Post by cmd1095 on May 15, 2023 19:00:57 GMT
Name: Itasha Hankyu
Gender: Male
Race: Quincy
Canon/OC: OC
Visual Appearance:
Physical Description: Itasha is the opposite of what you'd expect a Quincy to be in almost every possible way. He rejects almost every single traditional value of the Holy See with his every aesthetic choice. His hair is dyed jet-black despite his family's long history of golden hair, he wears black eyeliner, tattoed his forehead, and has multiple ear piercings. He's also better-built than you might expect a quincy to be, having a muscular body despite his race's lack of a need for raw physical prowess when they're so focused on ranged combat. Despite his overall aesthetic being counter-culture, he maintains it meticulously. While others might see it as sloppy or unkempt, everything is very deliberate when you look closer.
Clothing/Misc. Items: Itasha goes all in on the punk/rock aesthetic. He wears black shirts that expose his shoulders paired with seperate pieces of cloth that cover his arms, leaving only his shoulders and armpits exposed (at least in the warmer months, he concedes and wears normal long sleeved shirts in winter since he hates being cold), leather pants, and accesories on his ears. He also frequently sports a high-tech looking gas mask, and a baggy black jacket with a red intereor and seams, adorned with a lot of leather buckles and even more pockets, worn loosely. He also wears his quincy cross on a necklace, hung upside down so that it appears like an anti-cross, even if it technically isn't.
Sexuality: Heterosexual (though he's joked he might swing the other way just because it would run counter to the religious tradition)
Goals: Self-expression, growing stronger, eliminating hollows.
General Personality: Itasha is a complex man, but outwardly he doesn't show it as much as one might think. He is fiercely independent and strong-willed, completely rejecting the traditional religious values and traditions of the Quincy based almost entirely on the principle that he refuses to let them decide how he should live his life. He dove headfirst into the punk and counter-culture scene, and shaped his public identity around it. He listens to rock music, acts like a delinquent, and has gone all in on the goth rebel aesthetic with his appearance. Anyone with only a surface level understanding of his mentality would think he's just some rebelious teenager going through a phase. Those people would be shocked to learn he holds such an esteemed rank as Apostle in the Holy See, even if it IS the Apostle of Heresy. Heck, most people would be hard pressed to intuit he was a Quincy at all based on outward appearances, and he has occasionally tricked Fullbringers into thinking he was one of them by playing off his cross as his fullbringer object, and nobody was the wiser because he is so anithetical to the Quincy traditions.
Underneath the surface though, Itasha does take pride in his Quincy nature, and has a strong set of moral values and ideological beliefs. His counter-culture aesthetic is how he manifest this pride. He feels the religious doctrine and conformist tendencies of the Holy See are damaging to the Quincy, feels they are more than just some order of zealots or marginalized humans who need to follow some holy figure just to stay unified and survive. He firmly believes that his kind's strict adherence to tradition and religion stifles their potential, keeps them from growing and adapting with the times, and above all makes them far more akin to the Gotei 13 they so despise than any of them would ever admit. In his eyes, if the Quincy weren't so stubbornly set in their ways, they wouldn't have clashed with the Gotei's own stubborn traditions so harshly. History told by his people tells a pretty black and white tale, how the Gotei slaughtered them just for killing hollows, but he heard the other side of things too. The genocide of his people followed diplomatic talks breaking down, their extermination of hollows was causing an imbalance in the social structure the Gotei existed to maintain, and their refusal to compromise made conflict inevitable.
Thus, the Quincy's current situation could be fairly blamed on their traditions and stubborness just as much as the barbarism of the Gotei. It's not that he condones what the Gotei did, or that he is ready to forgive the shinigami for genocide... just that he realizes the conflict was inevitable because both sides are stifled by tradition.
Thus, Itasha manifests his pride and ideals through a thorough rejection of the evils of stagnation and conformity. In his younger years, this rejection was more akin to the troubled teenage angst people assume it to be based on now, but after the consequences of his rebellion without principles hit home, he refined it into a proper ideology. This ideology makes him still loyal to the Holy See... in a sense. He will not abandon his people, nor will he forgive the shinigami for the genocide, but he will also fight tooth and nail to change the Holy See and its traditions to allow his people to thrive as they should.
At his core, Itasha is independent, prideful, rebelious, and devoted. He is also kind, wiser than he appears, and empathetic in a way most don't expect from the hyper-religious zealots of the Holy See.
History: Itasha was born to a long family line of Quincy, the Hankyu family. They were one of the oldest surviving families of Quincy, well-respected and affluent within the remnants of their society and the Holy See. Their trademark golden hair and powerful warriors who were the masters of traditional Quincy arts made them almost like nobility, and that came with a lot of expectations for Itasha before he was even brought into the world.
From the very first moments he could remember, he was being groomed as the heir to the family legacy. Taught the traditions of his people, trained in the traditional arts of archery, indoctrinated into the religious teachings of the Holy See... he was expected to be the next figurehead of his family line, a carbon copy of his father, and his grandfather, and great grandfather... and so on. And for a time, he didn't even question this. He was proud of his heritage after all, the rich culture and techniques preserved by his people in spite of their near anhilation at the hands of the shinigami. He was proud of his family's status and prestige, and proud of his own achievements as his natural talents manifested.
As he aged though, his natural intelligence and curiosity led him to asking questions that the Holy See didn't exactly approve of. He questioned everything, why traditions were the way they were, why techniques weren't adapted and improved upon as times changed, and most crucially, why had the shinigami slaughtered the Quincy so ruthlessly? To hear the Holy See's version, shinigami were heartless monsters, evil to the core, cold-blooded murderers... and most people accepted that. But Itasha wasn't convinced, if the shinigami were so evil, and the true arbiters of justice and protectors of humanity were the Quincy... who was keeping the hollows in check now that they were in hiding? Sure, his family was large enough to watch over the small community their estate was in, and they did occasionally execute hollows... but they didn't actively keep the peace and protect the regular humans for fear of discovery.
Itasha investigated this on his own when his teachers and family refused to give a satisfactory answer, and he observed the local shinigami who watched over his hometown. This shinigami was an old man, far too old to guard a bigger town. Spending his golden years out in this small locale where hollow activity was sparse both due to the lower population and the local Quincy prescense, though the shinigami was only aware of the first reason.
