Tomohiro Budou (WIP)

THE BASICS

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

As he was determined to master his body and the energies within and without he had personally crafted his body through skills taught in Shaolin temples to craft his flesh into what he deemed to be a lovely mixture of yin and yang. On the outset, he is inherently male, even from a distance it's not difficult to determine his gender. However, through a slightly twisted though not an innately disturbing sense of Feng Shui he had modified his facial structure, muscular and skeletal structure, even his skin to give him a sort of dragon's nest on his body for masculine and feminine energies. To start, his hair is naturally a deep and thick jet black color, as dark as Yin itself, and a testament to his foster mother. Each strand flows down to his lower back smoothly from the two sides of his head and the back, just lilting over his shoulders and down. His hair is uncannily healthy, vibrant despite the color, clean, and almost alive in its own right. His eyebrows are finely trimmed and cleanly stripped into an elegant flow across his brow, just as dark and healthy as the hair atop his head. Despite the length in his hair, he doesn't seem to shed his hair unless it manages to get cut. His eyes are an icy grey, resembling a chasm not uncommonly found in icy mountain terrain, even in the iris there seem to be jagged icy crystals surrounding and pointing toward the dark abyss of his pupils. This is only supplemented by the angular yet soft shape of his eyes and brow, giving the sense that he's seeing right through you to your soul.

His eyes are one thing but as we move beyond the small major organ, we come to the overarching organ that coats even those with fur, the skin, we continue to see the feminine energy coat him. His fleshy exterior is an unnaturally soft sort, made for the destruction of stress regardless of its source, fear, anger, sadness, a mere touch of this velvety soft skin is enough to quell the paranoia of a fearful doe. Its shade is a simple white with a light tan, nothing extravagant, though it does help his aesthetic for beauty to have skin so pristine and free of blemishes from top to bottom. His jaw slides briskly and smoothly down to his sharp and rounded off chin. His nose is small and fine but not mouselike, his entire facial structure just resembles Japanese and Chinese regal beauty, without an ounce of facial or body hair.

Moving on to his shoulders, we glide down his smoothly shaped neck to his tight muscles. His body is after all sculpted like marble, so to say that his body is meek is only a deception due to the clothes he wears. From his shoulders to his ankles, his entire body is coated in strong, tight, muscles that simply ooze masculine energy, tightened and compressed into lean shape so as not to disgust himself from the sheer size he would be otherwise. Having trained his body in what can only be described as "a universal short-distance running then long-distance running" sort of regimen, though of course not just running-wise, he has acquired an abnormally sleek and strong body.

From this point, we move on to his choice in attire. If his body is the masculine energy and his aesthetic appearance is the feminine energy, then his attire must be that of Cheong, the neutral energy. How else would someone usher in this sort of energy? Perhaps he wears gender-neutral clothing? No, nothing so complex. His personality is already sufficiently neutralizing, due to his proclivity to wait and act with precision and patience. Then perhaps his clothing is based on the Yung energy, the intellectual energy beyond positive, negative, and neutral. Also incorrect, as his mind, much like everyone, is already the intellectual energy so long as it learns and uses such a mind. His attire is actually more of a neutralizing agent for balancing out the coloration of his body and hair, as well as a representation of the four energies described. His hair is black so the exterior of his regal outfit is white, his skin is pale, so the color covering his skin is black, the accented trim is gold representing the neutral energy between both yin and yang, all while looking sharp and elegant to represent the intellectual energy. At least, this is his primary outfit and one he is the most known to wear. On occasion, he entertains the modern era's inclination to modern era suits and ties, other times he wears yukata supplemented by geta and tabi. Frankly, he has quite a few outfits he likes to wear, and depending on the occasion he may be wearing different flavors of the same aesthetic.

PERSONALITY

» Incomprehensible Patience: If there was ever a time where he had to be reduced to a singular word if there was one thing he holds himself to if there was a name that existed within his being that defined him on its own. It wouldn't be his philosophical mentality, it wouldn't be that he's preachy at times, it wouldn't even be his intelligence. Patience, his patience for progress, his patience for people, his patience for power. His patience is displayed in his smile that he wears without falter. But don't mistake his patience for laziness. Patience isn't the act of doing nothing in the hopes that the thing you want is simply granted to you. You work for what you wish, you put effort into it, and do your best to achieve it. Patience is not doing nothing to an injury expecting it to heal in time without treatment, the wound will get infected or you will bleed out if you don't try.

