- Acacia
[tracker=/t897-grimm-aldous-acacia#4096]
Name : Acacia
Epithet : "Black Seed" ("Kurotane")
Age : 27
Height : 8'5" / 257 cm
Weight : 351 lbs / 159 kg
Species/Tribe : Human
Faction : New Revolutionary Army
Devil Fruit : Mochi Mochi no Mi
Bounty : [ber=r] 250,000,000
Balance : [ber] 582,800,000
[[childofdestiny]]
[[improviseadaptovercome]]
Posts : 123
[Bio] Acacia
Sun Dec 03, 2017 10:46 am
Basic Character Information
First Name: Acacia
Middle Name: Aldous
Last Name: Grimm
Epithet: "Kurotane" ("Black Seed")
Birthdate: August 25, 1801
Gender: Male
Race: Human (Part-time Snorlax)
Faction: New Revolutionary Army
Professions:
Former Navy Rear Admiral: Acacia was once a commissioned rear-admiral among the marines with his own ship and crew. As such, he’s an experienced—albeit unwilling—leader and is exceptionally effective at disciplining his subordinates. The tricky part is motivating him to do so. He’d much rather sleep and let someone else play the boss.
Swordsman: Being a member of a militaristic family, Acacia was introduced to many forms of weaponry and martial arts. Through his experience as a marine, he was able to build upon this and improve his swordsmanship.
Painter: As a child, his family required him to learn and master at least one craft or art. Having no particular interests of his own, he went with his older sister’s choice—painting. Despite the low expectations of his father, the boy turned out to be surprisingly good at it. Once he left the influence of his family, he never cared to paint for others' pleasure and has since kept his talent hidden.
Physical Appearance
Height: 8'5" / 257 cm
Weight: 351 lbs / 159 kg
Hair Style: Acacia's hair is of moderate length, and would reach halfway down his neck if it wasn't so naturally spiky (he’s far too lazy and uncaring to actually style his hair - must be nice to have God-given good looks). More strangely, his hair remains stubbornly spiky even when wet—except for the three or four pointed locks always hanging loosely over his forehead and temples.
Hair Color: Abyssal black
Eye Color: Devilish red
Scars: Acacia has a long slash wound stretching diagonally across his back. He also has several skin discolorations, burns, and stitch marks on his chest and limbs.
Clothing and Accessories:
Acacia is usually seen wearing monochromatic clothing, with blue and black tones and white accents. He favours loose hoodies and is often seen wearing them even in warm climates.
Under the hoodies, Acacia wears cotton crew-neck shirts of varying colours. His bottoms vary from jeans to cargo shorts to track pants that are predominantly coloured black or darker shades of blue.
His footwear varies between flip-flops, sandals, and combat boots depending on the weather and the combination of garments. Sandals are his favourite choice with cargo shorts, while combat boots often go with jeans or heavier trousers.
The former rear admiral always wears two trinkets of note. One is a sterling silver necklace with a single-winged locket, and the other is a jewel-less gold ring with a crest depicting a scythe against a crescent moon.
Detailed Description:
Acacia has a rather tall frame. His diligent training exercises help maintain a well-defined muscle tone. His warm brown skin is blemished and scarred from countless careless encounters. His wide shoulders and waist lend him a certain air of authority when he doesn't slouch.
Acacia has salient and peering red eyes which—paired with his unrelenting, disapproving expressions—seem to be staring daggers at or judging condescendingly whomever he happens to be looking at. His jaws are sharp and somewhat broad, and his neck is thick enough to not sit awkwardly atop his robust build. He also has a very eye-catching Adam's apple that moves about noticeably when he speaks.
The Past
Main Traits: Lazy, Rigid, Distant, Irritable, Confident
Likes: Training, Sleeping, Relaxing, Alcohol, Sour Gummies, Sweets (Mochi included), Reading, Painting (the last one he keeps a secret!)
Dislikes: Worry Warts, Cowards, Traitors (what a hypocrite!), Noisy People, Nosy People, Bossy People, Naggy People (Leave me alone,
Unique laugh: Shihahahaha! (しはははは!)
Hometown: Mogaro Kingdom, New World
Personality:
Acacia is a bundle of happiness and joy, always running about cheering others up with his unending positivity.
Poppycock.
