Post by Luna Melrose on Mar 7, 2022 21:21:39 GMT -5
Discord: SkullMoat#9513
Passwords: Black Hole & Moon Pray
Passwords: Black Hole & Moon Pray
Type: Skilled
Squad: Academy Student
Birthday: January 6th
Blood Type: B+
Age (Death): 26
Age (Appearance): 26
Age (Real): 931
Height: 4'11"
Weight: 106 lbs
The very first thing you notice, when looking at Luna Melrose, is just how small she actually is; at a mere four feet eleven inches, the girl frequently stands a head or two beneath those she is engaging with, which naturally gives her quite the unassuming look. When you add onto that a small frame, a lightweight muscle mass and the stature of a meager young woman, it isn’t all that uncommon for someone to be towering over her in more ways than one, suppressing her very presence with their own; to compensate for this, she often uses grand gestures and cute mannerisms, conveying herself such that she always remains the center of attention. Her overall figure evokes the image of a little sister, a likeness she cheerfully plays into with her bouncy energy and general attitude; however, this resemblance should be taken with a grain of salt, seeing as her actual age puts her far ahead of most other souls residing in Soul Society.
Visually, the pale coloration and blue undertones of Luna’s epidermis identifies her ancestry as having roots in Scandinavia, and associates her lineage with the Vikings of Old. She generally keeps very little of her creamy white skin uncovered, which is a telltale sign of how susceptible she is to burns when exposed to the rays of sunlight; nonetheless, the few glimpses one might get of it reveals a nearly flawless texture and the moist, wax-like qualities associated with daily care and attention. Its surface always remains extremely soft to the touch, almost to an unnatural degree, and lacks any trace one would expect of body hair; in fact, an acute observer may notice just how artificial it actually feels, as if her skin was made of a different material entirely. Its lone imperfection, a light scar on her left hip, is both a source of utmost pride and great shame to the young woman, who views it as a reminder of where she came from and hints at her complex origin filled with strife and misery.
Overall, the physical proportions of her body disclose a sedentary way of life, a clue to her preference for mental activities and scientific pursuits. While a physique like hers could easily be mistaken as being quite agile, Luna’s poor muscle mass severely limits her ability to make use of it and instead allows her actions to take a toll on her low stamina reserves far too easily, a fact she often needs to be mindful about. Still, this shortcoming has led her to develop great dexterity and a solid sense of balance as an alternative, a blessing given her usual inclinations; she is incredibly skilled at using her hands for detail-oriented work and precise manual labor, her movements regularly having a natural flair of elegance. This form plays to her strengths as a tinkerer and someone who loves the wonders of experimentation, yet does not provide enough to also handle herself well in a fight, forcing her to regularly compensate in creative ways and through innovation.
Unfortunately, it must be said that Luna didn’t win the genetic lottery when it comes to her feminine features, leaving her quite lacking in that regard. While she isn’t flat by any means, if it weren’t for her waistline being particularly narrow and giving her a slight hourglass figure, the girl would certainly be a lot more rectangular in shape; neither her hips nor her bust are significant enough to affect her general silhouette and, adding insult to injury, her usual uniform does nothing to alleviate that issue, instead seemingly contributing directly to it. As a result, her overall figure isn’t what you might conventionally call seductive, which means she must do the heavy lifting to cross that gap when that’s the impression she is trying to go for; thankfully, her energetic motions have enough sway to balance things out slightly, conveying feelings of sensuality through gestures rather than anatomy. Still, this remains a personal pet peeve of hers that she would love to eventually overcome, if given the opportunity.
As for her facial structure, its most notable trait is a pronounced jawline accentuating the curve of her slightly rounded cheeks and accommodating a wide range of facial expressions, which are gracefully used to their full potential. Luna’s irises are a beautiful turquoise in color, sometimes appearing light gray when lighting is insufficient and adorning motifs similar to the rays of a polar light; her gaze is said to contain a peculiar depth and may prove uncomfortable for some, yet also seems to emanate an undeniable warmth in its allure. An identical aura radiates through her charming smile and cute blushing, which is why she refrains from ever using makeup; natural beauty is in her opinion far more appealing, calling attention to a woman’s diligence for self-care much more prominently. Besides the occasional use of eyeliner to highlight the pupil of her eyes, cosmetics are something she has never been familiar with, nor does she wish to ever use them; she would much rather focus her efforts on the rest of her appearance than spend too much time correcting something she considers a superficial detail.