Itasha watched this old man, diligently watching over the town, and risking his life against hollows despite being old and rather weak. He didn't SEEM like a monster... heck... he seemed nicer than some of the Quincy he'd met so far. Over time, his observations drew him closer and closer, until he eventually approached the shinigami and engaged him in conversation. The old shinigami was happy to have someone to talk to, thinking Itasha to be just a spiritually sensitive human, and the two forged a sort of friendship. Itasha learned a lot from the man about the Gotei, the Soul Society, and worldviews outside of the religious black and white depiction of reality he'd been raised to accept.
Years passed, and while Itasha grew closer to the shinigami, he never got to ask about the topics he most wanted answers about. The Quincy genocide, the reason for it, and the motivations of both sides in that war. He couldn't ask those things without revealing his heritage, and he was too scared that he might lose his one true link to the world outside of his stifling family hierarchy.
This changed one day when, for some unknown reason, a massive influx of hollow activity struck his town. Something big was going on in a major city, and even out here the hollows were agitated and rampaging. The old shinigami was forced to fight against numerous hollows at once while Itasha watched, wracked with indecision. The shinigami was outmatched, he was going to die... but if Itasha intervened then...
As the shinigami was about to be struck down, Itasha acted on instinct, summoning his bow and blasing away the hollows, saving the shinigami's life, but revealing his identity in the process. To his surprise though, the shinigami did not turn on him. Grateful for his rescue, Itasha finally got his answers about the Quincy genocide and what led to it, hearing the Gotei's side of things. However, at the end of the conversation, his shinigami friend informed him that they could not meet again.
"I will have to report this to my superiors, an incident like this, with a weakling like me... they will undoubtedly investigate why I survived" the man said "when they do, they will undoubtedly find you and your family here... and kill you all... so in the end, only one of us can survive this day my friend... I am old... I've lived a long enough life to be satisfied dying here. So shoot me young Itasha, kill me so you may live."
Itasha was, understandably, not on board with this plan, but when he refused, the shinigami took his zanpakto and commited seppuku, killing himself for the young boy. As the man's body faded, he left behind only an earing, a token to remember him by... not that Itasha could wear it, his family was firmly against piercings. He took it anyway, vowing to remember this sacrifice as he walked home with a heavy heart.
This turned the narrative of the Quincy genocide on its head. The shinigami weren't evil, flawed, but not evil. The Quincy were flawed too, their stubborness and traditions had led to the conflict... but if they could change then maybe there could be progress and the restoration of the Quincy. It was with this in mind that he made his way home, only to be struck with the consequences of his sneaking out to meet with his shinigami friend.
He hadn't realized it, but the surge in hollow activity had put more than just the shinigami in danger. His home had been assaulted by them as well. His family estate had plenty of Quincy on the premesis, but most of them were too young or too old to be effective combatants. The only ones who were in prime condition were his parents and some of the servants, and with the amount of weaker quincy they needed to pick up the slack for, combined with the fact that their high resihi concentrations attracted far more hollows than what the shinigami had been facing... the end result was inevitable.
Itasha walked through the ransacked manor in a daze, all around him were bodies, eviserated by claw or by fang, burned by cero, wasted away by foul poisons and broken by oversized punches and kicks. Part of him knew that it didn't really matter that he hadn't been there to fight alongside them all, he was talented and far ahead of most Quincy his age, but he was still too young and inexperienced to have made a real difference. Yet the guilt plagued him, everyone was dead, and he'd been off talking with a shinigami of all things... more nuanced view on the genocide or not, it was possibly one of the worst things he could've been doing instead of fighting alongside them.
The worst gut punch came when he found his parent's bodies. They had fought their way to his room, thinking he was there fighting the hollows, they'd been coming to protect him with all their might... and he hadn't been there. They'd died... confusion and worry on their faces as they fought a desperate battle alone, not knowing where their son was, or if he was even alive... It was devastating, Itasha's selfish inquiries and fraternization with the Quincy's sworn enemy had resulted in the miserable deaths of his loved ones... and while he didn't regret obtaining the knowledge itself... his methods were inexcusible.
The time that followed was a blur for Itasha, full of deep reflection on his actions, his ideals, and the knowledge he'd gained about the ancient war with the shinigami. He was taken in by another Quincy household in Karakura Town, raised and trained there for a few years. He doesn't remember much about that time of his life now, so shell-shocked by what had transpired and mostly going through the motions as he sorted out his feelings.
At around age 16, he'd come up with his new outlook on life. He'd drifted there gradually, as his feelings settled into place one by one, he'd adopted his punk aesthetic, began breaking from tradition during his training more and more, and frequently challenged the traditional beliefs of his foster family. He got piercings, starting to wear the earring from his shinigami friend as a reminder of the truths he had learned, as well as one that had been made out of silver from a necklace his mother had used to wear, as a reminder of the price he had paid to do so. He tattooed a line across his forehead, with smaller vertical lines to make crosses, representing the forbidden knowledge he'd sought out, and so on.
Predictably, the reception to his new attitude and attire was disapproving, but he had accepted that. He was going to be his own Quincy, not ruled by stubborn tradition and restrictions, and while he would still honor his heritage and duty to his people, he would do it in his own way, on his own terms.
Itasha continued on this path for many years, learning both Quincy skills and those considered taboo or unorthodox. His people insisted on using bows, but technology had changed, projectile weapons had evolved to guns which could fire faster and with more power. So he learned to manifest his bow as a gun instead. And they were preparing to fight shinigami, foes who used swords and close range attacks... so why were they not training for melee combat at all? He taught himself to use a sword to change that.
While the general opinion of Itasha's ideology and actions was profoundly negative, even dismissive, he proved time and time again that while his methods were abnormal, they were undeniably effective. He was strong, stronger than most Quincy could ever hope to be... he was hampered by the fact that his divergence from the tried and true techniques of his people meant he had to develop his skills with next to no guidance from experienced Quincy, but he was exceptional regardless.
