Siren's Pull Application
Player Information
Name: Toastbat
Age: 21
AIM SN: The Devil Ace / Hueco Blanqueado
email: twilightess (at) gmail.com
Have you played in an LJ based game before? Yes, many
Bonus: How did you hear about Siren's Pull? Friends! Also RPS and anon meme and things like that. Mostly friends.
Character Information
General
Canon Source: Bleach
Canon Format: Manga and Anime. For the most part, Shiro is the same in both.
Character's Name: Nameless. He's adopted the name "Shirosaki", a corruption of Ichigo's family name.
Character's Age: 17, mentally. Physically, he's only been around for two years.
Conditional: If your character is 13 years of age or under, please clarify how they will be played. Shiro was born, as it were, from the split soul of a 15 year old boy, spent one year in his soul and one year in the RP setting of Cape and Cowl. Basically he has a mature body and mind, though Ichigo would likely argue that last point until the cows come home.
What form will your character's NV take? It will be his comm from Cape and Cowl. It is a black phone with a pull-out full keyboard. It is decorated on the back with a skull sticker and has a cellphone charm in the shape of a black strawberry with white leaves and seeds.
Abilities
Character's Canon Abilities: Now in beautiful, glorious TL;DR!
Appearance Modification: Shiro is able to modify his appearance quite extensively, as shown by the list below;
•Skin Color: Ivory or Peach (Ichigo's skin tone)
•Hair Color: White or Orange
•Hair Length: Short and Spiky or Waist-length
•Claws, Fur Trim, Tail: Present or Absent
•Mask Style: Original (white with dark red/black stripes) or New (black with horns) or Combo Mask (same design as original, inverted colors)
Most, if not all, permutations are available. Changing his appearance rarely offers him different powers, and his appearance-shifting abilities are mostly just used for his own amusement.
Now, on to his other abilities:
Massive Spiritual Energy: Like his other, Shiro is in possession of a massive amount of spirit energy, which he uses in several different ways. First of all, he can force his power out in a way, producing a phenomenon known as "reiatsu" or "spiritual pressure". This pressure can be used to intimidate opponents or even blow them away. His spiritual energy can be turned into a sword, a white version of Ichigo's Zangetsu. Unlike Zangetsu, Shiro's sword does not possess a soul of it's own and is just a physical manifestation of Shiro's power. He can also shoot his energy as a blast using the Hollow technique called "Cero". A Hollow's Cero is one of his most powerful weapons and consists of a pure, dense blast of spiritual energy that makes a whining noise as it forms. Shiro's Cero is a bright, nuclear red in color. Shiro, like Ichigo, can also fire his energy in the form of crescent-shaped swaths, known as Getsuga Tenshou. He can enter a stronger mode known as "Bankai", which increases his speed, strength and changes the shape of his sword and the look of his clothing. Because of his Hollow nature, he can also heal his wounds, to an extent. Shallow wounds, burns and such will heal almost instantaneously while broken limbs and the like will heal much more slowly, though still faster than a human. He cannot regenerate limbs. In his shikai (base form), his Getsuga Tenshous are black energy with a red halo. In Bankai, the energy is white with a red halo.
Sonído: Also known as "Echo Step", this ability allows Shiro to move very quickly, seemingly teleporting short distances with a unique staticky sound. Similar to a Soul Reaper's Shunpo (Flash Steps). The range of Sonído is limited, but it's speed is not. Shiro can move so fast and use individual Echo Steps so quickly that he can leave afterimages to confuse his opponents. The afterimage ability works only and best in Bankai.
Full Hollow Form: Seen here, Shiro's full Hollow form is most similar to a lizard or a dragon. On two legs, he stands almost 10 feet tall, and on four legs he is about 5 feet at the shoulder. His tail alone is 6 feet long. In this form, he fits his role as the "Id" much better; he acts almost completely on instinct. He can barely speak and instead communicates with roars, growls, purrs and other such noises. His roars are loud and eerie; they sound like the violent roar of a beast mixed with the scream of a person in severe pain. His skin looks smooth all over, but as a matter of fact has three different textures; his ventral side is smooth unscaled hide and his dorsal side is made of pointed denticles not unlike those of a shark. Between the two kinds of scales are round, smooth scales similar to those of a snake or skink. When rubbed the "right way" all of the flesh feels almost the same; the difference only becomes apparent when he is rubbed the "wrong way" on his back, which will result in the petter's hand being covered in scratches. The six spikes on his back are made of special cartilage and can be folded and moved to express emotion. The edges are razor-sharp. The mask is either the white mask or the black horned mask (if this transformation is activated in Bankai) and if it is removed, Shiro will experience great pain and revert to his normal, humanoid form. In his full Hollow form, his regeneration skills are much better and faster, and he is capable of regrowing limbs (though HOW many times he can do this is limited).
