relies on fear to get others to learn them.
Destructive: This point doesn't need much elaboration. Zangetsu is a wrecking ball. He quite literally fights like one, swinging a giant sword by a cloth or chain, charging into the fray and screeching with laughter, violently swinging at, taking chomps at, and even ripping off the limbs of his enemies. All that is obvious. He's also, however, self-destructive. This is both in the sense of his other self and himself as he is. The destruction of his other self is one that the reader sees and that Ichigo tries, with difficulty, to cope with. Zangetsu brings a loss of control and makes the choices Ichigo wouldn't. When denied, Zangetsu shrieks and yells, traps them in situations of pain, and then lingers by in Ichigo's subconscious as a sort of torment via haunting. He's angry and spiteful and really just enjoys tearing things apart, confessed by himself. But all this lends to his own more personal destruction as he keeps secrets that would save him and fosters the impressions that damn him more. He sinks deeper and deeper into bitterness, anger, loneliness, and depression. From easy smiles and calling Ichigo partner, to sneers and snarls as he calls him a "master" or "king", then using his mask and keeping to taciturn response and a sword that literally radiates loneliness (bleach is dumb), until finally, still with the mask, saying nothing at all to Ichigo and keeping his head somewhat bowed in deference until at last accepted and the mask is gone. He wants his team, he wants acceptance, but he's not willing to do what he must to get it.
CANON ABILITIES: He has multiple forms, one which manifests as a blade and exists alongside him both in the inner world and the outside, if only on spiritual planes. This blade can release blasts of energy capable of carving the landscape. There is also the "bankai" ability which changes the blades shape as well as the shihakusho (shinigami uniform), making the user faster and capable of even more destruction. He is able to preform flash step, the instantaneous movement that shinigami preform. It is possible he could learn other manipulations of spiritual energy through the use of Kido but he has never attempted it, been taught, nor shown interest in trying.
The second "form" is a hollow mask, which he is capable of bringing into being upon Ichigo's body in order to protect him. He is also able to lend it to Ichigo to wear, granting Ichigo greater speed, strength, endurance, and most other abilities hollows have. This mask can be worn in the inner world but only appears automatically when Zangetsu's takes control of their formerly shared body. Shattering this mask hurts him and removes his control.
If allowed to fully form, this mask becomes horned and his body can further change, giving him retractable claws and, of course, a hole going right through in the center of his chest. Like this, he can preform Sonido, a form of flash step for hollows, Cero, a powerful energy blast, and high speed regeneration, a manner of near instantaneous healing. Cut or blown off limbs are apparently able to take the form a giant mouth creature resembling the bits of a corroding chain of fate (something that leads to hollowfication). Once destroyed or pulled apart, this reveal a fully reformed (hollowfied) limb.
His original fully hollowfied form was that of a lizardlike monster, but after many, many battles, training, and two brushes with death, Zangetsu seems to have been able to tap into a more powerful form inherited from their mother and the hollow she had. He seems to favor the latter form so it is unclear if he is capable of adopting traits from either.
In any form in which he is personally in control of his own body, he is capable moving through air by solidifying spiritual energy under his feet. He can sense the energy of others and distinct differences in it. And finally, he can not only see the spirits of the dead but, through the zanpakuto and shinigami powers, he could help them pass on, or due to being hollow, he could take energy from them by eating their souls and devouring their hearts to appease his endless hunger.
AU INFORMATION
AU CHARACTER NAME: Zangetsu, or "Ichigo Kurosaki" if one is technical, though he won't be going by any name at all, as per canon and won't have anything on file or written down. Jeane Deux or Pierre Durant are some french placeholder names teachers may use that he will hate and ignore or get mad about.
AGE: 17
GRADE: Starting 11
AU BACKSTORY: I'd like to keep this vague to some degree due to the fact that he's half the main character which obviously means extensive involvement with the plot. I want to lock characters in as little as possible if I can in case of any future apps.
That said, I don't look to change much but the species of various beings/characters and the locations involved. For example, Soul Society or Hueco Mundo may be locations in the outlands (or some other hidden location in the case of SS). Hollows, instead of being standard, become a sort of infectious undead+daemon tainted spread that (previously) localized in Japan and is maybe spreading due to Nightfall (and with the Fisher plot before). I imagine this blighted daemon being the result of some unlawful mage experimenting that got loose and spread until it was an active problem for the hunter groups to deal with. Quincies are a hunter+candles using rune equipment and shinigami become hunter+mages using fae-bound weapons (which would explain the spirits in the weapons in this setting). Instead of being an abomination of Hollow, human, quincy, fullbring, shinigami... Ichigo's an abomination of candle, mage, hunter, blighted daemon, etc. Zangetsu's experiences and behaviors can remain largely the same. Zangetsu in this become one part blighted daemon and one part weapon bound fae with the form and previous experiences of a human.
The big change would be that someone or something splits he and Ichigo apart. This can be as simple as some attempt to purify or remove the blight from Ichigo/the area, and while not killed because he's not all blighted daemon, he's pulled apart. While it would be natural for him to stay and fight, pulling him out in a weakened and limited state, disoriented, while offering a freedom he's never imagined, he could take the chance to run and live his life-- after all, if Ichigo's done with him, why shouldn't he?
(If Masaki should app:)
While his loyalty to Ichigo would have eventually drawn him back normally, finding a look-a-like to Masaki Kurosaki, his and Ichigo's mother, would do the trick for getting him to hunker down and stay out of sight. He doesn't know if she's really his Mom or a genuine look-a-like or how either is possible but he's curious and invested enough to keep an eye on her. She's the one thing more important that Ichigo himself after all.
When Masaki is sent to Daybreak, he wastes no time in following along.
(If she doesn't app:)
What he does know if that if anythings going to give him a fight and freedom it'll be Daybreak Academy. Hello Nightfall, here he comes.
AU PERSONALITY DEVIATION: I don't imagine too much deviation but I would obviously like to tone down the general blood-thirstiness for sheer playability. I'll likely keep him rather cold and uncaring of others until he learns to let others in (if he does).
The degree to which he embraces his old memories as Ichigo before he split into his own consciousness is debatable upon interpretation but this AU at least I will have him embrace them fully, if with a degree of separation later.
I'll also suggest the following headcanons as being officially part of the AU; first, that he feels his "name" is something he must earn and therefore, in his mind at one point, thought he could "earn back" the name Ichigo. Second; his loyalty to the Old Man is done out of gratitude for not letting them become a fully monstrous undead during the initial split and in being the one person within the shared mental space to help him find his footing and offer companionship.
RACE: A heavily modified "human-mage-daemon+undead-bound fae" combo who's half the soul of a heavily modified "human-candle-mage-daemon+undead-using a bound fae" combo. An awful unheard of mish-mash abomination of nature, magic, and science, I'm sorry Bleach is Like This.
