forum Bound | One on One | Closed

Started June 02, 2020 by Deleted user

tune

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They speak of spirits,
all over the world.
Sometimes, if you’re lucky,
Or unlucky,
You may come across one of those spirits.

In the mood for a human meets spirit RP.
In which the human (you) meets a sword spirit named Baizi.

The plot that I have of this RP is that the human is a wanderer for whatever reason, goes poking around an area and awakens Baizi, also indirectly binding him to the human in the process. Could be romance but I’d rather this one not be, platonic instead.
I’d imagine some shenanigans and problems to occur. Given this is a world in which spirits run free of all types; benevolent or not, or maybe in between.

The time period/setting of this is… think feudal Japan. Keep that in mind when designing your characters (regarding the clothing and names especially.)

Here are the rules for this.

1. If you are not comfortable with mature topics, do not join this. There is no guarantee that they’ll be mentioned or viewed, but I want to put the warning first.
2. I allow cursing and the such in my RPs. I will also allow violence and blood, but do not overdo it.
3. In fights, do not auto hit. Do not dodge everything either.
4. If your style is not what I’m looking for, I will deny you.
5. Have decent grammar.
6. If you do want romance, I would prefer it to be MxF, since that’s what I’m more comfortable with doing. Otherwise, go wild.
7. No one liners. If you don’t have any ideas for responses, try to write out your characters thoughts for the situation. Have them act in some form.
8. May change list.

The template; you will need to be accepted before joining.

Name:
Age: (above 20)
Gender:
Sexuality:

Appearance:
Clothing:
Skills:
Personality:
Background: (This can be as long as you want or need.)
Other:

Name: Baizi
Age: Baizi is at least 2 centuries old, but given that he’s a spirit, they age a lot differently compared to humans.
Gender: Male
Sexuality: Displays none in his history, I’m leaving that open for now

Appearance: Baizi is around 80 cm in length, taking on the appearance of a katana. Perhaps it was due to his spiritual influence, or maybe the blade was crafted just that well. The blade is silver, while the handle is more of a white with hints of gold. The collar of the katana seems to have small designs carved into it of a dragon, however the cravings are extremely subtle. The sword, definitely due to spiritual influence, can move around as it pleases.
But being a sword all the time isn’t exactly fun.

Baizi can conjure up an additional form, a humanoid clad in samurai armour, also following the same colour scheme as his katana form. White and gold. Still, it is yet to be seen if Baizi has any sort of human form, given he’s completely clad from head to toe in armour. He also views most humans as insignificant, so this already decreases the chances of him taking on a human form. He’s quite tall at around 6’5” at least.
It is rumoured for Baizi to have a third form which may be his true form; but he is forbidden to shift into it.
Clothing: Refer to the appearance section.
Skills: Sword fighting, and some close quarters combat types. I suppose he’s also good with following orders, depending on if he wants to do them in the first place. Has knowledge on spirits.
Personality: Baizi is a boisterous but arrogant spirit, viewing humans (upon first sight) as insignificant. Humans have to earn his respect. So do most spirits, actually. But if you can get past his remarks (he’s a blunt spirit, not afraid to point things out) he’s a good companion to have in dangerous lands, given how protective he is. Especially to the being he’s Bound to at the moment.
Background: It was said a fisherman first acquired Baizi when he fell from the heavens after a bright flash of lightning. The fisherman took Baizi back to his abode, not realizing he’d indirectly bound himself to Baizi, who awakened shortly after. Baizi was a lot more tolerant back then, willing to teach the man to fight and use the sword. He also worked with the fisherman to protect the village from malevolent spirits.
The fisherman gifted Baizi to his son when he grew old and passed away, and Baizi did the same for the man’s son. But this time, things went differently.
The son went out to fight a war against a lord, but Baizi soon realized the lord was under the influence of another sword spirit, a slightly older one. When Baizi and the sword spirit came into contact, the Malevolent one attempted to kill the son, but Baizi formed his humanoid form to protect the boy. Unfortunately, he failed, and Baizi was captured by the lord.
It was only when the lands were liberated did Baizi see freedom again, but he was taken for trophy instead, and some even viewed Baizi as evil, after having experienced the other sword spirit.
For the most part, Baizi was locked off, until he was brought back into battle again. However, his ‘side’ lost, but this time, Baizi was not picked off of the ground. Instead, he was left in the wilds, no longer bound to anyone as they’d died. No one found him, up until now..
Other: none for now

