“It was always fire and ruin, why didn't I think to look elsewhere...?”
The shinigami gazed down from Sokyoku hill, a blade to his throat, his knees on the ground, body teetering near the edge of the drop off, a foot on his back, a hand tugging roughly at his hair to hold him in place. There was a harsh chuckle, the voice rugged, as if the sound had been clawing its way from the man's throat and over the years the damage had piled up.
“You picked an awful time to look back on past mistakes. Then again,” the raspy-voiced man said with pause, causing the shinigami to swallow hard, the blade nicking his throat and drawing blood, which trickled down his neck, sending shivers down his spine.
“...the moments before Death are always rather...nostalgia inducing,” the figure smiled, but the look was private, meaning little to anyone but him. The shinigami, Taikou, closed his eyes and exhaled, before drawing another breath in. “I guess this is it,” he said.
The man chuckled again, “No, not quite,” and before Taikou could react, the villain had shifted the angle of his blade and stabbed him through the chest, before moving it free and kicking him from the ledge. As he plummeted through the air, a literally stabbing and throbbing pain coursing through his chest, he found his vision tunneling and at the end of it he saw the man.
Behind the rugged figure was only a vast blue, and it was not the sky. As that thought entered his mind, he found the rest of his awareness slipping away, as the wind embraced him and he fell, picking up speed rapidly.
He knew he could not survive the fall, so he gave in, and so his eyes closed...and his awareness put itself to rest, before the harsh world even could.
One might have said that Taikou had died before he'd even hit the ground, but they would have been wrong.
Very very wrong.
Premise
It happened fast, too fast, the fall of the Captains of old, of the Gotei Thirteen as it was once known. Like dominoes lined up in a row they were toppled, each following the last. You could have called it a rebellion, but a coup would have been more apt—though a restructuring of government would have been even more so.
Like Taikou, the last of the captains to fall, they had not seen it coming for when threats came to mind, it was destruction conceptualized. The tearing down of everything, to rebuild something entirely different, but alas, what fate befell them had not taken such a form.
In fact, though they had been shamed and cast afar, many of those who had once held sway over the great Seireitei were left alive to fight another day if they so chose. Some did...and some did so again when they were laid low once more, and it those who so foolishly charged forth a second time, well, their comrades have yet to hear word of them, leaving them unaware as to the exact nature of their disappearance.
For the Captains, and those seated officers who would not bow to their aggressors, it has lead them to dwell in the world of the living where many stew in their shame and anger, while others merely accept their fate.
However, more importantly, are those who were changed by their engagements with the enemy, those who learned the truth, or at least fragments of it. Those who learned that much of what they had been taught to believe about the world, including even the weapons they wielded, had been elaborate and clever lies.
Now with their pride shattered, their home far away, and even their zanpakuto growing distant, it is these shinigami who must strive to discover meaning in their new lives, and to cast aside the shackles of the past, be they the shame of a battle lost, or even the tradition and practices of the old world.
The foundation on which they once stood must be rebuilt and so there is work to be done for those with the resolve to do it.
So the question is, will you accept your fate as a fallen warrior brought to shame, or will you rise above the adversity of circumstance and reclaim your rightful place in the Court of Pure Souls?
Welcome to Bleach: Souls Adrift, a RP with extended Bleach lore, which possesses an overarching plot, but will focus on smaller arcs more often than not. As the title hints, your characters will be, in large part, outcasts. You are all members of the “Old Gotei,” as it were, cast down from your domain by a group of shinigami which appeared to come as if from nowhere, their exact motives unsure, and the means used to defeat your ilk an enigma. Exiled from the Seireiti, the Old Gotei has been forced into the world of the living. You and your allies are presented with a dangerous situation, as shinigami patrols from the New Gotei are significantly reduced, resulting in drastically increased hollow activity in the world. Many, driven to carry out their duty as shinigami despite their new circumstances, have spread out across the world, acting as units to deal with the hollow threat.
All the while the enigmatic shinigami remain in the Seireitei, having deprived you of a place to belong. While many have scattered, a select few—those once of a higher rank than their peers—have gathered in a familiar place, Karakura town intending to find a way to reclaim what was once theirs. Your are a member of this group of like-minded shinigami and as your scattered comrades you must both handle the hollow threat and find means with which to surmount the obstacles impeding your entrance into the Court of Pure Souls.
Among these obstacles are the difficulties of opening—let alone traversing—the dangai, insufficient intel and of course strength, or rather a lack thereof. With the odds stacked against you can you reclaim your rightful place in the world?
Rules
Add in what you are expecting as a Gm from your Rpers. How many times they are expected to post. What you will and will not allow. How you plan to handle rule violations. Let your Rpers know what you expect from the start.