SECRET SOCIETY: Despite having a limb in every door he's been welcomed and allowed in none of them.
The Daemon+Undead, known as Hollows (this combo was probably born of some mage meddling that ended up getting loose and spreading until things like Grand Fisher happen on their own) don't consider him one of theirs, especially with power he's gained from the hunter-mage group (the "shinigami") who utilized the magic of weapon-bound fae.
The "Shinigami" here, or the hunter-mages, would consider him a hollow at first glance (and second and so on), just one that's abnormal or undefined in some way. They immediately consider him a threat over an ally. Even Hollow tainted "shinigami" (Vizards) do not put stock in him being his own person and rather consider him as the bad side for Ichigo to subjugate based on their own experience with inner daemons (who are most likely similar but ultimately not like Zan).
The weapon bound fae are not able to easily commune with one another and instead focus on communion with their "shinigami". They can but very rarely manifest either due to lack of power or desire. Nevertheless, Zangetsu's status here is marred as the "Old Man", a spirit of Ichigo's candle power, pretends to be the weapon bound fae and essentially attempts to take his place. The Old Man claims the name of Zangetsu, takes it upon himself to manifest when "the sword spirit" is called, and usually takes on a mentor role, albeit often using Zangetsu to actually teach said lessons. Normal fae would probably consider him an outlier too, with his many mixes.
The Quincy, a group of hunter-candles, also naturally considers him an enemy.
He is very evidently inhuman. Although he has all the memories of his other self and has had all the same experiences up to the point of his "waking" or "split"-- at which point these memories take on various filtering (in regards to his personal status, situation, etc)-- he no longer easily passes behaviourally. This is in part because of being a hollow/Daemon+undead and stripped of many natural inhibitions and natural goodness. It's another part that he's been essentially trapped, used, had his being crushed down, and more, and he's more than a little bitter and antsy about it.
At the end of the day, he considers himself aligned with none of these groups and typically openly hates them all. Fae bound weapons, and maybe even some fae, will get a little more respect but not too much as he prefers to keep his species status vague. He's a lone wolf species at this point. He may still, at times, call himself a hunter however.
POWERS: Powers will be mostly modeled off canon's with plentiful nerfing as well as some additions for convenience.
I'd like for him to be able to summon and shape his sword at will, materializing either the big cleaver or the longer daitō in his hand.Scrapping stupid yellings of bankai or whatever, not sorry for that sin against shonen. Gonna keep the energy blasts.
I'd like him to keep some regeneration (healing) but make it only something he can perform when he's utilizing a daemonic form. For the daemonic form, this would be something he summons up when he needs a boost, either to fight or because he's been injured badly enough. Gonna go the painful transformation route because that's always fun and inhibit some of his ability to think clearly and communicate. The form will likely be a trimmed down mish-mash of his two forms in canon, pulling in some aspects of his later mask and the tail because tails are cool. He'll have the ability to sense and eat souls but I don't intend to have him ever successfully pull this off (which is true to canon).
He'll have some enhanced speed and definite strength and endurance but not nearly the stupid levels of canon.
Although he's part fae and daemon, I want him to be absolutely and totally unable to make even the flimsiest contract or spell. The most glamor he can pull off is willing a simplified version of mask back on at times and covering the hole at his center, but never both at the same time. He just sucks. Thanks, human genes.
He could possibly be summoned by Ichigo if Ichigo knew his name but.
Finally, he can also see ghosts. Or course.
HOUSING: Lumiere, preferably floor three.
RP SAMPLE
A Sample may be any of the following:
► A group of threads totaling 10 comments in the TDM between at least two characters, with each thread having at least 3 comments from your character: https://moonmoonacademy.dreamwidth.org/8311.html?thread=2150263#cmt2150263 https://moonmoonacademy.dreamwidth.org/8311.html?thread=2150519#cmt2150519
► Answers for at least 10 of the sample questions:
INTERVIEW SAMPLE PROMPT
(The following scenario is available to all characters who are apping in and is considered canon - before formal admittance into Daybreak Academy the administrative staff will give a series of questions and prompts to get a better feel for the character. Respond to the prompts in-character. Characters may lie, mark if they do with the word "lie" in parenthesis after the question answer.)
1. WHAT DO YOU MOST DESIRE FOR YOUR EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE?
Challenge me.
2. WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO ACHIEVE IN THE FUTURE?
Successful isolation from idiots.
3. DESCRIBE YOUR IDEA OF AN IDEAL SCHOOL EXPERIENCE.
Nobody bothers me, I actually learn something, and nobody bothers me.
4. WHAT IS ESSENTIAL FOR A SCHOOL TO OFFER TO ITS STUDENTS?
An actual education?
5. WHAT DO YOU FEEL MOST LIMITS YOU FROM ACHIEVING YOUR TRUE POTENTIAL?
Other people.
6. WHAT COURSE WORK EXCITES YOU? WHY?
English literature. I like to read. Shocking, I know.
7. WHAT COURSE WORK DO YOU DETEST MOST? WHY?
Group activities.
8. WHAT ACTIVITIES DO YOU PARTICIPATE IN OUTSIDE YOUR EDUCATION?
I hunt hollows. Some generic daemons and undead but mostly hollows. You're welcome.
9. WHEN GIVEN FREE TIME, WHAT DO YOU DO WITH IT?
Whatever the hell I want.
10. WHEN UNDER PRESSURE OF A TIGHT DEADLINE, HOW DO YOU RESPOND?
With gusto.
11. WHAT DO YOU EXPECT FROM YOUR PEERS?
To stay out of my way.
12. WHEN WORKING IN A GROUP, HOW DO YOU ORGANIZE TO ACHIEVE YOUR ULTIMATE GOAL?
Previously with fusion, threats, or hostile takeover. Whatever gets the job done.
13. DO YOU FEEL YOU CAN RELY ON YOUR PEERS, OR DO YOU FEEL YOU MUST EXCEL ON YOUR OWN?
I feel I must excel with my own ability if "peers" I'm stuck with even want to survive, how's that?
14. IN THIS EVER-CHANGING WORLD, WHAT MOST EXCITES YOU ABOUT THE FUTURE?
Freedom.
15. WHAT ABOUT THE FUTURE DO YOU FEAR THE MOST?
More stupid questions.
[This is a lie. Somewhat.]
16. WHAT MEMORIES DO YOU HOPE TO HOLD AT THE END OF YOUR JOURNEY?
What the hell does this even mean? You guys going to grant me three wishes or something? Are you intending to arrange a group singing of kumbaya?
I want to remember that I beat every asshole responsible for this nightfall thing and many others along the way. There.
17. WHAT IN THE FUTURE DO YOU MOST LOOK FORWARD TO?
Isn't this the same question as number fourteen?