"Vasto Lorde" Form: The strongest form of all. This form can only be obtained when Ichigo and Shiro work together in perfect tandem, which is to say, it will probably never happen. This form has almost limitless power and is considered to be highly dangerous and destructive.
Conditional: If your character has no superhuman canon abilities, what dormant ability will you give them? na
Weapons: His zanapakutou (soul cutting sword) which is shaped rather like an enormous butcher knife.
History/Personality/Plans/etc.
Character History: (Wiki link here). In case you don't want to read all that, I will try and summarize it here as best I can. Sorry for term overload in advance; I will try to avoid using series jargon as much as possible.
More or less, Shiro was "born" when Ichigo got pushed in a deep hole by a jerky shopkeeper ex-Shinigami captain and was forced to stay down there until he either developed shinigami powers or turned into a Hollow. Ichigo did both at once. Shiro, then having no name, represented the dark side of Ichigo that fell to the Hollowfication and became a monster or evil spirit. He has an overwhelming desire to take Ichigo over and make the body his own, then likely proceed to just kill everything. But until he can do that, Ichigo must not die. Therefore, the Hollow spirit manifests himself a few times to save Ichigo in the form of a bone mask appearing somewhere on his body and blocking killing blows. Shiro shows his face in a training session between Ichigo, his zanpakutou spirit Zangetsu and himself, but doesn't seem too enthused about the whole thing. He shows up once again, temporarily taking possession of Ichigo's body during his fight with Byakuya to keep him from dying and to destroy the enemy. However, Ichigo wrenches control back from the Hollow.
This continues throughout Ichigo's journeys and eventually the Hollow Shiro gets strong enough to interfere with Ichigo on a regular basis. It is then that Ichigo seeks the help of others like him, Soul Reapers with Hollow powers, in order to control Shiro. The two fight in Ichigo's soul, his inner world, and Shiro has the upper hand for a while before Ichigo comes back from behind to grab a hold of the wild creature's reins. Shiro, beaten, willingly submits to Ichigo's rule, but warns him not to die and not to ever lose his focus, or he'll take over once and for all.
The Hollow personality then disappears for a time, having been subverted by Ichigo entirely, who can now call on the powers granted to him by this strange union at any time. However, Shiro once again takes over in another important fight for Ichigo. When the boy is fighting Ulquiorra, the powerful Espada (a very high level Hollow) puts a hole through his chest and nearly kills him. Orihime, a close personal friend of Ichigo's, calls out to him to get up and protect her. Ichigo is unable to move, but the Hollow hears her call and heeds it, transforming Ichigo into a ferocious horned beast who easily dispatches Ulquiorra. Shiro's remaining energy is used to heal the wounds that Ichigo had incurred earlier in the fight before he returns to the depths of Ichigo's soul. Ichigo falls into a despair after this ordeal, and when the Hollow next appears in his inner world, it's after having been removed by force from Ichigo's soul.
Tensa Zangetsu (Ichigo's bankai) and Shiro then team up to fight Ichigo in order to teach him a new kamikaze-style technique.
Point in Canon: Manga canon; before merging with Tensa Zangetsu around chapter 418 or so. RP canon, as of December 1st. At the time of being brought to the Port, Shiro is living in a rental house with Ichigo, Tensa Zangetsu, Inoue Orihime and his cat. He is working as one of Norman Osborn's Dark Avengers (codename "Dagger"), as a villain for hire for Slade (codename "Muerte Alba") and as a DJ and bartender at Grimmjow's club, El Calabozo. He is also in the process of trying to form a band. All of these things serve to distract him from his personality crisis.
Conditional: Brief summary of previous RP history: Shiro first appeared in the City of alternate New York in August of 2009, having been taken from canon right after being defeated in Ichigo's inner world during Vizard training. He is happy to be free of his bonds, free of Ichigo's control, but he is baffled by his human/hollow hybrid body. Not only does he need to eat regular food, but he must also consume the spiritual energy of souls to keep himself alive. Additionally, his human body granted him something he had never had to deal with before; a full range of human emotions.
Shiro is listless for a few months in the City without his other. He eats souls, gets into fights, and assists with a rather big-name villain's plan to dominate the HIVE, equivalent to Los Angeles but overrun with evil.
Ichigo eventually appears in the City and, of course, the first thing the two do is fight. However, they soon find out that their souls are still linked; any pain felt by one is felt by the other. If one dies, so does the other. Because of this, Shiro and Ichigo come to a sort of agreement abut not killing the other, since neither wants to perish. Ichigo also allows Shiro to feed off his spiritual energy, so that Shiro no longer requires the souls of others to survive. But Shiro is listless, drifting without purpose. He finally has what he always wanted (rampant destruction), but it doesn't satisfy him. After going on a killing spree, he enters into a depression, having lost his purpose in life. He can't take Ichigo over, he gets no pleasure from killing...