It should be noted that this RP will have mature themes. Fade to black will be applicable to sexual situations, but don't expect situations including drugs, gore, or some taboo subjects to garner the same treatment. This is not to say that any of the above will be done in excess, just that they may be done.
Combat will be handled on a case-by-case basis, with the GMs proctoring in case issues or disagreements arise. Should you want to script your fight, let the GMs, and your partner(s) know. Make sure all parties are in agreement. A 'scripted fight,' is one wherein the victor is decided before hand.
Burning house rule--if you're gone too long and holding things up, expect your character to either be moved aside quietly, or killed to further plot. To avoid the burning house rule, keep us updated, a hiatus can be arranged.
If a problem arises for a player in regards to the GM and they feel uncomfortable bringing it up. Go to the other GM for advice. Don't worry, we're perfectly reasonable people and nine times out of ten we'll work through it with you.
The GMs have final say on all matters--this does not mean that I cannot be swayed or convinced. Still, if something must be resolved, we will resolve it and that'll be the end of the discussion.
Should you lack inspiration or enough material to post, tell someone. Communicate. Talk to your GMs. Worst case scenario, we'll just move your character aside till you can post again.
While you may expand on or modify the base format of the character sheet, make sure all necessary sections are included.
No OOC drama. Keep it to PMs, and hopefully keep it non-existent. If needed contact a GM for problem resolution.
Only accepted characters go in the character tab.
Post your Character Sheet in the OOC for review.
Standard Guild rules apply.
IC swearing will occur.
What to Expect
Interactions with at least semi-realistic cause and effect. If you are tortured or have your arm cut off, expect to have trauma and difficulties going forwards.
A GM who is willing to work with you, hear you out, but not break his back to suit your every need.
Good communication be it player to player, GM to GM, or GM to player.
Multiple plotlines if possible.
Some Taboo Subjects.
Collaboration posts.
Some dark themes.
Some slice of life.
Plenty of combat.
Expanded Lore
FAQ
Q: Will there be other races? A: Yes, but not from the outset. I will be opening those up if we get enough people to warrant it, as well as when they start playing a significant role.
Q: What races will be available later? A: If other races become available, it will likely be Arrancar, Humans(Quincy and maybe something AKIN TO Fullbringer), and perhaps some more...custom creations.
For this RP, I will be utilizing a stat system. However, the RP will not include dice rolls and the stats will not be intrusive to creativity and combat. They will be a guidepost by which to navigate more than anything else.
When you submit a character, remove the system from the “General Aptitude,” section of your CS and instead send a PM to the GM. I will do pretty much all of the number crunching so that you don't have to. I will do this through Guild PM and/or Discord, asking questions to get an idea for how you want your character's skillset. Before sending this PM, you would do well to fill out your characters “Fighting Style,” section. Make sure to touch on all the mentioned points.
Additionally, while you are not at all required to use the below character sheet, given that it can be a bit finicky code-wise. Nonetheless, you are required to have all the information found in it. As a note, the “Relationship,” section can be used for two purposes. The first being to give me individuals/NPCs that I can integrate to assist in a given character's personal arc, and second to show your character's relationships with the other members of the “Old gotei.” The second is required, whereas the first is optional.
For age, it is a 10:1 ration. Every 10 years is 1 year of physical aging to a shinigami. If they had a human life, make sure to consider at what age they died and continue from there.
<Optional Bits> >Likes/Dislikes. >Neutral Defining Traits. >Equipment section, provided you have no Equipment.
The actual system aside, which you are not required to learn in the least, you do need to know how to interpret it. However, if you do want to learn, I do have an easy way to teach it. Just ask, it's not really that bad--I'd know, after all, I hate math, but still like this. Anyways, moving on.
Basically there are Talents and Skills. Talents are the traits you are assigned a static amount of points for based on your rank/power level. You distribute these Talent points across the five talents (Reiryoku, Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Kido, and Hoho). Each of these Talents possesses a set of Skills. Reiryoku/Kido have two skills each; Zanjutsu/Hakuda have three each; and Hoho has one. All of these are graded on a scale from 0-5, with 0 being the least and 5 the most.
Each of these numbers is assigned a word to denote its rough meaning. Generally a 0 means you have not learned anything in the given category, whereas a 5 denotes a legendary mastery, which is beyond the scope of normal individuals. While the words vary slightly depending on the given stat, they are roughly the same at the end of the day. Use your common sense.