hello! this looks really interesting, and i've never actually done more period-rps of any sort, beside one. if you're willing, i'd love to offer a sample!

Sure! Feel free to provide a sample whenever.

great! i'll get that right up!

so this one's admittedly a bit long and weirdly choppy, but it's one of my favorite panic-filled starters i've done. the character pictured is, kind of obviously, fearing for her life as she runs, despite the fact that the danger is well behind her.

Run.

Footsteps fell quickly on the ground, making their way lightly across uneven forest flooring despite just how long their owner had been moving. They had to be light. Light meant harder to hear, harder to trace. Even in the dark, that was important.

Run.

Hands shaking, eyes blurred with tears. Elena's back burned, the memory of the knife and the wound left behind refusing to let her be. She needed to find something. A motel, an alley, anything to get fixed up and pass out in. Hospitals were absolutely out of the question. For all anyone knew, she was dead or on the run from her home. That was how she needed it.

Elena Alilat didn't exist anymore. All that was left was Elena, and whatever fake last name became the one she used. And right now, she once again was without a home. It had been stolen from her by the people she trusted.

Run, and don't stop.

A light through the trees brought a shaky and quiet sob to her lips, and the girl broke through the trees soon after. A dog barking, chickens upset at being disturbed. All she could do as the dog–gods, what breed was that–ran towards her was drop to her knees, shaking and unable to stop.

The dog, however, didn't have a problem stopping.

She had never been sure what it was, but animals welcomed her presence. Maybe she could attribute that to her mother. Whatever the cause, she was grateful now, as the dog came to a sudden stop in front of her to sniff. Gods above, please let these people be friendly enough to give me directions.

Looks good; you may join. Do you have any questions before you make your character?

yes, actually. are there any specifics you have in mind? an age range, personality type, or things that are completely out of the question?

No strong specifics, generally for age range I’d put 20-28, personality type I leave that up to you.

Name: Mori(surname) Kanza(given name). Kanzou is the name she often has to go by, as a masculine name.

Age: 23

Gender: Female, often masquerading as male.

Sexuality: Very much open to relationships of any sort, regardless of gender. It helps that she lives half of her life as a man.

Appearance: Of course, she is smaller than the average man, closer to a more common height for females. She does, however, have a decent amount of muscle from training and fighting and keeping in shape. That, at least, lends to a more masculine figure. Speaking of, she does in fact have very slender curves. Luckily, bulky fabrics and armors take care of that problem.

She has black hair, long enough to tie up into a bun, as is customary. For a while, she kept the pale skin of someone in a high class, though now she sports a bit more tan to her skin. Her eyes are a bit weird, as she was born with the mutation central heterochromia. Her eyes are dark, near black, but right around the pupil is a ring of a light brown that, in the sun, seems to blaze more gold than brown due to the coloring.

Clothing: Often wears men's kimonos particularly in dark colors with threads and designs of bright colors. If she's blending into a more impoverished area, rough cotton kimonos are better suited. Armor is always good, especially when she's traveling and expecting trouble. If she's allowing herself to be seen as female, an outfit more similar to this.

Skills: Was taught from a young age how to fight, both with a sword and in a more hand to hand style. Battle tactics, unfortunately, were never something she got the hang of. Funny enough, really good at Ohajiki. She was taught by one of the servants–Sano Ai, essentially a mother figure to her–how to cook and mend her clothing.

