Bellini Mantegna

"They say it's alright to be afraid, because that's how you know you're human. I'm not afraid. I'm not anything really. What am I?"

Bellini Mantegna is a character belonging to Mkatkannon.

Appearance
Bellini is somewhat short and has a thin build, having a noticeable lack of muscular bulk, and having a generally small frame. His hair is dyed a shade of peach, and is fluffy on the top with an undercut, as his sides and back of his hair are buzzed and retain his original black hair color. It is lovingly maintained, and is generally rather soft. His eyes are brown, and hold little to no visible malice, albeit they never seem to show any form of emotion aside from his static bemusement. His right shoulder has a tattoo of a mother and baby bird, both attempting to fly, whilst his left has a tree branch stretching across it.

Bellini primarily wears a cream coloured turtleneck with a black hooded jacket over it. He wears this with black trousers and white sneakers. He occasionally wears large round glasses when not using contact lenses. When in the process of creating art, however, Bellini favours a peach coloured apron over a white t-shirt and sweatpants. He rarely washes the paint or other substances off of it, which leaves the outfit splattered with a full array of dulled colours and more prominent red marks.

Personality
Explaining how Bellini works is rather complicated. He lacks the ability for empathy with others, and generally feels disconnected with other people, animals, or anything really. Although many have tried to get to know him, he always seems rather transparent in nature, as he's rather mellow, calm, and quiet. He speaks in a somber tone, and goes about his own business slowly and wearily. It's not hard to assume he's unhappy.

However, while his lack of empathy is certainly present, he has one way of connecting with others. As an artist, he prefers using humans as his canvasses, painting them in different colours and presenting his finest works on their backs. He gets to know people through their bodies, and while painting can discover some of their physical history through intuitive knowledge. The colours he uses always seem to communicate something he's feeling, or perhaps something he believes the person he is painting is feeling.

While painting, he becomes a different person, and energetically wields his brush to create masterpieces. He enjoys using rather bizarre paints however, which has earned him a questionable reputation regarding how he acquires the ingredients for said hues. Many rare animals and plants go into his paints, which combine into a delectable symphony of color, usually creating hues none have ever seen before. Whilst observing the spectacles he presents, many forget that using many of the ingredients he does is quite illegal, as he uses animals and plants that are sometimes nearing extinction.

His lack of concern for the consequences of his actions becomes a problem constantly, as many investigations have been conducted regarding Bellini, as missing persons, pets, and robberies on preservative greenhouses seem to pop up around him, although nothing ever really does seem to stick, as he continues to preform his bizarre practices without much interruption. Some suspect him of many things, but few ever have enough evidence to even justify such claims. They are all correct however.

Bellini holds a much darker side to himself, as his favourite hue of red comes from humans. He doesn't regret a single thing he's done, and barely remembers doing them, instead only remembering his many artworks that he's created, sacrificing things around him for the sake of his unusual self expression. Attempts to befriend him rarely go unpunished, and any who do suspect him should certainly steer clear of the bizarre man with a love for the grotesque.

He cares little for his possessions or cultural norms, and will come constantly drop them when he needs to, in order to accomplish a bigger goal.

Background
Bellini was born to a rich family in Atlas, to high up figures in the Schnee dust company. His impressive family had a history of partaking in the arts, being revered for their immense talents. Bellini grew up wealthy, and got everything he wanted, although none of it really made him happy. Once he took up art, he was visibly talented, and was praised, but he gained nothing from it. When playing with finger paints, something awakened in him. He began to cover his own body with paint, becoming a canvas. He was so amazed and in love with this new form of art he took to it at once, making it his specialty. After years upon years of practice, he became a master, and was held as one of the most impressive artists in Remnant. During this time, he trained with multiple martial arts teachers to defend himself from those who envied his gifts and wealth, and took all of his classes at home, rarely ever leaving the house unless paid to do so. His work was displayed in galleries, as paintings of bizarre humans and even fake humans were covered in strokes of a brush and put among the most valuable collections. The rich who could afford it even had his body paintings tattooed into their skin, something that brought Bellini much delight.

At 12, Bellini's tastes began to differ, and he began to try to fill the void he now felt, taking up an interest in dust, extensively learning about it, but to no avail. It was when one of his servants tripped and fell down a winding staircase, and began to bleed out on the floor, that Bellini smiled. It all made sense. He took up his brush, and began to paint a crimson masterpiece, ignoring the source of his paint.

He knew at this point he wasn't like the others, and that his tastes were carnivorous. He knew he had to live feeding on others, as that was the only thing that made him happy. And so he did. People, pets, and rare plants all went missing around Bellini, as his own personal collection of paints, now infused with dust for a special surprise should he ever need one to occur, grew in size. His garden and kitchen hid many of his actions, as food passed through to the other family members without as much as a question. He collected trophies, heads of rare animals, body parts, and miscellaneous oddities that he would paint with his full array of colours, creating more and more grotesque masterpieces. Though he was investigated numerous times, no evidence of this was ever left, due to highly effective servants and very understanding parents who encouraged their child's passion for art.

He spent 5 more years feeding his obsessions, all the while learning more and more, and becoming quite the renowned artist. He stayed in Atlas, and continued his nefarious art, and is still doing so to this day.