So he tries something new. Shiro begins to indulge in more human affairs. He gets a pet cat, he becomes interested in shopping for clothing, he gets several jobs and he takes up playing the guitar. This leads, of course, to yet more existential crises. He has a difficult time reconciling the fact that the porter has made him both human AND hollow, two states that do not go together very well. He then gets "ported out" for a canon update, bringing him all the way to his most recent manga appearance.
Some links, mostly concerning his identity issues;
http://community.livejournal.com/capeandcowl/1361582.html?thread=118006702#t118006702
http://community.livejournal.com/capeandcowl/2344015.html
Character Personality: In canon, Shirosaki is the pure incarnation of killer instinct. He serves as Ichigo's id, representing everything he suppresses, as well as Ichigo's innate desire to fight. Unlike Ichigo, who does not kill his opponents, Shiro has no issues with slaughtering anyone who gets in his way. He is not all bloodlust, however. Just mostly. He serves as a foil to Ichigo, a looking-glass who picks at the Shinigami's innermost flaws and vices, poking and prodding him to make him stronger.. And that, truly, is what the Hollow wants. He desires to make Ichigo stronger and to keep him alive, even going so far as to risk himself to protect Ichigo. This is both because he is a part of Ichigo (a boy who is nothing if not a sworn protector of EVERYTHING) and because he desires to take over Ichigo and make their body his and his alone. Making Ichigo stronger is a process not unlike fattening up a cow before it is to be taken to the slaughter.
Shiro often pretends to be less aware and more ignorant than he actually is, as a way of making others underestimate him. He often claims to not know things, to not care, or to have no explanations. Sometimes, this may be the case. Other times, he may just be fibbing. However, for the most part, the Hollow does not lie. Why lie when the truth is so much more powerful? Additionally, Shiro acts quite childish and immature, throwing fits when he doesn't get what he wants and acting a bit like a brat.
All in all, canon Shiro seeks to be the strongest, seeks to protect Ichigo and eventually consume him entirely. Though in his last appearance, it seems that perhaps he has reconciled a bit and is more willing to work with Ichigo rather than against him. However, he continues to be antagonistic.
Conditional: Personality development in previous game: Due to being part human, now, Shiro has undergone a good deal of personality change during his year in the City. He has discovered emotions other than greed and rage, though these remain some of his strongest. Robbed of his ability to consume Ichigo, or to even kill him, Shiro was left with little to do but think. Unlike most hollows, who rarely make plans, Shiro began to think ahead. What IF he did take over Ichigo and kill all his family and friends? What if he became the strongest? What then? What was the point of it all? This was Shiro's first introduction to depression and despair, this fear of the unknown of the future. But, through talking to Ichigo (instead of arguing with him all the time) and also to Tensa Zangetsu, Shiro slowly began to see that there were, perhaps, other things in life that were worthwhile besides murdering everything in sight.
This is where Shiro is now, still trying to reconcile his hollow instincts with his newfound humanity. He is still childish, bratty and violent, but now he has more facets to his personality. He has shown a caring side, especially towards his pet housecat, to Orihime and to Ichigo when he is in danger. Naturally, he will vehemently deny any and all accusations of having a heart, so to speak, but the fact remains that he is no longer the mindless killing machine he once was.
More or less, because of his inability to consume Ichigo and to be (or at least, what he believes to be) a "true Hollow", Shiro fell into despair for a short time. This despair opened his eyes to a world of emotional possibilities that he had, previously been denying due to their complete and utter unfamiliarity. If he could not do what it was that he had once believed to be his only purpose, then naturally, he would just have to find a new purpose.
This led to him becoming more like Ichigo in some ways, but also differentiating himself in others. More aspects of his personality make themselves known as he discovers new things. For example, he quickly learns that he shares Ichigo's aversion to... ahem... well-endowed women's chests, though not to the extent that Ichigo does (that is, he doesn't completely shut down or pass out when confronted with a naked woman). Shiro also shows the same protective behavior that characterizes Ichigo. Once he decides that a thing or person is in his "care", then he will protect it with his very life. Very few people have earned this distinction, and they include Ichigo himself, Inoue Orihime, Kuchiki Rukia and Ichigo's zanpakutou Zangetsu. He became interested in music and clothing and other human distractions, much like Ichigo. He does NOT share Ichigo's sense of honor, and will fight dirty if it means he can win. Naturally, of course, he takes offense to those who cheat in fights against him. He's gained an appreciation for things aside from fights, things that have no real meaning and are "just for fun", such as video games, TV and pets.
Shiro is now, perhaps above all else, very curious. Everything he knows, he only knows second-hand from Ichigo, and experiencing things first hand is very different. This means he can be very nosy, and likes to insert himself in places where he doesn't belong for the sake of satiating his curiosity. He tends not to appreciate it when others try and force learning on him, and he will fight against it. He prefers to take things in at his own pace, when HE wants it and when it's convenient for HIM. In many ways, the Hollow is very self centered, rarely thinking of others, except for the aforementioned protective streak he has for his few friends.