Personality: She often comes off as cold and pompous at first. She carries herself like she's untouchable, a coverup for her fear of meeting a fate like her father's before being able to avenge him. Revenge is a driving motivator for her, though she often finds herself side tracked by a bit of a hero's complex. If she sees someone who needs saving, she'll very likely end up helping them, regardless of the cost to herself.

Background: Born to a well-known shogun who's wife died during childbirth, Kanza was nearly immediately called and raised as a boy. Her father wished for a son who could continue on his legacy, as opposed to a daughter who would find herself not much more than a wife or small business owner. He loved his daughter greatly, regardless of her gender, and did everything in his power to raise her to be prepared for the world and all of it's issues.

He couldn't protect her from watching him die, however. When she was seventeen, a rival of her father's and a known rebel against his leadership broke into their home with a group of men, killing many of their servants, and her father. Forced to flee her home, she snuck past the intruders, taking nothing but her father's katana and some money she had put away.

Since then, she's made a bit of a name for herself as a traveling for-hire swordsman. She hopes, someday, to return to her home and take back her father's title of shogun for her family.

Other: Adores cats, and loves seafood.

if there's anything at all that you would prefer me to change, let me know and i'll do so willingly

She looks great! Would you like me to start first?

yes please!

It all began in the sky, so long ago. And yet, Baizi could recall the time where he regained consciousness, finding out that he’d been bound to the fisherman who found him. He remembered nearly every detail, every event in his life. How many lives he’s seen.
Not many near the end of it all, where Baizi was locked up for most of his life.

But the feeling of freedom, albeit brief, was good for Baizi. He’d never quite forgiven nor forgotten what humans saw him as though; a trophy, a thing to show to your people. Spoils of war.
War. Baizi was practically born off of war, fighting some form of it nearly all of his life.
He could recall the time that he rose to defend the son of the man that found him, and yet, could not protect him. But again to another memory, a more recent one; but probably a long time to humans.

Rain and mud. The weather was not pleasant, but the enemy was not going to wait for sunshine. He could remember fighting on his own for a few moments, but torn away from his holders. He could feel the bond sever as the people who used him had died. Even though Baizi was not fond of them, he did not like to see them die and be unable to do much about it. With his power drained, Baizi became embedded within a stone, forgotten and left as a memory of the clash that took place here decades ago.

And back to the present.

Baizi was a sword spirit. Currently stuck in a piece of rock, his energy low. As much as it pained him to admit it; he needed to be Bound to someone. That was the only way he was getting out of here, and yet, none had come through the forest in so long. Or they had; just not bothered with Baizi, who could do nothing to alert them of his presence.
At the very moment, he was just a normal katana, left behind in the former battlegrounds. Which, in all honesty, Baizi was not fond of. He liked to be free, to be able to roam.

Something he hadn’t done in a while, and Baizi would have no clue how long it would be before he’d be able to do that again.

It wasn't the most common thing for a traveler to move off the beaten path to explore a space known for pain. But the man picking his way through the bones of history along his route to the next town was by no means interested in pretending to be normal. That was obvious, if you knew the truth of who he was.

Because he was more than he, playing a part for his own safety and for the memory of his father. Or rather, her father.

Kanza was no man. No, she never truly had been, even though most of her life had been spent pretending to be one. A woman wasn't safe on her own in unfamiliar places, though, that much was true. And a man with a sword wasn't someone people often messed with.

But that wasn't near the point.

Her father had told her stories, years ago, of spirits that lent aid to soldiers in battle. Spirits that did more than haunt homes and pick unwary travelers off of the roads. And though she knew that those spirits would be long gone by now, there was spirit in her father's memory, which always lingered in places of victory and loss. If blood had found home in the ground, Kanza could feel her father's hand on her shoulder. And some days, that was enough.

Exploring often brought the most curious things to her. Once, she'd found an old knife, a family crest carved into the blade. That was nowhere near as strange, though, nothing was, as what was in front of her now.

A sword similar to the one on her back, this one embedded near handle-deep into a stone in the midst of the old battle field.

So, of course, she did the only logical thing. She took hold of the handle, and tugged with just enough force to try and loosen it.

It was that feeling, all so long ago. When the fisherman found him, before he was Bound to him, that feeling of dare he say it: loneliness. A feeling which Baizi never welcomed, yet knew all too well.

And then, he felt a familiar feeling.
Binding.

The force on the sword seemed to loosen it. Baizi recalled this feeling; first with the fisherman, then with his son. And the countless others during the war. And now, someone else. How ironic, the sword spirit could’ve chuckled within his mind. How ironic that he was just thinking, Will I ever be free again?
He would’ve chuckled if that weren’t for the fact this was the first time in decades someone had found him and bothered to come near him, and interact with him.

Even though there were hands on him, the sword seemed to shake, as though it were trying to get free as well. Which it was. It was a subtle movement, but still there. This was his moment of freedom, to enter into a world of which he had not explored for years at this point. Oh, how he realized some information he’d have would be outdated, but he’d deal with those bridges when they came.

Right now, his focus was freedom.

The sword was shaking. And the only thought in Kanza's mind was something close to 'hey, that's not normal'. But what was she supposed to do? Drop the shaking sword?

Probably. But she wouldn't.

Instead, she put a bit more force into trying to draw it from the stone, making a face that looked somewhere between a mix of confusion and concentration. An amusing expression, if anyone could see it, that made her face seem almost younger, like she was a little kid trying to figure out how to fold a paper crane. She'd always been bad at that.

"This is not normal." Kanza muttered to herself. Normal or not, she really was stubborn. And the sword was just stuck enough to echo the word challenge in her mind. Challenges were a favorite of hers, a push to keep persevering in the face of loss. Just like father. That man really trails me everywhere, huh?

Maybe it was that thought of her father that added the last bit of oomph she needed, or maybe she'd just lost track of how hard she was pulling. Whatever the case, suddenly, the sword was free. Not too clean, which sort of bugged her, but free.

When Baizi was released from his rocky prison, you could say he grinned, if he had the capacity to. Free at last. Although significantly weaker than he was before becoming trapped in the rock, he could already begin to feel the energy seep into him.

And when he was free, Baizi was eager to celebrate his new freedom. With almost no care to whoever was watching, the sword seemed to release itself from her grasp, and immediately begin to fly around the clearing, quite quickly. The sword circled her several times before halting in place, hovering a few metres above ground.
The sword waved around, as though an invisible person were handling it rather carelessly. And then, it stopped again, this time, with a laugh that almost seemed to originate from nowhere, yet one could pinpoint it to the sword.

The laugh was that of a man, a low and rough laugh. Not one of humour: maybe a bit of dry humour, but more so something else. Free at last; Baizi had trouble recognizing the area around him, how interesting that things could change so fast in such a short amount of time. The laugh was quick and did not last long, for soon Baizi fell silent.
The sword spun in air as it pointed vertically, blade towards the ground. It seemed to spin in place, in a slow manner; before stopping.

“Not normal indeed, boy. You’ve never seen a sword spirit, have you?” Baizi remarked, not quite realizing that Kanza was not in fact a boy, but a woman. His tone held an air of seriousness to it, yet it seemed almost sarcastic. It was a question at the baseline, though. Truly, he was curious on if this human had seen a spirit in the first place. It wasn’t often when you saw a sword jabbed into a stone, left behind from whatever battle took place here.

The sheer absurdity of watching a sword fly around a clearing had a startled sort of chuckle catching in Kanza's throat. Either her father hadn't been entirely off his rocker, or she was starting to lose her own mind after a decent lack of social interaction. Whatever the case, at least it was funny.

When the blade stopped in front of her, speaking with a voice eerily similar to that of a human, her incredulity lent to a strangely calm reply. "No, I don't think so. Not that I can recall, at least." It didn't trip her up, being addressed as a boy. Why would it, when she'd spent so long living as one? Her own father had slipped up from time to time, calling her a boy when they were completely alone. It was just a thing, borne of circumstance and environment.

