[Spirit Class 8] Bleisräker Zwandergraf

» Name: Bleisräker Zwandergraf
» Alias: Jimothy Tim (for tax purposes); B. Ice; Bleis
» Age: ~120 [time since she became an Arrancar]
» Appears: Late-teens
» Birthday: July 7
» Gender: Female
» Height: 5'2 (5'6 including horns)
» Weight: 250lbs (most of which is tail)

» Estigma: Horns on top and side of the head
» Hollow Hole: Middle of chest
» Aspect of Death: Passion

» Association: Espada (formerly); Safira Aldrovandi
» Rank/Position: Royal Flush, Jack; Keeper of the Order of the Ophite Ouroboros; adherent to the Nahastic Faith
» Specialty: Fighting fire with fire

» Appearance Written: Bleisräker has a lithe-yet-curvy figure hidden under baggy and loose-fitting clothing. She seems underfed in many aspects, but that's more from her natural development than malnutrition. The meatiest part of her body is her tail—the base of which is almost as wide as her waist. What appears to be spikes from a distance are actually fins that would, in theory, assist her in swimming if she knew how to swim. She abhors wearing pants because of her tail and instead chooses to wear skirts, dresses, or other loose-fitting clothing options that can easily be modified to accept the tail. The most notable aspect of Bleisräker's attire is actually the white jacket she wears. It is a shortened version of an Espada's overcoat. It was surprisingly high-quality, so she refuses to throw it out.

» Sexual Orientation: Bisexual
» Relationship Status: Single



» Safira Aldrovandi: Thanks to the pain relief Safira is able to provide and being the only one from her old life that "returned for her," Bleisräker feels as though she owes her life to this woman. She doesn't see the corrupting influence Safira has, and she, perhaps willingly, ignores the evils done. To Bleisräker, it seems that Safira saved her out of selflessness. She has an unquestioning, undying, and undeniable loyalty to Safira—and it would take moving Heaven and Earth to get that to change. How much of that loyalty is from her own genuine desires or from an addiction to pain relief and affirmation is up for debate.
» Kizuna Ishimaru: Bleisräker "appreciates the grind" of evolution and change, but she is concerned that not all of the change Kizuna wishes for will be for the good of people. She also scares Bleisräker.
» Manasa Aldrovandi: If someone can't get won over sober, Bleisräker sends them to Manasa. She understands that sometimes people need to be "broken down" to understand truth, and if her own methods don't work? It's best to send them to someone who can lower inhibitions first. She also doesn't like how close Manasa gets at times—it's almost like all she wants from Bleisräker is the warmth from her fire...
» Sumana: Although Bleisräker and Sumana argue about charity, they don't really hate one another. Bleisräker understands that there needs to be a profit to run things and to expand, but does it merit throwing away saving others? She does appreciate it when Sumana spoils her for doing "good work" though. And wait, why do all the people Bleisräker works with intimidate her?!
» [REDACTED]: Her creator is someone Bleisräker is always thankful for, but always fearful of. Even after his death, she still wishes she could have fulfilled the purpose he gave her. But it will never be.


» Personality: Bleisräker was once lost. She once looked at life with an ever-dimming lens—asking no one in particular "what good am I?" Created with a purpose she'd never be able to fulfill, she was born a failure. And yet, she holds her failure of purpose up proudly. We are not what we were born as. What to others is a creed or a motto is her dogma. Change for the better is always possible, even if each step is upon the piercing shards of once-broken dreams.

Pain is the driver of all things. Physical pain makes one desire to be faster (to avoid it) or tougher (to take the blow without it). Emotional pain makes one desire to be more resilient (to withstand it) or apathetic (to not even feel it). Even the fear of such pain will drive someone. Bleisräker is among the most empathetic Arrancar because she knows pain more than nearly any other because she is living in a constant state of pain. She speaks from the heart—or perhaps from something deeper—and feels just as strongly about everything and everyone. Bleisräker is quick to cry, laugh, or scream because of the empathetic connections she naturally feels.

In truth, it's hard to really describe how Bleisräker interacts. She is effectively artificial down to her very core. Her ambition and drive are thanks to the flame stoked within her. If her awakening was not such a diaster for her, she wouldn't have had the drive to find a source of relief. Her most likely course of action would have been to allow another Hollow to devour her. But that's not her anymore. She does have a fire within her—both literally and metaphorically. She has some very childlike naivete about her, but that is mixed with multiple primal urges.

