Tsubaki Koezuka [WIP]

I. Basic Information

» Name: Tsubaki Koezuka
» Alias: Hanakou; Koe no Jin (声の刃; Voice of the Sword)
» Age: 2,066
» Gender: Female

» Association:
» Appearance: Age has treated this young woman well. Well, young is a very, very relative term. She's over a second millenium of age, so it's not something she speaks much of. She has retained her silvery-white hair, though it has undergone major style changes over the years. Now she keeps it in an odd tail, decorated with a bladed hold. It's one of the things she tries to actually avoid getting soaked in blood. It may not be the smoothest or most well taken care of now, but with a week or two of work it'll be back to its normal luster. Her eyes have started to match her hair in some lighting. What were once a fierce blue are now fading into vibrant silver. The fading isn't complete, so her eyes sometimes appear blue, sometimes silver. More often than not though, it's more a muddled mixture of the two. Tsubaki is a slightly above-average woman in height, standing at 5'7. She's got a figure to match her height, slender and toned from years of combat and training. Though with her scars, it's hard to tell which one is more likely to have contributed. Most notably, she has a scar under her left breast with a matching one on her back, in approximately a straight line from the front scar. She is more top-heavy than bottom-heavy, much to her back's chagrin.

I. Personality

» Personality: There's a lot that can be said about Tsubaki. She's made an impression on a lot of people, whether good or bad. For the most part, people see her as a prideful warrrior. She deal in honor, not backstabbing or thievery. She detests spies and their ilk. However, eradicating them is an idiotic thing. They're like rats—they have a purpose. Some people like them too. Just not her. However, don't think Tsubaki is some sort of cavalier, issuing challenges to whomever she happens to be fighting. No, most are not worth an official challenge. Tsubaki will cut down someone without a second thought. Their names don't matter to her. It takes someone truly skilled or powerful for her to offer her name in an official challenge. So far, she has enjoyed every challenge she has given even if she ended up losing.

As you can probably guess, Tsubaki is also deftly confident. She may have occasional qualms about a particular outfit, hairstyle, or other change. Those are usually temporary with her regaining her confidence within a surprisingly short time. The fact is, she knows who she is. She knows her limits. She knows what she's good at and what she's bad at. Because she knows those, she can be confident in what she has. One of her proudest moments was entering that "zen" state where she feels that confident in herself. But don't think that she's without her insecurities. She has two main ones, both of which are out of her control. The first is her age. Tsubaki hates the fact she's over 2,000 years old and unwed. She feels old and that she's close to passing her prime. It's not uncommon for her to lie about her age. Only a few people who knew her back in the day know how old she actually is. What exacerbates her age insecurity is her memory. No, she doesn't forget things a lot. Instead, Tsubaki has a hard time with names and putting those names to faces. She may recognize someone but not know half of a syllable of their name.

Tsubaki is a woman of determination. The mere way she walks shows she is a step above the rest. This does not mean she is some prodigy or a genius. No, she really never was either to any prominent degree. Rather, Tsubaki's walk, her air, her simple aura is that of someone who would bash into a tree with a sword until her hands bled profusely from splinters and blisters alike. She is a woman of her word. If she says she will learn an impossible technique by a certain time, she will do it. Something that Tsubaki has finally found after the past five years is that she was lacking a goal. Tsubaki found that she was living pretty day-to-day in a circular routine, not achieving anything worthwhile. Nowadays though, she finally has something she can strive to achieve. She actually knows what she wants, albeit it is a very long-term goal. She has no idea on how to achieve the goal, but she's going to damn well try.

The only thing higher than her determination is her devotion. If Tsubaki cares about someone, then it would be like two people are competing on how much they care. Effectively, Tsubaki is fighting with herself on who cares more about someone. Her friends and comrades-in-arms are all, for the most part, her most loyal companions. She will never betray them, nor will she lie to them unless it is a truth that would harm another companion. And even then, it takes hours for her to decide whether to do so or not. But there is one step above that kind of devotion in her life, and that's the devotion she gives to someone she loves. Not as a friend, but as a lover. Tsubaki has loved only a few times so far, and none of it was a true love. If that person asks her a question, she will answer it as soon as she can to the best of her ability. There is no 'I don't want to talk about it.' She considers falling in love to be the intertwining of beings, and one must know about the other to do so. Although her devotion and determination are of high level, there is one innate problem with either. That is getting her to the point of that devotion and determination. Tsubaki has trust issues. Whether from full-on betrayal, an amalgmation of lies, or just general distrust, she doesn't usually get close to people in the sense of calling them a "friend."

