application for theoregontrail
PLAYER
NAME/NICKNAME: Ryan
AGE: 24
PERSONAL LJ: irish_spectre (but I never use it anymore)
TIMEZONE: EST
EMAIL ADDRESS: roman_sionis@hotmail.com
IM SCREENNAME AND SERVICE: luxury yacht (AIM)
CHARACTER
NAME: Kurotsuchi Mayuri
AGE: Unknown, but at least 125 (probably much older--shinigami age differently from humans. It's difficult even to describe how old he looks due to the presence of paint on his skin. Without paint, he appears in his mid to late twenties, perhaps.)
FANDOM/MEDIUM: Bleach (manga)
CANON PULL-POINT: Chapter 423, during one of his research trips into Hueco Mundo.
ABILITIES:
-genius intellect
-master inventor/chemist/scientist/strategist (he is the director of the Shinigami Research and Development Institute and has devised many inventions/chemicals/poisons he often uses in battle)
-body modification expert (notably on himself; he has also created a person, Nemu, his daughter/lieutenant combining the artificial limb and artificial soul techniques; he has even created dummy organs and implanted them into himself. He also has a hidden kusarigama in his left ear cone and wields it with considerable skill, as well as an extendable arm.)
-tracking expert (all he needs is a DNA sample, such as a strand of hair)
-environmental camouflage (can blend into his surroundings)
-shunpo expert (aka flash step: the ability to move faster than the eye can see)
-kidou expert (the ability to focus ones spiritual energy into magical spells for healing/defense/combat)
-great spiritual pressure (that comes in waves; all Captains have great spiritual pressure)
-enhanced durability and pain tolerance (as evidenced by being being blown nearly in half and continuing to fight)
-partial immunity to certain poisons (specifically all those which he has created himself. It is impossible to say for certain which others, but as he frequently experiments on himself, it is within reason to assume he has built up a tolerance to many other toxins.)
-wielding his zanpakutou, Ashisogi Jizou (which he has modified). Zanpakutou have two releases, shikai and bankai:
In its sealed state, Ashisogi Jizou resembles a katana with a modified hook on its pink hilt and spikes just below the blade. Stabbing himself when the zanpakutou is in this sealed state will liquefy his body into a green goo, allowing him to safely escape, neither being able to attack nor be attacked.
In the shikai state (commanded by 'Rip'), Ashisogi Jizou transforms into deformed trident with a baby's face that releases poison at intervals ( example 1 example 2). Being cut by Ashisogi Jizou in the shikai state results in paralysis of the victim's limbs by severing the brain signals controlling neural impulses in the limbs, regardless of where the cut occurs. However, pain receptors and nerve endings remain unaffected, so the still feels pain, even in the paralyzed limbs.
In the bankai state, Konjiki Ashisogi Jizou transforms into a giant yellow caterpillar with a baby's head and arms, halo with 4 bells, and a red cape. ( example 1 example 2). The zanpakutou returns to its sealed state and the creature appears to follow Kurotsuchi's verbal commands. It emits its own red reiatsu (spiritual pressure) and exhales a poison derivative of Kurotsuchi's blood (only he and Nemu are immune, although they both keep the antidote on their persons) that is nearly impossible to avoid, and does not need to be inhaled as it works transdermally as well; only a significant amount of reiatsu can block it (such as Zaraki's). Because Kurotsuchi changes the formula, it is impossible for someone to develop an immunity or antidote to the poison. The creature can produce blades from its chest, and beyond physically crushing things, it has been seen to eat people.
Moreover, Kurotsuchi has modified his zanpakutou in such a way that if it were ever turned on him, it would self destruct and return to its sealed state. If the weapon is broken, as long as the hilt remains, he can easily recreate it.
CHARACTER BACKGROUND: here
CHARACTER PERSONALITY: Kurotsuchi neatly fits the mad scientist trope. Curiosity and the thirst for knowledge drive him in his endeavors. Everything is a possible experiment to him. As such, he views everyone and everything as objects to study, including himself. His outlook is clinical and practical; he doesn't engage his enemies until he has studied them thoroughly. In doing so, he can devise numerous contingency plans, tilting the battle in his favor (and he uses the encounters to plant devices on his enemies so that he can further study them). Because of this outlook, he is cold, cautious, and calculating. He will go through whatever means he has to in order to obtain his subjects (even turning members of his own division into bombs); morals and ethics are of no consequence to him--he will experiment on people without their permission, for example. People are nothing more than specimens to be experimented on (and much of his research involves dissection and vivisection). His sadism and cruelty are no secret to his fellow Shinigami, leading many to be fearful of him.
While he certainly is sadistic and cruel, these traits are strongly tied to his research; he doesn't go out of his way to kick puppies, for instance. That said, if there were some new knowledge to be gleaned from doing so, he wouldn't hesitate. His encounter with Szayel Aporro Granz is a disturbing example of his sadism. Granz accidentally ingested Kurotsuchi's 'superhuman' drug, which resulted in superhuman senses. In the undiluted form, one second seemed like one hundred years. However, as Granz's non-superhuman body couldn't keep up with the superhuman senses, not only could he not understand a word of Kurotsuchi's gleeful explanation (a torture in and of itself for the Espada scientist), but the pain of being stabbed through the heart seemed to last hundreds of years. The very nature of Ashisogi Jizou in its shikai state is sadistic: it paralyzes the victim but allows them to continue feeling pain. Moreover, he clearly enjoys recounting his experimentation of the Quincies to Ishida: 'Observed the result of all kinds of mental and physical stimuli. Opened skulls alive...forced one to burn his own son to death. Chopped up bodies...grinded bodies...studied them until they were rendered to piles of lifeless limbs.'
