OOC - Scorched Application

[sucksatkidou]

Out of Character Information

player name: Rose
player livejournal: dancing_in_time
playing here: N/A
where did you find us? The Bleach cast are dirty, dirty enablers
are you 16 years of age or older?: Yes, 23!

 

In Character Information

character name: Renji Abarai
Fandom: Bleach (manga specifically)
Timeline: Chapter 275, after Renji has blown up himself and Szayel Aporro Granz with kidou
character's age: Unknown, but possibly anywhere from 100-150 years old

powers, skills, pets and equipment: Renji is a Shinigami lieutenant and thus pretty powerful in his own right. He is particularly strong in swordsmanship and Shunpo (flash step), and also possesses a relatively large amount of reiatsu (spiritual pressure), which can render some people useless if they get to close. He can also sense others’ reiatsu and identify some if he knows the owner well enough.

However, his weakness is in Kidou (demon arts), though he has found ways of using this to his advantage, but at physical cost to himself. In short, if he casts a certain spell within close proximity of an enemy, it will more than likely explode, catching both his enemy and himself in the blast.

His zanpakutou is Zabimaru. Every Shinigami has a zanpakutou, or katana, which is born with its corresponding Shinigami and dies with them. Each one is sentient and unique and is a part of their Shinigami’s soul, thus making their bond unlike any other. They also have various abilities which the Shinigami must learn through continued communication with their zanpakutou.

Zabimaru’s Shikai (initial release) is Hoero and involves the blade turning into one with six parts, which can, when used as a whip, extend to reach farther distances (as well as magically increase the number of segments), making Renji a dangerous long-range fighter. Each segment also has a pick-like point attached. This can tear through an enemy much more easily than a simple slash of a normal sword can. Because this form is more whip than blade (though Renji can fight with Zabimaru’s Shikai in close combat without a problem), it has a weakness unique to itself. He can only attack three times in whip-mode before the segments have to come back and “rest,” or else it would go all over the place and cause more trouble than needed. Renji is the most vulnerable at this moment since he is no longer on the offensive.

His Shikai has a special ability that is rarely used as it hurts Zabimaru and leaves Renji completely vulnerable. Higa Zekkou disconnects all the segments of Zabimaru and launches them at an enemy all at once and from every angle. It is more of a last-chance attack, when nothing else will work, but because it hurts Zabimaru so much, Shikai cannot be used for quite a while after this attack. Luckily, having attained Bankai seems to have made this ability unneeded.

Zabimaru’s Bankai (final release) is Hihiou Zabimaru and resembles a giant skeletal snake, though it’s really a fancier version of his Shikai. Instead of cutting, the Bankai form tends to force an enemy into the ground with the snake’s head by brute force. It can also bite and deal powerful damage that way. In this mode, each segment is held together by Renji’s own reiatsu, making them harder to destroy or separate, and if that does happen, he can take out any damaged piece and reconstitute Zabimaru easily.

There are three other abilities in this form. One is Hikoutsu Taiho, which is when the snake head fires off a powerful attack of Renji’s reiatsu, though this weakens him and often his Bankai will fall apart because of his waning strength. The second is a more powerful version of Higa Zekkou, and after it is performed, the pieces reconstitute and reform Hihiou Zabimaru. The last ability is when Renji separates the pieces and wraps them around an enemy, with his reiatsu connecting them acting like ropes, though it isn’t his strongest attack.

As for what Renji has on him at the time of coming to Anatole, this includes Zabimaru and his shihakushou (standard Shinigami uniform), though it’s been torn up some by this point.

canon history:   Batteries not included.

personality: Just like so many other people, Renji is not who he appears to be on the outside. Often, he presents himself as a confident tough guy, and at times this is exactly who he is. He’s powerful and he knows it, but at the same time, it can be a cover for his insecurities. He is powerful, but he isn’t anywhere near the top so he constantly strives to get better and stronger. He has the occasional setback that makes him pretty miserable to be around, such as when Ichigo beats him in their second confrontation and he mopes away in jail. But when he no longer considers Ichigo an enemy, since they’re both out to save Rukia, he finally breaks out of jail to go train and feel worthy of something. So once Renji bounces back, it takes a hell of a lot to stop him from progressing again. This is what makes him particularly dangerous. On the other hand, he is also extremely impulsive and this gets him into trouble a lot, both in combat and everyday life.

Another aspect that feeds into this determination is his loyalty. Once Renji makes a friend, they’re practically bonded for life, unless the other betrays him or does something horrible to ruin that trust that has been built up. But if his friend is in danger, he will risk life and limb to fight for them and save them. Even when it’s obvious he has lost, Renji will still find that last spurt of energy to make a final effort. He isn’t afraid of battle and he certainly doesn’t fear death. Anyone who faces off against him will have an opponent who doesn’t give in.