Not having to answer stupid questions, that would be ideal. Tragically unlikely though.
NAME: Fritz
CONTACT: Fritz#5568 @ discord, dumbhippiekid @ plurk, this journal
OTHER CHARACTER(S) IN GAME: Héctor Rivera
CANON INFORMATION
CHARACTER NAME: Zangetsu to cut the TL;DR. Variously called "The Hollow", "The Inner Hollow", "Hollow Ichigo", or "Zangetsu". Officially he is now called Zangetsu (but shares the name).
CANON: Bleach
HISTORY: (Backstory of the character you are applying with. A link to a wiki article is acceptable. If you are applying an Original Character, this section may be skipped.)
Once, long ago, a shinigami named Aizen was performing a whole bunch of illegal and morally questionable experiments with the souls of the dead. These dead were usually shinigami (powered up dead people who are enlisted to defend the rest) and hollows (souls who were abandoned or corrupted and eventually lost their hearts, turning monstrous and cursed with an eternal hunger for the souls of those they care for most, everyone else to follow). In one of these experiments, a super-powered hollow was made out of the souls of slain shinigami. He unleashed this monster on the living world where it killed several people and nearly killed a shinigami Captain named Isshin Shiba. However, in the nick of time, a teenager Quincy (a sort of human with supernatural power to see and completely destroy hollows, a species once hunted to near extinction by the shinigami) named Masaki Kurosaki came to save him.
Masaki realized that while she was skilled, the hollow was too fast for her, so she extended her hand out to the monster, inviting it in. Of course, it took a great bite out of her shoulder and she held it in what was almost an embrace (oddly, it seemed to relax with this). This, however, was a trick. She made a small pistol size bow and arrow of spirit energy and shot it at the creature's head, killing it. However, in it's death, it decided to take her as a host-- despite the fact that her being a Quincy would mean death for the both of them.
Masaki didn't make it long before the infection began to take it's toll. Isshin arranged a deal with a man named Urahara to save her. This deal would mean giving up all his shinigami power and becoming human in order to stabilize Masaki's soul. A human shinigami and a hollow quincy, the two speant much time together and eventually married and had children. They had a boy first, a child they named Ichigo, (one who protects) and this boy would inherit the majority of this dna nightmare.
Ichigo grow up a smiley and happy boy, always clinging to his mother's hand and considering her the center of his world. One day, when he was nine, his mother was killed by a hollow, something he blamed himself for for many years to follow. He stopped smiling and became a scowling angry boy, swearing to protect everyone he can.
At fifteen, the rest of his family was attacked by another hollow. An injured shinigami named Rukia offered him the chance to save them by taking some of her power, but unwittingly being a freak of nature, he absorbed all of it. From there, he defeated the hollow and was enlisted into fighting many more to protect the town while Rukia attempted to recover.
Unfortunately, Ichigo drew too much attention and eventually Soul Society got involved. They came to kill Ichigo and collect Rukia for execution. Ichigo has his first brush with tapping his own well of power past Rukia's and for a moment he takes on Zan's mannerisms, but the moment is short lived as he's defeated, power apparently destroyed.
Urahara Kisuke rescues him and offers him the means to gain power back and rescue Rukia. Urahara, knowing what Ichigo really is, opts to set off a hollowfication of Ichigo in order to wake up his own latent power. Ichigo, waking in a crumbling inner world, meets with the spirit of his Quincy power, who claims to be that of his shinigami power. He insists Ichigo find said shinigami power in order to stop total hollowfication. Ichigo is successful and (off screen) Zan comes into his slow awakening. Ichigo learns the name of the sword he uses but still presumes the Old Man (as Ichigo calls him) is Zangetsu.
Ichigo enters soul society and goes through many fights, some which involve learning more about his weapon, some that have a mysterious mask showing up upon his body where an attack would have otherwise been lethal. He considers the mask a good luck charm but others around him feel uneasy near it and usually throw it away on him.
Ichigo eventually comes to face a powerful man named Kenpachi against whom he doesn't appear to be a match. While down and bleeding out the Old Man appears and draws Ichigo back to his inner world. The Old Man stands aside and lets Zangetsu speak up. Zangetsu, assumed at the time to merely be a manifestation of the old man's making, calls Ichigo "partner" and tries to train Ichigo to use "Zangetsu" properly, demonstrating fighting techniques and bitterly pointing out that Ichigo never tried to call out his swords name. He suggests ichigo a selfish idiot, only training himself and never trying to reach out to "Zangetsu" and understand him ("Do you become someone's best friend just by asking their name?"). The Old Man neither confirms nor denies his position. Just as Zangetsu decides enough is enough, Ichigo takes these lessons to heart and the blade is returned to Ichigo. Ichigo rises back up on the outside to face Kenpachi, the Old Man stalling his bleeding and adding power, while the very power of the blade and impression of the mask in the background imply Zangetsu's involvement as well. As a team, the three defeat Kenpachi. The bleeding Ichigo is then rescued by Yoruichi, a friend of Urahara's.
Like before, Ichigo was seemingly saved from death by the mask which Yoruichi takes away. Much later, after some other events, Yoruichi gives Ichigo the means to train for Bankai, a special second-level of strength for shinigami and their swords to acquire. The Old Man manifested in Zangetsu's place and no one watching, nor Ichigo, was any wiser about the truth of Zangetsu. With this power acquired Ichigo went off to save Rukia and eventually face her older brother, Byakuya, the man who had nearly killed him before. Also thanks to this power acquisition, Zangetsu was strong enough to take control for the first time. Ichigo, weakened and about to be struck down, was pushed aside and Zan took his stand. He surprised and overwhelmed Byakuya in moments, all the while scolding Ichigo for using bankai incorrectly, telling him he would show Ichigo how it should be done. When questioned by Byakuya on what he is and whether he's a hollow, he responded (depending on translations), that he's nobody and "who knows/cares" what he is with a flippancy suggesting he didn't entirely know. Suddenly, Ichigo took back control, tearing at the mask and surprising Zangetsu. Despite insisting he was trying to help, Ichigo continued to pull at the mask to the point of it cracking and breaking causing Zangetsu to flail and screech with pain until pushed down entirely. Ichigo pretends the moment didn't happen and the mask makes no more appearances.
Later Ichigo and Soul Society learn of a plot by Aizen who escapes, promising to attack again in the future with an army of hollows at his back. He considers Ichigo especially interesting, likely due to knowing the truth of him to some degree. Soul Society pardons Rukia, and Ichigo and the rest of his friends go home. Things settle for a little while but not long as Vizards, shinigami who gained hollow powers (due to experimentation Aizen performed on them), confront Ichigo as being "on of them". With Ichigo's power fully awakened and Zangetsu at that, Isshin's no longer bound by the magic that had kept Masaki's and then Ichigo's hollow+shinigami power suppressed. Ichigo sense his father's energy but doesn't recognize it. Isshin keeps up his dumb dad act.