Eventually, at age 22, Itasha's talents and methods were acknowledged by the Holy See, in a way. He was promoted to the rank of Apostle, and given the title and aspect of Heresy. It was simultaneously an acknowledgement of his skills and style, and a condemnation of them as heretical to the Quincy ways. He was a heretic, an outcast, but also one of their top warriors nonetheless. Itasha found it quite amusing, and accepted the title with grace, even thanking those who bestowed it on him for the unparalleled honor of being a heretic. That particular act of defiance earned him few allies in the Holy See, but they sure as heck talked about it for a long while afterwards.
Over the following 3 years, Itasha continued his training, now incorporating his Aspect into his skillset, it was a useful ability, one that would adapt and grow with him over time, but it took a lot of practice, being not as inherrently powerful as the Saints or possibly even some of the other Apostles.
Now 25, with the recent events stirring up no end of trouble and tensions running high, Itasha continues his endeavors to uphold both his pride and duty, and his progressive worldview, all for the betterment of the Quincy.
Faction: The Holy See
Rank: Apsotle of Heresy
Physical Abilities:
Hierenkyaku Expert - Itasha's speed is one of his strong suits, while he is not as helpless in close combat as many quincy, he is aware that his melee capabilities are lower than a shinigami of similar power and skill, so he has trained his speed to ensure he can keep pace and retreat if he feels overwhelmed in melee combat.
Above-average Swordplay - Knowing that shinigami use primarily swords and close range attacks, Itasha trained himself in the ways of the sword despite it being frowned upon by the traditionalist Quincy. He is fairly skilled with swords, but since he still views it as a supplementary skill rather than his core focus, it lacks the same level of polish a true swordsman might posess
Master marksman - anti-traditional combat methods aside, Itasha is still a quincy, and is a master of ranged combat. Having trained in the bow since birth, and later applying those skills to the guns he adopted, he is arguably one of the most skilled marksman among the Quincy, having achieved expert status in a multitude of weapons, and applying the nuances of each to his overall technique to achieve a depth of mastery that exceeds most.
Enhahnced physical prowess - in line with his preparations to deal with close-range enemies, Itasha's physical strength and endurance are above average for Quincy.
Blut Expert - hailing from a long line of Echt Quincy, Itasha naturally possesses the Blut ability. It is also one of the few traditiona abilities he has fully embraced and mastered without subversion. However he has yet to achieve the same level of mastery as the strongest of Quincy, due mostly to his struggling with using Blut Arterie to enhance his physical attacks, only really focusing his training on applying it to his weapons and projectiles. His Blut Vene is impressive however, making him quite durable
Blut Vene Anhaben - Itasha has yet to master this particular ability, having not been taught it by another Quincy, but rather stumbling across the basics of it through experimentation relatively recently. His version of the ability is smaller scale than the mastered version, instead of creating a full sphere around himself, he can only project it in the form of a barrier, he typically uses this to form a makeshift shield when using his sword. With proper training, he may develop this ability into its proper form.
Ransotengai - Itasha learned Ransotengai despite it being a technique designed primarily for older Quincy whose bodies were degrading. Recognizing its utility as an anti-paralysis technique, and its ability to keep him in the fight even after recieving crippling damage, Itasha learned the technique to compliment his strong willpower.
Aspect of the Heretic - Itasha's holy aspect was given to him as a mixture of an acknowlegement of his skill, and an insult to his ideology. As such, it functions slightly differently than most. Rather than directly giving him an ability bestowed upon him by the Holy See, it instead grants him the ability to adopt the "heretical powers" of the natural enemies of Quincy, the Hollows. When Itasha slays a hollow with his sword, he can absorb an aspect of their powers using his power, then manifest it himself using the Aspect of Heresy. The exact means by which he manifests the power depends largely on the stolen power itself, but typically he forms a shadowy construct of a hollow's body part responsible for the ability on his own body, then replicates the ability using that body part.
Additionally, not all hollows confer a new special ability upon absorption by the sword. Weak hollows without unique abilities or personalities lack the individuality neccesary for him to absorb and manifest aspects of their power. They simply lose all form and function in the process, instead conferring a minute boost to the strength of his cero that is almost unnoticable. Only hollows strong enough to form a distinct personality and develop individualized powers can add to his arsenal in this way. (I.E. named hollows of menos grande level, abilities to be pre-approved by mods)
Itasha can currenly only manifest two body parts at once without compromising their integrity. In a pinch he can attempt to briefly use a third, however this often results in one or more constuct breaking down or functioning incorrectly. Itasha can also meld certain powers together to create improved versions, but these require his full concentraion and only one can be manifested at a time, as he is essentially manifesting two at once anyway.
Currently acquired powers
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Cero - mimicked by forming either a claw on his hands, or a fanged mouth. Otherwise functions as a generic cero
Cero Negacion - Mimicked in a similar manner to cero, this technique counters other ceros by firing Itahsa's own into it, mixing the energies and using his own energy within it to disperse the incoming cero.
Scorpio's Tail - Manifests a scorpion tail with armor plating, tail is fully prehensile and serves as an extra limb. The poison injected by the stinger is not fatal, but rather disrupts natural reiatsu flow in the body, suppressing spiritual techniques in the victims, stronger targets can force the techniques through, but at greatly increased stamina costs and reduced power output
Hunter's Gaze - Manifests as eyes, enhances Itasha's eyesight by granting him thermal vision and X-ray vision.
Dark Miasma - manifests as holes in Itasha's forearms or shoulders, emits a noxious black gas cloud that is incredibly poisonous inducing hallucinations dizziness, and in higher doses internal bleeding. Itasha is notably NOT immune to his own gas, and wears a gas mask that filters it out for him.
Hydra - Manifests as three black tentacles with jaws at the end. The tentacles are fast and muscular, but relatively easy to sever. When severed, a tentacle will split into two new tentacles. The hollow this was taken from could do this infinitely, but Itasha himself caps at 8, 6 if he is melding another manifestation into the tentacles. When hitting the cap, a severed tentacle will replace itself and try to form an additional tentacle, but it will quickly dissolve.
Chitinous Hide - manifests as an exoskeleton similar to that of an insect (reminiscent of a roach in appearance), serves as armor that can be further enhanced with blut vene
Stormcaller - manifests as horns, generates electicity that sparks between the horns periodically and can send it out as an attack
Claws - manifests as claws, can optionally form an enlarged arm to go with the claw, providing increased reach and striking force.