His life and youth have created a very relaxed and perhaps playful demeanor. Although he seems rather formal at times even when it's perfectly acceptable to be less so, he namely does it because he wishes to, not because he feels any need to. His training has brought the importance of the moment to his mind, and the vastness of his life has given him a new perspective of time as well. While the moment is something that is to be taken, enjoyed, and used to progress, there are also so many more to be taken and enjoyed. His experience with people, law, and crime have given him an impressively numbed state of mind toward offenses, aggression, death, and even the oddities of lunacy and idiocy.

Because of his patience, he much rather prefers to play the long game with a smile on his face. He will achieve his goals, the question is how, not when.



» Humor: A lesser key trait of his is the nearly omni-humorous point of view. Similar to a Taoist enjoying life as it comes regardless of the depravity that exists in it, Tomohiro has a hard time not making himself laugh, even if idiots were threatening to nuke each other simply over a personal dispute. Originally it was a self-defense mechanism he had developed to deal with tragedy and painful situations, but it has developed to the extent that he isn't sure if he's laughing because it's funny or if it's because he's uncomfortable anymore.



» Confident: There's a big difference between one's confidence in their skill and one's arrogance in their abilities. Arrogance typically means you disregard the capabilities of another because you feel it will do very little to affect you or your goals. Confidence is knowing your ability to accomplish a task, knowing how well you can accomplish it, knowing you're not perfect but you can try regardless. Tomohiro has always thought of himself as humble, not that he denies praise, but he denies exaggeration. Almost everyone has been as weak as he is and therefore everyone can easily be as strong as he is or stronger with enough effort and patience.



» Introspective: As someone who has two or three different reasons to meditate, such as his cultivation, he spends a lot of time in his own head. He sees the world around him much like anyone would. Shoot, thanks to his training he's probably more aware of his surroundings. Though he catches himself wondering if he's resisting the urge to react or if he's simply disinterested, why he feels angry or why doesn't he and why does he think he should, why does he do something and not another or why does he do something or not do something. His dispassionate yet pervasive passive anger borders on sociopathic. Though considering he knows he does feel empathy for others' pain, he has a hard time associating with that word. In general, he's actually pretty disconnected considering his empathetic approach toward the differences in others. Just as simply, he asks why, how, and what quite often to others as well.... almost mechanical in a way.



» Acceptance of Duality: In the philosophy of the Dao, the familiar concept of dualism is usually the first thing to come to mind. There can not be good without evil, just as when there is right there is wrong, life, death, day, night, and so on. So with that being said, what would be the point in being a hero other than to simply fulfill one end of the duality? Simple, just as there is the dualism of existence, there is also the fact that there is also good and evil in all things. Life begets death, death can breathe new life, the dark cannot exist without light, light cannot show itself without the darkness, days leading into night and night into days. The duality of existence and the omnipresence of duality exists in all things. Heroes can be made evil, they can also do bad, no matter how well-intentioned. If you’ve lived in a place with enough heroes, chances are you’ve seen the bad that heroes can do just while they work, either while watching them, or in your taxes. Just as well, villains are not wholly evil in of themselves either, they have reasons for doing the things they do. Tomohiro accepts this reality with open arms and feels no anger or hatred for anyone thanks to this understanding. He looks to heroes and villains as the same entity, the only real difference is in the math.



»Heroism: Alright then if he believes villains aren’t evil and that everything that happens is a necessary existence, then why be a hero? Easy, he wishes to bring everyone to the same understanding as he has. Not that he is an all-knowing person whose ego is so inflated he feels zealous enough to push his beliefs onto others, but he does wish that by witnessing proof of his belief that it will cause others to feel the same on their own. Not as a cult leader, but a guide. Humanity can be one with nature, people can get along, regardless of all the labels. The spirit of the world is a free-flowing existence and energy and together as a people, through understanding, even the quirkless and underdeveloped quirk users can ascend to the level of Pro Heroes and beyond.