I. Racial Techniques/Abilities/Skills

» Overall:

» Speed & Agility:

» Natural Strength:

» Focus:

» Weapon Skills & Zanjutsu:

» Kidō: Tsubaki is a particularly average combatant with Kidou. Her skill is nothing to talk about usually. She has the knowledge of many Kidou, but knowing them and being able to perform them with skill is entirely different. The thing is, however, Tsubaki is exceptionally skilled with a certain subset of Kidou. These are informally known as "Shokubai Kidou," or "Catalyst Kidou." These are the few spells that are performed best with a catalyst—usually a Zanpakutou. Those are her specialty, and she can perform them with exceptional skill compared to the rest of her Kidou. In fact, the Kidou she uses more than any other is Hadō #78—Zangerin. She has truly mastered this single Kidou, using it to its utmost capabilities. However, that focus means that her skill with other Kidou is extremely lacking. Her barrier-type and most Bakudo are weaker than usual. Any kidou that uses a Zanpakutou as a catalyst is considered to be 5 numbers higher in power.

» Shunpo:

» Painting and Calligraphy: Although it does not help in combat in any way whatsoever, Tsubaki is a talented painter and calligraphist. She tries to get others to practice an art like hers too, as she says it keeps the mind calm. Well, she seems to be a hypocrite as she swears like a sailor if something ends up wrong.

» Master Bladesmith: Tsubaki may not do it actively anymore, but her blades are among the best made. She can tell the balance of a blade with a single heft, determining its weakest spots. Because of this training, she can give advice on how to properly wield the sword according to its balance.

I. Sealed Powers

» Zanpakutô Name: Sōtsume Kōshin

» Zanpakutô Spirit Appearance: Sōtsume Kōshin appears as a woman of about 30, usually in a festival garb. She carries around a parasol, even indoors. Sōtsume Kōshin, or Tsume for short, is what Tsubaki would call a perfect "embodiment" of a sword. Her clothes are elegant and flashy. However, they are durable to protect her from harm. Therefore they are a perfect sheath. Her eyes are kind but strong, like the cutting edge of a blade. Her hair is a perfect brown and is well taken-care of, like the wood for a hilt. Her body is lean and fit, perfect for the blade. Her mannerisms and voice are crisp and clear, never a wasted movement. She scolds Tsubaki like an older sister would. It's not as harsh as a mother's, but it carries the authority that comes from maturity.

» Inner World: Sōtsume Kōshin's inner world is modest Japanese temple with many Torii and small shrines floating around it on chunks of rock that float in an empty, perpetually-dusk (or dawn, it's rather hard to tell) sky. Cherry blossoms from rocks that have the giant trees do scatter about, giving it a very unique "rain" occasionally. The central temple, however, is where Shizen no Hōsoku makes his residence. Despite being modest on the outside, the inside of temple is much larger—comparable to an imperial palace over a simple temple. Most rooms are accessible by a single, long hallway that leads to the main sanctum. Inside there is Sōtsume Kōshin.

» Zanpakutô Appearance: Sōtsume Kōshin takes the form of a pair of katana. Besides the hamon (the wave-like pattern along the blade), the swords are identical. They are approximately 36 inches long, hilt included. The blade itself is only 29 inches long, but that includes the includes the tang. The tsuba on each is a an empty wheel with five curved "spokes." The hilt and scabbard are of a blue that matches Tsubaki's own attire nowadays. The hilt starts a pattern. The pattern begins with a a golden shape that is best described as a stylized "E." It has two long points that extend about about two inches up the hilt, with a gentle "s" curve on both sides. There are four black stripes of leather along the hilt, each one bordered with small golden bands. The scabbard has an entirely different pattern to it. Each one starts off being mostly solid blue with what looks to be artistic splashes of yellow paint. As you go down the length, the yellow splotches increase until it is more yellow than blue.

» Sealed Zanpakutô Power: As an old-school Shinigami, Tsubaki doesn't have any unreleased abilities.

I. Shikai

» Shikai Release Phrase:

» Shikai Appearance: When Sōtsume Kōshin is released, the blades ignite. One sword takes on a flame of crimson while the other takes on one of cyan. Once the flames engulf the blade in full, they coalesce in the middle of the blade, forming a wispy fire. The fire is not an actual fire, but it behaves like one visually. If a strong gust of wind hit the flame, the flames would thin and try to go with the wind—but would never leave the blade entirely. When Sōtsume Kōshin uses an ability with energy, the energy looks like a sheet of oil—shimmering between the same cyan and crimson.

