LONGER CHARACTER SURVEY OF RIDICULOUS LONGNESS (Part 1)
Introduction Questions
======================
* Give a two or three word description of the character. (Describe the character's concept.)
Friendship embracing all. /stealth-plagiarizes Kubo, lul /o/
* Does the character have any nicknames, street names, titles, nom de plume?
‘Captain’ on a professional basis; ‘Ukii’ by Kusajishi Yachiru; occasionally 'Pretty Boy', 'Casanova', 'Handsome', AND MANY OTHERS by Kyouraku Shunsui 8|
* What is the character’s full birth name?
Ukitake Jushiro (family name // given name)
* Where does the character live?
13th Division Barracks, Sereitei, Soul Society
* Why does the character live there?
He was born and raised in Sereitei - and, as the Gotei 13 is situated there, he never really saw a reason to live elsewhere.
* What is the character’s citizenship status?
Officially a citizen of Sereitei overall, and member of a minor noble family.
* What is the character’s most obvious blessing or strength?
He is one of the few genuinely nice people you’ll ever meet, hands-down; a friendly, outgoing man, he can strike up friendships easily, and is very good with children. Imo he also has an emotional staunchness and strength that’s pretty damn impressive.
* What does the character perceive as his/her greatest strength?
Though he never openly lauds it about, Ukitake is pretty aware of the fact that he’s an ideal diplomat, and will exercise this quality to advantage if it becomes necessary. Otherwise he knows he’s additionally fairly good at working with people in general - the notion comes naturally enough.
He’s also quite confident in his tea-making skills - two thousand years of experience stat, good sirs 8)
* What is the character’s most obvious flaw or weakness?
Ukitake…is a very, very proud man. Not in an uppity or presumptuous fashion, perhaps - but in a very silent and subtle sort of way that demands respect, and gives it in equal and sincere return. Granted, some would call this a strength rather than a weakness - and, in some ways, it certainly is - but it does leave Ukitake with large vulnerabilities, and often overrides notions that ought to be common sense. This is the sort of pride that backs the devotion he has to his honor code, and the ultimate deference he has towards others’ honor as well.
He’s also a very empathic sort of personality - by default he tends to place himself in the shoes of others first and foremost, if only to better understand their respective positions and the reasons behind them.
* What does the character perceive as his/her greatest weakness?
Ukitake is very aware of the major flaw stated above, and it sure as hell gives him a lot of internal conflict at times.
* Was there any event or cause of these weaknesses?
The pride is ingrained second nature for Ukitake more than anything else, simply a part of who he is - cultivated by a childhood of sickness that had him struggling constantly to earn a simple right to respect, and then cemented in his adolescent years by the driving need to prove himself and exceed the expectations of those around him constantly. Quite honestly, Ukitake’s difficulty with swallowing his pride when it matters was much greater in his younger years than it is now - but he still has some trouble with it sometimes, even now. Combined with the reinforcement of lessons taught to him by both his family and his status as minor nobility in the past, pride and honor are pretty much synonymous and essential to Ukitake, by now.
Physical Traits
===============
* How old is the character?
Eh, approximately two thousand years old, give or take a couple of decades. This is considered pretty old even by Soul Society’s standards, yeah.
* What is the character’s gender?
Male.
* What is the character’s species/race?
Ukitake is a soul - and a ‘new soul’ at that, even: he was literally born in the afterlife (Soul Society) as a spiritual entity, and has yet to have ever died. He is also a shinigami - though that’s not so much a type of species as it is a job description, really. Heritage-wise I’d say Japanese descent…
* How tall is the character?
6’2”
* How much does the character weigh?
159 lbs.
* What is the character’s general body type, frame, bone structure, and poise?
He’s a tall man, although he looks a bit on the frail and sickly side, with his thin frame. At the same time, though, the experienced can still easily perceive the strength he carries in his arms. He has excellent posture, straight shoulders and head upraised; having been brought up in a noble family, however, that’s only to be expected.
* What is the character’s skin color?
Typical Asian complexion, albeit on the decidedly pale side.
* What is the character’s hair color?
Pure white, all the way down to the roots.
* What is the character’s hair style?
He’s recently (read: as of about 100 years ago) taken to wearing it loose - it’s straight, and falls to roughly the small of his back. His bangs are swept to the right side of his head, and there’s an additional little piece that sometimes lands between his eyes.
* Does the character have any facial hair?
Nope!
* What is the character’s eye color?
A warm brown.
* Does it change?
lmfao no
* How attractive is the character?
((See here: Body and Appearance))
* What is the character’s most distinguishing feature?
People usually identify him by his white hair. In fact, if it weren’t for that, he’d really look like your average Japanese citizen - his hair was naturally black, when he was a child.
* Does the character have any scars, tattoos, or birthmarks?
He has a good many scars, yes.
* If so, how did he/she acquire them?
Being a member of the Gotei 13 for such an extensive amount of time has its impact - and he’s no more immune to injury than the next man. Most of them were wounds dealt by Hollow, or Kyouraku, respectively.
* What do these distinguishing marks look like?
…Your…typical scars? He’s received a variety of injuries over his lifetime; cuts, claw marks, burns, slash wounds, impalement…
* Do they have any special significance?
Not particularly. The profusion of them is always a bit surprising, but that’s about it.
* Where are they located?
Pretty much everywhere. His face doesn’t have any yet to date, but he has various ones on his torso, back, shoulders, arms and legs…his most recent/prominent scars would be a rather nasty circular one in his chest area, which matches a corresponding one in the middle of his back; being run clean through by a bare arm really, really sucks okay :|; Because he usually swamps himself in several layers of clothing, though, they’re hardly ever visible or noticeable.
* What is the character’s handedness (left/right/ambidextrous)?
Ambidextrous
* What is the character’s hand size/description?
They’re very strong hands, largish and slightly bony. I’d imagine they’re pretty calloused too. Two thousand years of grasping at a katana hilt and so on…
* Does the character resemble some currently known person?
Nnnot as far as I’m aware…?
* Does the character wear a uniform?
Yes. It’s the standard uniform of a member of the Gotei, called a shihakusho, which consists of: a white shitagi, a black kosode, a black hakama, a white hakama-himo, and white tabi and waraji for footwear. Over all this he wears a long-sleeved white haori with scarlet lining and the number thirteen kanji on the back, as a sign of his status as a shinigami Captain.
* What kind of clothing does the character wear?
Usually you’ll see him in the above uniform, especially when on duty or in Sereitei in general. On casual days, however, he’s been known to resort to simpler articles of clothing; he has a preference for plain layered kimonos and yukata of pastel colors, very Edo-era in fashion.
* What is the character’s clothing's style or level of sophistication?
He accomplishes the looks of someone from feudal Japan with amazing ease, often without realizing it. There’s nothing particularly elegant or sophisticated about what he wears, either - normally he just likes them plain, comfortable, and practical. He’s a very neat dresser, if nothing else.
* What size is the character for various pieces of clothing?
Yeeeeah I’m not going there, sorry /)_(\
* Does the character wear makeup?
Goodness no.
* Does the character wear glasses/contacts?
Nope.
* What sort of vocal tone does the character have?
((See here: Speech))
* Does the character get sick? Maybe he/she catches the flu twice a year and that's it? Or maybe he/she has a weak immune system and catches anything that goes around?
Ukitake can get sick very easily. In fact he’s been quite ill almost all his life, having contracted a disease at a very young age that causes him to cough up blood at inopportune periods, and gives him a general uncomfortable time; though canon never implicitly states what it actually is, fandom seems to be leaning towards tuberculosis.
Either way, it doesn’t take much to provoke this illness - it comes and goes all by itself in cycles - and every other month he’ll get quite under the weather and rendered incapacitated for awhile. Still, with two thousand years of experience combating this ailment at his back, Ukitake can make a surprising show of stamina and energy even during these sick spells.
History
=======
* Where is the character’s homeland?
Technically, he’s from Japan. …Except it’s. Japan’s afterlife, which is located in another plane of existence parallel to the Living World’s: Soul Society.
* What are its people like?
About 98.9% of Soul Society’s population are spiritual entities - souls, if you want it put simply. The Rukongai districts take up the large bulk of Soul Society’s inhabited area, and is the residency for most souls that pass on from the Living World after death. ‘New souls’ - or people that are born in Soul Society and have never died in the Living World beforehand - are present as well, but these are rarer, and are usually a product of noble families; Ukitake is one of these, as far as canon seems to indicate.
The lifespan of people in Soul Society is a hella lot longer than it is for humans in the Living World - if you’re fifty years old, you’re a fairly young lad, and you don’t achieve a truly adult status until you’re at least 150, probably. ‘Middle-aged’ individuals might very well be about 400 or so. …This can be blamed on spiritual anatomy okay >__> Physically speaking, though, a soul ages depending on the amount of spiritual power s/he possesses, and the point in their physical aging when the development of foresaid reiatsu reaches its peak; once the peak has been reached, aging slows to an almost dead standstill. Obviously this peak doesn’t have to occur at physical adulthood: Hitsugaya Toushiro, for example, looks like a fifth-grader…and he probably will for many hundreds of years yet, since he reached Captain-class spiritual levels at a very young age. For most shinigami the peak-at-adulthood thing seems to be the case, though, Ukitake himself included.