In short, his time in the City has tempered his, well, temperament and made him more like a 17 year old boy and less like a soul-consuming monster bent on all destruction. Of course, he's still a soul-consuming monster, but the difference is he actually now gives thought to such things before he does them. He considers consequences to his actions, feels love and fear and occasionally thinks of others besides himself. He is much less singleminded and more well-rounded. However, he is still very immature and is fairly quick to anger, and will almost always try and resolve things with his fists rather than his words. The exception to this would be for people whom he can taunt into rage, such as Ichigo.
Character Plans: Mostly I am here to make friends and CR, and because I want to play with the fantastic bleach cast here. I also love to get involved with big plots, so I am hoping to do some of those sometimes. Mostly, though, I am going to do what I always do in RPs and play it by ear, having fun as I go!
Appearance/PB: Icon set. Doesn't cover ALL the permutations allowed to him by his abilities, but most of them.
Writing Samples
First Person Sample
[The NV clicks on to a voice post. The voice on the other end is strange indeed. It is male, sounds to be about 16 years old and is somewhat high-pitched. However, the oddest thing about the voice is how it reverberates. It echoes and flanges as if the speaker were underwater. And the speaker, despite his occasional giggles, doesn't sound too happy]
So, what've we got here, huh? Another weird city in a weird place! Cause the City, this ain't. No snarky Porter ta greet me, no dog tags, no "Welcome to the City, Hero"! It's almost kinda refreshin, ya know? New place, new faces... hehehe... new people to beat the fuckin' crap out of. I know you are out there. I can sense you. Yer reiatsus are stinkin' up the place like dead fish. You know if I'm talkin' about ya!
Speakin' of which... any of you people seen a boy with bright orange hair and brown eyes, prob'ly carryin' around a ridiculous sword? If ya do, tell me right away! His name is Ichigo, and I'm lookin' for him. Fer some reason, I can't sense him. [a pause, since he doesn't really want to think of the implications of that...]
So, tell me, new network. What is this place? Give me the skinny. Make it as short and concise as possible! Hehehe! I gotta get my bearings here, after all!
Third Person Sample
Why did these things always happen at the most inopportune times?!
One moment, Shiro was stretching out on the couch, smelling the aroma wafting out of the kitchen. Tensa Zangetsu was cooking dinner and it smelled amazing, whatever it was. Shiro could hardly wait to get it in his mouth. The next moment, he was spinning in blackness, unable to breathe, see or even think.
Splat
Right on the ground, right on his back. It knocked the air right out of his lungs and he gasped and inhaled sharply to recapture it. He felt something sticky and warm on the back of his head. He rubbed it with his hand and then looked at his fingers. All he could see was something very dark in contrast to his white skin. Dark and sticky. It was then he realized Goddamn, it is really, REALLY dark out here. Even with better night vision than your average guy, it was inky out there.
The Hollow sat up and groaned. He felt awful, like he'd been struck by a Mack truck and eaten a batch of bad oysters all at the same time. He patted the grass around him and found a hard, rectangular object; his communicator. It must have fallen out of his pocket... he shoved it back in to his pants pocket and finally stood up--
--And then nearly fell right back down. He cursed under his breath as his claws and tail appeared to help him keep his balance. He dug his footclaws into the dirt and propped himself up with his tail. Damn he was still so fucking dizzy... He looked around again, golden eyes finally somewhat adjusted to the darkness. It seemed that he was in a field, and that the hard thing he had landed on was a... what was that? A rock? No, it was too perfectly square to be a rock. He took another glance around before his addled brain put two and two together.
"A... baseball diamond?" He narrowed his eyes and looked around. In the inky dark, he could see handwritten signs with words he couldn't quite make out. "Where the hell--"
His thoughts were interrupted, though, by a low growl coming from the distant corner of the diamond. Shiro was instantly attentive, all of his senses on high alert and his disorientation forgotten. In his right hand, his white sword formed from a column of black energy, and his left hand was poised, claws out, ready to rip. All he could see if a pair of glowing red eyes (or were they yellow? It was hard to tell). Then, whatever it is howled, a chilling noise that might've sent a lesser creature running for its life. But Shiro just smiled, eerily, insanely and held out his sword. An invitation for the creature. Come and get me.
Then the black hound leaped at the white ghost. Shiro struck, hard, fast, as the creature sailed by him, all claws and teeth and foam and fury. The attack itself was too fast to see, but the results were obvious; the monster crashed to the ground, nearly sliced in half laterally, guts and other entrails spilled in the grass. Dark ichor dripped from the blade in Shiro's hands and that mad, skull-splitting smile was still in place. He then laughed a little. A low chuckle, at first, then it grew into the cackle of a madman. No doubt it drew more creatures to his location, the way it echoed around the field and the Port.