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Quincy Spells:
Sprenger - This technique uses five Seele Schneiders to create a pentagon-shaped seal which, when activated, causes a massive explosion within its borders. One of the few traditional Quincy techniques Itasha actually likes, as it compliments his other trap and explosive spells
Sprengen Schale - using a Ginto, Itasha either fires it as a bullet from his gun, or throws it manually. The ginto explodes on impact, or on a timed detonation.
Fallenbombe - similar to Sprengen Schale, this converts a Ginto into an explosive device, however this version takes longer to cast. While the former technique can be used essentially on demand, this requires a chant. "Light of ruin and ash, in name of justice and renewal I call thee, imbue this hollow vessel with thy power that I may ensnare the wicked." Upon completion, the ginto becomes a much stronger explosive which can be detonated with a mental command, or set to go off under specific parameters.
Aschfahles Urteil - A large scale spell requiring significant setup, designed more for larger military conflicts than personal combat. Itasha must place specially prepared ginto in a 5 point array around himself, within view of the area he wishes to target. These ginto are larger than most, and take weeks to fill in the living world, though in spiritually rich dimensions like the soul society or hueco mundo this can be shortened to a few days. Once all five special Ginto are in place, Itasha must sit and focus his reishi manipulation to draw upon the energy for several minutes, during which he cannot move from his position, and can only rely on allies or blut vene for defense. When the energy is fully channeled, the following incantation is recited
[spoil]Fall upon the land, flames.
Negate the covenant of flesh
Seething corruption defiles heaven's light
Cleanse by wrath, consecrate by ash
This aggregation of sin shall crumble in thunder and upheaval
As agent of the divine, arbiter of retribution
I so cast my verdict
Ashfahles Urteil [/spoil]
Upon completion, the targeted area is bombarded by orbs of exploding light falling from the sky for 5 minutes. This attack is indiscriminate, however the orbs are made of reishi, and can be redirected by Quincy prior to detonation.
Granate betäuben - Itasha gathers a cluster of reishi that then explodes as pure light, pure sound, or a mixture of the two. It does no physical damage, but instead functions as a stun grenade. He doesn't neccesarily need a ginto for this unless setting one up as a trap.
Stolperdrähte A spell developed from the principles of ransotengai, it allows Itasha to create wires/ropes of reishi of varying strengths, lengths, and thicknesses. These can be affixed to just about anything, and used in just about any way one might use wire/rope/chains. Itasha typically uses these as tripwires for traps and alarms, ropes to tie up captives, or networks of thin wires that are deadly if collided with at high speed, making them excellent anti-shunpo/sonido traps. Itasha does not need ginto to use this spell, but using them can allow him to use it on larger scales more quickly by negating the reliance on reishi in the atmosphere around him.
Misc. Items:
Gas mask - apart from its aesthetic value, it filters out toxins and impurities in the air. Made from similar materials as other Quincy equipment, it is more durable than most masks of its kind. Itasha still keeps a spare in reserve just in case however.
Heretic's Jacket - Apart from its aesthetic design, Itasha's jacket serves a functional purpose. It was designed specifically with the intent of having a great number of pockets, and is woven using special threads infused with reishi, allowing the jacket's pockets to utilize a lesser version of the Quincy technique "Shadow," normally used as a dimensional teleportation technique, this allows the pockets to carry larger amounts of objects, usually ginto and his backup gas mask
Gintos - Due to Itasha using quite a lot of traps and the like that involve ginto, Itasha always carries a large number of them in his jacket.
Geweiht Ginto - larger, specially prepared Ginto used for the casting of Aschfahles Urteil. In the living world each one takes a week at minimum to fill, even in spiritually rich areas like Karakura town. In spiritual dimensions like Hueco Mundo and the Soul Society they still take a couple of days each. As such Itasha typically does not carry these on his person unless intending to go into a military engagement.
Seele Schnider (5) - While Itasha has a sword related to his Aspect, he carries 5 Selle Schnider for the purpose of using the Sprenger technique
Quincy Cross: (visual reference is in the appearance image above). A blood-red cross, worn upside down.
Helig Bogen: Itasha can manifest his Helig Bogen in several different forms, each with their own properties.
Ketzerschwert (Heretic's Sword) - This sword is directly tied to Itasha's Holy Aspect, while it has no particular properties other than being equivalently durable to a zanpakto as far as battle goes, its ability is triggered when Itasha slays a hollow using it, allowing him to absorb some portion of its power for his own use. This is the only weapon Itasha can form that possesses this ability, as his ranged weapons simply destroy their targets.
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Maskanone - A heavy duty machine gun style weapon that is Itasha's pride and joy. This weapon requires both hands to wield, but has a significantly higher rate of fire and shot power than typical Quincy bows.
It also sports the ability to do a proper Licht Regen, bombarding an area with reishi bullets. Optionally, Itasha can condense the firing cone to provide suppressing fire on a single target or small group of targets, this requires intense focus however, and is usually not done. Additionally Licht Regen can only be sustained for a certain length of time before the gun "overheats" and needs to "cool down." In actuality the gun itself is made of reishi and thus cannot technically overheat, however due to the enhanced rate of fire and the density and power of the bullets, it's Licht Regen reaches a point where it is shooting out reishi faster than Itasha can draw it in, and continuing to do so would cause the gun's entire structure to catastrophically collapse and explode.
The gun also sports a slot for a clip of ginto to be put in for use with the Sprengen Schale spell,
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Himmlischer Schlag - Itasha's most recently mastered gun, a sniper rifle. It condenses and much power as possible the reishi bullet to prevent it from disipating as it travels, giving it exceptional range and piercing power, at the cost of any semblance of firing speed. Itasha rarely brings this out in normal combat, as it is large and heavy despite being made of reishi, and slows him down considerably. It also takes several moments to actually summon, leaving him completely vulnerable in the process.
The gun also sports a slot for ginto insertion for use with Sprengen Schale, though Itasha rarely sees the need to do this considering the power of his shots without the use of the spell.