Ichigo is disquieted by the vizards and by Zangetsu, whom he believes to be a simple hollow that came from Urahara's work. His mood and Zangetsu's clearly affect the energy around him, making it harsher. When Arrancar, hollows who gained shinigami power, show up, Ichigo wonders again if they're like him, and this sparks Zan to make another attempt at control. Ichigo immediately pushes him down and tells him off, despite the fact that Ichigo would not be evenly matched with the Arrancar without him. He starts to say "I'm your--" only to be kicked by one of the Arrancar. Presumably furious by this response, Zangetsu takes just enough control to freeze their body to stillness, which Ichigo calls him out for. The Arrancar beats Ichigo into the ground but Zangetsu doesn't relent until Ichigo's rescued.
Ichigo's spends significant time after that in a deep depression while Zangetsu makes more attempts to make his presence known with increasing aggression. The Arrancar close in more and more and the power of Aizen's army looms as a greater and greater threat for Ichigo and the shinigami. Rukia comes back and makes an attempt to shake Ichigo out of his slump, saying that Ichigo just needs to overpower him because that's the kind of man he is, but even that only goes so far as (in Ichigo's mind) the hollow proves to be something he can't just beat back. Eventually Ichigo caves and seeks out the vizards. He demands they teach him their secrets which they're insulted by. He engages them in a fight, refusing to let the inner hollow loose despite being egged on. The vizard in question, Hiyori, says that if he won't let it out then she's just going to kill him. Eventually, he's overwhelmed and in that instant Zangetsu takes hold. Rather than sneering and taunting and grins like usually, Zangetsu reacts to the vizard with an animalistic shriek of rage that startles the group. He lunges for Hiyori and slams her into the wall, intending to choke the life out of her, only for him to then be dogpiled by the other vizards, mask broken.
They take him in and set up a space for him to face the "inner hollow" in the inner world while his body transforms and fights them outside. Zangetsu waits for him in the inner world and the Old Man is nowhwere in sight. Despite the grin, he looks furious. Ichigo demands to know where the old man is and Zangetsu is vague, asking which sword he means before leaping at him, swinging, and then screaming that he is Zangetsu. He explains to Ichigo through metaphor of life and death that whenever any of them is in control their appearence adjust accordingly. Ichigo believes that if he beats Zangetsu in that case then the Old Man "Zangetsu" will come back, to which Zan scoffs. Ichigo tries bankai but is surprised to find that Zan, naturally, knows it as well.
As the fight escalates within so too does it cause the hollowfication of Ichigo's body to go faster. The body fights against the vizards even more fiercely, revealing abilities of all kinds and a willingness to lose limbs in the process of regenerating them.
Zan suggests having fun but Ichigo doesn't have the patience for it, continuing to attack. An unimpressed Zangetsu hits back harder and when Ichigo is left staring in dull shock, Zangetsu loses his own patience and throws him. Zangetsu then explains that Ichigo's problem is that he doesn't have the instinct for this. He has no drive or will or bloodthirst, he won't do what it takes to win, and that ultimately will get them all killed, not just Ichigo. Zangetsu elaborates this through another metaphor about a king and a horse, saying that the king is the one who's in control and that he's had it with Ichigo's weakness and games. He stabs Ichigo and says that he'll take the crown for himself.
In this moment, through shonen nonsense and/or resolve, Ichigo draws up power that changes the shade of the blade that's pierced him and Zangetsu's clothing too. Zangetsu steps back in shock and, hypocritically, stares stunned. Ichigo pulls the blade free and turns on Zangetsu then, stabbing him in turn. There's a brief and strange look on Zangetsu's face, confusion and disgust and betrayal somehow, and then the rest of his clothing changes to black before he begins to dissolve away, defeated. There's just a pause and then he brings a grin back and details how he guesses he'll accept Ichigo as the king, but he can't waiver at any moment or he'll rise up and crush Ichigo. He then warns Ichigo that if he really wanted to use his power then he shouldn't die before Zangetsu can come back, telling Ichigo to take care before he disappears and Ichigo awakens, hollow form crumbling away.
Ichigo uses newly gained hollow powers to boost himself in fights against the Arrancar. While it helps for a little, his control over the power is negligable and he still faces loss. It's only with the kidnapping of Orihime, when he enters Hueco Mundo, the world of hollows, to save her, that he makes any significant improvement. Fighting the Arrancar proves more difficult than fighting soul society. They're harder won and wear Ichigo down as well as those he travels with. In all this time Zangetsu remains a mostly unconscious tool, aware of things only through his experience as part of Ichigo.
Ichigo is confronted by an Arrancar named Ulquiorra, the one most responsible for Orihime's capture and fate besides Aizen himself. Ulquiorra attempts to rile Ichigo and steer him off helping a friend, something that doesn't work until Orihime is mentioned. Thrown into a rage, Ichigo attacks, but he's hardly a match. He manages to surprise Ulquiorra with the power of the mask, but ultimately Ulquiorra kills him as easily as stabbing him in the chest with just his hand. Ichigo collapses and his energy dissipates with his death. Orihime is taken from her prison by another Arrancar named Grimmjow who makes her heal Ichigo back to life so they can fight, something that actually works.
Grimmjow and Ichigo proceed to fight and Ichigo is forced into using the mask in order to protect Orihime. She reacts with fear, thinking of the time she was attacked by her brother as a hollow, and Ichigo, seeing this fear, fights poorly after that point. It's only as he's nearly beaten that she shouts down at Ichigo not to die, expressing that she cares about him (even despite the mask) and doesn't want to see him get hurt anymore, for his safety is the number one priority for her. Moved by this Ichigo defeats Grimmjow.
More fights follow. Ichigo faces Ulquiorra again and although he's grown stronger he's still no match. Ulquiorra defeats him, this time blasting a gaping hold in Ichigo's chest and letting the corpse plummet from a tower. Orihime catches him with her power but can't heal him due the energies of the blast and the fraught moment. She has a break down as Ishida, another friend, is hurt as well by Ulquiorra. She cries for Ichigo's help and somehow, in death, he hears it.
Together as one barely conscious being, Zangetsu and Ichigo rise up as a hollow, a form different than Zangetsu's last and closer to that of the hollow that merged with their mother. They don't respond to verbally for the most part, roaring and growling and otherwise remaining silent. They attack Ulquiorra and rip off his arm (which regenerates), then blast away half Ulquiorra's body, toss it aside, and then take their sword to prepare and stab Ulquiorra's throat. Ishida interviews and says that Ichigo won't be human anymore and after a moment of slight struggle they then throw the sword at Ishida to get him aside. Orihime cries out and they speak for the first time to her, saying in broken words, "I... will protect... you..." They then turn back to Ishida, preparing to blast him away, when a semi-reformed Ulquiorra leaps up, cuts part of the mask, and causes the explosion to backfire on them. They collapse and before Ichigo wakes up as his conscious self, he's healed by the hollow power. He wakes to find a terrible scene and no memory of what happened.