"I think I might like it here!"
Name: Toastbat
Age: 21
AIM SN: The Devil Ace / Hueco Blanqueado
email: twilightess (at) gmail.com
Have you played in an LJ based game before? Yes, many
Bonus: How did you hear about Siren's Pull? Friends! Also RPS and anon meme and things like that. Mostly friends.
Character Information
General
Canon Source: Bleach
Canon Format: Manga and Anime. For the most part, Shiro is the same in both.
Character's Name: Nameless. He's adopted the name "Shirosaki", a corruption of Ichigo's family name.
Character's Age: 17, mentally. Physically, he's only been around for two years.
Conditional: If your character is 13 years of age or under, please clarify how they will be played. Shiro was born, as it were, from the split soul of a 15 year old boy, spent one year in his soul and one year in the RP setting of Cape and Cowl. Basically he has a mature body and mind, though Ichigo would likely argue that last point until the cows come home.
What form will your character's NV take? It will be his comm from Cape and Cowl. It is a black phone with a pull-out full keyboard. It is decorated on the back with a skull sticker and has a cellphone charm in the shape of a black strawberry with white leaves and seeds.
Abilities
Character's Canon Abilities: Now in beautiful, glorious TL;DR!
Appearance Modification: Shiro is able to modify his appearance quite extensively, as shown by the list below;
•Skin Color: Ivory or Peach (Ichigo's skin tone)
•Hair Color: White or Orange
•Hair Length: Short and Spiky or Waist-length
•Claws, Fur Trim, Tail: Present or Absent
•Mask Style: Original (white with dark red/black stripes) or New (black with horns) or Combo Mask (same design as original, inverted colors)
Most, if not all, permutations are available. Changing his appearance rarely offers him different powers, and his appearance-shifting abilities are mostly just used for his own amusement.
Now, on to his other abilities:
Massive Spiritual Energy: Like his other, Shiro is in possession of a massive amount of spirit energy, which he uses in several different ways. First of all, he can force his power out in a way, producing a phenomenon known as "reiatsu" or "spiritual pressure". This pressure can be used to intimidate opponents or even blow them away. His spiritual energy can be turned into a sword, a white version of Ichigo's Zangetsu. Unlike Zangetsu, Shiro's sword does not possess a soul of it's own and is just a physical manifestation of Shiro's power. He can also shoot his energy as a blast using the Hollow technique called "Cero". A Hollow's Cero is one of his most powerful weapons and consists of a pure, dense blast of spiritual energy that makes a whining noise as it forms. Shiro's Cero is a bright, nuclear red in color. Shiro, like Ichigo, can also fire his energy in the form of crescent-shaped swaths, known as Getsuga Tenshou. He can enter a stronger mode known as "Bankai", which increases his speed, strength and changes the shape of his sword and the look of his clothing. Because of his Hollow nature, he can also heal his wounds, to an extent. Shallow wounds, burns and such will heal almost instantaneously while broken limbs and the like will heal much more slowly, though still faster than a human. He cannot regenerate limbs. In his shikai (base form), his Getsuga Tenshous are black energy with a red halo. In Bankai, the energy is white with a red halo.
Sonído: Also known as "Echo Step", this ability allows Shiro to move very quickly, seemingly teleporting short distances with a unique staticky sound. Similar to a Soul Reaper's Shunpo (Flash Steps). The range of Sonído is limited, but it's speed is not. Shiro can move so fast and use individual Echo Steps so quickly that he can leave afterimages to confuse his opponents. The afterimage ability works only and best in Bankai.
Full Hollow Form: Seen here, Shiro's full Hollow form is most similar to a lizard or a dragon. On two legs, he stands almost 10 feet tall, and on four legs he is about 5 feet at the shoulder. His tail alone is 6 feet long. In this form, he fits his role as the "Id" much better; he acts almost completely on instinct. He can barely speak and instead communicates with roars, growls, purrs and other such noises. His roars are loud and eerie; they sound like the violent roar of a beast mixed with the scream of a person in severe pain. His skin looks smooth all over, but as a matter of fact has three different textures; his ventral side is smooth unscaled hide and his dorsal side is made of pointed denticles not unlike those of a shark. Between the two kinds of scales are round, smooth scales similar to those of a snake or skink. When rubbed the "right way" all of the flesh feels almost the same; the difference only becomes apparent when he is rubbed the "wrong way" on his back, which will result in the petter's hand being covered in scratches. The six spikes on his back are made of special cartilage and can be folded and moved to express emotion. The edges are razor-sharp. The mask is either the white mask or the black horned mask (if this transformation is activated in Bankai) and if it is removed, Shiro will experience great pain and revert to his normal, humanoid form. In his full Hollow form, his regeneration skills are much better and faster, and he is capable of regrowing limbs (though HOW many times he can do this is limited).