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RP Sample:
Gender: Male
Race: Quincy
Canon/OC: OC
Visual Appearance:
Physical Description: Itasha is the opposite of what you'd expect a Quincy to be in almost every possible way. He rejects almost every single traditional value of the Holy See with his every aesthetic choice. His hair is dyed jet-black despite his family's long history of golden hair, he wears black eyeliner, tattoed his forehead, and has multiple ear piercings. He's also better-built than you might expect a quincy to be, having a muscular body despite his race's lack of a need for raw physical prowess when they're so focused on ranged combat. Despite his overall aesthetic being counter-culture, he maintains it meticulously. While others might see it as sloppy or unkempt, everything is very deliberate when you look closer.
Clothing/Misc. Items: Itasha goes all in on the punk/rock aesthetic. He wears black shirts that expose his shoulders paired with seperate pieces of cloth that cover his arms, leaving only his shoulders and armpits exposed (at least in the warmer months, he concedes and wears normal long sleeved shirts in winter since he hates being cold), leather pants, and accesories on his ears. He also frequently sports a high-tech looking gas mask, and a baggy black jacket with a red intereor and seams, adorned with a lot of leather buckles and even more pockets, worn loosely. He also wears his quincy cross on a necklace, hung upside down so that it appears like an anti-cross, even if it technically isn't.
Sexuality: Heterosexual (though he's joked he might swing the other way just because it would run counter to the religious tradition)
Goals: Self-expression, growing stronger, eliminating hollows.
General Personality: Itasha is a complex man, but outwardly he doesn't show it as much as one might think. He is fiercely independent and strong-willed, completely rejecting the traditional religious values and traditions of the Quincy based almost entirely on the principle that he refuses to let them decide how he should live his life. He dove headfirst into the punk and counter-culture scene, and shaped his public identity around it. He listens to rock music, acts like a delinquent, and has gone all in on the goth rebel aesthetic with his appearance. Anyone with only a surface level understanding of his mentality would think he's just some rebelious teenager going through a phase. Those people would be shocked to learn he holds such an esteemed rank as Apostle in the Holy See, even if it IS the Apostle of Heresy. Heck, most people would be hard pressed to intuit he was a Quincy at all based on outward appearances, and he has occasionally tricked Fullbringers into thinking he was one of them by playing off his cross as his fullbringer object, and nobody was the wiser because he is so anithetical to the Quincy traditions.
Underneath the surface though, Itasha does take pride in his Quincy nature, and has a strong set of moral values and ideological beliefs. His counter-culture aesthetic is how he manifest this pride. He feels the religious doctrine and conformist tendencies of the Holy See are damaging to the Quincy, feels they are more than just some order of zealots or marginalized humans who need to follow some holy figure just to stay unified and survive. He firmly believes that his kind's strict adherence to tradition and religion stifles their potential, keeps them from growing and adapting with the times, and above all makes them far more akin to the Gotei 13 they so despise than any of them would ever admit. In his eyes, if the Quincy weren't so stubbornly set in their ways, they wouldn't have clashed with the Gotei's own stubborn traditions so harshly. History told by his people tells a pretty black and white tale, how the Gotei slaughtered them just for killing hollows, but he heard the other side of things too. The genocide of his people followed diplomatic talks breaking down, their extermination of hollows was causing an imbalance in the social structure the Gotei existed to maintain, and their refusal to compromise made conflict inevitable.
Thus, the Quincy's current situation could be fairly blamed on their traditions and stubborness just as much as the barbarism of the Gotei. It's not that he condones what the Gotei did, or that he is ready to forgive the shinigami for genocide... just that he realizes the conflict was inevitable because both sides are stifled by tradition.
Thus, Itasha manifests his pride and ideals through a thorough rejection of the evils of stagnation and conformity. In his younger years, this rejection was more akin to the troubled teenage angst people assume it to be based on now, but after the consequences of his rebellion without principles hit home, he refined it into a proper ideology. This ideology makes him still loyal to the Holy See... in a sense. He will not abandon his people, nor will he forgive the shinigami for the genocide, but he will also fight tooth and nail to change the Holy See and its traditions to allow his people to thrive as they should.
At his core, Itasha is independent, prideful, rebelious, and devoted. He is also kind, wiser than he appears, and empathetic in a way most don't expect from the hyper-religious zealots of the Holy See.
History: Itasha was born to a long family line of Quincy, the Hankyu family. They were one of the oldest surviving families of Quincy, well-respected and affluent within the remnants of their society and the Holy See. Their trademark golden hair and powerful warriors who were the masters of traditional Quincy arts made them almost like nobility, and that came with a lot of expectations for Itasha before he was even brought into the world.
From the very first moments he could remember, he was being groomed as the heir to the family legacy. Taught the traditions of his people, trained in the traditional arts of archery, indoctrinated into the religious teachings of the Holy See... he was expected to be the next figurehead of his family line, a carbon copy of his father, and his grandfather, and great grandfather... and so on. And for a time, he didn't even question this. He was proud of his heritage after all, the rich culture and techniques preserved by his people in spite of their near anhilation at the hands of the shinigami. He was proud of his family's status and prestige, and proud of his own achievements as his natural talents manifested.
As he aged though, his natural intelligence and curiosity led him to asking questions that the Holy See didn't exactly approve of. He questioned everything, why traditions were the way they were, why techniques weren't adapted and improved upon as times changed, and most crucially, why had the shinigami slaughtered the Quincy so ruthlessly? To hear the Holy See's version, shinigami were heartless monsters, evil to the core, cold-blooded murderers... and most people accepted that. But Itasha wasn't convinced, if the shinigami were so evil, and the true arbiters of justice and protectors of humanity were the Quincy... who was keeping the hollows in check now that they were in hiding? Sure, his family was large enough to watch over the small community their estate was in, and they did occasionally execute hollows... but they didn't actively keep the peace and protect the regular humans for fear of discovery.
Itasha investigated this on his own when his teachers and family refused to give a satisfactory answer, and he observed the local shinigami who watched over his hometown. This shinigami was an old man, far too old to guard a bigger town. Spending his golden years out in this small locale where hollow activity was sparse both due to the lower population and the local Quincy prescense, though the shinigami was only aware of the first reason.