The lustre and shine of Luna’s hair is noteworthy as well; being a bright, clear silver, its hue tends to catch a glance from passersby much more frequently than conventional alternatives, and will rarely go unnoticed in a large crowd. Much like her skin, however, the true oddity lies in how much effort she puts toward maintaining its texture and visual flair, spending considerable hours undoing knots every day; this relentless endeavor is an affirmation of her headstrong desire to always look her very best, which in turn explains why the silky smoothness of its surface holds such value to the girl. From her perspective, presentation is everything, and nobody but herself can be trusted with the daunting task of handling her hair. The hairstyle she has settled on over the years, with two bangs on either side and a braided bun holding it back, is now something she considers intimately intertwined with her identity; unfortunately, a lone unruly cowlick regularly resists her manic tendencies, causing much anguish to the young lady.
Whether she’s off-duty or doing work, Luna Melrose always tries to keep her wardrobe options within a color palette that matches her grim nature, preferring it immensely over more flashy alternatives. In Soul Society, her shihakushō tends to follow protocol and only slightly deviates from standard Shinigami attire, having a somewhat darker tint to the white elements of her uniform, such as the obi and tabi, and shortened sleeves that allow for greater arm mobility. The Shin’ō Academy uniform, however, was far too garish for her tastes and led her, after playing devil’s advocate with the administration, to tailor an altered design consisting of a gray kosode and a dark crimson, red hakama. Her style of choice revolves around the fundamental principles of soft goth fashion, which are used to their full potential when she adorns a gigai; modern trends and subcultures that humans develop bewitch her, inspiring many of her decisions and the general tone of her outfits.
One element that remains consistent about Luna's appearance, though, regardless of where she may be, is a large and beautiful ash-colored cloak she is always wearing over the rest of her outfit. This ornament of ancient origin happens to be the last memento she has of her life as a human, a cloak she wore when roaming the countryside as a Vǫlva, and is unmistakably her most prized possession; she will never be seen without it unless she’s sleeping or bathing, uniforms be damned. As a piece of clothing, it is actually made up of two distinct parts, a light hooded coat that extends all the way down to her knees and a mantle with the elegant fur of a Siberian wolf affixed onto it; its fabric has a particularly rough texture to the touch, perhaps a sign of old age, yet still retains enough warmth to face cold climate. When both sides remain firmly tied together, the cloak leaves no opening and covers her frame perfectly, a fact she will often use to her advantage when attempting to conceal items and equipment for her schemes.
In a crowd, if the remarkable elements of her appearance didn’t already give away her exact location, her voice would most certainly do so. Having a somewhat light intonation with mellow undertones to it, there is nonetheless a singular quality to her vocal timbre that is helping its delivery stand out in a group; her voice is extremely rich and carry within a few phonetic errors that persist from her native dialect, particularly around fricative and affricate sounds. As a result, her locution remains slightly incorrect, even centuries afterward, which adds a unique charm to her words and prose; it’s as if Luna’s speech patterns follow a melody with a likeness to the calls of nature, perhaps a consequence of her lifestyle in the wilderness and her time spent away from civilization. Regardless, she has access to a wide vocal range that comfortably sits on the lower end of a soprano, but will still easily reach a particularly high pitch when needed; as such, she can reliably make her presence known, even in situations where she should otherwise be completely overshadowed.
As a spiritual being, the reiatsu signature she emits through her very existence has a few noteworthy characteristics. Most people have a presence you could consider to be imposing once they begin flexing reiatsu, but Luna is very different in that regard; instead of being overpowering, her reiatsu rather feels like it’s creeping in and intruding on your mind and privacy. A beautiful silver in coloration, its vicinity seems to lose all colors and begins to fade away once it is released at full strength; perhaps a sign of her personality, it leaves the impression that her spirit innately knows it cannot stand up to another using normal means, and therefore decides to compensate in this manner. Moreover, the pressure it emits almost has sentience and a snake-like quality to its movements, a most unusual trait prevalent in all her uses of spiritual power; it makes her reiatsu seem slightly erratic, even if there is still order to this chaos. When her mind or emotions are put to the test, Luna’s eyes start lightly glowing from reiatsu saturation and reflect dim silver flames on their surface, a sign of her emotional state which can amplify her glare immensely.