Acacia is, in fact, the opposite of the false description above. He broods, he frowns, and he puts others down with his pessimism and bottomless negativity. However, within this hopeless demeanour lies a man very confident in his own abilities and the abilities of those he respects and follows. This side of him becomes apparent during crises, where he has absolutely no excuses to apply his usual unmotivated and grumpy conduct. Such situations often arise in the form of combat, where he’ll put his unwavering faith in himself and those he’s acknowledged as strong individuals.
Having said that, it takes a lot for him to believe in someone to that extent. He will openly mock those he considers to be weak, and chirp on their uselessness if they get in his way. But, regardless of this complaining and insulting, he will not fail to act in defence of said weaklings if he’s convinced of their abundance of value or virtue.
Acacia’s demeanour often swings between two contradicting personas. When training and learning, Acacia is incomparably studious. He pushes himself beyond his limits during these times and refuses to stop even past utter exhaustion. On the other hand, outside these arduous sessions, the man is a complete sloth. He is slow to respond to non-critical emergencies and usually sleeps through the day while relying on others to do even his share of the chores.
He’s usually left alone in either situation, for he responds explosively to being interrupted from both sleep and training. His otherwise distant and silently judging personality also flips in such cases. But, despite his reserved nature, he can occasionally be charismatic and assertive, and will reveal his outspoken attitude in an argument—even if it’s a simple exchange of roasts.
Acacia can also be surprisingly humble. He prefers to forfeit credit for noble deeds to avoid becoming the centre of attention. He's also secretive about certain hobbies, such as reading and painting.
Lastly, Acacia is consistently the most cynical among his peers, and yet just as often the voice of reason. He assesses situations with a critical and logical outlook. This sometimes leads to sharp and insightful deductions, but more often than not, it also leads him into avoidable conflicts with his peers.
- History:
- Genesis and Dedication:
- "Burdens of our ancestors are ever the most undeserved."
An unborn child amongst many died once again. And another. And one more. It wasn’t until the sixth attempt when a life finally shined long enough to see the world with its own eyes. This was Grimm Artemis Kai, the oldest son of the royal family of Mogaro Kingdom. None died after him, for he was a child of destiny, bringing his house to order and a smiling fortune upon his kin.
Twins followed the birth of this child—a daughter and son—soon chased after by another son. And then three more sons and two more daughters came within the next eight years. That was plenty for the Grimm household to have a hopeful future. All were born to the same parents, a respectable fact to many.
Stuck between these was an uninteresting boy looking to find his place in a race he never asked for. His name was Grimm Aldous Acacia. Acacia was raised with high expectations and the utmost discipline as the third son of the Grimm family. But, even from a very young age, he would often swim against the current and struggle against the norms. Reading over strategizing, painting over sword-fighting, singing over governing; these were all too common rebellious acts of the young lad.
His eccentricity could only be seen as a burden against the potential he had shown otherwise during brief periods of obedience, and so, he was sent off for rehabilitation amidst a regime of ultimate discipline and order—the Navy.
- Rivalry and Harmony:
- "Nothing motivates like healthy competition."
Acacia was thirteen years old when he was provided with a ceremonious royal escort to the nearest navy base, where he would likely remain until he had seen the error of his ways. He soon realized that his usual playful disobedience only resulted in severe lashings and prolonged starvation.
Such rehabilitation methods may have been cruel, but their effectiveness was indisputable. Within four years, Acacia had been reformed into a diligent and loyal naval officer, so much so that he even convinced his family to allow him to serve in the navy for a few more years before making his prodigal return. But, his true motivation and anchor in the navy remained a secret from all. Her name was Briar Hailey.
With both of them having enlisted around the same time, Briar greatly influenced Acacia in spirit and physique. Her ambitions far surpassed his when they set out as adolescents. Seeing the prideful young lady put her life and soul into an effort to progress aroused a flame within even the aimless Aka-chan—which Briar called him despite his tireless protests.
Briar’s goal was to become Fleet Admiral one day and reform the navy's justice. Her dreams and ideals were infectious, and her resolve infallible. There were few who could not be inspired by her. Acacia was not among them. With a transformed outlook on life, Acacia challenged his role model to a race—this time one he chose for himself. "I’ll rise to the top and become Fleet Admiral before you!"
Upon this challenge, Briar shared something she held very dear. It was a medal awarded to her father, shaped like wings spread wide. She split the medal in half and assigned one half to her challenger. "Whoever gets there first will keep both halves. This will be our promise, Aka-chan." And so the contest began.
Unbeknownst to his family, Acacia rapidly progressed through the navy's ranks now that he was aware of his goals. But, his tenacious rival always remained one step ahead of him until they finally approached admiralty. By the age of twenty-three, they were both rear admirals, and the road to vice-admiralty was long and gruelling.