And this gets to the crux of Bleisräker. She believes everything she preaches—and practices with a fervor, no a passion none can match. Perhaps she's brainwashed. Perhaps she's gaslit herself. Perhaps she thinks that, in the end, everything will be better. But no matter what, she will not be lying when she says that the tenets she espouses are going to be better for everyone. She feels she owes her life to Safira. Safira may not have directly given her a reason to live, but she did show Bleisräker that she could live—and that is worth just as much.

» Likes: Bananas Foster, anything cinnamon-flavored, sweets with a hot and sweet filling (e.g. Frozen Florida, lava cakes, etc), sand, bonfires in autumn

» Dislikes: Butterscotch, boba, the beach, rain


Bleisräker does not remember her time as a Hollow. She does not know how long she spent as one, nor if she even was one. But that does not change what the truth is—only her understanding of it. Her life is irrelevant beyond belief. In the time before she can remember, she was a Hollow that dwelled between the Forest and Menos and the surface of Hueco Mundo. She would scurry up and down the massive trees and burrow through the sand—hunting in the latter and resting in the former. She was a solitary hunter, and even that is overselling her. She was, in truth, a bottom-feeding scavenger.

Bleisräker avoided conflict and stole other Hollows' prey while they rested after clashes. Her meals would be brought through the sands and stored in the roots of the quartz-trees. She caused many a conflict between groups of tightly-knit Hollows because the meals of dead hollows would just disappear down. In the few times she was caught, she'd let the meal go and flee deep within the forest.

It was during one of these ill-fated scavengings that Bleisräker was finally caught. An Arrancar with fantastic facial hair reached through the sand and plucked her by her tail. She had only heard of Arrancar—never met one.
You are quite the crafty Niña.
After an attempt to breathe fire to force him to drop her resulted in only singing his face, the Arrancar seemed to change his tune from mild annoyance to fascination. He took her to she would later come to know as home—Las Noches. Within the domed walls, she was placed in a barrier. She was bound in cloth that felt like bone. She could not see or feel past the cloth, but she could hear. That was how she knew she was not alone. Other Hollows were there. And each day, there were fewer and fewer as ever-stronger flames were thrown into the barrier. Soon, she could count on one hand how many there were alongside her.

Bleisräker was subject to many experiments beyond just the flame tests. The cloth seemed to morph her body almost like a mold. Thoughts and memories that were not her own rushed into her mind as she was fed the failures through these eldritch wrappings. In some cases, she felt herself being eaten away too. Her sense of self was too great for these inferior subjects, and so she would always come out on top.

And then, Bleisräker was taken to a room away from the others. Where she was, she did not know. She was touched by something terrible—it was colder than anything she could have imagined. It was painful beyond comprehension and led her to passing out briefly. She awoke with a ringing in her ears and a feeling of being out of her body. The first thing she remembers was a silhouetted man speaking.
Disappointing. Perhaps it was too early to use. 50% will have be the minimum awakening required. Do not dispose of the new comrade—perhaps she will have some use later.
There were others in the room, but she did not recognize them with now-blurry vision. She tried to reach out—and saw that her once-scaled arm was now fleshy. Her claws were replaced with fingers. The only thing she seemed to retain that felt familiar was the tail behind her. She screamed and wailed in confusion.

The mustached Arrancar was the only one who stayed behind as the other figures left.
You are no longer a Hollow—you, like all of us here, are an Arrancar now. Get used to it, Niña.
Bleisräker was soon all alone as even he walked out of the room. But the room was not dark. The glow of a flame burned weakly in her chest. It kept her warm—and kept her spirits up. She left the room only a few times. Each time, she fled back as soon as one of them glanced her direction. These Arrancar were beyond her own power—or so she thought at the time. From the woman who resembled a serpent to the man whose smile took up more of his face than any other part, every single one of them scared her. Even her mustached "savior" terrified her. But such was the life of a coward.

Time went by, and soon Bleisräker heard of another from that room getting awakened. She was not allowed to be present for the process. It was afterwards that she heard rumors of what was going on. Perhaps it was the shifty-eyed man, or the one with the goggles—she never saw either of them speak previously. What she heard was just how much of a failure she was and how this new creation—Wonderweiss—was actually capable of fulfilling the role required.

It wasn't long after she overheard that conversation that Bleisräker was sealed. She remembers a gentle feeling before falling asleep. She was placed into a deep sleep and the Hollowflame extinguished. There was no current use for her, and she was only going to be taking up resources by still being "awake." However, her potential usefulness was enough to keep her from being outright disposed of or used as feed for another Arrancar.