» Ambitious: Now that is a lofty goal, even if the intention is selfless. However, there are quite a few smaller things that need to be done before something so grand is undertaken. First, the current goal is to master himself, but that’s an impossibility as it is a goal reaching beyond time, so settling with mastering his quirk will have to do for now. Second, graduate from UA, it’s a school that is watched closely by everyone in the world, graduating from that school will definitely give him enough attention to prove his worth as a guide. Third, gain a following, if only to spread the interest of his philosophical understanding, the hope to train them only comes after they take a genuine interest in the philosophy. Fourth, guide followers to inspire others through actions, not by pushing the belief on others or by force, understanding must come from within before it reaches those without. Fifth, train followers to defend themselves and others to inspire selfless acts of heroism in even the quirk-less and thereby inspiring more to follow. The process is long and will no doubt take quite a long time to achieve even one step, on top of those five not even being the only ones in the process.



»Striving for Ascendance: All in all, Tomohiro is a really nice person at heart, even if he doesn’t always show it. However, one must always remember that nice doesn’t always mean good, the kindness simply helps the darkness one holds be accepted easier. At times he may be a bit cruel but always with good intentions, and he doesn’t like upsetting others unless it is to prove a point. He is always looking to improve upon himself, ascendance isn’t about perfection, it is about progressing to the next stage. His science fanaticism is proof that he looks to improve the lives of others and gets excited for such in others. Ascendance can come from a great many things, technologically, biologically, spiritually, psychically, the list goes on, but it doesn’t mean that it is the equivalent to perfection, it is simply a form of evolution. Perfection means there is no more growth to be had, there is nothing to improve on, there is no flaw left. Ascendance is the finding and correcting of one’s being and evolving beyond it. Immortality is not proof of perfection as it is simply proof of fear in death, and will eventually prove to dull the experience of life itself through a multitude of ways. Knowing everything is just as dull, as there is no spice of life left, everything is predictable, no surprises. The ideal being is just as flawed as the rest of life simply because being perfect is proof of boredom. Ascendance is the evolution of a person or people in a singular lifetime, not simply adaptation as there is much greater growth in a much shorter time frame in ascendance. Tomohiro is looking to ascend, to discover, to guide the world to a brighter existence, not just protect it or defend the status quo like most heroes show. Heroes have proven to be defenders first and foremost, Tomohiro genuinely wishes to take life to a whole new level, a whole new world beyond quirks. Not because of greed, piety, or pride, but because he can see that the world has become stagnant, that the only progression made is to satiate the masses comfort zones, to make life easier, to stop change and adaptation. Humanity has isolated itself and has relied on outside help for its survival and progress. Humanity can control their world, they just need to know how.

BACKGROUND HISTORY

Being born as the child of two powerful Pro Heroes is not as easy as it sounds. The expectation, the risk, and the fame were a great pressure to put onto anyone. The expectation that he will develop a strong quirk, the risk that he could be a destructive behemoth of a child, the fame of being related to a couple so strange and unique by themselves let alone a couple. He was raised carefully by his parents, there was never a time when he was left alone in his infant stages. His mother would often burn sage around him and any room they rested in for an extended period of time for the sake of protection, leaving keys hanging above the doors of their home, not as keys that actually open or close the doors, but as another protection spell over their home.

Her quirk being as her alias suggests, spellcraft, though not in the sense of straight up magic and spiritualism, this world doesn’t necessarily work like that. It’s more along the lines of western style alchemy, alchemy being the father of all sciences. She always had to clarify that nothing she did came without a cost, something doesn’t simply spring up from nothing. While everything she did seemed like magic to the world she always followed the law of equivalent exchange. Turning a steel beam into a sword, fine. Turn a wall into rubble, sure. Turn water into metal, nope, try again. A simple enough concept, but it takes a great deal of understanding, memory, intelligence, and skill to do. Normal people can do alchemy as well, but her quirk takes the more magical approach via reducing particles to energy and changing them that way rather than the more human approach of chemically changing things or the arduous time consuming process of construction by hand or machine. The sage burning and protection keys were the same way, costing the sage to cleanse the area via the spiritual effects of the sage. Intent is just as important as the action, hence their effectiveness.