* Is the character aware of its history?
Quite so. He’s even lived through a good portion of it.
* Is the character patriotic or a social outcast?
Neither. Although Ukitake clearly aligns Soul Society with ‘home’ in his mind and heart, he’s not the sort that would go burning people at the stake for its sake. …Not that there’s ever even been a need to, in all the two thousand years he’s been alive. Soul Society doesn’t really have any neighboring nations to quarrel with, unless you count Hueco Mundo.
* What is the character’s opinions of home?
He will always hold it close to his heart. It is home, after all - and he will always be fond of the good things it has to offer, even coupled with all the bad.
* Where is the character’s home town?
Although Soul Society doesn’t have an actual ‘town’ to speak of, Ukitake could arguably be slotted under hailing from the higher-class inner precinct separated from the Rukongai districts.
* What is the character’s home town's name?
Sereitei.
* What was the area like and how did it affect the character?
As a rule of thumb, it appears that the whole of Soul Society is trapped in medieval-Japanese stasis - think Edo-era, probably; two thousand years ago it was likely not much more different than it is now 8|; As a result, Ukitake is extremely old-fashioned in his mannerisms and ways of thinking, compared to most people, especially those in the Living World. Technology certainly wasn’t prevalent back in his day, and he’s predictably quite fail at it now - similarly, various concepts of the Living World and its culture remain sources of great curiosity and general bafflement. BUT HE’S LEARNING OKAY ;; …SLOWLY…
* Did the character witness any historical events?
In Soul Society there was the annihilation of the Quincy, the Vizard incident a couple hundred years ago, and then Aizen’s epic betrayal less than a year back - those are pretty recent ones, and there are probably more, but two thousand years is a big hole to fill and Kubo has yet to reveal anything more quite yet. 8|; However! Ukitake’s certainly witnessed a small share of history in the living world, too. If you really wanna put things to perspective, he was there helping soul cleanup in Japan during both World Wars - including after the bombings of Nagasaki and Hiroshima, especially.
* If so, how did that event impact the character?
The Quincy…very unfortunate incident. I imagine Ukitake wasn’t very happy at all about the ultimate decision involving extermination of the entire clan, but - well, the Central 46 is the Central 46, and he really had no solid ground to challenge them on at the time, so. He carried out the orders accordingly, same as everyone else…though he’d openly admit to some regret for it now, if asked. A lingering regret is about as far as it gets, though - I wouldn’t say it impacted him in a particularly strong fashion, no; he probably wasn’t too intimately involved in most of it. (to be added to)
The events in the living world, on the other hand, didn’t make much impact on Ukitake at all - they were detached occurrences that did not particularly involve himself nor his kin in any fashion. Sure, there have been occasions when he’d pause and shake his head at the cruelty and anger of the general human race (lol dem World Wars)…but then, like everyone else, he’d move on, because such occasions simply weren’t Soul Society’s business to care about. As long as the border between worlds remains intact, there’s no reason to worry about what humanity does to itself on a decade basis :|;
* What about the character’s race? Growing up, was the character in the majority or a minority?
Uuuuh…physical race doesn’t seem to be a particular issue in Soul Society - it’s really all in the wealth and the power, and the sliding scale holding those two up. Ukitake was of minor nobility, and so growing up he had the moderate amount of respect that sort of status afforded. Had nothing to do with his race, though :d He’s…probably part of some ancient long-forgotten Japanese line that faded from prevalence in the Living World thousands of years ago.
* How was the character treated by other nearby races?
About the same as anyone would treat someone else, in the perspective of race.
* Was the character persecuted for his/her race?
Nope.
* Did this impact the character’s outlook in any way?
N/A
* Did it affect the character’s personality?
N/A
* How does the character feel about other races?
When it comes to race, Ukitake usually only registers that aspect of a stranger in the physical sense - like “oh that guy sounds like someone from the West” or “well that’s rather unusually dark skin” - and then that’s about as far as it gets. He honestly couldn’t care less, quite frankly, and probably wouldn’t understand anyone who actually does - because really, it’s all in the personality, not the heritage 8|;
* Does the character have any justification from his/her past experience for holding such views?
Soul Society’s probably a melting-pot of all kinds of people (being the afterlife and all) so there isn’t really any reason to discriminate in that sense, meh.
* Were there any traumatic experiences in the character’s early years (death of a family member, abandonment, orphaned at an early age)?
Ah, nothing major major, but that’s certainly not to say that his childhood was an ideal one. At a very early age he contracted his illness; then, after fighting tooth and claw to enter the Academy, succeeding, and graduating in flying colors, he entered the Gotei 13...and, a few years later, found himself dealing with the repercussions of the death of his father, who was slain in combat. His mother sank into a deep cycle of grief that never really healed, and she passed away about a year after that in failing health; if nothing else, this certainly left the first of many deep impressions on his heart.
* Briefly describe a defining moment in the character’s childhood and how it influenced his/her life.
Looking at his reflection in the mirror, after he recovered from his very first encounter with his illness…at the cost of his hair color, and his health for the rest of his life. If nothing else, that illness had certainly changed the course his life would have taken, for better and for worse.
Next to that, and more into his adolescent years, was stepping through the Academy’s gates as an official student for the first time. It was his first major plunge into the goal he’d fight bitterly for in coming years: a place in the Gotei, as a shinigami.
* What was childhood like for the character?
A constant struggle, for a good bulk of it. His illness was a lot worse back then than it is now, odd as that may sound. Next to that, there were the heavy expectations set on his head as the eldest son.
* Was it calm and peaceful or turbulent and traumatic?
It was pretty peaceful, up until he contracted the illness. Then, as stated above, it was mostly struggling to keep on going, for some time. However, if asked, Ukitake would wholeheartedly admit that it was still a fairly happy one - he had his parents, and his brothers and sisters, and a future he could fight for, even if the fight would be hard. That was more than he could ever ask for, as far as he’s concerned.
* Does the character have any childhood friends?
Not…really…I don’t think 8|a Not in his early childhood, anyway - being of nobility, he wasn’t allowed to roam about and meet others his age very much, especially when he was in his sickbed two thirds of the time. Once he entered the Academy, though, people flocked to him like birds to a bag of crumbs - friendliness is as friendliness gets, and Ukitake certainly had plenty of friendliness to spare.
* If so, who and where are they now?
There were too many acquaintances in the Academy to name, I imagine |D; Among them was Kyouraku Shunsui, however.
* Is the character still close to them, or has he/she grown apart?
Ukitake and Kyouraku’s friendship has outlasted two thousand years, and is still going strong - bros forever, more or less. As to everyone else from the Academy…most of them are probably dead, by now.
* What stupid things did the character do when he/she was younger?
AHAHA. Well. I imagine that Ukitake was a proverbial ‘good boy’ most of the time, but…only a saint could fully escape the grasp of impetuous adolescence, and Ukitake certainly wasn’t one - and isn’t really one even now, for that matter XD Let’s just say the volume of stupidity in his personal record certainly increased dramatically after he became friends with Shunsui and sake bottles, and leave it at that.
* Which toys from the character’s childhood has he/she kept? Why? What did they mean to the character?
No, he hasn’t kept any…
* If the character didn't keep any, why not?
You don’t…really keep toys, when you end up ferrying souls for a militaristic organization as a means of making a living. Of course, that wasn’t exactly the foremost reason on Ukitake’s mind. He figured, as well, that they could be put to better use than a dusty shelf in some corner.
* What did the character do to them all?
So instead of dooming them to the shelf, he made sure that any toys he might have owned at some point in his childhood were passed down to his siblings - and, from there, I daresay they’ve been handed down to nieces and nephews and other new generations of the Ukitake family ever since.
* Does the character have any deep, dark secrets in the past that may come back to haunt him/her?
Nnnnot from his early childhood, no.
* What conflicts might arise from the character’s past?
Nothing I can think of atm. He deals with his illness all the time now, but that’s about it.
* Is the character who he/she claims to be?
Yes! Well. …Yes. Kind of. His name is Ukitake Jushiro, as he will inform a stranger without so much as a second thought - and he is a shinigami Captain, though he only…actually mentions that if people ask him about his profession first. It’s not like he’s actively trying to hide it or anything, but he’s found it much easier to interact with others outside of the shihakusho, when the daunting titles aren’t there to weigh on their first impressions. It’s worked quite nicely in the past, if nothing else - it could be safely said that few would suspect such a benign, vaguely derpy old man of being one of the most powerful Death Gods at the Gotei 13’s disposal.
* Does the character have any sort of criminal record?
Lmao…he probably does, actually - after two thousand years something’s really gotta give. The most serious crime on his pallet (though I’m not putting this in cement because - once again - lol two-thousand-year hole that needs filling 8|) would probably be his unauthorized unsealing of the Shihouin Clan’s family heirloom, which he and Kyouraku had happily blown up used in order to destroy the Soukyoku @.@ Apart from that one, though, I’d say the bulk of any criminal record he’s got consists largely of ridiculously minor offenses, like going out for a drink (with Shunsui) without proper notice in the middle of the night, or something.
* How does the character view the heroes/legends of his/her country?
There’s the due amount of respect, of course, and he probably considers them good for stories to tell restless children, but apart from that? Eh, he sees them about the same as the next person that knows them.
