Maku Kazashimo

Shinigami Application

[Revised after promotion – can someone delete the old one plz!]

~Basic~

Name: Maku Kazashimo
Alias/Nickname: None
Actual Age: 300
Physical Age: (age your character appears to be): Late twenties
Gender: Male
Division: 7th
Rank: 2nd Seat (Vice-Captain)

~Appearance~

Height: 178cm
Weight: 70 kg
Eye Color: Blue
Hair Color/Style: Brown, short, receding slightly at the front
Complexion: smooth
Any distinguishing features: (tattoos, scar, etc): stubble


~Personality~

Personality: A quiet but friendly individual, Maku’s main strength is his people skills. He is a diplomat, hates arguments and is always prepared to listen to everyone’s side of the story. However, if someone threatens a friend or loved one he will defend them without fear or hesitation, and he is fiercely loyal to his squad and the Gotei 13.
Although he is seldom disliked by anyone, Maku has few close friends as he is not much of a socialite and tends to get a little depressed when people don’t seem to appreciate his hard work. He also gets irritated if someone who is not a superior tries to give him an order: he values politeness and common courtesy and would be happy to do most things if people ask him nicely.
Sexuality: straight
Relationship Status: single
Quirks: Maku has a tremendous fear of heights and is nervous of bugs.
History: Maku originally came to the Soul Society as a young man after being killed in the human world thanks to a terrible natural disaster. Given a Soul Burial by a Soul Reaper, Maku immediately enlisted at the Soul Reaper Academy in homage to the man who had given him a second life.
After joining the Soul Reaper Academy, Maku was hesitant at first to learn the arts of war due to his peaceful personality. However as he learned more about the Hollow and other threats toward his home, he began to understand that sadly and ironically, violence is a necessary part of maintaining peace. During his time at the Academy, Maku became intrigued by the study of Kido, and it became his main focus. If there is one quality Maku does possess, it is patience, and he knew not to throw himself into learning difficult techniques until he had mastered the basics. So he trained himself until he had mastered low-level Kido spells to such an extent that he was even granted a private lesson with Ginrei Kuchiki, grandfather of the legendary Byakuya Kuchiki, an experience which he found humbling to say the least.
After graduating, Maku became an unseated member of Squad five under Hirako Shinji, and later Sosuke Aizen. After the unexplained disappearance of five captains and three Lieutenants on a single night a hundred years ago, Aizen was promoted to Captain. To Maku, this was an improvement as he had never had much fondness for Captain Hirako, thinking him a rather crass and un-admirable man, and he admired Aizen's dignity and prowess with Kido. Eagerly watching Aizen's demonstrations, Maku learned all he could, until his skill surpassed that of Lieutenant Ichimaru, although his skill with a blade was far outmatched. At this point, Maku was fifth seat of the squad, and he had obtained Shikai.
When Ichimaru became Captain of Squad three, Maku was hopeful that his skill would be recognized and he would become a candidate for the former Lieutenant's position. However, much to his disappointment, his friend Momo Hinamori obtained the post. Having a great fondness for Momo, Maku decided not to dispute the decision, but decided to transfer to Squad 7 in the hope of better promotion prospects.
The Ryoka invasion of the Soul Society was both a blessing and a curse for Maku. Thanks to Uryu Ishida, Squad seven's fourth seat, Jirōbō Ikkanzaka, permanently lost his powers as a Soul Reaper. As a result, Maku was promoted to take his place. However during that same event, Captain Aizen's true colors became clear, and Maku fell into a temporary depression, cursing himself for trusting and even admiring such a man, and he was doubly devastated to learn of his attempt to murder Momo. Although Momo's life was saved by Captains Hitsugaya and Unohana, Maku's rage against Aizen was not lessened.
During the second Ryoka (Bount) invasion of the Soul Society, Maku was stationed with a force charged with subduing the Rukongai uprising instigated by Jin Kariya. When Kariya and his cohorts abandoned their erstwhile allies outside the gates of the Seireitei, Maku and his comrades pounced, using their abilities to quickly subdue the dismayed and demoralised peasants, who offered little resistance. Over the next few weeks, Maku and other members of squad seven set about bringing charges against those who had allied themselves with the Bounts, and some found themselves imprisoned for their crimes, but the majority were set free, as they had been manipulated and lied to by Kariya, who by this time had been defeated. However some were still angry at the Gotei 13 for their own reasons and Maku had to use his diplomatic skills extensively (as well as his zanpaktou on occasion) before all was brought to order. As a result, he gained many allies and contacts in the Rukon district, as well as a few enemies.
When Aizen once again reappeared and invaded the human world, Captain Komamura and Lieutenant Iba went to help the Soul Reaper forces defend the fake Karakura town, leaving Maku behind with the rest of the squad to protect the real Karakura town, now transported to the Soul Society. Their main task was to defend the town from inhabitants of the Rukon district who may take advantage of the situation and do some looting, or worse. However, when Aizen broke through the Gotei 13 defenses and came to the Soul Society, the squad 7 third seat was critically injured and Maku found himself in charge of the squad. Knowing he could never hope to take on the likes of Aizen or Ichimaru, Maku ordered the squad to evacuate the sleeping citizens of Karakura from the immediate area. Thanks to his efforts, there were no civilian casualties throughout the whole incident. When Aizen was finally defeated by Ichigo Kurusake and Kisuke Urahara, Maku thankfully turned over control of the sleeping town to Squad 12, and quietly returned to the barracks to await the return of his superiors. Due to his actions, he was permanently offered the rank of third seat, which he accepted.
Since the mysterious disappearance of so many Soul Reapers from the Gotei 13, including the two officers from his own squad, Maku has been promoted to vice-captain and is constantly busy, often abroad preventing unrest in the Rukon District, working always upward to become greater in power and authority so he can begin to solve this great mystery.