Meanwhile, his father would typically meditate beside him and take care of him from a more emotional standpoint. His calm presence was a source of great comfort for Tomohiro as an infant, just his presence was enough to quell the confusion and fear in his undeveloped heart and mind. His swiftness and smoothness of motion made it easy to remain calm even at the speed his father would move to take care of his needs. The father’s quirk was less effective in caring for the baby as the mother’s, as Bodhisattva had a more combat oriented quirk. The energy within his body was much more palpable than the energy in the rest of humanity, allowing for the teachings of Buddhism and the spiritual martial arts to reach greater effect with much more visible results. The energy within however, was something that must be accumulated and cultivated, in simpler terms it was like a mana pool that buffed his physical attributes. This meant that Bodhisattva was a master in martial arts, meditation, patience, and an all around master of the battlefield in and out of battle. His body was his focus more than the other applications of the energy so crafting and enchanting were not his forte. However, he was able to alter the amount of power being used at any time depending on how much energy he was using and of what tier, there are four tiers of inner energy, each one stronger than the last, and he hadn’t achieved the fourth tier yet, even though his teachers insisted there was a fourth tier to the energies. He’s named Bodhisattva for a reason, came close to ascension but turned back to help the world of the living.

Not too long after turning four years of age, essentially after he had started to walk, Tomohiro was taken to a Shaolin Temple to be trained as soon as possible in the same way his father had been. This was to establish an open and peaceful mindset while training the body and mind in combat, focus, and acuity of mind and senses. This mostly worked rather well as the boy was quite adept in controlling his body for his age before he was even six. The monks of the temple didn’t let the boy skip out on his education either, meaning he was quite busy for the majority of his childhood, from training, meditating, schooling, and sleeping. The monks were the ones who mostly raised him and his parents did visit off and on when they weren’t busy being heroes or recuperating from their exhausting hobby. He was rewarded for doing good and punished for doing bad by the monks as they weren’t shy about punishing poor performance in their training anyway, quickly establishing that he must do good and that consequences are always around the corner. This promptly created an environment where he essentially grew up too fast, skipping out in a genuine childhood and marched straight into adulthood or at least the perception of such as well as a hypercritical view of himself followed by self-perfectionism. This isn’t exactly the healthiest of mindsets but he would eventually grow out of it as the philosophical teachings of his master showed that perfection is impossible, that failure is inevitable and can only be minimized through practice, focus, and intent. The law of attraction was also something his master had taught him, that intent, focus, and drive were the greatest support in achieving what you desire, and that practice is how you climb those steps to your goal. This, on top of all of his training, had given rise to a brilliant star eclipsing the sun as Tomohiro focused himself on the trifecta of human ability before he would even think of his quirk, as the foundation of anything makes the building, and the stronger it is and the more flexible it is, the greater the building itself.

As he grew to the age of eight, he was visited by his parents once more. They announced his two new sisters and told him that the reason why they weren’t visiting so often is because of their jobs and that they had to raise his now four year old sisters on top of it all. This… was not something he was able to grasp so easily as he was only eight and his parents had essentially told him that he had been abandoned for two girls he was both related to and didn’t even know existed… and were born the same year he was sent off to the temple… The boy, having been trained specifically not to let his emotions get the better of him and that a calm mind is the basis of control, sat there… unsure, conflicted and intent on keeping himself composed even in front of his blood. He couldn’t blame them for anything, he couldn’t be angry, he couldn’t really tell what he was feeling as he wouldn’t allow himself to register the thought of anyone intentionally trying to hurt him, especially those he cared for. The option to cry wasn’t there, the option to panic, the option to scream, nothing… All he could do was smile and be happy for them, happy to have new sisters, happy to know his parents are alive and well, acknowledging both sides of the reality and deciding instead to focus on the positives. A combination of his monk teachings and stoicism. He asked them when he would be able to see his sisters, and the two just smiled at him. It was then that two little girls walked out from behind the parents, one smiling brighter than belief and the other smiling happily to meet her big brother. The two girls then hugged the boy as tight as they could upon greeting their blood, causing him to, if only for a moment, hesitate and process these two before hugging them. The happy one rubbed her face into his arm and clothes from how nice the fabric was while the quiet one simply sat in his lap her back against his stomach and relaxed into him, the both of them instantly showing love for their big brother they had heard so much about.