» Shikai Abilities:

Kaiten: Hasu Ichi (回転: 蓮一; Rotation: Lotus 1): Hasu Ichi is a circular blade of energy fired from the edge of either sword. The ring is approximately two feet wide with a blank space in the middle of approximately 1 1/2 feet. Hasu Ichi can only be fired from a swing, and cannot be fired while the blade is stationary. It rotates in the direction of the swing. Hasu Ichi's ring travels in roughly a straight line, although if it did not have a distance limit, it would begin to curve into a spiral at approximately 3 miles out. The maximum distance Hasu Ichi can travel is approximately 300 yards. The ring acts as a sawblade effectively, and does nothing in the way of exploding or anything special upon contact with another surface. Instead, it will attempt to cut through. If it doesn't cut through or upon reaching the outer limit without contact, Hasu Ichi dissipates.

Kaiten: Hasu Ni (回転: 蓮二; Rotation: Lotus 2): Hasu Ni follows Hasu Ichi's design. It, too, can only be fired during a swing. During the firing of the ring, a second ring follows immediately after. The second ring will track behind the first. The second ring is considered separate from the first. Thus an ability that "blocks a single attack" would only block the first ring, not the second. The user can fire only one of these per post, and cannot fire one in the same post she fires a Hasu Ichi or Hasu San. The range on Hasu Ni is reduced to 200 yards.

Kaiten: Hasu San (回転: 蓮三; Rotation: Lotus 3): Hasu San is the current penultimate version of Hasu Ichi. Hasu San is three Hasu Ichi rings, all three spinning in the same direction. This, in effect, creates a much larger ring. However, it has the effects of a Hasu Ni in that each ring is considered separate from one another. If one ring dissipates, the other rings will continue to rotate as if it were there. Hasu San can be fired once every other post, and cannot be fired in the same post as a Hasu Ni or Hasu Ichi. The range on Hasu San is reduced to 100 yards.

Senkei: Hamaku (線形: 刃幕; Lineation: Blade Curtain): Hamaku is started by the blade of either sword drawing a line of at least three feet in a surface. Thirty feet in front of the line (from the direction it was being drawn from), a second line appears after a short delay. That line spawns a what can best be described as an inch-thick sheet of energy. This sheet extends for about thirty feet from the line. This extends directly from the second line and only in a straight line. There can be up to three lines drawn per post. Hamaku is too brief to be used for defense. Video of the move's inspiration.

Senkei: Byakkoya (線形: 白虎野; Lineation: White Tiger Field): Byakkoya requires the wielder to hold either sword abreast with the blade facing away. The blade will shine with the same shimmering colors as it charges before firing a wide sheet of energy. This follows the curvature of the blade and extends 200 yards away from the source. The main drawback of the ability is the low firing angle it has. The user has to physically have their body aimed in the direction they are firing Byakkoya in. It is also one-inch thick, just like Hamaku. Byakkoya can be used once every other post, and its use cannot be combined with any other Senkei or Kaiten ability during the same post.

Senkei: Ichida (線形: 一朶; Lineation: Branch of Flowers): Ichida is a more versatile version of Byakkoya. As it is a recently-acquired technique, Tsubaki is still learning its use properly. What is described below is Ichida in full power, and currently Tsubaki can use it to roughly half effectiveness.Ichida uses the same principles behind Byakkoya. The sword is held away from the body like it was going to be used in a thrust. This means the blade is aimed away from the body with the back held upwards. The blade glows, like with Byakkoya. Instead of firing out a wide arc, Ichida fires dozens of "branches" from the blade. The branches travel in a straight line away from the blade. Each branch is fired at a shallow angle (approximately a 13°angle). This means that up close, the ability does not spread much, but it will be spread as it extends. The blade cannot be moved while Ichida is active—if it is, the ability shatters. Ichida can be held for up to three posts with a two-post cooldown before it can be fired again. While Ichida is active, no other Senkei or Kaiten ability can be activated. The other blade is free to be swung while Ichida is being held. The maximum distance of travel is 600 yards.

I. Bankai

» Bankai Name:
» Bankai Appearance:
» Bankai Abilities:

I. Character Synopsis