Reiryoku: "Spiritual Power" is how much energy has been stored by the user. It also describes their Stamina and Willpower. (Average (0) - High (1) - Great (2) - Immense (3) - Vast (4) - Legendary (5))
Reiatsu: "Spiritual Pressure" is the density the user can exert their Reiryoku (in spite of the actual level of stored Reiryoku). It describes the skillful use of energy. (Extinguished/Non-existent (0) - Unremarkable (1) - Average (2) - Impressive (3) - Incredible (4) - Legend (5))
Resiliance: One's ability to continue fighting or recover after both physical and/or psychological attacks. Durability/Mental fortitude. (Non-existent (0) - Weak (1) - Average (2) - Impressive (3) - Incredible (4) - Legendary (5))
Zanjutsu: Simply the application of the sword. It also indicates the skill one has in wielding any other weapon. (Yet to Learn(0) - Practitioner (1) - Expert (2) - Master (3) - Grandmaster (4) - Legend (5))
Offense: This only applies to the more aggressive tactics of applying Zanjutsu. It indicates finesse and skill in applying one's weapon. (Poor (0) - Unremarkable (1) - Average (2) - Impressive (3) - Incredible (4) - Legendary (5))
Defense: This only applies to the more passive tactics of applying Zanjutsu. It indicates the ability to deflect, block, parry, and counter strikes with one's weapon. (Poor (0) - Unremarkable (1) - Average (2) - Impressive (3) - Incredible (4) - Legendary (5))
Physical Strength: This only applies to the power and endurance of applying Zanjutsu. It indicates the power behind swings and thrusts made by one's weapon. (Poor (0) - Unremarkable (1) - Average (2) - Impressive (3) - Incredible (4) - Legendary (5))
Hakuda: Simply the application of the body. It also indicates the skill one has in any martial art. (Yet to Learn(0) - Practitioner (1) - Expert (2) - Master (3) - Grandmaster (4) - Legend (5))
Offense: This only applies to the more aggressive tactics of applying Hakuda. It indicates finesse and skill in applying one's body. (Poor (0) - Unremarkable (1) - Average (2) - Impressive (3) - Incredible (4) - Legendary (5))
Defense: This only applies to the more passive tactics of applying Hakuda. It indicates the ability to deflect, block, and counter strikes with one's body. (Poor (0) - Unremarkable (1) - Average (2) - Impressive (3) - Incredible (4) - Legendary (5))
Physical Strength: This only applies to the power and endurance of applying Hakuda. It indicates the power behind strikes and blows made by one's body. (Poor (0) - Unremarkable (1) - Average (2) - Impressive (3) - Incredible (4) - Legendary (5))
Kidō: The ability to successfully execute Hado and Bakuda spells. The higher the level, the higher chance of success and the greater ability to cast powerful spells. (Yet to Learn(0) - Practitioner (1) - Expert (2) - Master (3) - Grandmaster (4) - Legend (5))
Kido Power: The stability and resilience of spells depends on the control and even the type of Reiryoku one has. Hindrances can be overcome through diligence. (Poor (0) - Unremarkable (1) - Average (2) - Impressive (3) - Incredible (4) - Legend (5))
Perception: This indicates one's awareness of their surroundings, their ability to pick up on information via either instinct or from training. The two highest ratings can allow special perceptual abilities. (Poor (0) - Unremarkable (1) - Average (2) - Impressive (3) - Incredible (4) - Legendary (5))
Hohō: Purely the application of Shunpo and other similar abilities. It also indicates one's reflexes and ability to react. (Yet to Learned (0) - Practitioner (1) - Expert (2) - Master (3) - Grandmaster (4) - Legend (5))
Mobility: This describes one's physical speed, agility, and flexibility overall. (Poor (0) - Unremarkable (1) - Average (2) - Impressive (3) - Incredible (4) - Legend (5))
The last, but certainly not least, notable points regarding the "stat system," are Resonance and Alignment. Which are, respectively, the strength of the shinigami-zanpakuto bond and the depth of one's personal mastery. While these do have assigned numbers much like the other stats, they are not based on math, but are instead a rough approximation of the aforementioned. These will always be filled out by a GM and given to a player, but only after thorough review and discussion of a character--often involving the player as well. Trust that I have a good reason for including these and consider that they won't have much effect on your characters in normal interactions or fights. Also know that both are more easily raised than the normal stats, but as a result can also be weakened or lowered. They're a plot device, and they're gonna pay off ;)
【Name: 【Nicknames: 【Alias: 【Age: 【Age Appearance: 【Gender: 【Race: Currently, only shinigami are available. 【Former Rank: 【Former Division:
【Additional Appearance Info: Include height, weight, style of clothing worn, as well as the outfit they're most commonly seen in. Consider the position of their zanpakuto and any tools they might carry.
【Biography: Minimum of three paragraphs. Conversely you may reveal it ICly, but must inform the GM.
Summary of Relationship. When they met, how long they've known one another, how they feel about them and why.
【Equipment】
Item name:
Insert lots of text under these.
Item name:
Insert lots of text under these.
【Capabilities】
【General Aptitude】
Fighting Style:
>Do they have the stamina to wear an opponent down. >Do they have a lot of presence? >Do they have control over their presence? >Do they use kido, hakuda, or zanjutsu more often. If more than one, how do they do so. >Are they hit and run. Do they use their mind, or their instincts? >Do they use their environment? >Do they rely on their skills, or their zanpakuto more often than not. >Are they physically resilient, how much so? >Are they very aware of their surroundings? >Are they fast?
Resonance: Leave blank.
Alignment: Leave blank.
{INSERT STATS HERE}
【Specialization】
Skill/technique name: Prerequisites
Insert lots of text under these.
Skill/technique name: Prerequisites
Insert lots of text under these.
【Zanpakuto】
Sealed State
~"A quote about and/or from their zanpakuto."~
Additional Description:
Inner World & Spirit:
Description. Feel free to make the title of this a set of links.
Zanpakuto Personality: What are they like?
Shikai
~"Release command and name."~
Ability:
Techniques
Name: Description.
Name: Description.
Name: Description.
Bankai
~"BANKAI...NAME"~
Ability:
Techniques
Name: Description.
Name: Description.
Name: Description.
[center][color=#ffffff][h1]【[u][b]Name[/b] - [i]Alias[/i][/u]】[/h1][/color] [img]americansnoring.com/wp-content/uploads.. 【[url=roleplayerguild.com/]Theme I[/url][b]/|\[/b][url=roleplayerguild.com/]Theme II[/url][b]/|\[/b][url=roleplayerguild.com/]Theme III[/url]】 [h3][color=#ffffff][sub][i]~[/i][b]"A quote from the character."[/b][i]~[/i][/sub][/color][/h3][/center][hider][center][u][b][h2]【Personal Info】[/h2][/b][/u][/center] [hider][indent]【[u][b]Name:[/b][/u] 【[u][i]Nicknames:[/i][/u] 【[u][b][i]Alias:[/i][/b][/u] 【[u][b]Age:[/b][/u] 【[u][i]Age Appearance:[/i][/u] 【[u][b]Gender:[/b][/u] 【[u][b]Race:[/b][/u] Currently, only shinigami are available. 【[u][i]Former Rank:[/i][/u] 【[u][i]Former Division:[/i][/u]
【[u][i]Additional Appearance Info:[/i][/u] Include height, weight, style of clothing worn, as well as the outfit they're most commonly seen in. Consider the position of their zanpakuto and any tools they might carry.
【[u][b]Biography:[/b][/u] Minimum of three paragraphs. Conversely you may reveal it ICly, but must inform the GM.
[indent][i]Negative[/i][/indent] [color=#FF0000]▼[/color] [color=#FF0000]▼[/color] [color=#FF0000]▼[/color] [color=#FF0000]▼[/color] [/indent][/indent] [/hider][indent][indent][indent][indent][u][b][h3]【Relationships】[/h3][/b][/u][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent][hider] [indent][indent][i][b]NAME: Friend/Rival/Acquaintance/Superior Officer/Nemesis etc[/b][/i] [indent]Summary of Relationship. When they met, how long they've known one another, how they feel about them and why.[/indent]
[i][b]NAME: Friend/Rival/Acquaintance/Superior Officer/Nemesis/Lover/Spouse etc[/b][/i] [indent]Summary of Relationship. When they met, how long they've known one another, how they feel about them and why.[/indent]
[i][b]NAME: Friend/Rival/Acquaintance/Superior Officer/Nemesis etc[/b][/i] [indent]Summary of Relationship. When they met, how long they've known one another, how they feel about them and why.[/indent]
[/indent][/indent][/hider][/indent][/hider] [center][u][b][h2]【Equipment】[/h2][/b][/u][/center][hider] [indent][indent][i][b]Item name:[/b][/i] [indent]Insert lots of text under these.[/indent] [i][b]Item name:[/b][/i] [indent]Insert lots of text under these.[/indent]
[/indent][/indent][/hider] [center][u][b][h2]【Capabilities】[/h2][/b][/u][/center][hider][indent][indent][indent][indent][u][b][h3]【General Aptitude】[/h3][/b][/u][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent][hider][indent][sub][h3][u][b]Fighting Style:[/b][/u][/h3][/sub] >Do they have the stamina to wear an opponent down. >Do they have a lot of presence? >Do they have control over their presence? >Do they use kido, hakuda, or zanjutsu more often. If more than one, how do they do so. >Are they hit and run. Do they use their mind, or their instincts? >Do they use their environment? >Do they rely on their skills, or their zanpakuto more often than not. >Are they physically resilient, how much so? >Are they very aware of their surroundings? >Are they fast?
[indent][indent][indent][i][b]Skill/technique name:[/b] Prerequisites[/i] [indent]Insert lots of text under these.[/indent] [i][b]Skill/technique name:[/b] Prerequisites[/i] [indent]Insert lots of text under these.[/indent]
[/indent][/indent][/indent][/hider] [center][u][b][h2]【Zanpakuto】[/h2][/b][/u][/center] [center][i][b]Sealed State[/b][/i] [img][/img][h3][color=#ffffff][sub][i]~[/i][b]"A quote about and/or from their zanpakuto."[/b][i]~[/i][/sub][/color][/h3][/center] [indent][i][u]Additional Description:[/u][/i]
[i][u]Inner World & Spirit:[/u][/i] [indent]Description. Feel free to make the title of this a set of links.[/indent]
[u][b]Zanpakuto Personality:[/b][/u] What are they like?
[/indent] [center][i][b]Shikai[/b][/i] [img][/img][h3][color=#ffffff][sub][i]~[/i][b]"Release command and name."[/b][i]~[/i][/sub][/color][/h3][/center] [indent][u][b]Ability:[/b][/u]
Alrighty, sounds great! Depending on the amount of interest in the two interest checks I have (this one and the one in Advanced) I will decide which section to put it in (maybe). Regardless though, it'll be high casual/low advanced, which is about the same :)
[@Cinderalla Man] @malmshodes I have added the Character Details section to the Opening Post of this thread. Be sure to read the information in it before working on a CS and, if it scares you off--which I sincerely hope it does not--please consider that you do not need to crunch any numbers yourself, and do not have to use my complicated/in depth Character Sheet so long as you have the necessary sections excluding what is mentioned as Optional in the Explanation hider ^_^
I will be leaving both this thread and the other Advanced Interest Check open for another couple of days, allowing people to work on their characters--including myself, while I work on the IC Opening Post. I am also doing this to allow people to start on their characters :)
By the way, the RP will likely be posted in Advanced. Do not despair though, I may still change my mind as Casual tends to get more people looking at a thread and regardless of where it goes, it will be--as mentioned--High Casual or Low Advanced (which are admittedly about the same). Posting expectations will not change from what is mentioned in the OP.
@yoshua171 Question 1: Will custom kido be allowed? What I mean by this is there are two main theories on the subject and would like to know which one this rp will go by. The first is that there's a finite number of kido and each spell is numbered from one to ninety-ninety. The other one is there's a potentially infinite number of kido and the number isn't really the place a spell falls under as far as ranking goes, but refers to the spell's power.
Question 1: Will custom kido be allowed? What I mean by this is there are two main theories on the subject and would like to know which one this rp will go by. The first is that there's a finite number of kido and each spell is numbered from one to ninety-ninety. The other one is there's a potentially infinite number of kido and the number isn't really the place a spell falls under as far as ranking goes, but refers to the spell's power.
Question 2: Would a sample CS be too much to ask?
1.) Custom kido will be allowed and I follow the second theory meaning that a given spell's number denotes the difficulty one will have casting it. It's not necessarily power, more along the lines of how hard it is to learn/master.
2.) You're going to need to explain what you mean by that. I have the blank character sheet in the Opening Post here, but if you mean "Can I see one of those, but filled out," then I'm gonna say you might have to wait a bit. If something specific is confusing you though, I can do my best to explain. I'm working on my characters for this at the moment too so I don't have a finished one just yet.
Im a bit interested. What are we starting with the zanpakutos? Are we going to be starting with our shikais? Or are we going all the way up to the Bankai?
Yes. They started yesterday. There are two interest checks, this one, and the one in Advanced. You may have noticed that there are dates on each reservation. A reservation can last between 3 and 5 days depending on if the individual updates me on their progress or not as well as any other people who end up wanting similar positions.
Keep in mind, that even if you don't start with a lieutenant or captain, there is A LOT of room for expansion later on, as well as being "promoted," to those positions. More specifically getting to an equal power level, since everyone is former Gotei at the moment.
【Additional Appearance Info: Standing at 5'7 and weighing in at—ask again and I'll pluck your eyes out—Kairi is a rather slender woman with an air of confidence about her. Her curves modest till you get below waist level, Kairi's body is athletic and well toned. While once she was forced into the traditional shinigami shihakusho, she has since shed the uniform in place of her current outfit, which is part utility and part style. Most notable is the train of cloth that trails down from her waist, concealing the position of her blade, which is laid horizontally at the small of her back. Beyond this the colors of her outfit serve to accentuate her body and, more particularly, her face and fierce amber eyes.
【Biography: Kairi came into the rukongai as a baby, something surely tragic having occurred to result in such a fate. Nonetheless, a poor family took her in and raised her, attempting to instill in her the values that would allow her to survive in the lower districts where violence was rampant and food was scarce. However, before she was even ten, bandits broke into their home. She woke up later to find the house empty. She had gotten out unscathed, but had lost her family as a result. She cried, but the world soon toughened her up as she learned to steal and fight for food and shelter. She learned that there was little room for remorse when someone stole from you instead. She learned the darker side of humanity, and this impression of humankind would remain with her for many years to come. Needless to say, she fought tooth and nail to extricate herself from the violence, and she succeeded, eventually ending up in one of the better districts.
However, her thieving ways one day ended her up at the feet of a shinigami, where she was punished, and then forced to enroll in the academy. It seemed the shinigami had seen promise in her, and he was right...though perhaps not in the way anyone would have expected. Swiftly she began to feel she didn't belong as she failed classes left and right, possessing less reiatsu than most around her, not to mention how little interest she saw in kido. However, there were two things that caught her eye, for she had always seen the appeal of evasion and of brutal and unforgiving physical punishment. So her classmates began to learn that where she failed in zanjutsu, flunked in kido, and lacked in stamina, she more than made up for it with raw strength, durability and speed. She went largely undeafeted in sparring exercises and she liked it. She liked being above the others, liked the attention—negative and otherwise, and so she fed on it.
As the decades passed she became more and more skilled in Hoho and Hakuda, eventually managing to pass the academy, with a recommendation to help her out from under the weight of her other failed classes. With that she began her ascension through the ranks, jumping between divisions until she landed herself in the 2nd division where finally some discipline was forced upon her. As she was finally brought to reign she found solace in her lacking authority by venting her cruelty and annoyance on her zanpakuto and so it was that she rose to 3rd seat with the reveal of her shikai. In the next couple of centuries she managed to nearly master her shikai, while surpassing even most captains with her prowess in Hakuda and Hoho respectively. She became known Fuishi after a series of missions in which she was tasked to hunt down several defectors. When the medical crew was called they found that all there was to do...was clean up the mess and with several of them having witnessed the exchange, well they found the title fitting. So it was that a century ago, in the week following that incident, she was promoted to the lieutenant of 2nd division, after all...one of the defectors had been the former lieutenant.
The following years were relatively quiet and especially boring in her opinion, until what appeared to be a rebel faction appeared in the midst of the seireitei and laid low the Gotei 13, herself included. She took the defeat badly, and for the last several years she's trained, rage consuming her, even as her zanpakuto grows more distant with every passing week. Unable to understand why, Kairi finds herself frustrated and it is this frustration which has led her to join in the effort to reclaim their place in the seireitei. Plus, who couldn't use more positive points in their resume? After all, she's got her sights set on the captain position, and she's got no intention of letting Arina outshine her, even if they are sort of friends.
【Personality: Kairi is a girl with equal parts sass and kindness, despite what some might say. She's the sort that you're either drawn to or jealous and hateful of and she's responded to it with smiles and tasteful sarcasm, or the latter and a cold hatred. She hates easily and while it's relatively easy to become her friend, she's highly competitive and just a little judgmental. Holding herself to very high standards has, over the years, resulted in her—to a lesser degree—holding others to similar bars. As a result she's isolated herself from some circles, but earned respect and notoriety as a result. After all, even when people hate her, it's hard to talk shit about someone who can probably hear you from half a mile away and could easily break 100% of your bones.
As one might expect of someone like her, Kairi's got a temper, and while she'll dial it back and keep herself under control most times, she can get pretty worked up...and it can end violently if you're not careful. Say the wrong thing and you're likely to end up under the care of 4th division for a good long while. This reveals a certain cruelty about her, one that is the result of a sadistic streak, as while she could often kill someone or leave them be, she'd much rather tease—in flirty fashion—or injure beyond the point of repair just to watch you suffer in the long run. This of course runs contrary to her division, which often forces her kills to be swift, if not clean. As such she has managed to develop a measure of professionalism when it comes to assassinations, though not so for slaughters. Still, with stamina as low as hers, she's likely to burn bright and hot, before burning out with due swiftness. As to her humor, well, she's sarcastic and holds little value in the like of puns, unless they're about violence...violence is an exception.
As a leader on the other hand, Kairi is strict, often picking up some of the slack for her godawfully lazy captain, Arina Kawagana—the slothful bitch. Oh yeah, did I mention she's spiteful and proud? Because that's a thing too.
Summary of Relationship. When they met, how long they've known one another, how they feel about them and why.
【Capabilities】
【General Aptitude】
Fighting Style:
N/A or TBA. Pending.
Average Impressive Resonance(23/5): Before the attack of the enigmatic shinigami, Kairi's zanpakuto resonance was of one who had nearly mastered their shikai. However, now after contact with their adversaries she—like many others—has found the bond between her and her zanpakuto...well, waning. Unable to understand it, she struggles to maintain her connection with the spirit, striving for a way to perhaps reconnect. Her resonance has lowered to the average for her rank, rather than exceptional as it once was.
Remarkable Alignment(3/4): Still somewhat embroiled in her ego, and largely unwilling to accept her weaknesses as a person, Kairi has nonetheless come to realize that she does have flaws. However, she is not as peace with these flaws, making her self mastery only just above average.
High Reiryoku(1/4): While Kairi has never had exceptional reiryoku, she makes due, her skills and physical training having enabled her to exert incredible physical power and achieve near unmatched speed. Nonetheless, the shinigami tires relatively quickly, with her longest fight times reaching about 15 minutes—nothing compared to her peers. Her reiryoku, when seen during Kairi's shikai, takes on a golden color.
Non-Existent Reiatsu(0/4): Due in part to her incredibly low stamina, Kairi possesses no reiatsu whatsoever making her effectively invisible outside of the five traditional senses. Additionally, this has resulted in a sort of advantage for the lieutenant, allowing her a sort of effortless stealth.
Legendary Resilience(5/4): With a lacking presence and stamina to scoff at it should come as no surprise that Kairi would make up for her failings somewhere. Despite her tiring quickly she is capable of taking a tremendous amount of damage without faltering, or letting up. She scoffs at ceros and shrugs off most blunt force strikes, her skin's toughness and natural spunk allowing her to stand up even after blows of tremendous power. Rumors hold that once she laughed off a cero to the face—the rumors are true.
Basic Zanjutsu(0/4): Let's just say she flunked the class.
Poor Offense(0/4): Nope.
Poor Defense(0/4): Nada.
Poor Physical Strength(0/4): Zilch.
Legendary Hakuda(5/4): Years of brutal training inflicted on herself, rather than any other, Kairi has developed skills in Hakuda that to most, seem to defy reason. This on top of her lacking stamina, high resilience, and more than considerable speed has resulted in a fighting style that can be summarized in two words “Shock and Awe.” In short, Kairi is known for using her incredible strength and speed to turn her surroundings into advantages and put her opponent into bandages—provided they survive at all. She hits hard, she hits repeatedly, and she does it fast. However, this is not to say that her tactics are without subtlety.
Legendary Offense(5/4): As one would expect of someone of her skill level, Kairi has developed her offensive talents to the very pinnacle, which in tangent with her defense makes her equally good at holding any position in a fight, as well as mounting counter attacks.
Legendary Defense(5/4): Similarly, Kairi's skill in the defensive arts is significant, allowing her to guard, dodge, and deflect with relative ease, especially against any lesser opponent. This, when coupled with her insane resilience, allows her to to take blows that would kill or permanently disable others as if they were more akin to blows at half strength.
Legendary Physical Strength(5/4): Practically unmatched despite her former rank of lieutenant, Kairi's physical strength allows her to seemingly move the unmovable, crush the uncrushable, and outright shake the very ground on which she stands. A single well place punch can tear apart clothes, shatter bones, rip muscles, and even make craters in the surfaces nearby. Long story short, if ya get hit, you're probably gonna have to quit.
Pathetic Kidō(0/4): Never having had any interest in the art, nor really any talent for it, Kairi utilizes kido not at all, leaving her at a range disadvantage.
Poor Kido Power(0/4): The potency of her kido is about as relevant and notable as her skill in the art.
Incredible Perception(4/4): Kairi is perceptive, very...very perceptive, and while she doesn't have any particular special abilities in the area, she has been able to master the use of all her senses, especially with her focus on hand-to-hand combat. This has resulted in an enhanced sense of balance as well as an awareness of her own body. Additionally, while she possesses no skill with any weapon not attached directly to her fists, Kairi is adept at reading body language, both in combat and out. As a result she has a strong predictive sense when it comes to any physical art and can navigate the field of battle with relative ease so long as she's not forced to predict other sorts of attacks. Of course, this does not mean she can't sense reiatsu at all, as that would be inaccurate. In fact, due to her division she has had to hone her sixth sense as well, thus allowing her to pick up on people almost instinctually as well as giving her the ability to detect increases in the amount of ambient reiatsu. Nonetheless, she can mistake people's energy signatures if she hasn't been in contact with them for a time, making it hard for her to tell who is where unless she's had time to associate names and faces with one's reiatsu. Nonetheless, she gets by.
Hohō Grandmaster(4/4): She's fast. Getting from point A to point B is a flash of movement. She can keep up with the best of 'em aside from prodigies or those with an absurd amount of training under their belts. She's good enough to have developed a few techniques of her own, but not good enough to have revolutionized the art. Still though, her speed's nothing to laugh at, in fact, while you're laughing, you might find a foot crushing all your ribs. Not a good look. Furthermore, her fancy footwork and intense hoho training can be coupled with her Hakuda skills, resulting in a kick that you won't remember, because you'll probably be dead...or have brain damage.
Legendary Mobility(5/4): While her hoho is at the pinnacle that most are capable of reaching, she's gone a step further with her mobility, making her highly flexible, acrobatic, quick on her feet, and possessing of insane reaction times. This, along with her hakuda, makes her a terror at close range. Seriously, the stuff of nightmares.
This is a hoho technique, utilizing what amounts to one half to two and a half shunpos within the space of 1-3 seconds. This use of shunpo coupled with a bit of footwork and seeming motion to suggest a given direction results in an afterimage that appears to flash forwards a variable amount of distance, typically to unsettle, startle, or cause the user's opponent to react and perhaps create an opening. The fewer flash steps utilized, the less distance is crossed. This technique requires either non-existent reiatsu or the ability to completely conceal one's own presence, or the ability to project one's reiatsu along with the afterimage.
Hanpo(半歩'Half step'): Hoho(2+); Mobility(3+) 5th seat and up.
While requiring a relatively low level of skill in the way of Shunpo itself, Hanpo is certainly just as useful as its counterpart. In essence, this technique allows the user to appear to move up to three feet further than they actually moved. It can be described as “the whole of a shunpo, but with less distance covered.” The user remains visible for all but a moment of the technique, though the technique can only be executed at short range it is still useful for throwing off an opponent.
More TBA.
【Zanpakuto】
Sealed State
~"Once he was strong and imposing, but I swiftly taught him who was on top. He hasn't stepped up since, and I like it that way."~
Inner World & Spirit:
Kairi's inner world is one of immovable mountains and terribly fierce winds, its skies red and fiery, with its ground coated in snow and its mountains almost like ice or crystal. Within it dwells her Zanpakuto Spirit, Shūryō-jiku, who once took the form of an imposing man, but has since become a tiny sniveling child, the size of a sprite or fairy.
Zanpakuto Personality: Both like and unlike its master, Shūryō-jiku is a strange spirit, as it is both stubborn and willful, while being submissive to Kairi. To any other the spirit would be a powerful force to be reckoned with, seemingly impossible to convince and similarly impossible to stop should it take in its mind to do something. Yet, even with the waning resonance between them, Shūryō-jiku has become entirely subservient to Kairi. It appears as if the spirit has had its resolve crushed by mountains and its wits scattered by the very winds of the world in which it resides. However, as their bond slowly wanes, the spirit regains some of its old self...bit by bit.
Shikai
~"Let your body be my shackles and my mind be your will, Shūryō-jiku(終了軸'Terminal Axis')"~
Ability: Its form that of two unique knuckle dusters, Shūryō-jiku's primary ability takes the form of six orbs, which however between their spikes. These six orange orbs are formed of a composite material that occurs when reishi and reiryoku are bonded equally into a closed system. These orbs can bind themselves to any individual or object in addition to being capable entering two separate states. The first state causes an orb to become a nigh immovable object by condensing its bound reiryoku into its center and allowing it to spin around a central point. While these orbs can be moved, doing so requires a tremendous amount of effort. On the other hand, the second state an orb can enter allows it to become a nigh unstoppable force, by externalizing its reiryoku and causing it to explode in a stream behind it, sending it in one direction at high speed. While these two states are useful abilities, there is one further property that should be noted, that being that orbs can be bound to living things as well and how tied they are to a given part of that living thing depends entirely upon how long Kairi can maintain physical contact—this applies to objects as well.
A mere second of contact will bind an orb to only the point of contact on the surface level, whereas 3 seconds will bind it to deeper layers of tissue and 5 seconds, small amounts of muscle in addition to the aforementioned. As the amount of time goes up, so too does the depth and surface area of the orb's effect. This makes Kairi's ability one to be truly feared as the wrong move could be your last. It should be noted that direct interference with an orb can cause them to briefly short circuit—though this requires an above average level of control of one's reiatsu and/or internal reiryoku. The greater the reiryoku/reiatsu, the easier it is to disrupt the orbs. There is a brief period of 8 seconds before an orb can be switched between states.
Techniques
Fudō no shichū(不動の支柱'Immovable Brace'): Moving the orbs and activating their first state, Kairi binds them to her person. This ability allows her to be struck, but not moved with any ease. The effect can be activated and deactivated, but each time it must build up, thus allowing her to be moved more easily or normally for a brief time.
Nashi kōsoku(無し拘束'Without Restraint'): Similar to Fudō no shichū the orbs are moved into her own body, but in this case they enter the second state. With this done she can sync her movements with that of her orbs, allowing her to move at accelerated speeds or to accelerate the momentum of a given movement. Just as with the previous technique, the orbs must charge their momentum if their position in her body is to be altered. This technique, is far more risky than its counterpart, as should she move incorrectly or misjudge the trajectory of an orb, it could do serious damage to her body.
There remains one or two more techniques that she is currently unaware of.