~Zanpakuto Information~

Blade Name: Suzuyaiba (‘Bell Blade’)
Sealed appearance: Straight-bladed katana with a golden, oval-shaped guard divided into three segments. It has a green grip and a small chain running from the pommel, ending in a dark green tassel.

Zanpaktou spirit: Suzuyaiba takes the form of a sandy-haired woman in her late twenties, wearing a green kimono with patterns of white and yellow, and a necklace made of wind chimes. She loves music and enjoys playing soft tunes with her chimes. She has a cheerful, cheeky and maternal personality, and Maku regards her rather like an older sister. She is not afraid to speak her mind to Maku, but knows when to keep quiet as the situation demands. In many ways she is more mature than her master. Suzuyaiba always gives the impression of hiding something, even when she is being totally honest. As a result, it is quite hard to tell when she is telling the truth or a bare-faced lie [incidentally, she is extremely good at poker]. She is always self-confident, and gives tantalising glimpses to Maku of her true capabilities, and he sometimes thinks that she is fully aware of her own power, but will not help him learn new techniques until she is sure he is ready, or rather if he deserves to.

Inner world: A peaceful, cool green deciduous forest, usually full of light. The trees are sparse, and Maku can see patches of blue sky above. Bells and wind chimes of different shapes and sizes hang everywhere. A cool breeze blows when Maku is happy, making the chimes tinkle merrily. The weather within Maku’s inner world reflects his mood. It is sunny when he is cheerful, cloudy when he is worried and raining when he is sad. However, it is always summer (Maku has speculated that the seasons within the forest change slowly as he ages, and that it will become autumn and then winter before the end of his natural life).


~Shikai Information~

Release Phrase: Narasu (‘Chime / Ring Out’)
Released blade appearance: When released, Suzuyaiba resembles a giant onsa, or tuning fork. It gains a second blade behind the first facing the opposite direction, with a gap around 5cm (2 inches) wide between them. Near the hilt, the blades join together in a V-shape. The hilt and guard remain identical, and the length of the sword does not change.


~Shikai Techniques/Abilities~

Name of ability/technique: Chime
Description: If Suzuyaiba strikes a solid object (another sword, for instance) it emits a high-pitched, bell-like tone, which increases in volume depending on the force of the impact. It can shatter glass, and may cause pain, disorientation and even temporary deafness to people close by, but the Maku himself is immune. If nothing else, it can cause an opponent to reflexively put their hands over their ears, allowing Maku to perform a critical strike.
Duration: 2 posts, though Maku can stop it himself by touching the blade with his sleeve to stop the vibration.
Cool Down: 1 post
Preparation / limitations: Suzuyaiba will only chime if struck by an object hard enough in consistency to produce a tone, such as steel, rock or ice. Striking a soft material such as wood or flesh will not produce a chime.

Name of ability/technique: Resonance
Description: If Maku can hold Suzuyaiba’s blade against an object for about 5 seconds whilst it is chiming, it is able to match the frequency of its tone to the natural frequency of the target object, causing it to crack or even shatter due to the harmonic resonance. Spiritual weapons such as Zanpaktou are immune to this effect, although the maintained vibration can cause pain to an opponent's hands if the two blades remain locked together, and this may force them to disengage. Inexperienced fighters may loosen their grip on their sword, allowing Maku to disarm them. The Resonance ability may crack the masks of weaker Hollow, and will also cause pain to Dolls that are made of steel, rock, ice or a similar solid material.
Duration: 2 posts
Cool Down: 2 posts
Preparation / limitations: Requires 2 posts of maintained contact to damage an object. Zanpaktou etc cannot be cracked or shattered, nor can the masks or Hierro of Arrancar.


~Bankai~

Not yet achieved.


~Other Techniques~

Swordsmanship: Good

Shunpo: Average

Hand to hand: Good (If any disputes become violent, he much prefers to use non-lethal methods. He uses a combination of Aikido and Ju-jitsu)

Kido: Excellent (Although he as yet only mastered low to mid-level techniques they are strong for someone of his rank. At present, he can cast spells - both Hado and Bakudo - up to around level 60.)

Non-lethal combat expert: Maku believes that there is no reason to kill an opponent unless absolutely necessary. He is proficient in using hand-to-hand combat and Kido (particularly Bakudo) to win battles without the need for lethal force.

Swordbreaker: Maku uses his zanpaktou primarily as a form of swordbreaker, using its unique shape to trap an opponent's weapon between his two blades and disarm them or throw them off balance.