Family
======
* Who were the character’s parents?
His father was head of the Ukitake family, alongside his mother.
* Was the character raised by them?
Yes.
* If not, then why didn't they and who did raise the character?
N/A
* What is the father's full name?
Ukitake Yoshiro ((This is purely headcanon for convenience |D; Both his parents’ names are unknown atm))
* What is the mother's full name?
Ukitake Junko ((also headcanon))
* What is the mother's maiden name?
Takasu Junko ((lol headcanon))
* What did the character’s parents and/or foster parents do for a living?
Ukitake’s father, alongside his head-of-family duties, was a moderately high-ranking shinigami that served in the Gotei 13 as well, and was absent often and frequently. However, his mother usually stayed home to watch over her children and manage the family estate, including monetary affairs and clan meetings.
* What was their standing in the community?
The Ukitake clan was a rather minor aristocratic family, and rarely had much impact in the affairs of the Five Great Houses, but they were still considered nobles, duly noted on most occasions. In the perspective of other noble clans I imagine they’re that one fairly respectable family, albeit rather unusually sprawling (even by nobility’s standards XD), and bearing an odd tradition of…interesting naming conventions.
* Did the character’s family stay in one area or move around a lot?
The Ugendo estate has supported the Ukitake family for countless generations - to move would be ridiculous, and enough to raise many neighboring eyebrows.
* How did the character get along with his/her parents?
((See here: Relationships))
* Does the character have any siblings?
Yes.
* If so, how many and what were their names?
Seven of them, five brothers and two sisters. Their names are unknown.
* What was the character’s birth position in the family?
First-born and eldest
* How does the character get along with each of his/her siblings?
((See here: Relationships))
* What is the character’s family life like?
Still going pretty strong, to speak of ties with other relations. Ukitake still visits the Ugendo estate fairly often despite actively serving in the Gotei 13 - usually because his health demands the peace and fresher air, sometimes.
* Are any or all of the character’s family still alive?
His parents are both dead, as are the large majority of his brothers and sisters, probably. However, the Ukitake clan is still going strong, with a sprawling family tree of cousins and nieces and nephews and in-laws even without the ones with the grand-’s tacked on…
* If so, where are they now?
Most of them probably live in Sereitei - possibly near or on the Ugendo estate, even.
* Does the character stay in touch with them or has he/she become estranged?
Ukitake does his best to keep up with names and goings-on, oh yes. Upholding family ties is pretty important business, to him.
* Does the character love or hate one member of the family in particular?
((See here: Relationships))
* Is any member of the family special to the character in any way (perhaps, as a confidant, mentor, or arch-rival)?
Junko was probably the most significant influence on Ukitake, in his early childhood; she taught him the basis of everything he knows now concerning morals, honor, pride, etiquette, and tea brewing, in addition to unwaveringly supporting and encouraging him, during a time when any other woman in her place would have considered themselves inconvenienced by, or even ashamed of, a nigh-invalid first son. Saying that Jushiro was very fond of her for these things would be an understatement, really.
* Are there any black (or white) sheep in the family (including the character)?
Considering the sheer number of family members, and the fact that it’s a minor noble clan…yeah, I have no doubt there are probably quite a few in both categories.
* Does the character have a notorious or celebrated ancestor?
Nope…
* If so, what did this person do to become famous or infamous?
N/A
* What do people assume about the character once his/her ancestry is revealed?
Kind of along the lines of “Ah, so you’re part of that minor noble family.”…assuming they even recognize the name at all 8|; The Ukitake clan isn’t really renowned for anything in particular; the most notable facet of it is that the Thirteenth Division Captain bears that name, and people generally pay a lot more attention to the Captain status. Captains wield enough power to easily kill you without even needing to draw a zanpakuto, after all.
* Has the character began his/her own family?
Nope.
* If not, does the character ever want to have a family of his/her own someday?
Ehhhhn, that’s…complicated. Ukitake would like to have one - he really, really would, especially kids. But at the same time he doesn’t. It all goes back to watching his mother die of irreparable grief over the course of a year; and, with that experience lingering with him forevermore afterwards…
He knows that the chances of him dying in an untimely fashion because of his illness are extremely likely. And he knows that he wouldn’t be able to forgive himself if he eventually married and had a family, and then…died, in such a way as that. To throw such dearest loved ones into pain that could be (apparently) be easily avoided…he just doesn’t think he could do that, and still feel at peace with himself.
So no. Even though he’d like one, Ukitake highly doubts he’ll ever have one - and that’s a barrier he’s willingly put upon himself.
* If so, with who or what type of person?
If some way, somehow, something could change his mind on the matter, and the whole thing might turn out ideally…well. He’d probably feel most confident in someone kinder and smarter than even himself, really. Someone strong enough to pick up pieces after having everything shattered, someone that he’s sure can and will scout out the bright side in things, no matter what…he’d be most comfortable with someone like that, really. It’s knowledge that they can take care of themselves and those around them, even if he should be gone in an unexpected advent.
* What would the character be willing to do to protect such a person?
Pretty much anything, probably. Fight to the death, if he must.
* Would anything change the character’s mind on this issue, and if so, what?
Nope, nothing.
Relationships
=============
* Does the character have any close friends?
Yes.
* If so, who and what are they like?
He has several circles of friends, actually - it’s kind of ended up this way due to the sheer number of them, and Ukitake’s utter inability to stop making them or break ties with the ones he already has 8|;; His ‘closer’ circle consists mainly of good companions that he’s known for several decades or more - like, say, Shihouin Yoruichi, or various others in, around, or over that age group. …There’s a lot of them okay >>a
* What is the history of their relationship(s) with him/her?
Generally, if he’s known them long enough for them to be promoted to the closer-circle category, then it’s pretty safe to say that he’s very fond of them, and trusts them implicitly - and they probably reciprocate those feelings. These are the people that he would probably confide deeper concerns and thoughts with; should that confiding be to them, or even from them, on the odd occasion.
* Does the character currently have a best friend whom he/she would protect with his/her reputation or life?
…What kind of question is that :|; I mean…honestly. HONESTLY. This is Ukitake Jushiro we’re talking about.
* If so, who is it, and what caused the character to feel so close to them? What would have to happen for the character to end this relationship?
Actually, Ukitake wouldn’t normally have any qualms about risking his life to protect any of his friends, even if they’re lighter acquaintances that he’s only known for a few months or so. That’s just the way he rolls. However, he would especially sacrifice anything for Kyouraku Shunsui. After all, Kyouraku is his biffle, to put it bluntly - and really, after two thousand years of sustained friendship over the course of a mutual tenure as career soldiers, the notion that one would be more than willing to give his life for the other really…isn’t too surprising at all.
As said earlier, Ukitake’s just not the sort particularly inclined towards ending a friendship, for any given reason - especially if they’re friends he values high enough to defend all the way to the end. The friend would have to have done something ridiculously bad, to such an extent that the relationship is utterly irreparable, and the latter party has absolutely no intention of repairing it anyway (ie: lolol Aizen)
* Does the character have any bitter enemies?
Nnnnot. Really. Or at least, not in that sort of way :\; If Ukitake deems someone an enemy, then it’s probably simply out of necessity - there would have to be a lot of personal grievance and motivation for him to start levying the label in a truly personal fashion.
* If so, who are they, what are they like, and what is the history of their feud with the character?
Atm? Aizen Sousuke, probably. Biggest, most arrogant smooth-talking power-mongering chessmaster bastard you will ever meet - but goddamn if the guy doesn’t have his smart moments. Makes him all the worse, really.
Now, corresponding with the earlier statement, Ukitake doesn’t have any direct beef with the guy, but after betraying Soul Society, seriously injuring and/or traumatizing several shinigami (including his own Vice-Captain), and proceeding to declare himself the next God, as the biggest threat to the afterlife since who knows when? Aizen’s kind of an enemy out of pure unleaded necessity, really. Ukitake did actually consider him a good colleague and friend before the façade was stripped down - now, more than anything else, he’s just…extremely disappointed and maybe somewhat offended at the seemingly new path Aizen’s chosen. Such blatant disregard for the wellbeing of one’s subordinates and companions, as well as general life, is flat-out abominable, in his opinion.
* Has the character defeated them before?
Personally? Alas, no.
* How might these enemies seek to discomfit the character in the future?
Weeell, Aizen already has indirectly gotten Ukitake impaled clean through the torso area by a retarded Arrancar using its bare hand. Pretty much everything’s indirect for Ukitake, though - Aizen isn’t focusing on him, after all, but the repercussions of his actions manage to reach pretty much everyone in Soul Society somehow. Not to mention, Aizen becoming God would prooobably not be in anyone’s best interests…
* What valuable or important contacts does the character have?
Ukitake is a shinigami Captain in the Gotei 13 - obviously, this means he has supreme authority over his assigned squad, the Thirteenth; next to that he technically has the power to at least influence fellow Captains; and, on top of all that, Captain-General Genocide Yamamoto used to be his teacher and mentor back in the day, and the man’s pretty fond of Ukitake, so there’s some very mild leverage there as well. Very fortunately for any potential opposing parties, Ukitake doesn’t see a need to exercise these connections too much…
* How did the character come to know them?