Itasha watched this old man, diligently watching over the town, and risking his life against hollows despite being old and rather weak. He didn't SEEM like a monster... heck... he seemed nicer than some of the Quincy he'd met so far. Over time, his observations drew him closer and closer, until he eventually approached the shinigami and engaged him in conversation. The old shinigami was happy to have someone to talk to, thinking Itasha to be just a spiritually sensitive human, and the two forged a sort of friendship. Itasha learned a lot from the man about the Gotei, the Soul Society, and worldviews outside of the religious black and white depiction of reality he'd been raised to accept.
Years passed, and while Itasha grew closer to the shinigami, he never got to ask about the topics he most wanted answers about. The Quincy genocide, the reason for it, and the motivations of both sides in that war. He couldn't ask those things without revealing his heritage, and he was too scared that he might lose his one true link to the world outside of his stifling family hierarchy.
This changed one day when, for some unknown reason, a massive influx of hollow activity struck his town. Something big was going on in a major city, and even out here the hollows were agitated and rampaging. The old shinigami was forced to fight against numerous hollows at once while Itasha watched, wracked with indecision. The shinigami was outmatched, he was going to die... but if Itasha intervened then...
As the shinigami was about to be struck down, Itasha acted on instinct, summoning his bow and blasing away the hollows, saving the shinigami's life, but revealing his identity in the process. To his surprise though, the shinigami did not turn on him. Grateful for his rescue, Itasha finally got his answers about the Quincy genocide and what led to it, hearing the Gotei's side of things. However, at the end of the conversation, his shinigami friend informed him that they could not meet again.
"I will have to report this to my superiors, an incident like this, with a weakling like me... they will undoubtedly investigate why I survived" the man said "when they do, they will undoubtedly find you and your family here... and kill you all... so in the end, only one of us can survive this day my friend... I am old... I've lived a long enough life to be satisfied dying here. So shoot me young Itasha, kill me so you may live."
Itasha was, understandably, not on board with this plan, but when he refused, the shinigami took his zanpakto and commited seppuku, killing himself for the young boy. As the man's body faded, he left behind only an earing, a token to remember him by... not that Itasha could wear it, his family was firmly against piercings. He took it anyway, vowing to remember this sacrifice as he walked home with a heavy heart.
This turned the narrative of the Quincy genocide on its head. The shinigami weren't evil, flawed, but not evil. The Quincy were flawed too, their stubborness and traditions had led to the conflict... but if they could change then maybe there could be progress and the restoration of the Quincy. It was with this in mind that he made his way home, only to be struck with the consequences of his sneaking out to meet with his shinigami friend.
He hadn't realized it, but the surge in hollow activity had put more than just the shinigami in danger. His home had been assaulted by them as well. His family estate had plenty of Quincy on the premesis, but most of them were too young or too old to be effective combatants. The only ones who were in prime condition were his parents and some of the servants, and with the amount of weaker quincy they needed to pick up the slack for, combined with the fact that their high resihi concentrations attracted far more hollows than what the shinigami had been facing... the end result was inevitable.
Itasha walked through the ransacked manor in a daze, all around him were bodies, eviserated by claw or by fang, burned by cero, wasted away by foul poisons and broken by oversized punches and kicks. Part of him knew that it didn't really matter that he hadn't been there to fight alongside them all, he was talented and far ahead of most Quincy his age, but he was still too young and inexperienced to have made a real difference. Yet the guilt plagued him, everyone was dead, and he'd been off talking with a shinigami of all things... more nuanced view on the genocide or not, it was possibly one of the worst things he could've been doing instead of fighting alongside them.
The worst gut punch came when he found his parent's bodies. They had fought their way to his room, thinking he was there fighting the hollows, they'd been coming to protect him with all their might... and he hadn't been there. They'd died... confusion and worry on their faces as they fought a desperate battle alone, not knowing where their son was, or if he was even alive... It was devastating, Itasha's selfish inquiries and fraternization with the Quincy's sworn enemy had resulted in the miserable deaths of his loved ones... and while he didn't regret obtaining the knowledge itself... his methods were inexcusible.
The time that followed was a blur for Itasha, full of deep reflection on his actions, his ideals, and the knowledge he'd gained about the ancient war with the shinigami. He was taken in by another Quincy household in Karakura Town, raised and trained there for a few years. He doesn't remember much about that time of his life now, so shell-shocked by what had transpired and mostly going through the motions as he sorted out his feelings.
At around age 16, he'd come up with his new outlook on life. He'd drifted there gradually, as his feelings settled into place one by one, he'd adopted his punk aesthetic, began breaking from tradition during his training more and more, and frequently challenged the traditional beliefs of his foster family. He got piercings, starting to wear the earring from his shinigami friend as a reminder of the truths he had learned, as well as one that had been made out of silver from a necklace his mother had used to wear, as a reminder of the price he had paid to do so. He tattooed a line across his forehead, with smaller vertical lines to make crosses, representing the forbidden knowledge he'd sought out, and so on.
Predictably, the reception to his new attitude and attire was disapproving, but he had accepted that. He was going to be his own Quincy, not ruled by stubborn tradition and restrictions, and while he would still honor his heritage and duty to his people, he would do it in his own way, on his own terms.
Itasha continued on this path for many years, learning both Quincy skills and those considered taboo or unorthodox. His people insisted on using bows, but technology had changed, projectile weapons had evolved to guns which could fire faster and with more power. So he learned to manifest his bow as a gun instead. And they were preparing to fight shinigami, foes who used swords and close range attacks... so why were they not training for melee combat at all? He taught himself to use a sword to change that.
While the general opinion of Itasha's ideology and actions was profoundly negative, even dismissive, he proved time and time again that while his methods were abnormal, they were undeniably effective. He was strong, stronger than most Quincy could ever hope to be... he was hampered by the fact that his divergence from the tried and true techniques of his people meant he had to develop his skills with next to no guidance from experienced Quincy, but he was exceptional regardless.