Time went by. Las Noches was reduced to rubble. Aizen and the Espada fell. New evils poked their heads into the world and soon began to cause a ruckus. All the while, Bleisräker slept soundly. Her chamber was hidden behind broken pillars and collapsed walls. As a failed project, few notes were left about her. Most of the Espada wouldn't have even known who she was. Simply put, she was forgotten.

It wasn't until Shadow Fall began losing that they turned to look for any scraps of forgotten secrets left by the Espada. One such discovery was the chamber Bleisräker slept in. They found her asleep with what limited research data remained unbound and scattered. The only thing these explorers deciphered was that to reawaken her, fire needed to be placed within her Hollow Hole. Not knowing if this would end up being worth the effort of removing, they summoned the greatest fire user they could summon on such a short notice—a red-haired vixen whose fire was unique to say the least.

The Hollowflame was reignited with these hellish flames. Thanks to her own resistance to fire, Bleisräker was not immediately immolated. Instead, the flame ignited more than what it was designed for. She awoke screaming in pain as her chest erupted in a scarlet blaze. She remained screaming for hours, but the exploration team left soon after it started. They, too, saw her as a failure. They expected her to die. She expected to die. She did not.

The flames ate away at her Reiryoku to the point she was almost out. At that point, the Hollowflame within Bleisräker stabilized. As she recovered, it grew again proportionally to her own Reiryoku stores and production. It still burned hotter than her body could handle, and so she began seeking relief. She fled throughout Hueco Mundo. She sought extreme cold, but it was not found. She sought greater heat, but it was not found.

What was found was a beautiful, jade woman. She appeared like a mirage to Bleisräker. What Bleisräker says she remembers was the woman taking pity on her condition. She selflessly gave Bleisräker a painkiller in the form of venom. This venom dulled her sense of pain without truly hampering her mental faculties (or so she believes). Feeling saved, Bleisräker could finally see clearly. She recognized the woman as one of the members of the Espada. This had been the first person she recognized from her first "awakening." Realizing just how much this meant—that one of the people that she felt she had failed was now helping her live—Bleisräker swore her life to this Arrancar. But she had one stipulation: she wanted to save others like she was saved...



» Natural Empath: Bleisräker has an innate ability to understand what someone she focuses in on is feeling via what could be described as a very developed instinct. This empathy does not give her the ability to automatically know what is going on, but rather the feelings associated with it. For example, she wouldn't be able to tell that someone's mother passed away in a fire, but she would be able to tell that they are experiencing immense grief with fear and disgust roiled in, leading her to the conclusion "this person experienced a great loss of someone close to them—a parent or a child perhaps—to something horrific." She would make a great sham fortune teller if she so desired. She utilizes this to help de-escalate combat situations since the last thing she wants to do is fight someone.




» Anti-Flame Body: Bleisräker has a body designed to withstand the strongest flames—that of Ryūjin Jakka. However, the design was not successful in her iteration. A later iteration was successful because it sacrificed most mental faculties for the sake of power. Flame-based attacks have little effect on her, but she instead weak to any other elemental effect. Water-based attacks are, terrifyingly enough, three times as effective against her.
»» Anti-Flame Hierro: In addition to the above, if the flame is too much for her body to naturally handle, Bleisräker has an extra layer of protection with her Hierro. It reacts upon contact with extreme levels of heat and overcharges itself to being even fruther resistant—almost to the point of immunity—to fire. However, the downside is that an ashy crust forms around the affected area. This crust is her Hierro now burnt to a crisp. It will peel away—flaking away to nothingness once the flame stops hitting her. Once it has protected her, the Hierro in that area will not return for another eight hours.

» Sonído: Bleisräker has decent skill in Sonído—but her skill is less something she has trained to do and more something innate. Since she was designed to be capable of keeping up with Captains at best, it was something drilled into her forming psyche and body.
»» Muda Sonído: (Molting Sound) A variant of Sonído and a weaker version of Gemelos Sonído. It is shedding a layer of Hierro upon starting a Sonído to leave a shell behind. Currently, Bleisräker has limited usage of this because it takes extra concentration to shed a layer of Hierro. If she doesn't concentrate on performing the technique, she instead sheds her entire Hierro—creating a tougher duplicate but leaving her without Hierro for one post.