As mentioned earlier, Yamamoto was Ukitake and Kyouraku’s self-appointed combat tutor back in their Academy days. Everyone else pretty much came with the Captain-status package.
* Which person(s) or group(s) are the character most loyal to?
His closer companions, and the Gotei 13...for the most part. He’s definitely staunch when it comes to Kyouraku, at least.
* List any past serious relationships that the character has had, and give a brief overview of the relationship(s).
Haaaa…back in his Academy days? Ukitake - probably dabbled in relationships here and there, up to a point. Very, very tentatively. I highly doubt he’s ever had a truly serious one, though.
* How does the character think others generally perceive him/her?
That one derpy old man - although that’s just more of a meta-awareness that developed over the last thousand years, and makes good enough sense to him. Otherwise, as a friend - or so he hopes, most of the time.
* If someone crossed the character’s path, what would he/she do?
…Smile in greeting and…nod?? If we’re talking literal path-cross here. Now, if we’re talking a crossed path as in, they’ve gotten on Ukitake’s bad side?
Well. He’d. Try to keep his cool, probably. But if by some convolutedly impossible means you’ve actually managed to truly piss him off, then uh…the chances are very high that he’s getting ready to run Sogyo no Kotowari through your gut, at that point. At a lightning-fast blink-and-you’ll-miss-it speed 8|
* Who is the character’s most trusted ally?
Kyouraku, of course.
* Who does the character trust, in general?
His friends. Complete strangers on initial, unbiased first encounter. Most members of the Gotei 13...
* Who does the character despise and why?
Well, to be quite honest, I don’t think Ukitake really outright despises anybody - or at least, not very easily at all. Sure, dislike is possible, but hardly ever outright hatred. This has a lot to do with the ‘everything is gray’ mentality he’s got - because really, he’ll try his genuine best to see the good side of everyone - or at least attempt to figure out why they act the way they do - because there’s always, always a reason.
* Name seven things the character hates in others.
Eeeeehn, he would never, ever outright state these, but:
Apathy. Cruelty. Sadism. Narrow-mindedness. Disregard for life and/or death, but moreso life. Dishonor. Backstabbing.
* Is the character’s image consistent?
…Sort…of…?
Most of the time - and genuinely - he’s an incredibly friendly, innocuous old man. However, when a situation demands that he take up a militaristic mantle, he becomes a different person entirely: fairly solemn, focused, consolingly calm, and sharply shrewd, with a volume of power at hand that would make most enemies at least flinch.
* Do different people see the character in similar ways?
Those who know him as an early acquaintance would probably see just the derp and the tea-loving old man, for the most part. Those that know him well and are aware of his past see this too - but they also get the added spin of knowing just what he’s capable of becoming /o/
* Does the character deliberately present his/herself differently in different situations, and how?
No, not really - or at least not deliberately, most of the time.
* What would the character die for?
His honor, his friends, and any cause that he truly believes in.
* Who would the character go to extremes for?
Kyouraku.
* Who does the character turn to when he/she’s in trouble?
Kyouraku, yet again - especially if it’s the sort of trouble he honestly finds he can’t deal with by himself. He’s surest of Kyouraku’s ability, after all.
* What is the worst thing someone has done to the character?
Oh man, that’s…a tough one 8|aa I wouldn’t be able to name a specific occurrence right now - lol two thousand year backstory gap - but overall, I think that the worst thing someone could do is undermine Ukitake’s pride. No, not override it for a bit by accident, or out of practical necessity - but completely and intentionally disregard it in its entirety. It could be for any number of reasons, though I imagine doing it by taking advantage of his illness would strike the absolute worst chord.
Ukitake will not stand for that kind of thing. Sure, pity or sympathy are things that he’ll swallow well enough, albeit very reluctantly; however, to this day, blatant and substantial slights to his dignity will forever remain unacceptable and intolerable. Do this, and you are guaranteed to be on the receiving end of some pretty vehement ire, at the very least 8|
* What is the character’s general reaction to an attractive member of the opposite sex who lets him/her know they are available?
LOL
uh
Continue being perfectly polite and amiable and strictly…friendly. Might even go for the feigning-obliviousness route, if such appears to be a necessity (though said obliviousness actually isn’t intentional most of the time, but this is assuming he HAS actually noticed okay |D;). He’ll try his best not to offend them or squash their hopes and dreams or anything, but generally Ukitake is not at all the sort to take advantage of that kind of…availability…in the opposite gender. At all. >_>
* How does the character get along with others in the same field and/or work environment?
Quite well - the majority of his men are fond of him, and although the cheerful, friendly optimism seems to get almost grating for some of his fellow Captains, they all seem to tolerate it to a relatively high degree.
* How can the character be blackmailed, beaten, and tricked?
It’s kind of…virtually impossible to casually blackmail Ukitake with any sort of real effectiveness, actually. Even if you do somehow manage to get ahold of embarrassing material, he’d simply shrug it off with a very sheepish laugh, and leave it at that. Old age has taught him well in the art of letting those sort of things blow over, after all - and everything blows over eventually. Dead serious blackmail is another story entirely, though - put one of his friends (especially Kyouraku), any sort of children, innocents, or his squad, in legit danger…and he’ll often have no choice but to at least listen to you 8|;
Alternatively, AIM FOR THE HONOR CODE, instead. Good material for trickery if you’ve got the wiles and the mechanics to figure out a way, and if you want to beat him, that’s also a good place to start. It’s one of his ultimate non-physical weak points.
* Has the character lost any loves?
…Well, I’d say no, but then again…he probably did have very casual sweethearts from the ultra-tentative relationships back in the Academy, so. Yeah. I’d say he’s…probably outlived almost all of them, at this point.
* How did the character handle the situation (short & long term)?
During his first few years actively working in the Gotei as a shinigami, when people (including some said casual love interests) were killed by Hollow on a sometimes frequent and unexpected basis? It was certainly more than a little jarring and hard to adjust to, to say the least. But after two thousand years, he’s grown quite accustomed to those sort of losses, to an extent - it’s still quite sad, but hardly uncommon. When you get to be his age, it just…turns out like that…
* Who would miss the character should he/she go missing?
A hella lot of people. I imagine Kyouraku wouldn’t just miss him - he’d prooobably throw a fit, and promptly set out to find the man. 8|| Any of Ukitake’s (numerous) friends and close companions would probably react in the same fashion. The Thirteenth Squad would certainly notice its Captain disappearing pretty quickly. Yamamoto probably wouldn’t be terribly happy either >___>
* Who might protect the character?
Again, a hella lot of people, considering the friend network this guy can build - not to mention the entirety of Thirteenth. But Kyouraku especially, of course - and he’d probably do the best job of it, too.
* Who might be convinced to sell the character out?
Maaaybe newer members of his squad. Probably a couple of the more unsavory fellow Captains in the Gotei (like Mayuri or summat) too. Meh, I imagine there are more… You’d probably be hard-put to find a good candidate among his closer circle of friends, though.
* How close is the character to his/her friends?
Actually, this is a bit weird. Ukitake has a…crapload of people he’d cheerfully call companions, but about three-fifths of the lot of them would probably be better described as casual acquaintances, with an added spin of extra friendliness on Ukitake’s part that could easily evolve into something sincere, given a bit more time and interaction. (Not that it wouldn’t be sincere already or anything, of course - but it becomes…MORE SINCERE or something okay @.@) Once someone’s reached that level, though, he’ll consider them a ‘dear’ friend, and possibly see fit to confide in them or be a confidant for them, at times. Most of his closer circle of friends slot into this category, as mentioned earlier, and he’d do his very best to defend these people if the occasion arose.
However, I highly doubt anyone will ever quite reach the platform that Kyouraku Shunsui stands on, for Ukitake. Because Kyouraku is and will forever remain his best friend. They’re bros to the end, brothers in all but blood, and there really isn’t anything that could possibly separate the two in terms of relationship.
* Does the character live with anyone (housemates, roommates, relatives, friends, near-strangers, family friend, spouse, boyfriend, girlfriend, lover)?
Well, technically, he lives among his men in the 13th Squad barracks, in a nice little off-to-the-side mini-apartment that doubles as his office. Nobody lives with him in there, at least - though his Third Seats and Kyouraku might as well be, with the number of times they’re always popping in throughout the day.
* Is the character a member of any special interest groups?
The Shinigami Men’s Association! …Sob…
* What is the character’s level of involvement?
Eh, well, he’ll indulge the Association and its newest goals/failures often enough. Still, I highly suspect that Ukitake honestly doesn’t take it. Seriously. At all. He’s just there for the lulz, mainly. …And the free sunglasses /o/
* What is the character’s current status with local law-enforcement?
He is the local law enforcement - or a member of the closest equivalent in Soul Society thereof, anyway.
* Does the character have a record of cooperation or non-cooperation with authorities?
Kind…of? That whole fiasco with the Soukyoku was probably added to his permanent record on the spot, lmfao - even though any trouble he got for it was pretty much revoked anyway, in the end. Otherwise…well, he’s a Captain of one of the Thirteen Squads, so cooperation’s kind of a moot point anyhow.
* Does the character have a file with local, national or international law enforcement?