Eventually, at age 22, Itasha's talents and methods were acknowledged by the Holy See, in a way. He was promoted to the rank of Apostle, and given the title and aspect of Heresy. It was simultaneously an acknowledgement of his skills and style, and a condemnation of them as heretical to the Quincy ways. He was a heretic, an outcast, but also one of their top warriors nonetheless. Itasha found it quite amusing, and accepted the title with grace, even thanking those who bestowed it on him for the unparalleled honor of being a heretic. That particular act of defiance earned him few allies in the Holy See, but they sure as heck talked about it for a long while afterwards.
Over the following 3 years, Itasha continued his training, now incorporating his Aspect into his skillset, it was a useful ability, one that would adapt and grow with him over time, but it took a lot of practice, being not as inherrently powerful as the Saints or possibly even some of the other Apostles.
Now 25, with the recent events stirring up no end of trouble and tensions running high, Itasha continues his endeavors to uphold both his pride and duty, and his progressive worldview, all for the betterment of the Quincy.
Faction: The Holy See
Rank: Apsotle of Heresy
Physical Abilities:
Hierenkyaku Expert - Itasha's speed is one of his strong suits, while he is not as helpless in close combat as many quincy, he is aware that his melee capabilities are lower than a shinigami of similar power and skill, so he has trained his speed to ensure he can keep pace and retreat if he feels overwhelmed in melee combat.
Above-average Swordplay - Knowing that shinigami use primarily swords and close range attacks, Itasha trained himself in the ways of the sword despite it being frowned upon by the traditionalist Quincy. He is fairly skilled with swords, but since he still views it as a supplementary skill rather than his core focus, it lacks the same level of polish a true swordsman might posess
Master marksman - anti-traditional combat methods aside, Itasha is still a quincy, and is a master of ranged combat. Having trained in the bow since birth, and later applying those skills to the guns he adopted, he is arguably one of the most skilled marksman among the Quincy, having achieved expert status in a multitude of weapons, and applying the nuances of each to his overall technique to achieve a depth of mastery that exceeds most.
Enhahnced physical prowess - in line with his preparations to deal with close-range enemies, Itasha's physical strength and endurance are above average for Quincy.
Blut Expert - hailing from a long line of Echt Quincy, Itasha naturally possesses the Blut ability. It is also one of the few traditiona abilities he has fully embraced and mastered without subversion. However he has yet to achieve the same level of mastery as the strongest of Quincy, due mostly to his struggling with using Blut Arterie to enhance his physical attacks, only really focusing his training on applying it to his weapons and projectiles. His Blut Vene is impressive however, making him quite durable
Blut Vene Anhaben - Itasha has yet to master this particular ability, having not been taught it by another Quincy, but rather stumbling across the basics of it through experimentation relatively recently. His version of the ability is smaller scale than the mastered version, instead of creating a full sphere around himself, he can only project it in the form of a barrier, he typically uses this to form a makeshift shield when using his sword. With proper training, he may develop this ability into its proper form.
Ransotengai - Itasha learned Ransotengai despite it being a technique designed primarily for older Quincy whose bodies were degrading. Recognizing its utility as an anti-paralysis technique, and its ability to keep him in the fight even after recieving crippling damage, Itasha learned the technique to compliment his strong willpower.
Aspect of the Heretic - Itasha's holy aspect was given to him as a mixture of an acknowlegement of his skill, and an insult to his ideology. As such, it functions slightly differently than most. Rather than directly giving him an ability bestowed upon him by the Holy See, it instead grants him the ability to adopt the "heretical powers" of the natural enemies of Quincy, the Hollows. When Itasha slays a hollow with his sword, he can absorb an aspect of their powers using his power, then manifest it himself using the Aspect of Heresy. The exact means by which he manifests the power depends largely on the stolen power itself, but typically he forms a shadowy construct of a hollow's body part responsible for the ability on his own body, then replicates the ability using that body part.
Additionally, not all hollows confer a new special ability upon absorption by the sword. Weak hollows without unique abilities or personalities lack the individuality neccesary for him to absorb and manifest aspects of their power. They simply lose all form and function in the process, instead conferring a minute boost to the strength of his cero that is almost unnoticable. Only hollows strong enough to form a distinct personality and develop individualized powers can add to his arsenal in this way. (I.E. named hollows of menos grande level, abilities to be pre-approved by mods)
Itasha can currenly only manifest two body parts at once without compromising their integrity. In a pinch he can attempt to briefly use a third, however this often results in one or more constuct breaking down or functioning incorrectly. Itasha can also meld certain powers together to create improved versions, but these require his full concentraion and only one can be manifested at a time, as he is essentially manifesting two at once anyway.
Currently acquired powers
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Cero - mimicked by forming either a claw on his hands, or a fanged mouth. Otherwise functions as a generic cero
Cero Negacion - Mimicked in a similar manner to cero, this technique counters other ceros by firing Itahsa's own into it, mixing the energies and using his own energy within it to disperse the incoming cero.
Scorpio's Tail - Manifests a scorpion tail with armor plating, tail is fully prehensile and serves as an extra limb. The poison injected by the stinger is not fatal, but rather disrupts natural reiatsu flow in the body, suppressing spiritual techniques in the victims, stronger targets can force the techniques through, but at greatly increased stamina costs and reduced power output
Hunter's Gaze - Manifests as eyes, enhances Itasha's eyesight by granting him thermal vision and X-ray vision.
Dark Miasma - manifests as holes in Itasha's forearms or shoulders, emits a noxious black gas cloud that is incredibly poisonous inducing hallucinations dizziness, and in higher doses internal bleeding. Itasha is notably NOT immune to his own gas, and wears a gas mask that filters it out for him.
Hydra - Manifests as three black tentacles with jaws at the end. The tentacles are fast and muscular, but relatively easy to sever. When severed, a tentacle will split into two new tentacles. The hollow this was taken from could do this infinitely, but Itasha himself caps at 8, 6 if he is melding another manifestation into the tentacles. When hitting the cap, a severed tentacle will replace itself and try to form an additional tentacle, but it will quickly dissolve.
Chitinous Hide - manifests as an exoskeleton similar to that of an insect (reminiscent of a roach in appearance), serves as armor that can be further enhanced with blut vene
Stormcaller - manifests as horns, generates electicity that sparks between the horns periodically and can send it out as an attack
Claws - manifests as claws, can optionally form an enlarged arm to go with the claw, providing increased reach and striking force.