"Vasto Lorde" Form: The strongest form of all. This form can only be obtained when Ichigo and Shiro work together in perfect tandem, which is to say, it will probably never happen. This form has almost limitless power and is considered to be highly dangerous and destructive.
Conditional: If your character has no superhuman canon abilities, what dormant ability will you give them? na
Weapons: His zanapakutou (soul cutting sword) which is shaped rather like an enormous butcher knife.
History/Personality/Plans/etc.
Character History: (Wiki link here). In case you don't want to read all that, I will try and summarize it here as best I can. Sorry for term overload in advance; I will try to avoid using series jargon as much as possible.
More or less, Shiro was "born" when Ichigo got pushed in a deep hole by a jerky shopkeeper ex-Shinigami captain and was forced to stay down there until he either developed shinigami powers or turned into a Hollow. Ichigo did both at once. Shiro, then having no name, represented the dark side of Ichigo that fell to the Hollowfication and became a monster or evil spirit. He has an overwhelming desire to take Ichigo over and make the body his own, then likely proceed to just kill everything. But until he can do that, Ichigo must not die. Therefore, the Hollow spirit manifests himself a few times to save Ichigo in the form of a bone mask appearing somewhere on his body and blocking killing blows. Shiro shows his face in a training session between Ichigo, his zanpakutou spirit Zangetsu and himself, but doesn't seem too enthused about the whole thing. He shows up once again, temporarily taking possession of Ichigo's body during his fight with Byakuya to keep him from dying and to destroy the enemy. However, Ichigo wrenches control back from the Hollow.
This continues throughout Ichigo's journeys and eventually the Hollow Shiro gets strong enough to interfere with Ichigo on a regular basis. It is then that Ichigo seeks the help of others like him, Soul Reapers with Hollow powers, in order to control Shiro. The two fight in Ichigo's soul, his inner world, and Shiro has the upper hand for a while before Ichigo comes back from behind to grab a hold of the wild creature's reins. Shiro, beaten, willingly submits to Ichigo's rule, but warns him not to die and not to ever lose his focus, or he'll take over once and for all.
The Hollow personality then disappears for a time, having been subverted by Ichigo entirely, who can now call on the powers granted to him by this strange union at any time. However, Shiro once again takes over in another important fight for Ichigo. When the boy is fighting Ulquiorra, the powerful Espada (a very high level Hollow) puts a hole through his chest and nearly kills him. Orihime, a close personal friend of Ichigo's, calls out to him to get up and protect her. Ichigo is unable to move, but the Hollow hears her call and heeds it, transforming Ichigo into a ferocious horned beast who easily dispatches Ulquiorra. Shiro's remaining energy is used to heal the wounds that Ichigo had incurred earlier in the fight before he returns to the depths of Ichigo's soul. Ichigo falls into a despair after this ordeal, and when the Hollow next appears in his inner world, it's after having been removed by force from Ichigo's soul.
Tensa Zangetsu (Ichigo's bankai) and Shiro then team up to fight Ichigo in order to teach him a new kamikaze-style technique.
Point in Canon: Manga canon; before merging with Tensa Zangetsu around chapter 418 or so. RP canon, as of December 1st. At the time of being brought to the Port, Shiro is living in a rental house with Ichigo, Tensa Zangetsu, Inoue Orihime and his cat. He is working as one of Norman Osborn's Dark Avengers (codename "Dagger"), as a villain for hire for Slade (codename "Muerte Alba") and as a DJ and bartender at Grimmjow's club, El Calabozo. He is also in the process of trying to form a band. All of these things serve to distract him from his personality crisis.
Conditional: Brief summary of previous RP history: Shiro first appeared in the City of alternate New York in August of 2009, having been taken from canon right after being defeated in Ichigo's inner world during Vizard training. He is happy to be free of his bonds, free of Ichigo's control, but he is baffled by his human/hollow hybrid body. Not only does he need to eat regular food, but he must also consume the spiritual energy of souls to keep himself alive. Additionally, his human body granted him something he had never had to deal with before; a full range of human emotions.
Shiro is listless for a few months in the City without his other. He eats souls, gets into fights, and assists with a rather big-name villain's plan to dominate the HIVE, equivalent to Los Angeles but overrun with evil.
Ichigo eventually appears in the City and, of course, the first thing the two do is fight. However, they soon find out that their souls are still linked; any pain felt by one is felt by the other. If one dies, so does the other. Because of this, Shiro and Ichigo come to a sort of agreement abut not killing the other, since neither wants to perish. Ichigo also allows Shiro to feed off his spiritual energy, so that Shiro no longer requires the souls of others to survive. But Shiro is listless, drifting without purpose. He finally has what he always wanted (rampant destruction), but it doesn't satisfy him. After going on a killing spree, he enters into a depression, having lost his purpose in life. He can't take Ichigo over, he gets no pleasure from killing...