See above…
AND NOW, FOR PART 2, OVER THIS WAY...BECAUSE APPARENTLY I TL;DR SO MUCH THAT IT BROKE LJ sdksfhj
======================
* Give a two or three word description of the character. (Describe the character's concept.)
Friendship embracing all. /stealth-plagiarizes Kubo, lul /o/
* Does the character have any nicknames, street names, titles, nom de plume?
‘Captain’ on a professional basis; ‘Ukii’ by Kusajishi Yachiru; occasionally 'Pretty Boy', 'Casanova', 'Handsome', AND MANY OTHERS by Kyouraku Shunsui 8|
* What is the character’s full birth name?
Ukitake Jushiro (family name // given name)
* Where does the character live?
13th Division Barracks, Sereitei, Soul Society
* Why does the character live there?
He was born and raised in Sereitei - and, as the Gotei 13 is situated there, he never really saw a reason to live elsewhere.
* What is the character’s citizenship status?
Officially a citizen of Sereitei overall, and member of a minor noble family.
* What is the character’s most obvious blessing or strength?
He is one of the few genuinely nice people you’ll ever meet, hands-down; a friendly, outgoing man, he can strike up friendships easily, and is very good with children. Imo he also has an emotional staunchness and strength that’s pretty damn impressive.
* What does the character perceive as his/her greatest strength?
Though he never openly lauds it about, Ukitake is pretty aware of the fact that he’s an ideal diplomat, and will exercise this quality to advantage if it becomes necessary. Otherwise he knows he’s additionally fairly good at working with people in general - the notion comes naturally enough.
He’s also quite confident in his tea-making skills - two thousand years of experience stat, good sirs 8)
* What is the character’s most obvious flaw or weakness?
Ukitake…is a very, very proud man. Not in an uppity or presumptuous fashion, perhaps - but in a very silent and subtle sort of way that demands respect, and gives it in equal and sincere return. Granted, some would call this a strength rather than a weakness - and, in some ways, it certainly is - but it does leave Ukitake with large vulnerabilities, and often overrides notions that ought to be common sense. This is the sort of pride that backs the devotion he has to his honor code, and the ultimate deference he has towards others’ honor as well.
He’s also a very empathic sort of personality - by default he tends to place himself in the shoes of others first and foremost, if only to better understand their respective positions and the reasons behind them.
* What does the character perceive as his/her greatest weakness?
Ukitake is very aware of the major flaw stated above, and it sure as hell gives him a lot of internal conflict at times.
* Was there any event or cause of these weaknesses?
The pride is ingrained second nature for Ukitake more than anything else, simply a part of who he is - cultivated by a childhood of sickness that had him struggling constantly to earn a simple right to respect, and then cemented in his adolescent years by the driving need to prove himself and exceed the expectations of those around him constantly. Quite honestly, Ukitake’s difficulty with swallowing his pride when it matters was much greater in his younger years than it is now - but he still has some trouble with it sometimes, even now. Combined with the reinforcement of lessons taught to him by both his family and his status as minor nobility in the past, pride and honor are pretty much synonymous and essential to Ukitake, by now.
Physical Traits
===============
* How old is the character?
Eh, approximately two thousand years old, give or take a couple of decades. This is considered pretty old even by Soul Society’s standards, yeah.
* What is the character’s gender?
Male.
* What is the character’s species/race?
Ukitake is a soul - and a ‘new soul’ at that, even: he was literally born in the afterlife (Soul Society) as a spiritual entity, and has yet to have ever died. He is also a shinigami - though that’s not so much a type of species as it is a job description, really. Heritage-wise I’d say Japanese descent…
* How tall is the character?
6’2”
* How much does the character weigh?
159 lbs.
* What is the character’s general body type, frame, bone structure, and poise?
He’s a tall man, although he looks a bit on the frail and sickly side, with his thin frame. At the same time, though, the experienced can still easily perceive the strength he carries in his arms. He has excellent posture, straight shoulders and head upraised; having been brought up in a noble family, however, that’s only to be expected.
* What is the character’s skin color?
Typical Asian complexion, albeit on the decidedly pale side.
* What is the character’s hair color?
Pure white, all the way down to the roots.
* What is the character’s hair style?
He’s recently (read: as of about 100 years ago) taken to wearing it loose - it’s straight, and falls to roughly the small of his back. His bangs are swept to the right side of his head, and there’s an additional little piece that sometimes lands between his eyes.
* Does the character have any facial hair?
Nope!
* What is the character’s eye color?
A warm brown.
* Does it change?
lmfao no
* How attractive is the character?
((See here: Body and Appearance))
* What is the character’s most distinguishing feature?
People usually identify him by his white hair. In fact, if it weren’t for that, he’d really look like your average Japanese citizen - his hair was naturally black, when he was a child.
* Does the character have any scars, tattoos, or birthmarks?
He has a good many scars, yes.
* If so, how did he/she acquire them?
Being a member of the Gotei 13 for such an extensive amount of time has its impact - and he’s no more immune to injury than the next man. Most of them were wounds dealt by Hollow, or Kyouraku, respectively.
* What do these distinguishing marks look like?
…Your…typical scars? He’s received a variety of injuries over his lifetime; cuts, claw marks, burns, slash wounds, impalement…
* Do they have any special significance?
Not particularly. The profusion of them is always a bit surprising, but that’s about it.
* Where are they located?
Pretty much everywhere. His face doesn’t have any yet to date, but he has various ones on his torso, back, shoulders, arms and legs…his most recent/prominent scars would be a rather nasty circular one in his chest area, which matches a corresponding one in the middle of his back; being run clean through by a bare arm really, really sucks okay :|; Because he usually swamps himself in several layers of clothing, though, they’re hardly ever visible or noticeable.
* What is the character’s handedness (left/right/ambidextrous)?
Ambidextrous
* What is the character’s hand size/description?
They’re very strong hands, largish and slightly bony. I’d imagine they’re pretty calloused too. Two thousand years of grasping at a katana hilt and so on…
* Does the character resemble some currently known person?
Nnnot as far as I’m aware…?
* Does the character wear a uniform?
Yes. It’s the standard uniform of a member of the Gotei, called a shihakusho, which consists of: a white shitagi, a black kosode, a black hakama, a white hakama-himo, and white tabi and waraji for footwear. Over all this he wears a long-sleeved white haori with scarlet lining and the number thirteen kanji on the back, as a sign of his status as a shinigami Captain.
* What kind of clothing does the character wear?
Usually you’ll see him in the above uniform, especially when on duty or in Sereitei in general. On casual days, however, he’s been known to resort to simpler articles of clothing; he has a preference for plain layered kimonos and yukata of pastel colors, very Edo-era in fashion.
* What is the character’s clothing's style or level of sophistication?
He accomplishes the looks of someone from feudal Japan with amazing ease, often without realizing it. There’s nothing particularly elegant or sophisticated about what he wears, either - normally he just likes them plain, comfortable, and practical. He’s a very neat dresser, if nothing else.
* What size is the character for various pieces of clothing?
Yeeeeah I’m not going there, sorry /)_(\
* Does the character wear makeup?
Goodness no.
* Does the character wear glasses/contacts?
Nope.
* What sort of vocal tone does the character have?
((See here: Speech))
* Does the character get sick? Maybe he/she catches the flu twice a year and that's it? Or maybe he/she has a weak immune system and catches anything that goes around?
Ukitake can get sick very easily. In fact he’s been quite ill almost all his life, having contracted a disease at a very young age that causes him to cough up blood at inopportune periods, and gives him a general uncomfortable time; though canon never implicitly states what it actually is, fandom seems to be leaning towards tuberculosis.
Either way, it doesn’t take much to provoke this illness - it comes and goes all by itself in cycles - and every other month he’ll get quite under the weather and rendered incapacitated for awhile. Still, with two thousand years of experience combating this ailment at his back, Ukitake can make a surprising show of stamina and energy even during these sick spells.
History
=======
* Where is the character’s homeland?
Technically, he’s from Japan. …Except it’s. Japan’s afterlife, which is located in another plane of existence parallel to the Living World’s: Soul Society.
* What are its people like?
About 98.9% of Soul Society’s population are spiritual entities - souls, if you want it put simply. The Rukongai districts take up the large bulk of Soul Society’s inhabited area, and is the residency for most souls that pass on from the Living World after death. ‘New souls’ - or people that are born in Soul Society and have never died in the Living World beforehand - are present as well, but these are rarer, and are usually a product of noble families; Ukitake is one of these, as far as canon seems to indicate.
The lifespan of people in Soul Society is a hella lot longer than it is for humans in the Living World - if you’re fifty years old, you’re a fairly young lad, and you don’t achieve a truly adult status until you’re at least 150, probably. ‘Middle-aged’ individuals might very well be about 400 or so. …This can be blamed on spiritual anatomy okay >__> Physically speaking, though, a soul ages depending on the amount of spiritual power s/he possesses, and the point in their physical aging when the development of foresaid reiatsu reaches its peak; once the peak has been reached, aging slows to an almost dead standstill. Obviously this peak doesn’t have to occur at physical adulthood: Hitsugaya Toushiro, for example, looks like a fifth-grader…and he probably will for many hundreds of years yet, since he reached Captain-class spiritual levels at a very young age. For most shinigami the peak-at-adulthood thing seems to be the case, though, Ukitake himself included.
* Is the character aware of its history?