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Quincy Spells:
Sprenger - This technique uses five Seele Schneiders to create a pentagon-shaped seal which, when activated, causes a massive explosion within its borders. One of the few traditional Quincy techniques Itasha actually likes, as it compliments his other trap and explosive spells
Sprengen Schale - using a Ginto, Itasha either fires it as a bullet from his gun, or throws it manually. The ginto explodes on impact, or on a timed detonation.
Fallenbombe - similar to Sprengen Schale, this converts a Ginto into an explosive device, however this version takes longer to cast. While the former technique can be used essentially on demand, this requires a chant. "Light of ruin and ash, in name of justice and renewal I call thee, imbue this hollow vessel with thy power that I may ensnare the wicked." Upon completion, the ginto becomes a much stronger explosive which can be detonated with a mental command, or set to go off under specific parameters.
Aschfahles Urteil - A large scale spell requiring significant setup, designed more for larger military conflicts than personal combat. Itasha must place specially prepared ginto in a 5 point array around himself, within view of the area he wishes to target. These ginto are larger than most, and take weeks to fill in the living world, though in spiritually rich dimensions like the soul society or hueco mundo this can be shortened to a few days. Once all five special Ginto are in place, Itasha must sit and focus his reishi manipulation to draw upon the energy for several minutes, during which he cannot move from his position, and can only rely on allies or blut vene for defense. When the energy is fully channeled, the following incantation is recited
[spoil]Fall upon the land, flames.
Negate the covenant of flesh
Seething corruption defiles heaven's light
Cleanse by wrath, consecrate by ash
This aggregation of sin shall crumble in thunder and upheaval
As agent of the divine, arbiter of retribution
I so cast my verdict
Ashfahles Urteil [/spoil]
Upon completion, the targeted area is bombarded by orbs of exploding light falling from the sky for 5 minutes. This attack is indiscriminate, however the orbs are made of reishi, and can be redirected by Quincy prior to detonation.
Granate betäuben - Itasha gathers a cluster of reishi that then explodes as pure light, pure sound, or a mixture of the two. It does no physical damage, but instead functions as a stun grenade. He doesn't neccesarily need a ginto for this unless setting one up as a trap.
Stolperdrähte A spell developed from the principles of ransotengai, it allows Itasha to create wires/ropes of reishi of varying strengths, lengths, and thicknesses. These can be affixed to just about anything, and used in just about any way one might use wire/rope/chains. Itasha typically uses these as tripwires for traps and alarms, ropes to tie up captives, or networks of thin wires that are deadly if collided with at high speed, making them excellent anti-shunpo/sonido traps. Itasha does not need ginto to use this spell, but using them can allow him to use it on larger scales more quickly by negating the reliance on reishi in the atmosphere around him.
Misc. Items:
Gas mask - apart from its aesthetic value, it filters out toxins and impurities in the air. Made from similar materials as other Quincy equipment, it is more durable than most masks of its kind. Itasha still keeps a spare in reserve just in case however.
Heretic's Jacket - Apart from its aesthetic design, Itasha's jacket serves a functional purpose. It was designed specifically with the intent of having a great number of pockets, and is woven using special threads infused with reishi, allowing the jacket's pockets to utilize a lesser version of the Quincy technique "Shadow," normally used as a dimensional teleportation technique, this allows the pockets to carry larger amounts of objects, usually ginto and his backup gas mask
Gintos - Due to Itasha using quite a lot of traps and the like that involve ginto, Itasha always carries a large number of them in his jacket.
Geweiht Ginto - larger, specially prepared Ginto used for the casting of Aschfahles Urteil. In the living world each one takes a week at minimum to fill, even in spiritually rich areas like Karakura town. In spiritual dimensions like Hueco Mundo and the Soul Society they still take a couple of days each. As such Itasha typically does not carry these on his person unless intending to go into a military engagement.
Seele Schnider (5) - While Itasha has a sword related to his Aspect, he carries 5 Selle Schnider for the purpose of using the Sprenger technique
Quincy Cross: (visual reference is in the appearance image above). A blood-red cross, worn upside down.
Helig Bogen: Itasha can manifest his Helig Bogen in several different forms, each with their own properties.
Ketzerschwert (Heretic's Sword) - This sword is directly tied to Itasha's Holy Aspect, while it has no particular properties other than being equivalently durable to a zanpakto as far as battle goes, its ability is triggered when Itasha slays a hollow using it, allowing him to absorb some portion of its power for his own use. This is the only weapon Itasha can form that possesses this ability, as his ranged weapons simply destroy their targets.
[spoil]
[/spoil]Maskanone - A heavy duty machine gun style weapon that is Itasha's pride and joy. This weapon requires both hands to wield, but has a significantly higher rate of fire and shot power than typical Quincy bows.
It also sports the ability to do a proper Licht Regen, bombarding an area with reishi bullets. Optionally, Itasha can condense the firing cone to provide suppressing fire on a single target or small group of targets, this requires intense focus however, and is usually not done. Additionally Licht Regen can only be sustained for a certain length of time before the gun "overheats" and needs to "cool down." In actuality the gun itself is made of reishi and thus cannot technically overheat, however due to the enhanced rate of fire and the density and power of the bullets, it's Licht Regen reaches a point where it is shooting out reishi faster than Itasha can draw it in, and continuing to do so would cause the gun's entire structure to catastrophically collapse and explode.
The gun also sports a slot for a clip of ginto to be put in for use with the Sprengen Schale spell,
[spoil]
[/spoil]Himmlischer Schlag - Itasha's most recently mastered gun, a sniper rifle. It condenses and much power as possible the reishi bullet to prevent it from disipating as it travels, giving it exceptional range and piercing power, at the cost of any semblance of firing speed. Itasha rarely brings this out in normal combat, as it is large and heavy despite being made of reishi, and slows him down considerably. It also takes several moments to actually summon, leaving him completely vulnerable in the process.
The gun also sports a slot for ginto insertion for use with Sprengen Schale, though Itasha rarely sees the need to do this considering the power of his shots without the use of the spell.
[spoil]
[/spoil]RP Sample:
