Oda Baize (a.k.a. The Ichor Stroke)
Profile
Oda Baize, The Ichor Stroke. He bears an ability born from a desire to express the essence of things, detached from initial façade and unclouded by preconception. Born into a village detached from most of modernity, he was raised and lived in alongside nature. Shunned by others due to the appearance of his wyverian trait, he began to envy the beauty of everything that was not him, this envy birthed his interest for the arts, paintings in particular, as they were able to encapsulate not just their beauty, but seemingly a piece of their essence. He had once heard that a piece of the artist can be found within their work, this piece being the true essence of their artwork's beauty, so he perfected his craft to great heights in hopes of one day where he could identify that piece of himself that supposedly lay within each and every brush stroke. He would always attempt to find the part of his art that was himself in hopes that, even if it is a small piece, it could reveal a semblance of beauty that belonged to him.
A sporadic but gentle fellow, Oda exudes maturity (but only at first) and displays cordial kindness even to those who do not reciprocate it, but only until he begins getting comfortable with someone. Many expect artists of his ilk to be haughty and disinterested in others, but Oda is the opposite to the point his personality can be a little over presumptuous in his interest of the arts and of others. His disposition is characterized best by his starry-eyed enthusiasm and kind-heartedness paired with the corresponding eccentricities that come with child-like wonder and near-obsessives tendencies. Though, It would be incorrect to deduce this demeanor as mere immature naivete, as his artistic eye for detail also applies to people, his emotional intelligence and insight able to detect essence rather than façade. However, he can still sometimes be tactless and pushy with his interests, usually roping others into his antics. Oda is one of the rare few individuals able to tell another person that their cooking is awful with a smile on his face and zero ill will in his heart. As sunny as his character usually is, much of it vanishes when his appearance comes into play. He's not very fond of letting his face be seen by others, so he's almost always wearing an ornamental mask that covers the bottom half of his face, Oda becoming very reclusive and even restless if his whole face is at risk of being exposed to others.
Without his remnant, his ability is called "Sumi-e", an EM, and allows him to produce a variety of effects and phenomena through the use of brushstrokes using ink that contains his blood. Upon painting a certain pattern an object, all he must do is utter the corresponding word or phrase to activate the effect. Different brushstrokes have their own unique chant and effect. His remnant, Omikami, was born from an enduring resolve to recognize and express the beauty in everything.
Omikami, The Enrapture
The master of this remnant finds the beauty in all things in hopes of finding it in himself as well. This remnant answers this desire by capturing the very essence of everything that meet its master's eyes within it's empty expanses to make part of it its own. It fills its blank self with all the world's beauties , but realizes it cannot do the same with it's master. Now it only waits patiently, inviting its master's hand to take his brush and paint in the one beauty it cannot capture by itself.
Omikami manifests as a very large Kakemono or hanging scroll with an intricate designs on the outside while the inner canvas is completely blank. The jikugi is hollow and contains multiple red coloured brushes with golden ornamentation. Its back is a beautiful crimson shade with a variety of animal insignia in gold. It's often tied up with the red string hanging from its end. Through, its true form is that great wolf with brushstroke-like markings along its white fur and multiple tails with black tips that resemble the bristles of a brush.
its unbound ability, "Ichor Stroke", is to recreate its environment onto Omikami as an ink painting and his brushstrokes done onto the ink simulacrum will affect the real world counterpart.
Style and Abilities
One of Oda's defining characteristic in combat is his ability to seamlessly transition from different methods and modes of attack, able to deduce the best time to use a certain approach with the optimal techniques. Oda's ability gives him access to a large collection phenomena to employ, including manipulation of the elements, nature, matter, and many others. The effects of his ink strokes are incredibly powerful and the activation of one or more well-placed technique can immediately turn the tide of battle, able to cover battlefield in ink that can be remotely activated from any distance and tear chunks of strength from opponents strayed too close.
Oda's strength is praiseworthy, but a degree of preparation is required to unleash the full scope of his abilities. He can activate his ink from any distance, but he needs to have painted them in the first place as well as have a proper surface to paint on. Also, he cannot use any normal type of ink, the one he uses needing to be mixed with some of his own blood, the amount used dictating the strength of the effect. Another factor to consider is the battlefield itself, his larger build can compromise his agility when lacking ample space and the surrounding area cannot always be relied upon to provide painting surfaces. Finally, it takes some time for Omikami to recreate its surroundings and leaves Oda vulnerable to ambush in that time.
Physical Description
Very physically capable and trained in multiple styles of combat.
He inherited his wyverian trait from a fanged beast, resulting in large pointed fangs rimmed across his wide jaw that protrudes past his cheeks appearing as if his fangs tore through them. Though not being visible, Oda has also inherited enhanced hearing and sense of smell.
Oda can have many ink strokes exist at the same time, even multiple of the same type, seemingly able to activate them from any distance with the proper chant. Through, if there are multiple of the same type, the chant activates all of them. This aspect having both its benefits and detriments. Also, the effects of the ink stroke is not limited to just the object they're painted on, extending to anything in its area of effect. As such, Oda sometimes carry paper slips that he's painted in advance, simply activating them in a close enough vicinity to a target. In regards to his abilities as a renaissance, Omikami is an incredibly powerful remnant, able to make an entire area a victim to Oda's brush. This recreation is stagnant, but the brushstrokes still affect the corresponding target even if its position no longer matched the painting. Omikami also increases the amount of brush techniques Oda can use, some of these strokes only being able to be done through Omikami's canvas. However, Oda's trump card is employing Omikami's true form, it not only possessing tremendous strength and size, but also the ability to its ink-tipped tail at blinding speeds to lay down Oda's brush techniques in a flash. This true form, however, doesn't come without it costs, as it requires a large amount of ink to maintain, and by extension, Oda's blood.
Oda's combat wear is quite light and revealing. A majority of his chest and back is exposed, wearing black cloth sleeves that connect together in a small ribbon at his collar, the right sleeve reaching his wrist while the left right after his elbow the exposed forearm being bandaged. The outer portions of his left arm is covered in red coloured armour all the way down to the back of his hand while atop his shoulders is a thin red plate shoulder guard with ornate gold spikes near the top. He wears two black gloves that expose his thumb, middle and index fingers, as well as a bit of the back of his hand with a strap with two small gold spikes to close the gap around his wrists. For his lower-half, he wears black shozuku pants and high reaching black sandals, his sides being covered with red plate waist guards that protect his outer thighs. His daisho is worn on the left side of his waist while his inkpot is tied to his right. Though his most defining piece of apparel is his stylized red canine mask protruding outwards and lined with ornamental teeth.
Oda's usual equipment consists of a few inkbrushes and and a two sectioned gourd inkpot tied to his waist. His weapon of choice aside from his ability is a twin sword daisho consisting of a tanto and wakazashi blade he uses for close quarters combat. His personal style of combat is one that maximizes his forte's while trying to compensate his weaknesses, creating an opportunistic fighting approach that bolsters a heavy defense that seamlessly transitions into a lethal advance that forces the opponent on a strict defense. Oda is meticulous in reading his opponents and always seeks to capitalize on a single wrong move, both when defensive and offensive. A single crack in his opponents technique will often lead to him being able to apply ink directly on them, an event that's often an immediate death sentence.
Mental characteristics
Personality Characteristics
Due to his wyverian trait making normal speech impossible, Oda actually talks using ventriloquism techniques, as ventriloquist speech doesn't require movement of the lips.
Way too tactful friend (Important)
Towards The Ceasless Predator
Tactless friend (Important)
History
Oda is one of the precious few Tedric is outwardly amicable towards, though even this is limited. Despite their occasional spats regarding the artistry of hunting, Tedric's lack thereof and Oda's excessive amounts, both are on somewhat well terms. Both have been in close proximity to each other due to them being basically adopted by Myeru and working surprisingly well with each other because Baskerville and Oda's paintings can operate far from their masters.
Friend and colleuge (Vital)
Friend that introduced him into the profession of hunting (Vital)
History
Myeru first found Oda at a low-point. Oda's talent made him rather renowned, people visiting his rather remote village due to his art, something Oda found great joy in, but only for a short while. Due to his perceptiveness, it didn't take too long for him to become disheartened by the crowed he attracted, that being haughty individuals who wanted his art not because they found it beautiful, but for ulterior reasons. Critics who feed off contrarian opinions and only see art as something to tear apart, Egoists who devalue art through over-analysis meant only to serve their sense of superiority because they "understand" it all, and rick folk who want his art for its novelty and the prestige surrounding it to enhance their own. This led to a deep despair which catalyzed the awakening of his remnant in the middle of a live exhibit, and the only thing this outburst of pain yielded was a round of applause, them thinking it as part of the art and doing to his turmoil what they did any other of his works, reduce it to hollow spectacle.
Myeru found him a husk devoid of passion, Oda assuming him to be another one of those he's used to, expecting a grand commission just to be used as some set piece for some lofty affair. So his bewilderment was understandable when a man who reeked of status simply commissioned him for some fanart for a comic he was really into. Much happened after that, Myeru took him under his wing, Oda decided to leave the fine art world for the hunter's one, and the his passion and compassion returned to him. Thus, Oda became the the latest member of Myeru's division and his exclusive (fan)artist.
Colleague (Important)
Towards The Purgatory Furnace
History
Oda was the latest addition to Myeru's personal division following Theodore, Oda seeing and describing him and Tedric and the cool upper-huntsmen to look up to, professionals who've reach the heights of their craft whose mere presence demands respect. However in practice, Theodore is usually ends up one of the victims of Oda's eccentricities, even him being unimmune to Oda's blackhole-like capacity to pull people into his shenanigans. Despite Theodore's usual expressions of chagrin, Oda's great respect for him isn't one-sided, Theodore having a great, but bashfully hidden, admiration for Oda, born from the first time Theodore caught a glimpse of Oda while painting.
Theodore watched as all of Oda's caprice, joviality, and seeming naivete not disappear, but culminate into a quiet and humble dignity, no pride, no doubt, just joy. At first Theodore thought to describe it as if Oda had became another person, but upon greater contemplation, it'd be truer to describe this as Oda's expression at its purest, where everything clicked into place and the entirety of Oda, as a person, made complete sense. Theodore has only ever seen this pinnacality of the self in one other person, that being Myeru, and this has earned Theodore's respect, making Oda's antics a bit more bareable, but only slightly.
Myeru basically pays for everything for Oda due to him sending a majority of his hunting salary back to his village and whatever being left lost due to his "interesting" spending habits where any degree of foresight vanishing the moment something piques Oda's interest.
Alignment
Seems to follow a strict moral code, but no one can figure out what it is.
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
Brown
General disposition can be described as
"When you look at some old art, you can find new appreciation for it when you try to see it for what it is instead of what it isn't, or what you expected it to be. I think people work the same way, actually, I think life works like that too, you know?"
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