[hider=The Tatasuko Family][center][img]http://i.imgur.com/5pZdHVr.jpg[/img][/center]
[b]Region:[/b] Japan(Though it varies).

[b]Industrial focus:[/b] Political negotiation/arbitration and [i]Libraries[/i].

[b]History:[/b] While other families curried favor in one way or another, playing to the strengths of their area, the Tatasuko family is one of measured adaptation and dabbling. While many sought to take hold of an industry, the Tatasuko slithered their way into the ears of powerful people, influencing their action and gathering allies, connections, everywhere they went. Passing down their traditions and gaining knowledge in psychology, politics, and culture the Tatasuko family dealt in ideas and favors. In their time, and to this day, they were (and thus are) ambassadors and neutral parties...but with an agenda all their own.

Then it was that a great behemoth, or one who posed as such in their mind's eye, garnered their interest, soon requesting their attention in earnest. So it was that the Tatasuko family surrendered their ability to hold industry so that they could instead serve to better the world and perhaps, if only subtly, influence the organization that even then they knew would come to rule it from the shadows.

So it was that the Tatasuko family became the political platform which AMRO could stand upon or force others to stand upon for their benefit, and the downfall of their enemies—which were once many and now are few. As AMRO rose to power and the families with them, so too did the Tatasuko family, riding on the coattails of what the other Bloodlines thought their masters.

The Tatasuko knew better for they played the long game, a game which started with their first member and would only end with the death of their last or the end of humanity itself. With the help of the other Bloodlines, AMRO policed areas of the world, but with the help of the Tatasuko, they took hold of those who would otherwise control it.

For rather than deal in goods, the Tatasuko family has always dealt in ideas, philosophies, psychology...and people.

What, one might ask, is their trade in earnest? They are librarians and they are ambassadors and that is all that truly matters.

[u][i]The Family Practice[/i][/u]
--Known as Akasha or the Akashic Alchemy, the entirety of the Tatasuko family has the tendency, since their initial discovery/use of alchemy till the present, to use a bizarre sort of alchemy originating not from their homeland, but instead from Hinduism. "Akasha," a word derived from the root word "kāś" (meaning "To be visible,") and meaning "open space/vacuity(emptiness)," "sky/atmosphere," or even its most telling translation: "an ethereal fluid imagined as pervading the cosmos"

A word with a variety of meanings, Akasha, the name by which this alchemy is known, is the sanskrit word for "Aether." The word may mean anything from "to be visible," to "an ethereal fluid of pervading the cosmos," and it is indeed this vagueness that makes it so dangerous an alchemy to utilize.

Rather than allow each member of their tightly knit family to practice each their own form of alchemy, the Tatasuko focus on three branches of the same form of alchemy named as mentioned above.

The first and most common of these branches is what the Tatasuko have termed the "Akashic Sight," which allows them to manifest an intangible form of Akasha, or aether, which they may utilize to glean greater amounts of information in smaller increments of time than would otherwise be possible. This is used by the fringe members of the family and often exacts the least price on the average Tatasuko's sanity.

Second among these branches and far less common than its predecessor, the "Akashic Force," is a form of Akashic Alchemy that allows a Tatasuko Alchemist to manifest a Akasha in a physical format. The substance possess bizarre properties as it is etheric in nature, meaning that Akasha is often fleeting in form, making it easily shattered if solid, but oddly durable as a liquid. "Akashic Force," can be utilized as a sort of telekinetic construct, creating complicated, or simple, mechanisms of energy. This allows for the creation of barriers of "liquid," energy that applies resistance to outside intrusion. Conversely the substance can be utilized to draw things in or create weapons of a sort. Perhaps the substance's most peculiar trait is the fact that it is fueled by a bizarre mixture of belief and [i]will[/i]. This is most apparent when a Tatasuko utilizes the gaseous form of the substance to create visual illusions on the surface of already established constructs, objects, or people. At first an illusory construct is only fueled by the alchemist's [i]will[/i], made into an image resembling whatever they are thinking of, and about as accurate as they can picture, but as time goes on and more people buy into the illusion, the material is [i]fueled[/i] by this belief, becoming stronger and harder to break. While it may appear that the belief itself acts as fuel, but in truth it is this feeling of belief reaching the alchemist, thus reinforcing their own belief in the [i]realness[/i] of the illusion and its properties. While used often, it is this property that is little noticed by others, and this is just why it is so effective. Though it should be noted that the grander the illusion, the more fragile it becomes.