Post-BoB
After the Battle of Beacon, Bellini mourned the loss of a similar artist to himself, a genius leatherworker who died at the hands of the Grimm. Now irate at the creatures of Grimm, he ponders attending Atlas academy, but wonders about whether it is the right move.

Weighing the Options
Weighing the Options, as Bellini likes to call it, is his semblance. Using it can effectively channel his aura through three different objects in conjunction, and make them massively heavier, to the point which held items will become incredibly difficult to hold up, and will usually plummet downwards, unless the person or animal holding it is strong enough to ignore it, a rare but possible occurrence.

This semblance is primarily used to run his aura through his paint, and then connect it to two other things, such as clothing or weapons. He can alternatively do this through touch alone with any object that can be affected by his semblance, and use it to affect three items in a row instead, while sacrificing range that his paint grants. He cannot use this ability to run his aura through anything living, or anything too large, such as a car, and needs a minute before he can use it again after one usage. The effects of his semblance only last 20 seconds, but can grant him crucial time, as his opponent will in most cases be more vulnerable with the additional weight to their weapons or clothing.

When running his aura through his paint, it has to be done gently, in order to not detonate it. Additionally, the paint connecting him and his targets, or any other form of initiating object must be touching one of the other objects he wishes to target, and so on. If his paint for instance has been scraped away entirely, and there is a gap between where some paint is and where the other is, his ability will fail to reach his target. If there is a slight bit of paint remaining that connects, he will still be able to use it.

Pallette Embargo
Pallette Embargo is a rather bizarre weapon, if one could even call it that. A pallette of a multitude of colours, with several blank spaces for mixing together the paints. The pallette is adorned with numerous drain-like nozzles that release paint when a small button in the centre of the nozzles is pressed. Each holds a different coloured tube of paint that squeeze out with a press on the machinery above it. The paint itself, is what makes the weapon at all combatitive. The paint on Pallette Embargo seems normal enough, but is carefully made with powdered dust. Whilst normally this would have no effect, if aura is powerfully focused through it, the paint will respond explosively. Through careful application, Bellini can set traps using it, and apply his semblance or shoot his aura through it roughly when he needs to. Being marked by his paint is thus dangerous for more than one reason.

Brush Kit
Bellini carries around a variety of brushes, which are normally used to apply paint from the Pallette Embargo, but additionally contain small blades, that if pressed hard enough will pierce through skin. Using his favourite large brush, Bellini can effectively use it as a concealed dagger, then using the substance the brush will be covered in as a result to perform his cruel art.

Combat Experience
Bellini trained in a variety of martial arts from his youth to the present day in order to keep himself safe from kidnappers who would use his status to extort money from his family. He isn't too experienced fighting things aside from humanoid beings, and would most likely be incapable of physically taking on a creature of Grimm, although armed with his Pallette could take a few down.

He has unlocked his aura through training, and through his very strange form of getting in touch with himself grown it further, and has a moderate defence from damage that would hurt others much more than it would hurt him. His aura glows a creamy peach color.

Natural Abilities
Bellini was born a prodigy and a genius, with a high IQ, even when compared to many others in the field of art and discovery. He is very careful about what he does and doesn't do, and goes through painstaking measures to get what he wants. He has mild physical ability, and can outmatch any average human or faunus, but will definitely not be able to hold his own against a trained hunter/huntress. He has experience with the human anatomy, and can certainly make his mark, should his opponent or target give him an opportunity. His sharp mind and knowledge make him quite the threat if he is in control of the situation. He can use dust to make short work of his opponents if need be, using traps and explosions of dust to keep his enemies at bay and keep himself safe.

Weaknesses
To put it simply, Bellini isn't much of a fighter. He has a decent amount of training in martial arts, and can defend himself from any human attacker within his capability, but isn't strong enough to fully take on Grimm barehanded. While he may be remarkably clever, and rarely lets morality or doubt cloud his judgement, making him rather effective, he lacks as a fighter.

Trivia

 * Bellini is a hue of peach, and also the surname of Giovanni Bellini, a renaissance painter. He also shares the name with a cocktail of the same name, and Vincenzo Bellini, an opera composer.
 * Mantegna is the surname of Giovanni Bellini's brother in law, Andrea Mantegna, who was a painter and a student of Roman archaeology.

Quotes

 * "It's the strangest thing. I don't really like painting in and of itself, but there's something so magical about painting on people. As funny as it may be, it helps everyone see their true colors."
 * "I suppose the sound isn't for you? Well, it's the sound of art. Sometimes it costs an arm and a leg to make something beautiful. Sometimes things are very literal."
 * "A friend? I suppose I don't have one. I can't say I would feel anything for them. I can't value the little things, that most partake in during everyday life. I'm in it for the big picture. Because at the end of the day, not even friends can help me feel alive. Most of them don't understand me anyhow."
 * "Magnificent. Absolutely magnificent."
 * "Do I care? I suppose. Nothing's so simple that it can have a definite answer like 'yes' or 'no.' I don't mind the shouts and the protests, but I care for their beauty afterwards, and cherish it with all of my being."