There are more fights, more things not involving Zan. Ichigo eventually makes it to Karakura town, his hometown, where Aizen and his army are facing off against the shinigami. Ichigo runs into his father who reveals himself a shinigami and then says that to be Aizen Ichigo needs to learn a secret technique from Zangetsu that "[his] own Engetsu" didn't want to teach. Isshin takes him to an in-between world to train and Ichigo enters his inner world only to find it a flooded ocean. The Old Man expressed in the past that he hates when it rains in that world and that it does so when Ichigo's upset.
The Old Man is there but does not appear old at all, instead a teen boy. He yells at Ichigo for the state of the inner world and then says he'll drag out the source of Ichigo's despair. He draws out Zangetsu, who climbs to his feet now with claws, long hair, and the new mask of the form they fought Ulquiorra in. Ichigo is confused by this and Zan points out that it's been a while, asking if Ichigo recognizes him. Once he does, Ichigo curses that Zan's not gone and Zan scoffs that it's a "real tear-jerker". Ichigo assumes the "Old Man" wants him to defeat Zangetsu again, but the Old Man denies this. Instead, he angrily says that Ichigo will have to beat them both. They fuse together in one combined form and face Ichigo, saying they don't intend to teach Ichigo anything.
The fight lasts for three months. Ichigo eventually grows accustomed to the fight and reflects that if Zangetsu wanted to he could've destroyed him to start with and wouldn't have to teach anything. He notices Zangetsu's blade radiates loneliness and wonders why. Eventually, he works out an idea and, instead of attacking back as the fusion lunges at him, he simply lets go and lets himself be stabbed. The fusion congratulates Ichigo on working it out and Ichigo comments that it doesn't hurt. The spirit explains that it's because Ichigo's accepted the blade as part of him, which means that of course it can't hurt. The fusion bows their head and starts to weep and when asked why, they explain that (as opposed to Karakura or everyone else) what they wanted to protect was Ichigo. They state that Ichigo will learn everything he needs to know from the blade (that is Zangetsu) and that once this attack Ichigo's learned is used, Ichigo will lose all his shinigami power for good. The skies and water clear up in the inner world and the merged spirit sadly wishes him goodbye.
Ichigo then goes to face Aizen and successfully beats him using this ability. Ichigo's powers eventually disappear. The manga time skips seventeen years later and follows a side-arc in which Zangetsu makes no appearance. Ichigo handles troubles involving a group called Fullbringers, people who had a parent who was attacked by a Hollow before their birth. According to them, traces of the Hollow's powers remain in their mother's bodies and are passed on to them at birth, and thus for a time Ichigo utilized fullbring abilities that resembled the hollow form of that first experiment that fought his mother (unbeknownst to Ichigo). These powers are eventually taken away and then his shinigami powers are restored by the captains of Soul Society.
The following and final arc follows a group of remaining Quincy declaring war on Soul Society (and capturing Hueco Mundo as well, to the distress of the hollows). This is led by a man called Ywarch. Ichigo faces him but is easily defeated, saved only by latent Quincy powers that activate in Ywarch's presence. Ichigo gets up but is stopped by another Quincy who breaks his bankai blade in half. Ichigo later learns that a broken bankai can't be repaired. Ichigo will need to go to the palace of the soul king in order to have it reforged (and forging was never something he did in the first place). He is told to fight beings called "Asauchi", blank sword spirits. The spirits recognize the mistreatment of Zangetsu and attack fiercely. After three days, Ichigo fails and is sent to the human world.
Back home, Ichigo faces his father who elaborates how he and Masaki met. Ichigo, finally understanding that the hollow was meant to be part of him the whole time and now at last knowing his Quincy ancestry, heads back to Nimaiya, the man who forges the swords. Ichigo faces the Asauchi again but instead of fighting, they kneel before Ichigo. Ichigo extends his hand and says "you're the one" as an Asauchi lifts his hand to take Ichigo's. The plain appearances melts away to resemble that of Zangetsu, the masked "inner hollow" and Zangetsu quietly looks up.
As Nimaiya works on forging, he points out to Ichigo (who was somehow oblivious to it) that the Asauchi resembles the "inner hollow". He explains that Zangetsu is Ichigo's true blade and that the spirit who'd been calling himself Zangetsu was "fakin the funk". Nimaiya points out, as Ichigo enters his inner world to face the Old Man, that the spirit there actually resembles that of Ywarch. It's finally revealed that the Old Man is a piece of Ywarch's spirit, something that's part of every Quincy, and also the source of their Quincy power.
Ichigo reacts with Immediate horror and despair. Rain falls and he demands the Old Man explain himself. He states that it's true and that his name is not Zangetsu, causing one of the inner world buildings to crumble. Ichigo continues to ask for an explanation and if he was lied to, if he can trust the Old Man. The Old Man then explains that he is neither an enemy nor an ally but has never tried to lead him astray (besides the name). He then asks if Ichigo had noticed all the times before, that the Old Man always used the hollow to teach about the sword, and whenever Ichigo couldn't lift it, when his life was at risk, it was really the hollow, Zangetsu, who had come through to save him all along. Ichigo, shaken by this, doesn't respond. The Quincy spirit then admits that he didn't want Ichigo to be a shinigami, that he had in fact taken measures to suppress the power and Zangetsu to hold Ichigo back. He explains that he wanted to spare Ichigo pain and the fact that he, Ywarch, would have to one day kill him. But the Old Man states that over time his heart wavered and that he's decided to relinquish his hold on Ichigo, stating he's proud and finally at peace.
Ichigo comes to accept that both the Old Man and Zangetsu were there to help all along. He accepts them both, for what they've done and tried to do, and as parts of him. He resolves to call them both Zangetsu and both are reforged as dual sword spirits and dual blades. The three of them become a team of "one" and they go to defeat Ywarch himself. Many more battles are had. When Ichigo actually faces Ywarch he's much friendly about Zangetsu and even jokingly teases that he's got to "wake him up". The larger of the dual blades Ichigo wields turns white and when Ichigo draws on his hollow power, the fusion goes far smoother than it ever has before and Ichigo/they say to Orihime not to worry as "This time, I'm still "me"". The final battle with Ywarch concludes the manga.