The visit was indeed a motivational point for Tomohiro as he wasn’t sure what he felt but he knew that he would bring down anyone who would dare hurt either of them, for they seemed to hold him to a great esteem and trust for clinging to him so quickly. He spent the next few years training his quirk, the combination of his father and his mother, currently classified as “Manifest Ascension” as he has the internal energy manipulation abilities of his father. Due to his studies outside of class and training in martial arts, he has developed quite the interest in philosophy and all sorts of science, chemistry and medicine is likely his most developed topic, as he wanted to make sure his mother was not disappointed. Also due to his studies he has found that Alchemy covers a vast range of sciences both internal and external, showing his father is the internal alchemist while his mother is the external sort, making the couple quite versatile and making himself just as such but with less mobility or flanking ability. From the age of eight to the year he could apply for UA, he had found that his shaolin training had actually been training his father’s side of his quirk and his academic studies had been training his mother's side, meaning his parents had been thinking of his potential since the beginning, before even knowing of his quirk. So for ten years straight he had trained his quirk both internal and external while developing his mind to be a positive force in the world, this was how he decided to accept his situation and made him so exceedingly happy that he applied for UA in the recommendation applications. Due to his skill with his body and his versatility he ended up in the top of the recommendations for the Hero Course.

THE ARMORY

Nothing other than his clothes as of yet, he doesn’t exactly need much due to his training and his quirk.

QUIRK & SKILLS

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Golden Core

TYPE: Emitter
RANK/LEVEL: 
SUMMARY:
The training Tomohiro has done to his body allows for a greater pool of energy. From this he is able to enhance the strength of his muscles for a temporary period of time based on the stage of internal energy he has in his energy pool. At the moment he is capable of using Jing and low levels of Qi. His Dantian as of now is capable of holding twenty motes of Jing before needing to be recharged with either martial or stoic meditation. The next stage of which is Qi and is only able to use five motes of it before needing to be recharged, a full pool of jing is needed before qi can be recharged will then empty the pool of jing to need refilled again. This is because the energy is based on a refinement scale, Jing is a natural energy pervading the world as it is natural energy, the refinement of such is done by martial and stoic meditation in combination with cultivation techniques designed specifically to manipulate the body into improving, from a certain way of breathing to the way you breathe, all of which causes changes in the body even if only minor. As such, the only way to achieve the next stage of inner energy is by combining a large amount of qi and continuing the process over again.

In terms of scale, martial artists around the world from shaolin to wulin are capable of amazing feats in and of themselves. Qigong practices harden the body and increase its flexibility to impressive degrees, to the point that Karate is typically imagined with the brick breaking feats in mind. Applying one mote of Jing to the brick breaking feat and the speed and force of his attack may even put a hole in the ground in the shape of his hand. In other words, the application of a mote of Jing is akin to increasing a statistic by about 10 times the base statistic for a temporary period, allowing a one inch punch to not only knock the person into a chair but also sending the person now sitting in the chair into the wall behind him with minimum effort. As for Qi, that is the equivalent of tapping a marble slab with one finger and breaking it into the Statue of David, this is because the key to internal energy is control. One mote if Qi is the equivalent of increasing a statistic by about 100 times the base statistic for a temporary period. This internal energy may be extended to objects crafted with sufficient skill as well, as monks who deal with weapons will tell you, your weapon is an extension of the body, and anything can be a weapon if used properly. This allows Tomohiro to craft items and empower them with internal energy, like some jasmine tea which allows a deeply calming feeling to wash over the drinker due to the effects of the plant in question, or a blade to be just a bit sharper and more durable.