» Regenerar: Bleisräker has enhanced regeneration much like her reptillian cousins. This is especially evident in her tail, which can regenerate if severed faster than any other part of her body by quite a large margin.
»» Ceniza Regenerar: (Ash Regeneration) Bleisräker has a unique variation of Regnerar. Although she can regnerate normally with Regnerar, if she is hit with fire her regneration speed is roughly doubled. Only the areas hit by flames are affected. She can not use her own flames to accelerate her regeneration, but she can utilize her flames to clear off cauterization and re-open her wounds to allow for Regenerar to have its normal effect.

» Cero: Bleisräker does not have particular skill in Cero. Her Cero are only unique visually—they are mainly yellow with an orange outline and within, reds and orange flicker around like flames. When she charges her Cero, the Reiryoku looks like flames coming to a point ahead of her fingers.

» Gonzui Specialist: As part of her Resurrección's formation, Bleisräker has enhanced spiritual "lungs." This has led to a specialized adaptation of Gonzui—the ability of an Arrancar to inhale the souls of weaker humans. She is able to suck in parts of souls instead of the entire soul. This leads to a sustainable method of consumption as it doesn't kill the victims. This is a narrative ability.



» Hollowflame: Bleisräker's Hollow hole is filled with an everburning flame. As long as she can produce or has Reiryoku, the flame burns. The enclosure of the Hollow Hole acts as a kiln and makes this flame burn at a higher temperature. Unfortunately, this flame is in a vulnerable area and still burns Bleisräker. This leaves her in a constant state of pain as the flame keeps burning.

The purpose of the Hollowflame was to feed off of Ryūjin Jakka's own flames and feed off of the Reiryoku that composed them. Again, her own strength was far below what would be required for that feat. Combined with her botched unsealing, the Hollowflame does not function properly. If the Hollowflame ever has its full functionality restored, the full function will be placed in an upgrade. If the flame does manage to go out, Bleisräker is immediately placed into a comatose state until it is relit with a fire-based ability. To extinguish the Hollowflame, it must be submerged for three consecutive posts. The first post of which will start boiling water, hence why it is incapable of being instantly snuffed by a blast of water.

The color of the Hollowflame is determined by the Reiryoku it burns. In turn, this is determined by Reiryoku that affects her. Normally, it is the color of normal fire—reds, yellows, and oranges. If she is under the effects of Safira's mark, for example, it would be a sickly green (similar to a flame burning with copper chloride additives). She does not know of other conditions that can generate flames of different color. If she were to strengthen her control of the Hollowflame, she'd be able to add elements of these Reiryoku "modifiers" to her own, self-generated flames.

And lastly, there is another effect the Hollowflame has—though this is entirely narrative. Some might say it is a birth defect and others might say it is a "happy little accident." It is an unintended consequence or her creation and her reawakening. The Hollowflame takes the place of the "heart" Hollows and their ilk lack. Bleisräker is able to feel approximations of human emotion solely thanks to the passionate flame burning in her chest—brought forth by the flames of temptation. She may not fully understand the emotions, but she does feel them. When the Hollowflame is under the effect of another's Reiryoku, her personality can shift to be more in line with that person's Reiryoku.

There is a second, weaker Hollowflame that is at the end of her tail. This flame is more akin to a normal fire and does not cause her pain like the true Hollowflame does. The size of the flame at the end of her tail is determined by her Reiryoku reserves. The more she has, the larger the flame is—up to the size of a large campfire. If forcibly extinguished, it will re-light one post later if the main Hollowflame is still able to be lit.

» Rugido: (Roar) Similar to her successful counterpart's Vagido, Rugido is a loud sonic technique that pushes one's Reiryoku through the area as an attempt to slow or even stop physical attacks. Rugido can be used once per three posts.


» Zanpakutō Name: Salamandra (堝鱗サラマンダー; Japanese for "Crucible Scale" Spanish for "Salamander")

» Sealed Zanpakutō Appearance: Salamandra is an iron lantern—decorated with reptilian iconography that could be anything from a lizard to a dragon. The flame inside burns as long as Bleisräker's Hollowflame remains lit. The lantern is carried in one of two places if not carried by hand—on her waist or within her spear.

» Sealed Zanpakutō Power: Bleisräker is capable of breathing fire much like in her Resurrección. However, the strength of such fire is reduced to half of its original. In addition, she can only breathe fire once per post. If she breathes fire in more than three posts in a row, she exhausts her supply of flammable Reiryoku and is unable to breathe fire for four posts while she refills. In addition, when placed within the spear she carries, Bleisräker can coat the blade in flames.