- Judas and Oblivion:
- "Courage cannot exist without cowardice."
They had been stationed on an island in paradise for a time. Rumours of an impending pirate raid had prompted the navy to reinforce the island with many other rear admirals. They could not have known the futility of these half-baked measures.
His mere mention struck terror in the hearts of even the boldest. His voice was mightier than the worst of storms. His march was no different than a hurricane. Behemoth had come. He laid waste to the island single-handedly, his rationale unknown to all—if at all existent. Many marine officers barely fought long enough to evacuate much of the island's population.
Acacia and Briar were assigned to defend the escapees with their lives and escort them off the island. Never had the pair faced a danger so great. Never had fear crippled them so. But, only one of them cracked under the weight of this responsibility. It wasn't Briar.
Acacia fled the battle once Behemoth was within sight and abandoned his duty. More importantly, he abandoned his rival… his best friend.
He was ecstatic—though repentant—when Briar managed to survive with only a few recoverable injuries. But, his relief lasted mere moments, for her face was writ with devastation. Every civilian they were meant to escort was butchered with a single attack from the gargantuan terrorist. So fragile is life.
Acacia knew well that death would be his punishment. But, his remorse was great, so he was prepared to accept such a fate.
Briar took the fall behind his back. She admitted to fleeing from the scene and leaving Acacia with an impossible task. No one should've accepted this account, for there were surely witnesses that survived from amongst the naval defence. And yet, they secured this lie as fact.
Acacia begged and cried, but his admission of guilt fell on deaf ears. He resisted until the final day, when they forced him to join the firing squad which would take Briar's life unfairly, thus stripping the world of a brighter future. He would join the firing squad, but he would not fire, for his aim was to free her before the execution.
But, within those last moments where he prepared to betray the navy and escape with the only person he'd ever truly cared for, she smiled. A bottomless smile of comfort and warmth, as if she'd accepted this end. A smile which froze him in inaction. It wasn't until the smoke cleared that he realized her promise was broken, with her smile now fading into oblivion.
- Rebound and Resurrection:
- "Death is the one undeniable truth of life."
Acacia buried Briar's half of the promise along with her, her remains being given no ceremony they deserved. He planned to carry his promise with him until he could fulfil it for himself.
He trained relentlessly for the following year, even obtaining a devil fruit which strengthened him by no small amount. It took a slip of the tongue from a superior for him to break out of his illusion. They knew!
That entire time, they'd known who the real coward was. Briar had become a scapegoat not simply due to her concern for him. After an extensive and dangerous investigation, Acacia realized his family was responsible for his acquittal and the navy's denial of his guilt. The Grimm family’s wish to keep their name from being dragged through the mud was what had saved him.
A bitterness that would never leave him for the rest of his life nested deep in his heart. Uncaring of his family’s disapproval, Acacia went on a rampage before deserting the navy, slaughtering many of his colleagues who he discovered to have kept the truth veiled.
Before long, a hefty bounty had been placed on his head, which revealed a freeing truth. The Grimm family had disowned him, for their name was nowhere to be seen on the wanted poster. Those who knew his origins were either dead or too high up to care. He was free. Free to be an empty shell of his former self.
He wandered listlessly for another year, inadvertently falling into trouble wherever he went. Only when he happened upon a daring rescue of a small island terrorized by the navy, pirates, and its ruler alike did he come to his senses. It was Villium Price and a certain marine who woke him up.
Upon witnessing their heroic actions, Acacia—in a rare moment of lucidity from his degraded drunken stupor—begged Price to take him under his wing. The Smiling Pauper brought him back out of pity, but his skepticism was evident. The uppermost echelon of the NRA discovered Acacia’s past soon enough.
Djinn, the Commander-in-Chief of the New Revolutionary Army, questioned Acacia’s loyalty. "How can I believe you won't flee from battle again and forsake your comrades?" He asked. Acacia unsheathed Briar's sword—which he’d carried around with him to preserve her presence—and sliced his back open with a smooth swipe. Bleeding like a sacrificed hog, he stood firm and spoke with an unswerving voice, "This will be the only scar on my back until I die."
Since then, Acacia has been a useful soldier in the New Revolutionary Army. Price had attempted to charge him his own crew, but Acacia adamantly refused. He was instead assigned to a “hopeless fool who needs babysitting" despite his insistence against wanting to “babysit" anyone.
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