So he tries something new. Shiro begins to indulge in more human affairs. He gets a pet cat, he becomes interested in shopping for clothing, he gets several jobs and he takes up playing the guitar. This leads, of course, to yet more existential crises. He has a difficult time reconciling the fact that the porter has made him both human AND hollow, two states that do not go together very well. He then gets "ported out" for a canon update, bringing him all the way to his most recent manga appearance.
Some links, mostly concerning his identity issues;
http://community.livejournal.com/capeandcowl/1361582.html?thread=118006702#t118006702
http://community.livejournal.com/capeandcowl/2344015.html
Character Personality: In canon, Shirosaki is the pure incarnation of killer instinct. He serves as Ichigo's id, representing everything he suppresses, as well as Ichigo's innate desire to fight. Unlike Ichigo, who does not kill his opponents, Shiro has no issues with slaughtering anyone who gets in his way. He is not all bloodlust, however. Just mostly. He serves as a foil to Ichigo, a looking-glass who picks at the Shinigami's innermost flaws and vices, poking and prodding him to make him stronger.. And that, truly, is what the Hollow wants. He desires to make Ichigo stronger and to keep him alive, even going so far as to risk himself to protect Ichigo. This is both because he is a part of Ichigo (a boy who is nothing if not a sworn protector of EVERYTHING) and because he desires to take over Ichigo and make their body his and his alone. Making Ichigo stronger is a process not unlike fattening up a cow before it is to be taken to the slaughter.
Shiro often pretends to be less aware and more ignorant than he actually is, as a way of making others underestimate him. He often claims to not know things, to not care, or to have no explanations. Sometimes, this may be the case. Other times, he may just be fibbing. However, for the most part, the Hollow does not lie. Why lie when the truth is so much more powerful? Additionally, Shiro acts quite childish and immature, throwing fits when he doesn't get what he wants and acting a bit like a brat.
All in all, canon Shiro seeks to be the strongest, seeks to protect Ichigo and eventually consume him entirely. Though in his last appearance, it seems that perhaps he has reconciled a bit and is more willing to work with Ichigo rather than against him. However, he continues to be antagonistic.
Conditional: Personality development in previous game: Due to being part human, now, Shiro has undergone a good deal of personality change during his year in the City. He has discovered emotions other than greed and rage, though these remain some of his strongest. Robbed of his ability to consume Ichigo, or to even kill him, Shiro was left with little to do but think. Unlike most hollows, who rarely make plans, Shiro began to think ahead. What IF he did take over Ichigo and kill all his family and friends? What if he became the strongest? What then? What was the point of it all? This was Shiro's first introduction to depression and despair, this fear of the unknown of the future. But, through talking to Ichigo (instead of arguing with him all the time) and also to Tensa Zangetsu, Shiro slowly began to see that there were, perhaps, other things in life that were worthwhile besides murdering everything in sight.
This is where Shiro is now, still trying to reconcile his hollow instincts with his newfound humanity. He is still childish, bratty and violent, but now he has more facets to his personality. He has shown a caring side, especially towards his pet housecat, to Orihime and to Ichigo when he is in danger. Naturally, he will vehemently deny any and all accusations of having a heart, so to speak, but the fact remains that he is no longer the mindless killing machine he once was.
More or less, because of his inability to consume Ichigo and to be (or at least, what he believes to be) a "true Hollow", Shiro fell into despair for a short time. This despair opened his eyes to a world of emotional possibilities that he had, previously been denying due to their complete and utter unfamiliarity. If he could not do what it was that he had once believed to be his only purpose, then naturally, he would just have to find a new purpose.
This led to him becoming more like Ichigo in some ways, but also differentiating himself in others. More aspects of his personality make themselves known as he discovers new things. For example, he quickly learns that he shares Ichigo's aversion to... ahem... well-endowed women's chests, though not to the extent that Ichigo does (that is, he doesn't completely shut down or pass out when confronted with a naked woman). Shiro also shows the same protective behavior that characterizes Ichigo. Once he decides that a thing or person is in his "care", then he will protect it with his very life. Very few people have earned this distinction, and they include Ichigo himself, Inoue Orihime, Kuchiki Rukia and Ichigo's zanpakutou Zangetsu. He became interested in music and clothing and other human distractions, much like Ichigo. He does NOT share Ichigo's sense of honor, and will fight dirty if it means he can win. Naturally, of course, he takes offense to those who cheat in fights against him. He's gained an appreciation for things aside from fights, things that have no real meaning and are "just for fun", such as video games, TV and pets.
Shiro is now, perhaps above all else, very curious. Everything he knows, he only knows second-hand from Ichigo, and experiencing things first hand is very different. This means he can be very nosy, and likes to insert himself in places where he doesn't belong for the sake of satiating his curiosity. He tends not to appreciate it when others try and force learning on him, and he will fight against it. He prefers to take things in at his own pace, when HE wants it and when it's convenient for HIM. In many ways, the Hollow is very self centered, rarely thinking of others, except for the aforementioned protective streak he has for his few friends.