Final and third among the branches is that which is used only by the core members of the Tatasuko family, namely the immediate family of the Patriarch, Matriarch, or Heir. This form of Akashic Alchemy is known as "Akashic Mind," and expands the often already prodigious mental faculties of a Tatasuko by allowing a sort of etheric mind made from intangible Akasha to [i]meld[/i] with their own acting as additional processing space and memory storage. This alchemy is largely passive and while it is not always in use, anything [i]stored[/i] via this method is kept even when it is deactivated, though the information becomes less easily accessible by the individual in most cases--though this is a hurdle that some Tatasuko have found ways around. It is this alchemy which, oddly, causes the least amount of drain in sanity despite its closeness to the mind of the user.

[i]Note: While a powerful alchemy, Akashic Alchemy is infrequently the [i]specialization[/i] in the technical sense, of most Tatasuko alchemists. As a result it more often than not causes a greater drain to them than a true alch-spec would. Nonetheless, due to their having used it since their family's conception they are more resistant to its drain than others might be. Nonetheless, many members of the Tatasuko family are given to A.M.R.O to be [i]dealt[/i] with or trained to a degree so as to better resist the alchemy's influence or serve the Tatasuko family's purposes. Perhaps the greatest downfall of Akashic Alchemy though, is the fact that almost all, but the core members of the Tatasuko family succumb to insannaddiction between their 30s and 40s on average. The core family tends to survive till their 50s and 60s.[/i]

[i]Note #2: The Second Branch “Akashic Force,” when utilized via its gaseous state to create “illusions,” does not [/i]cause[i] the belief that occurs. The alchemy does not have any mind altering effects, but rather the wielder notices when other people believe that the illusion is real on an intuitive level and this strengthens their own personal confidence as well as feeding the “illusion”. There are some niche members of the Tatasuko Family who specialize in these “illusions”. These individuals are not to be trifled with.[/i]--
[hider=Key Members][center][h2]Patriarch[/h2][img]http://oi46.tinypic.com/291z79l.jpg[/img][/center]
[b]Name:[/b] Zume Tatasuko.

[b]Age:[/b] 47.

[b]Appearance:[/b] Standing at 6 feet despite his Japanese ancestry, Zume Tatasuko is an imposing figure with lean muscle and roguishly handsome features. He often switches his garb depending on location and the company he believes he will keep. More often than not he is seen in a suit as seen below. 
[hider=Suit Details]This suit is never worn with the tie seen below, but instead with a stark white tie, embroidereed with the family crest in its middle, visible just over Zume's heart.
[img]http://g01.a.alicdn.com/kf/HTB19OsyIVXXXXaYXFXXq6xXFXXXb/Latest-Designs-Black-Shinny-Wedding-Dresses-for-Men-Three-Piece-Two-Button-Groom-Wedding-Suits-Mens.jpg[/img][/hider]

[b]Information:[/b] Having gained something of a reputation even when compared to his predecessors, Zume Tatasuko became the heir to his family in an official capacity at the age of 20, with his father being considered something of a figure head for several years before he rose to prominence. Ever since his rise to power within the family, Zume has taken great leaps and bounds to use the family's many connections to acquire small tracts of land, set up bases of operation, acquire more libraries across the globe, and expand their web of allies and enemies both.

In just the last several years of his reign he has managed to more concretely gain the Queen Anne Bloodline as allies, so long as they maintain their age old rivalry. Similarly, his ability to move his family's assets, be they people or otherwise, has served as a thorn in the side to practically every other bloodline, as he gathers information on their members and whereabouts, while leaving the cards in his hand something of a mystery.

The upcoming meeting will only be Zume's sixth step into the light, with all previous steps being largely shrouded by A.M.R.O or the Patriarch's own methods in earnest. For those times where they were not shrouded, mixed messages have been sent, confusing the [i]idea[/i] of what sort of person the other Bloodlines are dealing with. Regardless, the now man is not just something of an enigma, but is also a latent threat to his peers. His attending of this recent [i]get together[/i] is one that should meet the other bloodlines as a surprise as he has never made his own presence known prior to such.

[i]Note:[/i] While not a publicly known fact about Zume, he has been deemed by the few elder and most intuitive members of the Tatasuko Family to possess a specialization in his family's alchemy of choice. Prior to him there have only been 5 other heirs or Leaders who possessed such a thing. Furthermore,

[center][h2]Matriarch[/h2][img]http://safebooru.org//images/1264/5730c12e2f565afa3efaf6ac41f60d65af04e4a5.jpg?1316944[/img][/center]
[b]Name:[/b] Yin Tatasuko.

[b]Age:[/b] 44.

[b]Appearance:[/b] TBA.

[b]Information:[/b] TBA.

[center][h2]Asylum/Attendee[/h2][img]http://i.imgur.com/hVzlJ4X.jpg[/img][/center]
[b]Name:[/b] Shougaku Tatasuko.