STRENGTHS:
Exuberance: Zangetsu tends not to believe in restraint. In any given situation he espouses letting loose and embracing thrills. This is typically in regards to fighting as he's from a shounen manga and his appearances revolve around that, but he also pushes against a lot of areas in which Ichigo holds back. For example, he doesn't seem to believe in "moping" and prefers to take to things with a grin-- even if he's not necessarily happy. Given his lack of freedom and general disapproval of most of Ichigo's choices, I believe it's safe to assume that he'd rather adopt a "life to the fullest" approach. Evidence for this can be found within his volume poem wherein he says that one has to move forward and embrace every experience because otherwise you aren't living and are already "dead".
Cunning: Also as evidenced in the poem, Zangetsu has a thirst for knowledge. He wants to grow and gain and take from the world what he can. He prides himself on being "smarter" than Ichigo, whether or not that is necessarily true. He enjoys riddles, metaphors, and challenges. He espouses instinct in battle but it's not simply impulse he speaks of. In fights, he cleverly manages to corner enemies or stall them with new tricks. He understands that the best way for Ichigo to learn is through genuine threat in the moment and thus utilizes that, dropping the act as soon as Ichigo's out of sight.
Loyalty: While not a trait that people expect of Zangetsu and one he rarely ever shows, I feel it has significance enough for it to be seen as vital to his character when he does deign to show it, especially as it changes the entire interpretation of his character.
The reveal that pins him as having been the "real" Zangetsu all along means that many, many efforts in the past that were seen as being done by the Old Man were actually done by him. The powers that Ichigo gained could not have been gained unwillingly, something the Old Man expresses later. He gets angry at Ichigo and I don't think that it's untrue that there was an attempt on his life during the vizard arc. However, he nevertheless takes the time to teach, expressing anger at the way things have been going, which would be entirely needless if he only wanted to take Ichigo's life and didn't see it as a necessary thing to take over if Ichigo did not learn. When Ichigo was in danger of being cut too deep, Zangetsu summoned his mask upon their body of his will-- something that isn't the simple thing it seems when a later appearance shows that tearing at or cracking his mask causes severe pain. He manages to take control to save Ichigo's life on two other occasions, one of fully, and the other in a sort of half-concious state likely shared with Ichigo too. What's notable is that, while all previous efforts to help could be argued as self-protection in their shared form, the near death state that gives him control the second does bring it to question why he wouldn't allow Ichigo to die in order to achieve this. Further challenging is the Old Man expressing that Zangetsu's attempts to help were real. But the final nail comes earlier when Zangetsu deigns to let Ichigo uses a final power boost of sorts to defeat Aizen, something Zangetsu doesn't actually need or care about. This final power is one that will essentially "kill him" or erase his consciousness and so is a HUGE cost to him, even aside the tearful confession of wanting to protect Ichigo. Nevertheless, though he could've chosen not to, he allows Ichigo this power.
While his loyalty to Ichigo is still tenuous at best his unspoken loyalty to the Old Man is apparently unwavering. While he could have, at any time, outed the Old Man for who he truly was and further clear his own name, for reasons unnamed (but what I assume to be a sort of gratitude and partnership) he never does this. He allows the Old Man to take his name and role and even supports the act. The most he ever calls it to questions is by saying, now that he's the more powerful spirit, that that means he's Zangetsu, ergo they both are. The Old Man unquestionably makes Zangetsu's existence worse with this lie and he clearly suffers for it, but Zangetsu never responds to the Old Man with any spite or negativity whatsoever. They work together well and fust with complete ease. By all means, the Old Man may be the only person Zangetsu unwaveringly likes.
The final show of loyalty is one more difficult to parse as it is hard to tell how much is shared with Ichigo. However, as both weren't entirely conscious at the moment, I believe the point is moot. Many of Ichigo's friends are supportive of him but less so of the hollow. They may support Ichigo's use of the hollow power, but not Zangetsu himself, if they're even aware of him (most aren't). When Orihime Inoue sees the mask in use by Ichigo, she reacts with fear, remembering her brother. She changes her tune however when her fear for Ichigo overcomes her fear of the mask, and she calls out for his safety, a direct challenge to the idea that the mask is a problem and something that evidently touches Ichigo. Whether it makes an impact on Zan or not, the merged and only semi-conscious pair rises up later for the express purpose of protecting her-- and only her. He displays no loyalty to Uryuu Ishida who insists that his actions will make him less human, and he's outright brutal towards Ulquiorra, the man that essentially killed them (twice). Ichigo himself is horrified by what is down to the latter two later implying that at least some of this is Zangetsu, and therefore implying he's involved as well in the open statement that he desires to protect Orihime. What I take this to mean is that those who get past the act of his making are presented some manner of loyalty.
FLAWS:
Stunted: Due to being hollow and in the situation that he's in, he's rather emotionally stunted. He pushes back against just about any connection with anyone, reacts with hostility, and openly disregards others. He paints himself up as a terrible monster (which he is in many ways) and refuses to push back against assumptions but nevertheless reacts with fury when people act accordingly. At one point Ichigo rejects his help and, in a fit, he freezes his and his other self's shared body on purpose and gets them both injured (not without pain either). Any person that treats him like his enemy is treated like one in turn. He digs himself a hole and rather than try and explain himself, he chooses to dig deeper out of spite.
This ultimately ends with him being extremely, suffocatingly lonely, so much that his sword (which, as elaborated, actually is him) radiated said loneliness and desperation. He gets into a fusion with the Old Man and allows Ichigo to assume that is the Old Man who is speaking and teaching various lessons, but the lessons all revolve around Zangetsu's power, what Zangetsu will lose, until the fused form sheds tears... from Zangetsu's side. When it's later revealed Zangetsu is, in fact, Zangetsu, the sword and shinigami power, he still lets the old man speak for him, notably muted in behavior as well until he's finally accepted.
On top of this is that, as a hollow, emotional connection is naturally more difficult for him as a default. There will be certain concepts of basic kindness and friendship that he just can't grasp, or would do so with difficulty. Trust is twisted in hollows, care is turned to something more selfish, and sympathy or care turned toward them is met with anything from confusion to actual physical pain (naturally, with their hunger being based around this). It's not impossible for hollows to form connections, but it is significantly more difficult and Zangetsu is no exception.
Reticent: Despite not believing in restraint, Zangetsu does not vocally acknowledge any of his own feelings unless through a filter (i.e. in a shared form wherein he does not have to take full or any responsibility). Like every hollow, he has a mask which is meant to shield their vulnerability (lacking hearts) from the outside world. Although he doesn't wear it (except when taking over) originally, as his situation worsens, he relies on it more and more. Despite the obvious cue for feeling worse, he keeps up with scatching taciturn responses. Most damning of all is the fact that while Ichigo was given the reveal for Zangetsu much, much, much later, Zangetsu himself never outlined the truth. Had he done so from the start, he would have undoubtedly been able to manage the teamwork they had by the end of the manga and he, in general, would've been treated with more respect and care. Instead he allows the assumption of him being purely hollow (and a random one at that) to thrive at the cost of himself. Even when seemingly being up front, he chooses metaphors to teach and relies on fear to get others to learn them.