In short, his time in the City has tempered his, well, temperament and made him more like a 17 year old boy and less like a soul-consuming monster bent on all destruction. Of course, he's still a soul-consuming monster, but the difference is he actually now gives thought to such things before he does them. He considers consequences to his actions, feels love and fear and occasionally thinks of others besides himself. He is much less singleminded and more well-rounded. However, he is still very immature and is fairly quick to anger, and will almost always try and resolve things with his fists rather than his words. The exception to this would be for people whom he can taunt into rage, such as Ichigo.
Character Plans: Mostly I am here to make friends and CR, and because I want to play with the fantastic bleach cast here. I also love to get involved with big plots, so I am hoping to do some of those sometimes. Mostly, though, I am going to do what I always do in RPs and play it by ear, having fun as I go!
Appearance/PB: Icon set. Doesn't cover ALL the permutations allowed to him by his abilities, but most of them.
Writing Samples
First Person Sample
[The NV clicks on to a voice post. The voice on the other end is strange indeed. It is male, sounds to be about 16 years old and is somewhat high-pitched. However, the oddest thing about the voice is how it reverberates. It echoes and flanges as if the speaker were underwater. And the speaker, despite his occasional giggles, doesn't sound too happy]
So, what've we got here, huh? Another weird city in a weird place! Cause the City, this ain't. No snarky Porter ta greet me, no dog tags, no "Welcome to the City, Hero"! It's almost kinda refreshin, ya know? New place, new faces... hehehe... new people to beat the fuckin' crap out of. I know you are out there. I can sense you. Yer reiatsus are stinkin' up the place like dead fish. You know if I'm talkin' about ya!
Speakin' of which... any of you people seen a boy with bright orange hair and brown eyes, prob'ly carryin' around a ridiculous sword? If ya do, tell me right away! His name is Ichigo, and I'm lookin' for him. Fer some reason, I can't sense him. [a pause, since he doesn't really want to think of the implications of that...]
So, tell me, new network. What is this place? Give me the skinny. Make it as short and concise as possible! Hehehe! I gotta get my bearings here, after all!
Third Person Sample
Why did these things always happen at the most inopportune times?!
One moment, Shiro was stretching out on the couch, smelling the aroma wafting out of the kitchen. Tensa Zangetsu was cooking dinner and it smelled amazing, whatever it was. Shiro could hardly wait to get it in his mouth. The next moment, he was spinning in blackness, unable to breathe, see or even think.
Splat
Right on the ground, right on his back. It knocked the air right out of his lungs and he gasped and inhaled sharply to recapture it. He felt something sticky and warm on the back of his head. He rubbed it with his hand and then looked at his fingers. All he could see was something very dark in contrast to his white skin. Dark and sticky. It was then he realized Goddamn, it is really, REALLY dark out here. Even with better night vision than your average guy, it was inky out there.
The Hollow sat up and groaned. He felt awful, like he'd been struck by a Mack truck and eaten a batch of bad oysters all at the same time. He patted the grass around him and found a hard, rectangular object; his communicator. It must have fallen out of his pocket... he shoved it back in to his pants pocket and finally stood up--
--And then nearly fell right back down. He cursed under his breath as his claws and tail appeared to help him keep his balance. He dug his footclaws into the dirt and propped himself up with his tail. Damn he was still so fucking dizzy... He looked around again, golden eyes finally somewhat adjusted to the darkness. It seemed that he was in a field, and that the hard thing he had landed on was a... what was that? A rock? No, it was too perfectly square to be a rock. He took another glance around before his addled brain put two and two together.
"A... baseball diamond?" He narrowed his eyes and looked around. In the inky dark, he could see handwritten signs with words he couldn't quite make out. "Where the hell--"
His thoughts were interrupted, though, by a low growl coming from the distant corner of the diamond. Shiro was instantly attentive, all of his senses on high alert and his disorientation forgotten. In his right hand, his white sword formed from a column of black energy, and his left hand was poised, claws out, ready to rip. All he could see if a pair of glowing red eyes (or were they yellow? It was hard to tell). Then, whatever it is howled, a chilling noise that might've sent a lesser creature running for its life. But Shiro just smiled, eerily, insanely and held out his sword. An invitation for the creature. Come and get me.
Then the black hound leaped at the white ghost. Shiro struck, hard, fast, as the creature sailed by him, all claws and teeth and foam and fury. The attack itself was too fast to see, but the results were obvious; the monster crashed to the ground, nearly sliced in half laterally, guts and other entrails spilled in the grass. Dark ichor dripped from the blade in Shiro's hands and that mad, skull-splitting smile was still in place. He then laughed a little. A low chuckle, at first, then it grew into the cackle of a madman. No doubt it drew more creatures to his location, the way it echoed around the field and the Port.
"I think I might like it here!"