Player Information

Name: Elise
Contact: fromgilbo
Age: 25
Other Characters: n/a

Character Information

Name: Oboro
Canon: Gintama
Canon Point: Current [Mid Rakuyou Arc]
Age: 30+
History: Link
Personality: Trained from a young age in martial arts and being 'no fun', Oboro is very focused on his body and his ability to perform what is asked of him. The organization of assassins to which he belongs reports directly to the big bad!organization, the Tendoushuu. He will perform any task they request without hesitation, going so far as to sacrifice a limb if necessary.

Oboro is incredibly devout, regarding the Tendoushuu as the 'heavens' and speaking of them with religious reverence. This habit bleeds over into all of his communication. He is not often clear, instead providing allegories and rhetorical questions to get his point across. His language is incredibly pious, and is a genuine reflection of how he regards himself. Oboro holds to the belief that his way of life is superior to those who would fight the fate given to them by the heavens.

Oboro's devotion to the organization splinters off into a more severe loyalty with which he defines himself. As a child, he was saved by a man to whom he then pledged life-long fealty. Through some really complicated plot stuff, the man died and came back?? but not as exactly the same person. Still, Oboro remains unquestionably loyal, and regards the man with utmost devotion - transcending the level of general 'religious' dedication he gives the Tendoushuu as a whole. He would sacrifice his life for that man - his master - as it was that man who gave him the opportunity for life.

If Oboro hadn't been saved, hadn't been taken in by this organization, hadn't been trained and given a purpose to serve both the Tendoushuu and the man who rescued him, he would have nothing. He knows this fully, and does not wish to throw away the life given to him by his master. This is the reason for his fervent devotion.

Totally fatalistic, Oboro believes that everything is preordained. Events will come to pass as they are meant to, and any amount of resistance is absolutely futile. Thrashing against the heavens - or attempting to change one's destiny - is one way in which other people may annoy him. Though he rarely expresses any emotion outwardly, he is not completely self contained.

Despite how he presents himself, Oboro does have deep seated emotions. He's simply set them all aside out of necessity. As an assassin who has known little else in life, he habitually acts with ruthless efficiency to accomplish his missions. Oboro has never made a joke in his life. He probably doesn't know how, and considers that a testament to his effectiveness.

'Brash' may seem like an odd word to describe a man with about two facial expressions. However, he does have a tendency to overcompensate or jump to unnecessary lengths. Often times, this comes in the form of doing too much for his master (including menial things that aren't necessary), or being an overbearing, even nagging, authority figure. On rare occasion, his reckless actions escalate further. From leaping out a window after a target to abandoning his pretty language for "fuck you!", Oboro is capable of bursts of emotion and lapses in judgement.

While pious, Oboro is not devoid of negative emotions that make him resent others. He rarely acts on them, but has stepped on the hand of a critically injured man because he decided to try and stray from his path. That, in conjunction with the aforementioned "fuck you!" shows that Oboro is capable of petty(?) acts of aggression, should the affronts be personal enough. So if someone attempts to fight against the tides of fate or resolves to abandon an obedient or resigned attitude, he greets them with less restrained hostility.

Despite how stringent Oboro's understanding of the world is and how he attempts to force his values on others, he has an undertone of uncertainty. Some of his questions are rhetorical, but some are genuine. The protagonists often don't discern between them, but he's asked several characters earnest questions that betray his deeper care and emotional attachment to his situation. Wondering about his 'peers', asking the man who saved him what he wanted - all of these things contribute to a sense that Oboro feels as if he lacks understanding that he needs.

Abilities: First of all, Oboro is immortal-ish. He's been given special blood from an actual immortal, and it enables him to revive from any deaths he suffers and to reattach severed limbs. However, his human body is not capable of undergoing so much strain and will eventually waste away.

Though the mechanics are never explained in series, Oboro does possess enough control over his 'chi' to perform small blasts of energy with his palms. He's also honed his knowledge of pressure points well enough to know the exact location to pinpoint to paralyze his enemies. To aid in this, he sometimes uses poison coated needles. He's grown an immunity to many poisons himself, so touching them poses no risk to him. Finally, Oboro has a great deal of martial arts training. He's adept at hand to hand combat, throwing needles, and fighting using a staff or wakizashi.

Strengths: Loyal, Martial Ability, Obedient, Seeks Understanding, Endurance
Weaknesses: Brash, Emotionally Repressed, No Sense of Humor, Pious, Self-Sacrificing

God/Shinki: Shinki
Why?: Oboro's place in canon is as a right hand man. This position is both self-determined and required of him, and it isn't something that would be easy to remove from his character. He's defined by his service, by his loyalty and his bond to the one he obeys. Dying and removing his memory would not remove his inclination to act in that way, so putting him in a position where he can serve someone accommodates his character very well.
Cause Of Death: Canonically, Oboro is suffering a slow death via the 'immortal' blood in his veins. No matter how much he receives, a human's body cannot contain it and will eventually fall apart. While he hasn't snuffed it in canon yet, this is a very explicitly stated possibility for his death. To put it simply, since he's sworn to fight until his body rots away, he will have done just that. Conflicts grow more frequent between him and the few other followers of his master who can best him in a fight. He'll end up losing one time too many, severe lacerations and blood-loss finally giving him a death he could not return from.
Vessel: A crow
Name Location: Along his spine on the back of his neck.
Power: Regenerative Healing Factor [he already sort of does this, but maybe he could do it more effectively? Alternatively: Poison Generation. Please advise.]

Writing Sample

Sample: [Collecting donations was a perfectly normal thing for any religious group to do. Or so he'd been told. Perhaps if "oh, yeah, they do it all the time" hadn't come up, he wouldn't have strained - and failed - to remember encountering any other Shinki going around with a cardboard box asking for pocket change. Suspect as the reasoning was, Oboro was in no position to question it, so he kept commentary to himself.

And set out, box clasped tightly between both hands.

The beat up cardboard sported scuffed corners and a hurried slit cut into the top. A sign secured with two different types of tape read "donate to the great ƕ". His master had run out of room for his own name, and had entrusted Oboro with explaining the situation.

So, despite not completely understanding it himself, Oboro would do his best. Street corners had been recommended to him as priority locations. After finding a noticeably busy intersection, the dour man stood, box situated just obtrusively enough to intercept the common path.

Throughout the day, passersby were more likely to give him odd glances or scrunched noses than any money, but a few would donate change with a sympathetic smile. As for the directive of explanation he'd been given, no one cared to listen. Even passing glances were cast to the ground after "Your God has a request-".

Standing and jutting the box into people's personal space ended up being the most effective method of collection. Oboro carried out his task without concern for his own image, which was on multiple occasions spat upon (once literally). After a long day's endeavor, he returned to his master.

After counting, the total was 300 yen.]

Other

Anything Else?: Please pair with Gintoki