Salamandra's sealed flames can also form a pair of flaming wings that allow limited flight—they are more for gliding than actual propulsion. While the wings are formed, she is unable to breathe fire.


» Resurrección Release Phrase: Simmer (炊く; taku)

» Resurrección Release Action: Bleisräker plunges her hands into her chest where her Hollowflame is. When she calls out her Resurrección's name, she rips part of the Hollowflame out and it wreathes her body in scorching flames before revealing her unsealed form.

» Resurrección Appearance: Salamandra turns Bleisräker into something resembling a centaur—except with a dragon's lower body rather than a horse's. A dracotaur if you will. Although her torso remains the same height, she is now roughly twice as tall thanks to the extended length of the dragon's legs and neck. Bleisräker has a mixture of soot-black and ash-grey scales with pale, translucent wings that match her hair color.
Note: The picture below of her Resurrección is spoiled due to potentially being considered Not Safe for Work even if I placed a censor bar. The image is large, so it is recommended to click on the image to see the full version if one wishes to view it.

Spoiler:

» Resurrección Abilities:
» Dracotaur Body: Salamandra transforms Bleisräker into a half-beast from her stomach down. Her strength and durability are enhanced whilst her agility tanks hard. She is a big target and cannot dodge many attacks. However, her speed is not as affected as her general agility—she now has four legs and can outrun bipedal creatures of equal Speed just on stride alone while claw-tipped feet offer impressive grip. The wings allow for uninhibited natural flight that does not rely on her ability to utilize Sonído. The scales that now dominate her lower body are extremely difficult to pierce (bludgeoning damage works best). They are hot to the touch—like touching fresh coals from a fire. Her own forearms become covered in the same black scales that cover her lower body and her hands are tipped in razor-sharp claws and her mouth is brimming with equally-sharp fangs—all so she can rip apart freely. Her weakest areas are obviously the fleshy parts not covered in scales. Overall, she has all the physical traits a dragon should have on the parts that, well, look like a dragon.

» Fire Breathing: Bleisräker has the ability to breathe fire. The fire emits just a few inches away from her open mouth and starts at a narrow point before expanding. The exact shape depends on her whims—the most common shapes are a long stream or a wide cone. The flames burn at high temperatures and can easily inflict third degree or fourth degree burns on unprotected persons hit directly.
In addition, Bleisräker has an ability similar to Cero Doble in which she can absorb fire from an opponent and then return it in a breath of the same fire. If the opponent has a higher Soul than she does, then the flame hurts her in the process via scorching her face, mouth, and throat—and also prevents her from utilizing her flame breath for two posts. She can use this version of fire breathing once per post.


» Axespear: This polearm is made of metal forged from the quartz-trees and sand of Hueco Mundo. It is similar to a halberd, but it has blades on either side. It is a durable, sharp polearm weapon that has a specific hole in it for Salamandra's sealed form. Thankfully, the shape is easy to replicate in case it gets broken and Bleisräker already has multiple stored at her bases of operation.

» Masked Stitches: A nonprofit clothing supplier that Bleisräker runs. It modifies existing clothing to fit Arrancar and other spiritual races that may have non-standard body types and then provides them at little-to-no cost—usually the items are paid for by donors or by the customers volunteering with the nonprofit. The logo is a smiling Menos Grande mask with its mouth sewn shut. Behind the scenes, most of the donated money actually goes to help funding Safira's operations in Brazil—though Bleisräker isn't savvy enough to see that.



General Attributes
» Durability: D
» Speed: D
» Strength: D
» Soul: C

Will Skills
» Willpower: Beginner
» Deduction: Beginner
» Focus: Beginner

Arrancar Skills
» Cero: Beginner
» Nucleo: Adept
» Regenerar: Adept
» Sonido: Beginner



Bleisräker is meant to be the "good-presenting one" in the Royal Flush and within Safira's whole scheme as the main spreader of Nahasism—more commonly referred to as "the Snake Faith." Manasa, Sumana, and even big snake-mama Safira herself are all pretty shady, so they need someone who can present the good parts of their cause while (perhaps unknowingly) sweeping the more "evil" parts under the rug. She's going to try to lure people into following the Nahasism or even into Brazil with empathy and kind affirmations—in the end, she feels that it's going to be a better world with Safira's venom coursing through its veins. Power-wise, she's more of a defensive fighter that makes people feel bad for fighting her ("You wouldn't punch a cute girl, right?" type deal).


11/17: Post-approval stat inclusion