Release #1 - The Wolves Within (First Release Request)

Previous Request: Mastery #1 - Live By The Sword (Zanjutsu Mastery Request)


If the Kameko Clan is known for one thing it would be their bestial nature, both in appearance and in spirit. In the past members of this bloodline have succumbed to violent outburts. Often times this has lead to misfortune. Yuki is well versed in such things, having lost her left eye and her father to the savage nature of their curse. But it is none the less a part of her. If she is to grow then she must face it, she must become closer to it, and only then can she overcome it. Initially she attempted to ignore the voices, to push them aside as a darker subconscious within her mind. Over time Yuki has acknowledged her accursed spirit, spoken with it, and for a while she struggled against it. Eventually she learned to embrace it, not as a friend but rather as a begrudging ally, something to work with rather than work completely against. Only in that moment did she learn its name.


Noble Meet-Up // Yuki is invited to a social event which, due to one Watari Suzumei's scheming, turns violent. As her anger and disgust for the man bubble to the surface so too does a voice in the back of her mind. This voice longs for combat, questions the motives of those around her, even mimics her own thoughts at times. It is a voice she has heard many times in the past, although not one she has openly acknowledged before.

Feeding The Flame // By this point in her life Yuki has acknowledged the voice. She has accepted that it is the spirit of her zanpakuto. Occasionally she holds brief conversations with it. However she has yet to see it, to even learn its name. Because she is so at ends with its nature she will often clash against the advice that it gives to her, or outright ignore it if she can. However during this battle Yuki begins to lose control, culminating in a brief moment during the battle where her inner spirit takes full control over her body in an effort to save her life. This is successful, but again she fights back against the spirit, regaining control before it can finish off her opponent. Ultimately this leads to a draw, if not a loss, and a real risk of losing her life. Thankfully this time she is lucky.

Swinging For The Fences // Trust has never come easily for the wolf, but this mistrust extends not only to others. All her life Yuki has striven not to allow her spirit too much control. She trusts not the savage thoughts which creep into her mind, nor does she trust herself to contain the bestial nature of her people. Everything comes to a head when Yuki is faced with a difficult choice. Relying only upon her own power means defeat and the potential destruction of her friends through an avoidable war. Embracing the spirit within her zanpakuto means stepping into unexplored territory and potentially losing herself once more to the beast which lies within. With everything on the line Yuki places her trust not only within her spirit but also within her own abilities to drag herself free from its control.





Inner Spirits: Katsumi is a chaotic, hateful, savage spirit representing chaos. She takes the form of an enormous white wolf, mouth sewn shut by thick silken threads. An enormous sword remains trapped within her maw, blade stuck within a red sheathe. A collar with a bell and ropes is worn around her neck. Most of the time she remains anchored in place by a massive red torii. Any speech from either of the two spirits is spoken through Katsumi despite the binds holding her mouth shut, her voice carrying a slightly malicious growl at all times.

Kokoro is a calm, kind, protective spirit representing order. She takes the form of a young girl wearing a shine maiden's outfit. Kokoro is 5' 3" tall with skin as white as snow though warm to the touch. Her hair is white and reaches her shoulders. She also has a white wolf tail and ears. It does not appear as though she speaks on her own and instead communicates through Katsumi.

It is often easy to tell who is in control. When Katsumi is in control she pushes Yuki to battle, to slay her foes and hunt prey, to distrust the world and focus upon any flaw within the people around her. On the rare occasion that Kokoro does attain full control she speaks softly, encourages Yuki, and takes a more peaceful approach when at all possible. In the most dire of situations the two appear to level each other out, focusing primarily upon protecting Yuki, however this equilibrium is rarely present.



Inner World: The inner world of the twin goddesses is a landscape forever locked in night. A seemingly endless field of knee-high grass sways gently in waves with a calm breeze, stretching across soft rolling hills. In the sky a bright full moon casts down light, providing enough of it so that one is able to see for miles. In the center of this world rests a small wooden house constructed in the traditional Japanese style. Within the house is a low seated table.

Sealed Zanpakuto: A katana with a blade four feet long (121 cm) which, for someone of her size, is a little large. The sheathe is black with a darkened gold tsuba which splits off into each cardinal direction as a protruding block, each one sporting a half moon opening in the center. The ito which covers the handle is pure black, punctuated a third of the way up by a ring of gold, and a golden orb on each side only a few centimeters higher. The kashira is a slightly polished gold.

Release Command: "To tomoni." (Together as one.)

Released Zanpakuto: Once release Yuki's blade undergoes a major transformation. The blade's length does not increase but the width flares out slightly near the tip. The edge shifts to a white color with straight red lines running along the length, ending in a jagged split as though two blades were attempting to disconnect from one another.

Release Ability: While her shikai is activated Yuki's body remains coated in thick black flames, although instead of flickering like normal they appear to drip upwards into oblivion. Within this thin shell her spiritual pressure is greatly amplified. The flames themselves feel cold, although they won't do any lasting harm to anyone who comes into contact with them. These same flames also pour out from Yuki's left eye despite the damage done to it.

Kokoro's nature is to protect. When Yuki suffers a wound the damage is dealt and the pain is inflicted upon her. However the black flames fill the wound, mend it slightly, and keep it stitched together for as long as her shikai remains active. She will not bleed from damage inflicted upon her, nor can limbs be severed or bones broken. This allows her to continue to fight far beyond the limits that any normal Shinigami might be capable of. However every wound inflicted upon her does reap an extra toll upon her energy reserves.

Katsumi's nature is to destroy. Wounds suffered by Yuki only feed the curse within her body. As the curse takes greater hold over her it deals this damage back upon her foes, increasing her striking power with every successful blow delivered upon her. The longer she fights and the more wounds she suffers through the greater the damage Yuki deals out to her enemies.

Once the shikai is sealed away, whether due to a lack of energy or by her will, every wound still held together by her shikai will open up once more. This sudden barrage of damage further strains her body. However if she is healed up before this moment her wounds can be avoided altogether.

A wolf, a zanpakuto spirit and a curse walk into a bar and...

PASS - Writing - I've said it a million times too much for too little! It's still true but, credit where it's due. The dialogue between her and her spirit is great. It's playful, it gives a ton more information about Yuki and what's going on within her than the other aspects.
PASS - Release - Dual spirits is tricky but I enjoy the angle of her curse providing the second. There's a clear and obvious dichotomy at play here and I like it. The visual and theming is well done. The black flames are a bit trite but this is an anime roleplay, trite is fun. The ability is fine and the duality plays well with Yuki's own internal struggle.
PASS - Moment - Weak. For the same reasons, I mention in the Zan Mastery. There is no tension here, you two are having a friendly bout. This is okay for First Release but it'll nail you on the second. I know you struggled to find the right moment to do this, but there were definitely better choices. At any rate, I think the effort itself is good, but the framing is ehh.
PASS - Impact - No complaint here for me. You are an active player who works well with others. I'd love to see you start to shake things up yourself, but you've been present at many of the sties brewing conflict, and a catalyst for good stuff as a whole.

Congratulations, Yuki, from me and the rest of staff, you are approved for First Release!!!