Quite so. He’s even lived through a good portion of it.
* Is the character patriotic or a social outcast?
Neither. Although Ukitake clearly aligns Soul Society with ‘home’ in his mind and heart, he’s not the sort that would go burning people at the stake for its sake. …Not that there’s ever even been a need to, in all the two thousand years he’s been alive. Soul Society doesn’t really have any neighboring nations to quarrel with, unless you count Hueco Mundo.
* What is the character’s opinions of home?
He will always hold it close to his heart. It is home, after all - and he will always be fond of the good things it has to offer, even coupled with all the bad.
* Where is the character’s home town?
Although Soul Society doesn’t have an actual ‘town’ to speak of, Ukitake could arguably be slotted under hailing from the higher-class inner precinct separated from the Rukongai districts.
* What is the character’s home town's name?
Sereitei.
* What was the area like and how did it affect the character?
As a rule of thumb, it appears that the whole of Soul Society is trapped in medieval-Japanese stasis - think Edo-era, probably; two thousand years ago it was likely not much more different than it is now 8|; As a result, Ukitake is extremely old-fashioned in his mannerisms and ways of thinking, compared to most people, especially those in the Living World. Technology certainly wasn’t prevalent back in his day, and he’s predictably quite fail at it now - similarly, various concepts of the Living World and its culture remain sources of great curiosity and general bafflement. BUT HE’S LEARNING OKAY ;; …SLOWLY…
* Did the character witness any historical events?
In Soul Society there was the annihilation of the Quincy, the Vizard incident a couple hundred years ago, and then Aizen’s epic betrayal less than a year back - those are pretty recent ones, and there are probably more, but two thousand years is a big hole to fill and Kubo has yet to reveal anything more quite yet. 8|; However! Ukitake’s certainly witnessed a small share of history in the living world, too. If you really wanna put things to perspective, he was there helping soul cleanup in Japan during both World Wars - including after the bombings of Nagasaki and Hiroshima, especially.
* If so, how did that event impact the character?
The Quincy…very unfortunate incident. I imagine Ukitake wasn’t very happy at all about the ultimate decision involving extermination of the entire clan, but - well, the Central 46 is the Central 46, and he really had no solid ground to challenge them on at the time, so. He carried out the orders accordingly, same as everyone else…though he’d openly admit to some regret for it now, if asked. A lingering regret is about as far as it gets, though - I wouldn’t say it impacted him in a particularly strong fashion, no; he probably wasn’t too intimately involved in most of it. (to be added to)
The events in the living world, on the other hand, didn’t make much impact on Ukitake at all - they were detached occurrences that did not particularly involve himself nor his kin in any fashion. Sure, there have been occasions when he’d pause and shake his head at the cruelty and anger of the general human race (lol dem World Wars)…but then, like everyone else, he’d move on, because such occasions simply weren’t Soul Society’s business to care about. As long as the border between worlds remains intact, there’s no reason to worry about what humanity does to itself on a decade basis :|;
* What about the character’s race? Growing up, was the character in the majority or a minority?
Uuuuh…physical race doesn’t seem to be a particular issue in Soul Society - it’s really all in the wealth and the power, and the sliding scale holding those two up. Ukitake was of minor nobility, and so growing up he had the moderate amount of respect that sort of status afforded. Had nothing to do with his race, though :d He’s…probably part of some ancient long-forgotten Japanese line that faded from prevalence in the Living World thousands of years ago.
* How was the character treated by other nearby races?
About the same as anyone would treat someone else, in the perspective of race.
* Was the character persecuted for his/her race?
Nope.
* Did this impact the character’s outlook in any way?
N/A
* Did it affect the character’s personality?
N/A
* How does the character feel about other races?
When it comes to race, Ukitake usually only registers that aspect of a stranger in the physical sense - like “oh that guy sounds like someone from the West” or “well that’s rather unusually dark skin” - and then that’s about as far as it gets. He honestly couldn’t care less, quite frankly, and probably wouldn’t understand anyone who actually does - because really, it’s all in the personality, not the heritage 8|;
* Does the character have any justification from his/her past experience for holding such views?
Soul Society’s probably a melting-pot of all kinds of people (being the afterlife and all) so there isn’t really any reason to discriminate in that sense, meh.
* Were there any traumatic experiences in the character’s early years (death of a family member, abandonment, orphaned at an early age)?
Ah, nothing major major, but that’s certainly not to say that his childhood was an ideal one. At a very early age he contracted his illness; then, after fighting tooth and claw to enter the Academy, succeeding, and graduating in flying colors, he entered the Gotei 13...and, a few years later, found himself dealing with the repercussions of the death of his father, who was slain in combat. His mother sank into a deep cycle of grief that never really healed, and she passed away about a year after that in failing health; if nothing else, this certainly left the first of many deep impressions on his heart.
* Briefly describe a defining moment in the character’s childhood and how it influenced his/her life.
Looking at his reflection in the mirror, after he recovered from his very first encounter with his illness…at the cost of his hair color, and his health for the rest of his life. If nothing else, that illness had certainly changed the course his life would have taken, for better and for worse.
Next to that, and more into his adolescent years, was stepping through the Academy’s gates as an official student for the first time. It was his first major plunge into the goal he’d fight bitterly for in coming years: a place in the Gotei, as a shinigami.
* What was childhood like for the character?
A constant struggle, for a good bulk of it. His illness was a lot worse back then than it is now, odd as that may sound. Next to that, there were the heavy expectations set on his head as the eldest son.
* Was it calm and peaceful or turbulent and traumatic?
It was pretty peaceful, up until he contracted the illness. Then, as stated above, it was mostly struggling to keep on going, for some time. However, if asked, Ukitake would wholeheartedly admit that it was still a fairly happy one - he had his parents, and his brothers and sisters, and a future he could fight for, even if the fight would be hard. That was more than he could ever ask for, as far as he’s concerned.
* Does the character have any childhood friends?
Not…really…I don’t think 8|a Not in his early childhood, anyway - being of nobility, he wasn’t allowed to roam about and meet others his age very much, especially when he was in his sickbed two thirds of the time. Once he entered the Academy, though, people flocked to him like birds to a bag of crumbs - friendliness is as friendliness gets, and Ukitake certainly had plenty of friendliness to spare.
* If so, who and where are they now?
There were too many acquaintances in the Academy to name, I imagine |D; Among them was Kyouraku Shunsui, however.
* Is the character still close to them, or has he/she grown apart?
Ukitake and Kyouraku’s friendship has outlasted two thousand years, and is still going strong - bros forever, more or less. As to everyone else from the Academy…most of them are probably dead, by now.
* What stupid things did the character do when he/she was younger?
AHAHA. Well. I imagine that Ukitake was a proverbial ‘good boy’ most of the time, but…only a saint could fully escape the grasp of impetuous adolescence, and Ukitake certainly wasn’t one - and isn’t really one even now, for that matter XD Let’s just say the volume of stupidity in his personal record certainly increased dramatically after he became friends with Shunsui and sake bottles, and leave it at that.
* Which toys from the character’s childhood has he/she kept? Why? What did they mean to the character?
No, he hasn’t kept any…
* If the character didn't keep any, why not?
You don’t…really keep toys, when you end up ferrying souls for a militaristic organization as a means of making a living. Of course, that wasn’t exactly the foremost reason on Ukitake’s mind. He figured, as well, that they could be put to better use than a dusty shelf in some corner.
* What did the character do to them all?
So instead of dooming them to the shelf, he made sure that any toys he might have owned at some point in his childhood were passed down to his siblings - and, from there, I daresay they’ve been handed down to nieces and nephews and other new generations of the Ukitake family ever since.
* Does the character have any deep, dark secrets in the past that may come back to haunt him/her?
Nnnnot from his early childhood, no.
* What conflicts might arise from the character’s past?
Nothing I can think of atm. He deals with his illness all the time now, but that’s about it.
* Is the character who he/she claims to be?
Yes! Well. …Yes. Kind of. His name is Ukitake Jushiro, as he will inform a stranger without so much as a second thought - and he is a shinigami Captain, though he only…actually mentions that if people ask him about his profession first. It’s not like he’s actively trying to hide it or anything, but he’s found it much easier to interact with others outside of the shihakusho, when the daunting titles aren’t there to weigh on their first impressions. It’s worked quite nicely in the past, if nothing else - it could be safely said that few would suspect such a benign, vaguely derpy old man of being one of the most powerful Death Gods at the Gotei 13’s disposal.
* Does the character have any sort of criminal record?
Lmao…he probably does, actually - after two thousand years something’s really gotta give. The most serious crime on his pallet (though I’m not putting this in cement because - once again - lol two-thousand-year hole that needs filling 8|) would probably be his unauthorized unsealing of the Shihouin Clan’s family heirloom, which he and Kyouraku had happily blown up used in order to destroy the Soukyoku @.@ Apart from that one, though, I’d say the bulk of any criminal record he’s got consists largely of ridiculously minor offenses, like going out for a drink (with Shunsui) without proper notice in the middle of the night, or something.
* How does the character view the heroes/legends of his/her country?
There’s the due amount of respect, of course, and he probably considers them good for stories to tell restless children, but apart from that? Eh, he sees them about the same as the next person that knows them.
Family
======
* Who were the character’s parents?
His father was head of the Ukitake family, alongside his mother.
* Was the character raised by them?
Yes.
* If not, then why didn't they and who did raise the character?
N/A
* What is the father's full name?
Ukitake Yoshiro ((This is purely headcanon for convenience |D; Both his parents’ names are unknown atm))
* What is the mother's full name?
Ukitake Junko ((also headcanon))
* What is the mother's maiden name?
Takasu Junko ((lol headcanon))
* What did the character’s parents and/or foster parents do for a living?
Ukitake’s father, alongside his head-of-family duties, was a moderately high-ranking shinigami that served in the Gotei 13 as well, and was absent often and frequently. However, his mother usually stayed home to watch over her children and manage the family estate, including monetary affairs and clan meetings.
* What was their standing in the community?
The Ukitake clan was a rather minor aristocratic family, and rarely had much impact in the affairs of the Five Great Houses, but they were still considered nobles, duly noted on most occasions. In the perspective of other noble clans I imagine they’re that one fairly respectable family, albeit rather unusually sprawling (even by nobility’s standards XD), and bearing an odd tradition of…interesting naming conventions.
* Did the character’s family stay in one area or move around a lot?
The Ugendo estate has supported the Ukitake family for countless generations - to move would be ridiculous, and enough to raise many neighboring eyebrows.
* How did the character get along with his/her parents?
((See here: Relationships))
* Does the character have any siblings?
Yes.
* If so, how many and what were their names?
Seven of them, five brothers and two sisters. Their names are unknown.
* What was the character’s birth position in the family?
First-born and eldest
* How does the character get along with each of his/her siblings?
((See here: Relationships))
* What is the character’s family life like?
Still going pretty strong, to speak of ties with other relations. Ukitake still visits the Ugendo estate fairly often despite actively serving in the Gotei 13 - usually because his health demands the peace and fresher air, sometimes.
* Are any or all of the character’s family still alive?
His parents are both dead, as are the large majority of his brothers and sisters, probably. However, the Ukitake clan is still going strong, with a sprawling family tree of cousins and nieces and nephews and in-laws even without the ones with the grand-’s tacked on…
* If so, where are they now?
Most of them probably live in Sereitei - possibly near or on the Ugendo estate, even.
* Does the character stay in touch with them or has he/she become estranged?
Ukitake does his best to keep up with names and goings-on, oh yes. Upholding family ties is pretty important business, to him.
* Does the character love or hate one member of the family in particular?
((See here: Relationships))
* Is any member of the family special to the character in any way (perhaps, as a confidant, mentor, or arch-rival)?
Junko was probably the most significant influence on Ukitake, in his early childhood; she taught him the basis of everything he knows now concerning morals, honor, pride, etiquette, and tea brewing, in addition to unwaveringly supporting and encouraging him, during a time when any other woman in her place would have considered themselves inconvenienced by, or even ashamed of, a nigh-invalid first son. Saying that Jushiro was very fond of her for these things would be an understatement, really.
* Are there any black (or white) sheep in the family (including the character)?
Considering the sheer number of family members, and the fact that it’s a minor noble clan…yeah, I have no doubt there are probably quite a few in both categories.
* Does the character have a notorious or celebrated ancestor?
Nope…
* If so, what did this person do to become famous or infamous?
N/A
* What do people assume about the character once his/her ancestry is revealed?
Kind of along the lines of “Ah, so you’re part of that minor noble family.”…assuming they even recognize the name at all 8|; The Ukitake clan isn’t really renowned for anything in particular; the most notable facet of it is that the Thirteenth Division Captain bears that name, and people generally pay a lot more attention to the Captain status. Captains wield enough power to easily kill you without even needing to draw a zanpakuto, after all.
* Has the character began his/her own family?
Nope.
* If not, does the character ever want to have a family of his/her own someday?
Ehhhhn, that’s…complicated. Ukitake would like to have one - he really, really would, especially kids. But at the same time he doesn’t. It all goes back to watching his mother die of irreparable grief over the course of a year; and, with that experience lingering with him forevermore afterwards…
He knows that the chances of him dying in an untimely fashion because of his illness are extremely likely. And he knows that he wouldn’t be able to forgive himself if he eventually married and had a family, and then…died, in such a way as that. To throw such dearest loved ones into pain that could be (apparently) be easily avoided…he just doesn’t think he could do that, and still feel at peace with himself.
So no. Even though he’d like one, Ukitake highly doubts he’ll ever have one - and that’s a barrier he’s willingly put upon himself.
* If so, with who or what type of person?
If some way, somehow, something could change his mind on the matter, and the whole thing might turn out ideally…well. He’d probably feel most confident in someone kinder and smarter than even himself, really. Someone strong enough to pick up pieces after having everything shattered, someone that he’s sure can and will scout out the bright side in things, no matter what…he’d be most comfortable with someone like that, really. It’s knowledge that they can take care of themselves and those around them, even if he should be gone in an unexpected advent.
* What would the character be willing to do to protect such a person?
Pretty much anything, probably. Fight to the death, if he must.
* Would anything change the character’s mind on this issue, and if so, what?
Nope, nothing.
Relationships
=============
* Does the character have any close friends?
Yes.
* If so, who and what are they like?
He has several circles of friends, actually - it’s kind of ended up this way due to the sheer number of them, and Ukitake’s utter inability to stop making them or break ties with the ones he already has 8|;; His ‘closer’ circle consists mainly of good companions that he’s known for several decades or more - like, say, Shihouin Yoruichi, or various others in, around, or over that age group. …There’s a lot of them okay >>a
* What is the history of their relationship(s) with him/her?
Generally, if he’s known them long enough for them to be promoted to the closer-circle category, then it’s pretty safe to say that he’s very fond of them, and trusts them implicitly - and they probably reciprocate those feelings. These are the people that he would probably confide deeper concerns and thoughts with; should that confiding be to them, or even from them, on the odd occasion.
* Does the character currently have a best friend whom he/she would protect with his/her reputation or life?
…What kind of question is that :|; I mean…honestly. HONESTLY. This is Ukitake Jushiro we’re talking about.
* If so, who is it, and what caused the character to feel so close to them? What would have to happen for the character to end this relationship?
Actually, Ukitake wouldn’t normally have any qualms about risking his life to protect any of his friends, even if they’re lighter acquaintances that he’s only known for a few months or so. That’s just the way he rolls. However, he would especially sacrifice anything for Kyouraku Shunsui. After all, Kyouraku is his biffle, to put it bluntly - and really, after two thousand years of sustained friendship over the course of a mutual tenure as career soldiers, the notion that one would be more than willing to give his life for the other really…isn’t too surprising at all.
As said earlier, Ukitake’s just not the sort particularly inclined towards ending a friendship, for any given reason - especially if they’re friends he values high enough to defend all the way to the end. The friend would have to have done something ridiculously bad, to such an extent that the relationship is utterly irreparable, and the latter party has absolutely no intention of repairing it anyway (ie: lolol Aizen)
* Does the character have any bitter enemies?
Nnnnot. Really. Or at least, not in that sort of way :\; If Ukitake deems someone an enemy, then it’s probably simply out of necessity - there would have to be a lot of personal grievance and motivation for him to start levying the label in a truly personal fashion.
* If so, who are they, what are they like, and what is the history of their feud with the character?
Atm? Aizen Sousuke, probably. Biggest, most arrogant smooth-talking power-mongering chessmaster bastard you will ever meet - but goddamn if the guy doesn’t have his smart moments. Makes him all the worse, really.
Now, corresponding with the earlier statement, Ukitake doesn’t have any direct beef with the guy, but after betraying Soul Society, seriously injuring and/or traumatizing several shinigami (including his own Vice-Captain), and proceeding to declare himself the next God, as the biggest threat to the afterlife since who knows when? Aizen’s kind of an enemy out of pure unleaded necessity, really. Ukitake did actually consider him a good colleague and friend before the façade was stripped down - now, more than anything else, he’s just…extremely disappointed and maybe somewhat offended at the seemingly new path Aizen’s chosen. Such blatant disregard for the wellbeing of one’s subordinates and companions, as well as general life, is flat-out abominable, in his opinion.
* Has the character defeated them before?
Personally? Alas, no.
* How might these enemies seek to discomfit the character in the future?
Weeell, Aizen already has indirectly gotten Ukitake impaled clean through the torso area by a retarded Arrancar using its bare hand. Pretty much everything’s indirect for Ukitake, though - Aizen isn’t focusing on him, after all, but the repercussions of his actions manage to reach pretty much everyone in Soul Society somehow. Not to mention, Aizen becoming God would prooobably not be in anyone’s best interests…
* What valuable or important contacts does the character have?
Ukitake is a shinigami Captain in the Gotei 13 - obviously, this means he has supreme authority over his assigned squad, the Thirteenth; next to that he technically has the power to at least influence fellow Captains; and, on top of all that, Captain-General Genocide Yamamoto used to be his teacher and mentor back in the day, and the man’s pretty fond of Ukitake, so there’s some very mild leverage there as well. Very fortunately for any potential opposing parties, Ukitake doesn’t see a need to exercise these connections too much…
* How did the character come to know them?
As mentioned earlier, Yamamoto was Ukitake and Kyouraku’s self-appointed combat tutor back in their Academy days. Everyone else pretty much came with the Captain-status package.
* Which person(s) or group(s) are the character most loyal to?
His closer companions, and the Gotei 13...for the most part. He’s definitely staunch when it comes to Kyouraku, at least.
* List any past serious relationships that the character has had, and give a brief overview of the relationship(s).
Haaaa…back in his Academy days? Ukitake - probably dabbled in relationships here and there, up to a point. Very, very tentatively. I highly doubt he’s ever had a truly serious one, though.
* How does the character think others generally perceive him/her?
That one derpy old man - although that’s just more of a meta-awareness that developed over the last thousand years, and makes good enough sense to him. Otherwise, as a friend - or so he hopes, most of the time.
* If someone crossed the character’s path, what would he/she do?
…Smile in greeting and…nod?? If we’re talking literal path-cross here. Now, if we’re talking a crossed path as in, they’ve gotten on Ukitake’s bad side?
Well. He’d. Try to keep his cool, probably. But if by some convolutedly impossible means you’ve actually managed to truly piss him off, then uh…the chances are very high that he’s getting ready to run Sogyo no Kotowari through your gut, at that point. At a lightning-fast blink-and-you’ll-miss-it speed 8|
* Who is the character’s most trusted ally?
Kyouraku, of course.
* Who does the character trust, in general?
His friends. Complete strangers on initial, unbiased first encounter. Most members of the Gotei 13...
* Who does the character despise and why?
Well, to be quite honest, I don’t think Ukitake really outright despises anybody - or at least, not very easily at all. Sure, dislike is possible, but hardly ever outright hatred. This has a lot to do with the ‘everything is gray’ mentality he’s got - because really, he’ll try his genuine best to see the good side of everyone - or at least attempt to figure out why they act the way they do - because there’s always, always a reason.
* Name seven things the character hates in others.
Eeeeehn, he would never, ever outright state these, but:
Apathy. Cruelty. Sadism. Narrow-mindedness. Disregard for life and/or death, but moreso life. Dishonor. Backstabbing.
* Is the character’s image consistent?
…Sort…of…?
Most of the time - and genuinely - he’s an incredibly friendly, innocuous old man. However, when a situation demands that he take up a militaristic mantle, he becomes a different person entirely: fairly solemn, focused, consolingly calm, and sharply shrewd, with a volume of power at hand that would make most enemies at least flinch.
* Do different people see the character in similar ways?
Those who know him as an early acquaintance would probably see just the derp and the tea-loving old man, for the most part. Those that know him well and are aware of his past see this too - but they also get the added spin of knowing just what he’s capable of becoming /o/
* Does the character deliberately present his/herself differently in different situations, and how?
No, not really - or at least not deliberately, most of the time.
* What would the character die for?
His honor, his friends, and any cause that he truly believes in.
* Who would the character go to extremes for?
Kyouraku.
* Who does the character turn to when he/she’s in trouble?
Kyouraku, yet again - especially if it’s the sort of trouble he honestly finds he can’t deal with by himself. He’s surest of Kyouraku’s ability, after all.
* What is the worst thing someone has done to the character?
Oh man, that’s…a tough one 8|aa I wouldn’t be able to name a specific occurrence right now - lol two thousand year backstory gap - but overall, I think that the worst thing someone could do is undermine Ukitake’s pride. No, not override it for a bit by accident, or out of practical necessity - but completely and intentionally disregard it in its entirety. It could be for any number of reasons, though I imagine doing it by taking advantage of his illness would strike the absolute worst chord.
Ukitake will not stand for that kind of thing. Sure, pity or sympathy are things that he’ll swallow well enough, albeit very reluctantly; however, to this day, blatant and substantial slights to his dignity will forever remain unacceptable and intolerable. Do this, and you are guaranteed to be on the receiving end of some pretty vehement ire, at the very least 8|
* What is the character’s general reaction to an attractive member of the opposite sex who lets him/her know they are available?
LOL
uh
Continue being perfectly polite and amiable and strictly…friendly. Might even go for the feigning-obliviousness route, if such appears to be a necessity (though said obliviousness actually isn’t intentional most of the time, but this is assuming he HAS actually noticed okay |D;). He’ll try his best not to offend them or squash their hopes and dreams or anything, but generally Ukitake is not at all the sort to take advantage of that kind of…availability…in the opposite gender. At all. >_>
* How does the character get along with others in the same field and/or work environment?
Quite well - the majority of his men are fond of him, and although the cheerful, friendly optimism seems to get almost grating for some of his fellow Captains, they all seem to tolerate it to a relatively high degree.
* How can the character be blackmailed, beaten, and tricked?
It’s kind of…virtually impossible to casually blackmail Ukitake with any sort of real effectiveness, actually. Even if you do somehow manage to get ahold of embarrassing material, he’d simply shrug it off with a very sheepish laugh, and leave it at that. Old age has taught him well in the art of letting those sort of things blow over, after all - and everything blows over eventually. Dead serious blackmail is another story entirely, though - put one of his friends (especially Kyouraku), any sort of children, innocents, or his squad, in legit danger…and he’ll often have no choice but to at least listen to you 8|;
Alternatively, AIM FOR THE HONOR CODE, instead. Good material for trickery if you’ve got the wiles and the mechanics to figure out a way, and if you want to beat him, that’s also a good place to start. It’s one of his ultimate non-physical weak points.
* Has the character lost any loves?
…Well, I’d say no, but then again…he probably did have very casual sweethearts from the ultra-tentative relationships back in the Academy, so. Yeah. I’d say he’s…probably outlived almost all of them, at this point.
* How did the character handle the situation (short & long term)?
During his first few years actively working in the Gotei as a shinigami, when people (including some said casual love interests) were killed by Hollow on a sometimes frequent and unexpected basis? It was certainly more than a little jarring and hard to adjust to, to say the least. But after two thousand years, he’s grown quite accustomed to those sort of losses, to an extent - it’s still quite sad, but hardly uncommon. When you get to be his age, it just…turns out like that…
* Who would miss the character should he/she go missing?
A hella lot of people. I imagine Kyouraku wouldn’t just miss him - he’d prooobably throw a fit, and promptly set out to find the man. 8|| Any of Ukitake’s (numerous) friends and close companions would probably react in the same fashion. The Thirteenth Squad would certainly notice its Captain disappearing pretty quickly. Yamamoto probably wouldn’t be terribly happy either >___>
* Who might protect the character?
Again, a hella lot of people, considering the friend network this guy can build - not to mention the entirety of Thirteenth. But Kyouraku especially, of course - and he’d probably do the best job of it, too.
* Who might be convinced to sell the character out?
Maaaybe newer members of his squad. Probably a couple of the more unsavory fellow Captains in the Gotei (like Mayuri or summat) too. Meh, I imagine there are more… You’d probably be hard-put to find a good candidate among his closer circle of friends, though.
* How close is the character to his/her friends?
Actually, this is a bit weird. Ukitake has a…crapload of people he’d cheerfully call companions, but about three-fifths of the lot of them would probably be better described as casual acquaintances, with an added spin of extra friendliness on Ukitake’s part that could easily evolve into something sincere, given a bit more time and interaction. (Not that it wouldn’t be sincere already or anything, of course - but it becomes…MORE SINCERE or something okay @.@) Once someone’s reached that level, though, he’ll consider them a ‘dear’ friend, and possibly see fit to confide in them or be a confidant for them, at times. Most of his closer circle of friends slot into this category, as mentioned earlier, and he’d do his very best to defend these people if the occasion arose.
However, I highly doubt anyone will ever quite reach the platform that Kyouraku Shunsui stands on, for Ukitake. Because Kyouraku is and will forever remain his best friend. They’re bros to the end, brothers in all but blood, and there really isn’t anything that could possibly separate the two in terms of relationship.
* Does the character live with anyone (housemates, roommates, relatives, friends, near-strangers, family friend, spouse, boyfriend, girlfriend, lover)?
Well, technically, he lives among his men in the 13th Squad barracks, in a nice little off-to-the-side mini-apartment that doubles as his office. Nobody lives with him in there, at least - though his Third Seats and Kyouraku might as well be, with the number of times they’re always popping in throughout the day.
* Is the character a member of any special interest groups?
The Shinigami Men’s Association! …Sob…
* What is the character’s level of involvement?
Eh, well, he’ll indulge the Association and its newest goals/failures often enough. Still, I highly suspect that Ukitake honestly doesn’t take it. Seriously. At all. He’s just there for the lulz, mainly. …And the free sunglasses /o/
* What is the character’s current status with local law-enforcement?
He is the local law enforcement - or a member of the closest equivalent in Soul Society thereof, anyway.
* Does the character have a record of cooperation or non-cooperation with authorities?
Kind…of? That whole fiasco with the Soukyoku was probably added to his permanent record on the spot, lmfao - even though any trouble he got for it was pretty much revoked anyway, in the end. Otherwise…well, he’s a Captain of one of the Thirteen Squads, so cooperation’s kind of a moot point anyhow.
* Does the character have a file with local, national or international law enforcement?
See above…
AND NOW, FOR PART 2, OVER THIS WAY...BECAUSE APPARENTLY I TL;DR SO MUCH THAT IT BROKE LJ sdksfhj