"Pardon, sir, but do you have a name? It seems weird, speaking to something capable of elaborate thought without knowing who it is." Polite. Almost chilly in her manners, Kanza had angered more than a few people speaking like that. They expected more warmth from her, warmth she had forgotten how to give somewhere down the line.

Baizi listened to her response, his curiosity piqued as he observed her tone. Such a calm tone for someone who’s never seen this before, he mused in mind. Upon hearing the question of his name, there was a few seconds of thought before answering.

“Under many names, many forgotten, I go by. But my true, my given name is Baizi.” The sword spirit proudly answered, taking pride into his name. Indeed, while Baizi’s name had been forgotten by some of his holders before him, Baizi himself had never forgotten. For what kind of sword spirit would he be if he could not remember a simple name such as Baizi? Not that Baizi was a simple name of course; Baizi himself considered his name to be quite special.

After responding, the sword begins to turn in place again, as if looking around the area. Baizi observed the former battlefield; remembering his final battle here. Baizi could argue it was not much of a battle; he’d been struck out minutes into the fight and not given much of a chance.

"Baizi." Kanza said, testing the name out before nodding. "It's a nice name." Having said her piece, she followed the sword's movements with her eyes, once again reveling in the reminder of the history kept in this place. Her father had raised her as a warrior, but Ai had raised her as a listener. A listener to the stories of places.

"How long have you been here, if I may ask?" She said suddenly, voice clear and unhindered by any sort of emotion. The sound carried through the clearing, despite her tone not being much louder than one would speak indoors. Speak with intention, no matter what is being said. People take you seriously if you take yourself seriously. It helped, of course, how quiet it was.

Baizi swirled in place, not flying around the clearing as he did minutes earlier. “In that stone, I don’t know. Perhaps decades at the very least, I’ll have to say.” Baizi admitted, finally coming to a stop.

Decades was a long time, to be sitting and doing nearly nothing. But to a spirit, it was a shorter time. Boring yes, but at least you didn’t need to worry about much, aside from when you were going to get free. In which Baizi no longer worried for, for he was free, now.

But free in a world he had not associated with for a few decades. He had no clue if the Hirohira, the family name of his previous handlers were still around. Not that Baizi had much care for them; he was no longer Bound to any of them, so why should it matter anymore?
Speaking of being Bound..the sword spirit turned his attention back to her, pushing away his thoughts. It was almost as if Baizi clicked his non-existent tongue before speaking to her again. “I’m curious…” He began, before adding, “What name do you go by?”

"Mori Kanzou, of the Mori clan, most often." Kanza said, bowing her head. She was only basically aware of spirits, and their ways. The Bond was not something that had come to her attention, and she was operating more under the assumption that this was just a strange but brief encounter. Beyond that, of course, this sword was solely asking for the name she went by. So that was the name she was answering with.

There was, of course, the chance that her name would ring a bell for this spirit. If he'd operated in circles of battle, then her father's name would have come up at least once or twice. He had been in power for a good while, since before she was born to her seventeenth year. It was just a matter of whether this spirit had ever heard his name.

“Mori..” Baizi murmured, repeating the name a few times in his mind. “I’ve heard of them, but I’ve never interacted with any of their members,” in a quick and fluid motion, the sword switched to a different position, this time as if someone were holding it. “Up until now, of course.” He didn’t know too much on the Mori, given how much time he spent locked up.

Baizi chose to reveal himself. It began with a hand on the sword, but soon revealed the entirety of his being, clad in the armour he’d always worn. Baizi stood for a moment, glancing up to the sky, before putting away the blade. It had been a while since he used this form, yet it felt too familiar. It was just a matter of regaining his strength after years of being essentially dormant. He looked back down to her.
“It is not often you get humans, especially alone ones travelling around here. If I may ask, where are you headed?”