His temper is mercurial; he is quick to anger, but the anger will fade just as swiftly. He often threatens to punish people for insubordination (as well as his zanpakutou, which he once broke for defying him), but the only person who is ever seen bearing the brunt of his anger is Nemu, possibly because she is always around (not to mention he created her to be durable enough to withstand great attacks). He verbally and physically abuses her; he created her, after all--she's there for use in whatever way he sees fit.
Despite being as intelligent and calculating as he is, some social conventions seem beyond him. Most notably, he has straight out asked people to be his research subjects, detailing the horrible ways in which he intended to study them, then seeming surprised when they turned him down. Most people appear to irritate him (especially those who invade his personal space by using familiar terms of address) and he doesn't hesitate to tell them so, using insulting names, deriding their intelligence, and even making faces to mock them. He can be quite arrogant and proud when it comes to his station and intellect. There may be others at the Captain level, but there are few whose intelligence rivals his (except for perhaps, in his opinion, Urahara Kisuke, whom Kurotsuchi describes as 'a truly unpleasant sort of man', most likely because Kurotsuchi can't quite figure him out). He often feels as though people are insulting his intelligence when they question his methods.
Like any good stereotypical mad scientist, he has his moments of absentmindedness. On several occasions he's called for Nemu only to remember that she's been incapacitated by some serious injury. He remembered all the gory details of his experiment on Ishida Uryuu's grandfather (and even had a picture of the body on hand), but couldn't recall what name the old man kept crying out: 'The name of his student was...I forgot. I really have no interest for things that I have finished studying.' He has also shown a playful side, as well, toying with his enemies in battle (particularly in the fight against Granz, wherein he pretended to be affected by the other scientist's powers, only to pull a mocking face and shout 'Gotcha!' when he grew tired of the farce).
As a scientist, he detests the idea of perfection. The concept holds no meaning to him. Perfection is the end to all things, since there is nothing higher than perfection, not even creation, which means there is also no room for wisdom or talent, which, in turn, spells despair for a scientist. Perfection is limited growth. It is an end. Kurotsuchi's (and any good scientist's) view is that even if something magnificent is created, it is still far from perfect. A scientist must struggle with this contradiction, and even derive pleasure from it. Science requires limitless possibilities and unhindered growth in order to progress (nicely evidenced by the fact that Konjiki Ashisogi Jizou is a caterpillar and not a butterfly--even his bankai isn't complete and at an end). Perfection is for mediocre fools; only those who wish to seek an end to improvement. But for Kurotsuchi, there is always room for improvement and change.
WORLD: Kurotsuchi is the captain of the 12th Division of the Gotei 13, the imperial guard, in Soul Society (the afterlife). It is much like the world of living, though aging is slowed and spiritual powers more common. Soul Society culture and lifestyle is based on that of feudal Japan, although the level of technology is more advanced than the current time period. Kurotsuchi's division specializes in research and development and as the head, he spends most of his time in the laboratory. As a side, shinigami aren't usually visible to humans in the living world; as such, Mayuri is accustomed to moving through the living world unseen.
OCCUPATION: doctor
SAMPLES
THIRD PERSON:
"How infuriating!" Kurotsuchi Mayuri hissed cantankerously, his hand curling around the hilt of his zanpakutou as he peered out of the wagon. "Nemu! Where are you, you worthless idiot!"
The ox nearest him swiveled its large, dumb eyes in his direction. Mayuri ignored it, scanning the land that seemed to go on forever for his lieutenant. No matter that he didn't sense her spiritual presence at all; he needed to shout at someone. They'd just stepped into the Garganta after a particularly noteworthy research trip into Hueco Mundo when he'd blacked out--
--and unpleasantly jostled awake to find himself unceremoniously crammed in the back of a covered wagon filled with provisions of all sorts...but not a single lieutenant in sight, nor research materials, to say nothing of the alarming lack of a way back.
"Useless!" he spat with such vitriol that the team of oxen increased their pace, as if to get away from him.
Mayuri wrenched the canvas back into place and kicked at an unmarked burlap bag, the force splitting it and causing onions to roll out onto the floor of the wagon. A twitch began in one of his bloodshot eyes.
"ONIONS??! I HATE ONIONS!"
FIRST PERSON:
[The video begins, showing an eccentric being with a dramatically painted face, blue hair curled into horns, gold eyes, and a large purple scarf; his appearance is reminiscent of pharaoh's. His voice is tenor. Dry. Slightly nasal in tone.]
My name is Kurotsuchi Mayuri, Captain of the 12th Division of the Gotei 13 and President of the Shinigami Research and Development Institute.
[A brief pause so that all listening might properly absorb the information and appreciate the weight his titles carry.]
Although I am, first and foremost, a scientist, I am more than skilled in medicine and surgery, among other things. I will be offering my services in these areas to any who need them.
I am also in need of an assistant. If you possess a healthy body, you will be of great use. Or if you are unhealthy, that is fine too. In fact, even if you are a corpse, I think I could make do with you as well.
[Another pause as he glances off screen at something that has caught his interest. His mouth curls into a wide grin, bearing very straight, yellow teeth. When he flicks his golden eyes back at the screen, they're glittering and predatory.]
That will be all.
[The feed abruptly disconnects.]