[b]Appearance:[/b] Shougaku stands at a loft height of 6'1 and has a muscular build to him, though it is toned. He has piercing eyes and an odd sense of style.

[b]Information:[/b] Known to be Zume's elder brother by several years, Shougaku was given to A.M.R.O by the Tatasuko as a feint to keep Zume as both children were born with truly exceptional talents, both soon displaying a terrifying level of alchemic drive. However, due to his superior age and the careful planning of their father, Shougaku was noticed first by A.M.R.O and summarily given over to them at the age of 16. He has been an Asylum ever since his graduation, moving up in the ranks to become a specialized member. If he had no affiliation to the Tatasuko Bloodline it is possible that he would be in an even higher station than he is at current time.

As a boy Shougaku was unruly and rather emotionally unstable, but as a man tempered by the harsh and often brutal disciplinary measures of A.M.R.O he has become a measured and effective individual largely in control of his emotions, if not sometimes seemingly bereft of them entirely.

[center][h2]Son[/h2][img]http://safebooru.org//images/1616/fd8de64f62c2a3bf5cda79cb68b16245a4ee139b.jpg?1693793[/img][/center]
[b]Name:[/b] Soujuu Tatasuko.

[b]Age:[/b] 24.

[b]Appearance:[/b] Standing at six(6) feet in height, Soujuu is a well muscled, but ultimately lean young man with a similar build to his father, except infused with youth, and tempered by the bits of his mother he inherited. While, as with family tradition, he will wear suits, he insists on making them [i]flashy[/i] in some fashion, almost certainly to catch attention.

[b]Information:[/b] Known as something of a playboy amongst the family, and even by the other families due to his attendance at previous meetings Soujuu as a fantastic actor. However, few aside from his parents, uncle, and sister know this—if any at all. His acting is so good that he has tricked even the aforementioned, aside his father and sister, that he is legitimately some playboy with no aspirations aside to rebel against his parents, the latter of which is true to some extent. Aside from this, not much is known about Soujuu, even among the family. Nonetheless, his sister cannot stand his garish and rude personality.

[center][h2]Daughter[/h2][img]http://safebooru.org//samples/1639/sample_554c420d406a9797ce87d94ce30f7ac1aab3ae20.jpg?1716858[/img][/center]
[b]Name:[/b] Fuyuhime Tatasuko.

[b]Age:[/b] 22.

[b]Appearance:[/b] Standing at 5'5, Hime is a woman of gentle curves and demure clothing, preferring to conceal her figure rather than show it off. However, when forced to wear more formal and/or revealing clothing she tends to the more modest. While she doesn't wear them all the time, Fuyu tends to wear glasses, though they are not particularly thick. 

[b]Information:[/b] Known as something of an “ice princess,” Fuyu is an intelligent, if seemingly cold and reserved girl, taking more after her uncle Shougaku than her own mother or father. Nonetheless, she has high standing among the family and, despite her brother's posturing and attempts to curry favor, she is most likely to become the next head of the Tatasuko family. Despite her brother having two years on her, she is arguably the more mature of the two siblings. Additionally, her reputation is only one known amongst the family as despite her having attended past meetings of the Crest, she, and her brother, have never done so as heirs, but instead as important “guests.” This year's gathering will be the first that Fuyu and her brother appear in earnest, making their true relationship to the Tatasuko family known. It is likely to be an interesting gathering.

It should be noted that despite Hime's rather impressive analytical talents, she prefers to keep things [i]simple[/i], thus pushing her towards being blunt, which can sometimes come off as tactless.

[center][h2]Attendee/Body guard[/h2][img]http://safebooru.org//images/1624/e266cc67a2d1a6517b8b62da69fa9f418139eb33.png?1707683[/img][/center]
[b]Name:[/b] Jin Tatasuko.

[b]Relationship:[/b] Was married into the family at a young age.

[b]Age:[/b] 38.

[b]Alchemy:[/b] Akashic alchemy – Akashic Force.

[center][h2]Attendee/Body guard[/h2][img]http://safebooru.org//images/1017/3cdc74738a38480422c168d0cf183a0be9cab261.jpg?1050830[/img][/center]
[b]Name:[/b] Toshiro "Ro" Tatasuko.

[b]Relationship:[/b] Elder brother to Yin.

[b]Age:[/b] 47.

[b]Alchemy:[/b] Akashic Alchemy – Akashic Force(Glamour). [/hider][/hider]
We'll get Yin done at some point in the future. Likely sooner than later. Additionally, Zume and Shougaku are the only two who will show on the first day of the meeting.