Destructive: This point doesn't need much elaboration. Zangetsu is a wrecking ball. He quite literally fights like one, swinging a giant sword by a cloth or chain, charging into the fray and screeching with laughter, violently swinging at, taking chomps at, and even ripping off the limbs of his enemies. All that is obvious. He's also, however, self-destructive. This is both in the sense of his other self and himself as he is. The destruction of his other self is one that the reader sees and that Ichigo tries, with difficulty, to cope with. Zangetsu brings a loss of control and makes the choices Ichigo wouldn't. When denied, Zangetsu shrieks and yells, traps them in situations of pain, and then lingers by in Ichigo's subconscious as a sort of torment via haunting. He's angry and spiteful and really just enjoys tearing things apart, confessed by himself. But all this lends to his own more personal destruction as he keeps secrets that would save him and fosters the impressions that damn him more. He sinks deeper and deeper into bitterness, anger, loneliness, and depression. From easy smiles and calling Ichigo partner, to sneers and snarls as he calls him a "master" or "king", then using his mask and keeping to taciturn response and a sword that literally radiates loneliness (bleach is dumb), until finally, still with the mask, saying nothing at all to Ichigo and keeping his head somewhat bowed in deference until at last accepted and the mask is gone. He wants his team, he wants acceptance, but he's not willing to do what he must to get it.
CANON ABILITIES: He has multiple forms, one which manifests as a blade and exists alongside him both in the inner world and the outside, if only on spiritual planes. This blade can release blasts of energy capable of carving the landscape. There is also the "bankai" ability which changes the blades shape as well as the shihakusho (shinigami uniform), making the user faster and capable of even more destruction. He is able to preform flash step, the instantaneous movement that shinigami preform. It is possible he could learn other manipulations of spiritual energy through the use of Kido but he has never attempted it, been taught, nor shown interest in trying.
The second "form" is a hollow mask, which he is capable of bringing into being upon Ichigo's body in order to protect him. He is also able to lend it to Ichigo to wear, granting Ichigo greater speed, strength, endurance, and most other abilities hollows have. This mask can be worn in the inner world but only appears automatically when Zangetsu's takes control of their formerly shared body. Shattering this mask hurts him and removes his control.
If allowed to fully form, this mask becomes horned and his body can further change, giving him retractable claws and, of course, a hole going right through in the center of his chest. Like this, he can preform Sonido, a form of flash step for hollows, Cero, a powerful energy blast, and high speed regeneration, a manner of near instantaneous healing. Cut or blown off limbs are apparently able to take the form a giant mouth creature resembling the bits of a corroding chain of fate (something that leads to hollowfication). Once destroyed or pulled apart, this reveal a fully reformed (hollowfied) limb.
His original fully hollowfied form was that of a lizardlike monster, but after many, many battles, training, and two brushes with death, Zangetsu seems to have been able to tap into a more powerful form inherited from their mother and the hollow she had. He seems to favor the latter form so it is unclear if he is capable of adopting traits from either.
In any form in which he is personally in control of his own body, he is capable moving through air by solidifying spiritual energy under his feet. He can sense the energy of others and distinct differences in it. And finally, he can not only see the spirits of the dead but, through the zanpakuto and shinigami powers, he could help them pass on, or due to being hollow, he could take energy from them by eating their souls and devouring their hearts to appease his endless hunger.
AU INFORMATION
AU CHARACTER NAME: Zangetsu, or "Ichigo Kurosaki" if one is technical, though he won't be going by any name at all, as per canon and won't have anything on file or written down. Jeane Deux or Pierre Durant are some french placeholder names teachers may use that he will hate and ignore or get mad about.
AGE: 17
GRADE: Starting 11
AU BACKSTORY: I'd like to keep this vague to some degree due to the fact that he's half the main character which obviously means extensive involvement with the plot. I want to lock characters in as little as possible if I can in case of any future apps.
That said, I don't look to change much but the species of various beings/characters and the locations involved. For example, Soul Society or Hueco Mundo may be locations in the outlands (or some other hidden location in the case of SS). Hollows, instead of being standard, become a sort of infectious undead+daemon tainted spread that (previously) localized in Japan and is maybe spreading due to Nightfall (and with the Fisher plot before). I imagine this blighted daemon being the result of some unlawful mage experimenting that got loose and spread until it was an active problem for the hunter groups to deal with. Quincies are a hunter+candles using rune equipment and shinigami become hunter+mages using fae-bound weapons (which would explain the spirits in the weapons in this setting). Instead of being an abomination of Hollow, human, quincy, fullbring, shinigami... Ichigo's an abomination of candle, mage, hunter, blighted daemon, etc. Zangetsu's experiences and behaviors can remain largely the same. Zangetsu in this become one part blighted daemon and one part weapon bound fae with the form and previous experiences of a human.
The big change would be that someone or something splits he and Ichigo apart. This can be as simple as some attempt to purify or remove the blight from Ichigo/the area, and while not killed because he's not all blighted daemon, he's pulled apart. While it would be natural for him to stay and fight, pulling him out in a weakened and limited state, disoriented, while offering a freedom he's never imagined, he could take the chance to run and live his life-- after all, if Ichigo's done with him, why shouldn't he?
(If Masaki should app:)
While his loyalty to Ichigo would have eventually drawn him back normally, finding a look-a-like to Masaki Kurosaki, his and Ichigo's mother, would do the trick for getting him to hunker down and stay out of sight. He doesn't know if she's really his Mom or a genuine look-a-like or how either is possible but he's curious and invested enough to keep an eye on her. She's the one thing more important that Ichigo himself after all.
When Masaki is sent to Daybreak, he wastes no time in following along.
(If she doesn't app:)
What he does know if that if anythings going to give him a fight and freedom it'll be Daybreak Academy. Hello Nightfall, here he comes.
AU PERSONALITY DEVIATION: I don't imagine too much deviation but I would obviously like to tone down the general blood-thirstiness for sheer playability. I'll likely keep him rather cold and uncaring of others until he learns to let others in (if he does).
The degree to which he embraces his old memories as Ichigo before he split into his own consciousness is debatable upon interpretation but this AU at least I will have him embrace them fully, if with a degree of separation later.
I'll also suggest the following headcanons as being officially part of the AU; first, that he feels his "name" is something he must earn and therefore, in his mind at one point, thought he could "earn back" the name Ichigo. Second; his loyalty to the Old Man is done out of gratitude for not letting them become a fully monstrous undead during the initial split and in being the one person within the shared mental space to help him find his footing and offer companionship.