Visually, the pale coloration and blue undertones of Luna’s epidermis identifies her ancestry as having roots in Scandinavia, and associates her lineage with the Vikings of Old. She generally keeps very little of her creamy white skin uncovered, which is a telltale sign of how susceptible she is to burns when exposed to the rays of sunlight; nonetheless, the few glimpses one might get of it reveals a nearly flawless texture and the moist, wax-like qualities associated with daily care and attention. Its surface always remains extremely soft to the touch, almost to an unnatural degree, and lacks any trace one would expect of body hair; in fact, an acute observer may notice just how artificial it actually feels, as if her skin was made of a different material entirely. Its lone imperfection, a light scar on her left hip, is both a source of utmost pride and great shame to the young woman, who views it as a reminder of where she came from and hints at her complex origin filled with strife and misery.
Overall, the physical proportions of her body disclose a sedentary way of life, a clue to her preference for mental activities and scientific pursuits. While a physique like hers could easily be mistaken as being quite agile, Luna’s poor muscle mass severely limits her ability to make use of it and instead allows her actions to take a toll on her low stamina reserves far too easily, a fact she often needs to be mindful about. Still, this shortcoming has led her to develop great dexterity and a solid sense of balance as an alternative, a blessing given her usual inclinations; she is incredibly skilled at using her hands for detail-oriented work and precise manual labor, her movements regularly having a natural flair of elegance. This form plays to her strengths as a tinkerer and someone who loves the wonders of experimentation, yet does not provide enough to also handle herself well in a fight, forcing her to regularly compensate in creative ways and through innovation.
Unfortunately, it must be said that Luna didn’t win the genetic lottery when it comes to her feminine features, leaving her quite lacking in that regard. While she isn’t flat by any means, if it weren’t for her waistline being particularly narrow and giving her a slight hourglass figure, the girl would certainly be a lot more rectangular in shape; neither her hips nor her bust are significant enough to affect her general silhouette and, adding insult to injury, her usual uniform does nothing to alleviate that issue, instead seemingly contributing directly to it. As a result, her overall figure isn’t what you might conventionally call seductive, which means she must do the heavy lifting to cross that gap when that’s the impression she is trying to go for; thankfully, her energetic motions have enough sway to balance things out slightly, conveying feelings of sensuality through gestures rather than anatomy. Still, this remains a personal pet peeve of hers that she would love to eventually overcome, if given the opportunity.
As for her facial structure, its most notable trait is a pronounced jawline accentuating the curve of her slightly rounded cheeks and accommodating a wide range of facial expressions, which are gracefully used to their full potential. Luna’s irises are a beautiful turquoise in color, sometimes appearing light gray when lighting is insufficient and adorning motifs similar to the rays of a polar light; her gaze is said to contain a peculiar depth and may prove uncomfortable for some, yet also seems to emanate an undeniable warmth in its allure. An identical aura radiates through her charming smile and cute blushing, which is why she refrains from ever using makeup; natural beauty is in her opinion far more appealing, calling attention to a woman’s diligence for self-care much more prominently. Besides the occasional use of eyeliner to highlight the pupil of her eyes, cosmetics are something she has never been familiar with, nor does she wish to ever use them; she would much rather focus her efforts on the rest of her appearance than spend too much time correcting something she considers a superficial detail.
The lustre and shine of Luna’s hair is noteworthy as well; being a bright, clear silver, its hue tends to catch a glance from passersby much more frequently than conventional alternatives, and will rarely go unnoticed in a large crowd. Much like her skin, however, the true oddity lies in how much effort she puts toward maintaining its texture and visual flair, spending considerable hours undoing knots every day; this relentless endeavor is an affirmation of her headstrong desire to always look her very best, which in turn explains why the silky smoothness of its surface holds such value to the girl. From her perspective, presentation is everything, and nobody but herself can be trusted with the daunting task of handling her hair. The hairstyle she has settled on over the years, with two bangs on either side and a braided bun holding it back, is now something she considers intimately intertwined with her identity; unfortunately, a lone unruly cowlick regularly resists her manic tendencies, causing much anguish to the young lady.
Whether she’s off-duty or doing work, Luna Melrose always tries to keep her wardrobe options within a color palette that matches her grim nature, preferring it immensely over more flashy alternatives. In Soul Society, her shihakushō tends to follow protocol and only slightly deviates from standard Shinigami attire, having a somewhat darker tint to the white elements of her uniform, such as the obi and tabi, and shortened sleeves that allow for greater arm mobility. The Shin’ō Academy uniform, however, was far too garish for her tastes and led her, after playing devil’s advocate with the administration, to tailor an altered design consisting of a gray kosode and a dark crimson, red hakama. Her style of choice revolves around the fundamental principles of soft goth fashion, which are used to their full potential when she adorns a gigai; modern trends and subcultures that humans develop bewitch her, inspiring many of her decisions and the general tone of her outfits.