Despite his hard exterior when it comes to offense and fighting, Renji is actually a softy at heart. When the world isn’t ending and he’s not trying to kick ass, he’s one of the more popular and approachable people in Soul Society. In his spare time, he tries to get a futsal team together with some success. One of his biggest fanboys subordinates, Rikichi, is on the team. Even Aizen says everyone likes him at one point (and even though Aizen is a lying liar that lies, this statement is still true). Like he is loyal to his friends, his friends are in turn loyal to him. He cares about them and that kind of bond is paid back. For example, he fights to save Rukia even while Rukia would do anything in her power to keep him from getting hurt. Of course, this is a flawed desire as someone who is fighting will probably get hurt (hello shounen heroes), but the thought is still nice.

Rukia herself is a big part of why Renji is the way he is, and why he has underlying guilt regarding their friendship. They grew up together, depending on each other just to survive, but when Renji let her go after Byakuya adopted her, that all changed. He convinced himself to stay out of her way so she could be happy, but by doing so, he killed their friendship and it has yet to fully recover. Even though they talk and give each other a hard time now, it’s just not the same. It’s never spoken about or pointed out, but there is a distance between them, however small and hard to see from the surface. They’re not on the same level anymore, with Rukia being part of the Kuchiki family and Renji just a lieutenant who will forever try to prove himself worthy, possibly without any true satisfaction. Because of this, Renji doesn’t feel right trying to rekindle what they had when they’re no longer equals.

All things considered, Renji is still very young and has a lot of growing up to do, but this makes him one of the most human characters in Bleach, even though he’s a Shinigami. And when you reflect on his background, his imperfections aren’t all that surprising and can, at times, make him more endearing, but he is also an acquired taste. Renji has one heck of a potty mouth and he doesn’t make much of an effort to censor himself, unless he’s talking to authority and even then he can’t always be trusted to keep the cursing to a minimum, especially if he’s in a bad mood. He also has questionable taste in fashion, especially sunglasses, preferring flashy shades that cost him half a year’s salary.

why do you feel this character would be appropriate to the setting? Renji is a fighter and, along with his history of growing up on the streets, he certainly knows how to fend for himself, so I think he can handle a good deal of what the game may throw at him.

Writing Samples

Network Post Sample: [Video]

[Have a new face on the Forge, folks. A face that looks like it’s just seen some heavy action, with dirt and…are those faint burn marks? And don’t forget the tattoos peeking out under his dirty white headband. But perhaps the most striking feature at the moment (besides his bright red hair) is this man’s eyes.

No, they’re not exactly happy to see you.]

I got three things to say. One, where the hell am I? ‘Cause if you’re tryin’ to impress me, I gotta say kidnappin’ ain’t the best way to start things off. Two, what the fuck happened to that sick bastard that got off on usin’ us like toys? I’m kinda in the middle of somethin’ with him and I’d like to kick his ass. Three…

[His voices rises as he finishes.]

…where the hell am I?!

[All right, hold on, breathe.]

Right. Name’s Renji...if anyone’s even listenin’.

[And after a few moments of fiddling with the Forge, and some muttered cursing, he manages to turn it off.]

Third Person Sample: Waking up in a strange room was nothing new to Renji who had, on numerous occasions, woken up to find himself not in his own bed or room, but the Fourth Division barracks. Because he had undoubtedly broken something and couldn’t fix it with more brute force, though he had tried. More than once. Still, this time was different. The color on the walls and the ceiling wasn’t quite the same shade as he was used to. The air didn’t have the smell of antiseptic lingering in it.

One thing was familiar, however. Renji’s body hurt. Sitting up after a little effort, he wracked his brain for what he last remembered, what would cause the full-body ache plaguing him. Then it hit him and his eyes went wide. He had wrapped that pink-haired freak and himself up in Zabimaru and then…and then…

Oh hell, Renji, you just had to go and get yourself killed with that kidou stunt, didn’t you? Not like he wasn’t expecting it one day. It was stupid to use that move and he knew it. He could only hope it had done as much damage to Szayel as it apparently did to him. Hopefully. That way Ishida would be able to carry on and help the others fine Inoue. Yeah…Renji was okay with being a sacrifice for the greater good in that case, even if he knew his death would cause his friends pain.

…Pain. Wait. You shouldn’t feel pain if you die, should you? It’s a new beginning or something, right? At least that’s what Renji always imagined if a Shinigami were to die. Their reiatsu would get recycled and all that. He looked down at his hands. Nope, they were still there, no fading away or anything. And he still hurt like a bitch.

Something was fishy. If he wasn’t back in Soul Society or dead, then surely he was still in Hueco Mundo, but when he looked out the window, what he saw didn’t match the desert landscape he had seen before. And then his eyes fell upon a device on the table next to him. Some sort of mobile phone?

Well, there was only one way to find out. Renji fiddled with the buttons and hoped for some positive results.

Anything else? Nuuuupe~