RACE: A heavily modified "human-mage-daemon+undead-bound fae" combo who's half the soul of a heavily modified "human-candle-mage-daemon+undead-using a bound fae" combo. An awful unheard of mish-mash abomination of nature, magic, and science, I'm sorry Bleach is Like This.
SECRET SOCIETY: Despite having a limb in every door he's been welcomed and allowed in none of them.
The Daemon+Undead, known as Hollows (this combo was probably born of some mage meddling that ended up getting loose and spreading until things like Grand Fisher happen on their own) don't consider him one of theirs, especially with power he's gained from the hunter-mage group (the "shinigami") who utilized the magic of weapon-bound fae.
The "Shinigami" here, or the hunter-mages, would consider him a hollow at first glance (and second and so on), just one that's abnormal or undefined in some way. They immediately consider him a threat over an ally. Even Hollow tainted "shinigami" (Vizards) do not put stock in him being his own person and rather consider him as the bad side for Ichigo to subjugate based on their own experience with inner daemons (who are most likely similar but ultimately not like Zan).
The weapon bound fae are not able to easily commune with one another and instead focus on communion with their "shinigami". They can but very rarely manifest either due to lack of power or desire. Nevertheless, Zangetsu's status here is marred as the "Old Man", a spirit of Ichigo's candle power, pretends to be the weapon bound fae and essentially attempts to take his place. The Old Man claims the name of Zangetsu, takes it upon himself to manifest when "the sword spirit" is called, and usually takes on a mentor role, albeit often using Zangetsu to actually teach said lessons. Normal fae would probably consider him an outlier too, with his many mixes.
The Quincy, a group of hunter-candles, also naturally considers him an enemy.
He is very evidently inhuman. Although he has all the memories of his other self and has had all the same experiences up to the point of his "waking" or "split"-- at which point these memories take on various filtering (in regards to his personal status, situation, etc)-- he no longer easily passes behaviourally. This is in part because of being a hollow/Daemon+undead and stripped of many natural inhibitions and natural goodness. It's another part that he's been essentially trapped, used, had his being crushed down, and more, and he's more than a little bitter and antsy about it.
At the end of the day, he considers himself aligned with none of these groups and typically openly hates them all. Fae bound weapons, and maybe even some fae, will get a little more respect but not too much as he prefers to keep his species status vague. He's a lone wolf species at this point. He may still, at times, call himself a hunter however.
POWERS: Powers will be mostly modeled off canon's with plentiful nerfing as well as some additions for convenience.
I'd like for him to be able to summon and shape his sword at will, materializing either the big cleaver or the longer daitō in his hand.
I'd like him to keep some regeneration (healing) but make it only something he can perform when he's utilizing a daemonic form. For the daemonic form, this would be something he summons up when he needs a boost, either to fight or because he's been injured badly enough. Gonna go the painful transformation route because that's always fun and inhibit some of his ability to think clearly and communicate. The form will likely be a trimmed down mish-mash of his two forms in canon, pulling in some aspects of his later mask and the tail because tails are cool. He'll have the ability to sense and eat souls but I don't intend to have him ever successfully pull this off (which is true to canon).
He'll have some enhanced speed and definite strength and endurance but not nearly the stupid levels of canon.
Although he's part fae and daemon, I want him to be absolutely and totally unable to make even the flimsiest contract or spell. The most glamor he can pull off is willing a simplified version of mask back on at times and covering the hole at his center, but never both at the same time. He just sucks. Thanks, human genes.
Finally, he can also see ghosts. Or course.
HOUSING: Lumiere, preferably floor three.
RP SAMPLE
A Sample may be any of the following:
► A group of threads totaling 10 comments in the TDM between at least two characters, with each thread having at least 3 comments from your character: https://moonmoonacademy.dreamwidth.org/8311.html?thread=2150263#cmt2150263 https://moonmoonacademy.dreamwidth.org/8311.html?thread=2150519#cmt2150519
► Answers for at least 10 of the sample questions:
INTERVIEW SAMPLE PROMPT
(The following scenario is available to all characters who are apping in and is considered canon - before formal admittance into Daybreak Academy the administrative staff will give a series of questions and prompts to get a better feel for the character. Respond to the prompts in-character. Characters may lie, mark if they do with the word "lie" in parenthesis after the question answer.)
1. WHAT DO YOU MOST DESIRE FOR YOUR EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE?
Challenge me.
2. WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO ACHIEVE IN THE FUTURE?
Successful isolation from idiots.
3. DESCRIBE YOUR IDEA OF AN IDEAL SCHOOL EXPERIENCE.
Nobody bothers me, I actually learn something, and nobody bothers me.
4. WHAT IS ESSENTIAL FOR A SCHOOL TO OFFER TO ITS STUDENTS?
An actual education?
5. WHAT DO YOU FEEL MOST LIMITS YOU FROM ACHIEVING YOUR TRUE POTENTIAL?
Other people.
6. WHAT COURSE WORK EXCITES YOU? WHY?
English literature. I like to read. Shocking, I know.
7. WHAT COURSE WORK DO YOU DETEST MOST? WHY?
Group activities.
8. WHAT ACTIVITIES DO YOU PARTICIPATE IN OUTSIDE YOUR EDUCATION?
I hunt hollows. Some generic daemons and undead but mostly hollows. You're welcome.
9. WHEN GIVEN FREE TIME, WHAT DO YOU DO WITH IT?
Whatever the hell I want.
10. WHEN UNDER PRESSURE OF A TIGHT DEADLINE, HOW DO YOU RESPOND?
With gusto.
11. WHAT DO YOU EXPECT FROM YOUR PEERS?
To stay out of my way.
12. WHEN WORKING IN A GROUP, HOW DO YOU ORGANIZE TO ACHIEVE YOUR ULTIMATE GOAL?
Previously with fusion, threats, or hostile takeover. Whatever gets the job done.
13. DO YOU FEEL YOU CAN RELY ON YOUR PEERS, OR DO YOU FEEL YOU MUST EXCEL ON YOUR OWN?
I feel I must excel with my own ability if "peers" I'm stuck with even want to survive, how's that?
14. IN THIS EVER-CHANGING WORLD, WHAT MOST EXCITES YOU ABOUT THE FUTURE?
Freedom.
15. WHAT ABOUT THE FUTURE DO YOU FEAR THE MOST?
More stupid questions.
[This is a lie. Somewhat.]
16. WHAT MEMORIES DO YOU HOPE TO HOLD AT THE END OF YOUR JOURNEY?
What the hell does this even mean? You guys going to grant me three wishes or something? Are you intending to arrange a group singing of kumbaya?
I want to remember that I beat every asshole responsible for this nightfall thing and many others along the way. There.
17. WHAT IN THE FUTURE DO YOU MOST LOOK FORWARD TO?
Isn't this the same question as number fourteen?
Not having to answer stupid questions, that would be ideal. Tragically unlikely though.