One element that remains consistent about Luna's appearance, though, regardless of where she may be, is a large and beautiful ash-colored cloak she is always wearing over the rest of her outfit. This ornament of ancient origin happens to be the last memento she has of her life as a human, a cloak she wore when roaming the countryside as a Vǫlva, and is unmistakably her most prized possession; she will never be seen without it unless she’s sleeping or bathing, uniforms be damned. As a piece of clothing, it is actually made up of two distinct parts, a light hooded coat that extends all the way down to her knees and a mantle with the elegant fur of a Siberian wolf affixed onto it; its fabric has a particularly rough texture to the touch, perhaps a sign of old age, yet still retains enough warmth to face cold climate. When both sides remain firmly tied together, the cloak leaves no opening and covers her frame perfectly, a fact she will often use to her advantage when attempting to conceal items and equipment for her schemes.
In a crowd, if the remarkable elements of her appearance didn’t already give away her exact location, her voice would most certainly do so. Having a somewhat light intonation with mellow undertones to it, there is nonetheless a singular quality to her vocal timbre that is helping its delivery stand out in a group; her voice is extremely rich and carry within a few phonetic errors that persist from her native dialect, particularly around fricative and affricate sounds. As a result, her locution remains slightly incorrect, even centuries afterward, which adds a unique charm to her words and prose; it’s as if Luna’s speech patterns follow a melody with a likeness to the calls of nature, perhaps a consequence of her lifestyle in the wilderness and her time spent away from civilization. Regardless, she has access to a wide vocal range that comfortably sits on the lower end of a soprano, but will still easily reach a particularly high pitch when needed; as such, she can reliably make her presence known, even in situations where she should otherwise be completely overshadowed.
As a spiritual being, the reiatsu signature she emits through her very existence has a few noteworthy characteristics. Most people have a presence you could consider to be imposing once they begin flexing reiatsu, but Luna is very different in that regard; instead of being overpowering, her reiatsu rather feels like it’s creeping in and intruding on your mind and privacy. A beautiful silver in coloration, its vicinity seems to lose all colors and begins to fade away once it is released at full strength; perhaps a sign of her personality, it leaves the impression that her spirit innately knows it cannot stand up to another using normal means, and therefore decides to compensate in this manner. Moreover, the pressure it emits almost has sentience and a snake-like quality to its movements, a most unusual trait prevalent in all her uses of spiritual power; it makes her reiatsu seem slightly erratic, even if there is still order to this chaos. When her mind or emotions are put to the test, Luna’s eyes start lightly glowing from reiatsu saturation and reflect dim silver flames on their surface, a sign of her emotional state which can amplify her glare immensely.
Faceclaim: Gray, Fate Series (Lord El-Melloi II Case Files)
Alignment: Lawful Evil
[PTabbedContent][PTab=Likes & Dislikes]Likes
- Humans: Luna greatly appreciates humanity and still feels connected to them, even so many centuries after her own death. Their unending creativity is a constant form of inspiration for her many projects, and she can count on them to always have something interesting going on.
- Servants: This ties back into her past; Luna Melrose has been forcibly put into servitude previously, and she can as such understand the feelings associated with it. When one chooses to serve another willingly, rather than through the threat of force, she feels that such an act says a lot about the relationship and trust between master and servant; it is not a display of weakness in her eyes, and rather shows immense resilience.
- Hollows: The Hollows are wonderful creatures, and Luna cannot ever get tired of studying them! They come in all sorts of shapes and all have a vastly different anatomy, which is like an eternal sandbox for someone with an interest in biology; there’s basically no limit to their adaptability and therefore, to their utility.
- Corruption: You know how some people would speak of democracy as being a pivotal lynchpin for modern society? Luna would retort the same about corruption. There’s no greater component needed for a good system; corruption ensures those who are most suited to rule remain at the top and makes sure every member of the populace can seek their own justice, should they be willing to use the means being put at their disposal. A corrupt structure is both efficient and fair.