WEAKNESSES/LIMITATIONS:

The keyword to internal energy is energy. This implies that there is a pool of which that one draws from that causes them to be so powerful. Using energy a life or death situation, as with the world so full of strong and dangerous people that can easily mimic his abilities. On top of this, needing to recharge the energy is highly inefficient during combat, as it takes time to gather the energy and cultivate it properly even with techniques to make it easier and quicker. This problem alone has him relying mostly on his own physical abilities for the majority of the time, proving it to be more of a supplementary sort despite its overall capabilities. If one were to manage to make him overuse his energy, he will have undoubtedly been fighting someone who he needed to use so much of that energy and will therefore be at a high advantage against him when he runs out. Overexertion of energy is frankly not possible as when it empties it cannot be used, even if you are meditating and cultivating while doing so, mid combat progress is nearly unheard of although post combat progress is typically rewarded. In terms of setting distinct numbers on the board:
20 motes of Jing
1 mote of Qi
2 posts of meditation per mote of Jing
4 posts of meditation in combat per mote of Jing
1 mote of Jing multiplies the base of one statistic by 10
1 mote of Qi multiplies the base of one statistic 100
Statistic = Strength, Agility, Durability, Stamina, Senses
1 mote of Jing means 4 posts of enhanced statistics

Given this weakness, the goal for this is what one would expect. Increase the energy pool of each energy, hasten the recovery time, expand the statistic options, and advance beyond his current level of energy to Shen and Yuiden. 

Chief of the concerns of his quirk out of the way, his reasons for his problem with his energy pool are more... advanced, shall we say. As is told in countless golden core tales depending on the philosophical basis between Zen Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Shinto, and more, characters within these cultivation stories are often subjected to spiritual and physical changes. Whether by direct connections to spiritual entities, or problems with their inner selves. Balance with one's higher self and lower self, balance with one's positive physical energy and one's negative mental or spiritual energy, imbalances tend to bring physical manifestations, as does possession and many other things. When Tomohiro empties his pool of energy, he is far more easily subject to these sorts of changes. From developing mass, horns, dis-figuration of his face and body, to completely replacing his personality with something more primal or otherwise entirely different from his usual self. While this can be seen as a form of Dissociative Identity Disorder, make no mistake, there is no telling what behaviors and to what extremes these changes will take. From Oni to Wraiths, Kuei-Jin, and many other entities. 

Another weakness could be the channeling of his energy, the weakness isn't so prominent in using Jing, as it is a natural energy found pretty much everywhere. However channeling Qi and higher takes a little more time as it is far stronger and more refined. There have been stories of a single tap to the air between a cultivator and his opponent causing visible ripples through the air before devastating entire mountains along with the opponent themselves. Qi is the most well known and while there are some who believe it could be recharged in the middle of combat, that is extremely unlikely due to the time it takes to supposedly 'recharge' it, namely because it's less of a recharge and again more of a channeling of the power of qi. As there is a difference between stoic meditation and active meditation, the most expedient way to bring qi about to the surface would be to choreograph a motion of gathering and refining energy, whether that be Tai Chi movements or simply remaining still in a certain position. Even higher levels of energy would require even more time, this can be mitigated by the no-mind theory, as in you have done something so often and for so long that it is essentially instinct for you at this point, like crafting a blade, engraving dragons along the sides of wood or blades. There are a varried number of ways to train oneself to stoically meditate while doing something but more often than not things that seem like hobbies and take quite a long time to achieve. 

RANK/LEVEL: D
SUMMARY:
Having been raised in a Shaolin Temple, it is no surprise that he would have been trained in martial arts. Given who his father is and those who raised him, it is of no surprise that he has managed to cultivate a rather interesting talent in learning martial arts and adapting them to his needs. To give an example, he had once sparred a monk a little older than him who had been trained in two martial arts he was not exposed to yet, and during the spar, he slowly adapted his opponent’s art into his own arts that he was taught. Combining Baguazhang with Xing Yi Quan, almost entirely by observations alone. Since then he had studied other arts in hopes to have perfected his own.

RANK/LEVEL: D+
SUMMARY:
Perhaps his true capabilities are more located in his mind, as he is quite adept in learning the academic and practical applications of the sciences. Given his studies in Biology, medicine, and chemistry in order to begin his journey toward his mother’s capabilities, he is also rather knowledgeable about the human body and the basic composition of the majority of his surroundings. While this doesn’t sound like much on it’s own to the laymen, a martial artist with knowledge of your vitals, pressure points, how to break you without killing you, and can utilize their environment effectively is a rather daunting opponent even at basic levels.

Dravocn

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