- Romance: There’s a thrill to the romance genre that Luna just can’t get enough of! It gets her heart racing, aching for more, and her mind goes numb trying to understand what’s even going on; the unexplored elements of romantic feelings are an unknown she finds particularly enticing.
- Horror: Surprisingly, Luna Melrose reacts very differently to horror, be it in movies or otherwise, than the usual person; her reaction is close to what you’d expect from someone watching a comedy show. She cannot help but laugh at the circumstances and the attempts to scare her, as if they were jokes, and the genre is always inspiring many new horrifying ideas to the girl.
- Drugs: Medicine is awesome, there’s really no limit to what it can do. Whether it’s for treatment or recreational use, Luna Melrose has no issue with drugs in general and understands why many would use them as a form of escapism, seldomly doing so as well. Of course, she never indulges excessively and cannot even comprehend how some could do so.
- Bugs: Many women might balk at the sight of a nasty bug, but Luna Melrose certainly isn’t one of them. Insects are absolutely marvelous and have a near-limitless biodiversity, which makes them ideal subjects for studying the base principles of biology. Moreover, they belong in an entirely distinct ecosystem to our own, which means Luna can observe fully unique ways to fight against predation; the weakest bugs are often, according to her research notes, those who display the most innovative means of defense.
- Mystery Novels: Reading about mysteries and attempting to solve them is one of her favorite pastime. May God have pity on your soul if you ever unearth her while she’s on her last stretch toward a novel’s plot twists, because by that point she will have translated every remaining unknown into diagrams and predicates, applying logical formulas upon them to reveal the solution; she has never been incorrect in her deductions so far.
- Mirror: The lone reason why Luna Melrose has a deep appreciation for mirrors is quite straightforward; it’s because they allow her to watch her own back. Since she is uncomfortable being followed and fears her own shadow, mirrors have become a truly vital element of her lifestyle.
- Beast Clans: Out of all spiritual beings, she feels most at ease around Beast-Clansmen due to the several centuries she spent alongside them already. Luna Melrose recognizes her own connection with these groups and, truth be told, she definitely feels like she owes them. If one is ever in need of her help, she will not hesitate to do what she can to support them.
- Gigai: A gigai is the endpoint of everything Luna has been working toward; an artificial body she can modify to match her desires and the perfect embodiment of biological research. She cannot help but adore them, and will thoroughly inspect their design when given the chance.
- Scandinavia: Most individuals would have fond memories of their birthplace and in that regard, Luna is no exception. Of course, the harsh landscape has brought its fair share of trouble as well, but even so, she must admit that the region is exceedingly beautiful and has a charm she hasn’t yet felt anywhere else.
- Sweet flavors: Luna has quite the sweet tooth and especially enjoys the taste of sugary foods; among various flavors, cinnamon and vanilla are both special since they bring forth a lot of nostalgia from her. She has experienced them repeatedly before, and can recall memories of Aura or the wilderness when savoring their taste once more; it’s almost like a cheat code really, they’ll immediately make her cheerful regardless of what her previous mood might’ve been.
- Recordings: Videos are like unfiltered memories, and are so much better than having to rely on witness accounts from those with inaccurate recollections of event. She hates the unpredictable outcomes that come when she doesn’t know the truth, so Luna cannot help but appreciate the upfront nature of such recordings.
- Paperwork: I’m sure most Shinigami aren’t fond of paperwork, but you won’t find Luna among them. Indeed, there is hardly anything she will adhere to as rigidly as the filing of proper paper trails, since they are useful when she tries to track the truth; if at all accessible, she’ll read every report she can get her hands on.
- Science: People aren’t the only ones with secrets; the world has many too! Science is the key for Luna to get all the answers she’s seeking, so she’ll damn well make use of it; regardless of how nonsensical an experiment may seem, if it still brings her new knowledge, she’ll push enormously for it to take place.
Dislikes
- Secrets: If there's one thing she dislikes more than anything else, it's a secret; Luna cannot stand having information kept away from her and will be driven crazy by her curiosity when it is glaringly apparent. If someone is forcing her to go out of her way to figure out the truth, she’ll accept the challenge and may very well reveal it publicly once it gets within her grasp; her pursuit will not stop until either the secret has been exposed, or another mystery has caught her attention.
- Crows: This dislike is deep-rooted, and is tied to the massacre of her father; at that moment, large flocks of crows began gathering due to the strong stench of dead flesh, which nearly got her caught. The birds now remind her of the bad memories associated with that period of her life.
- Masks: This is a bit of a puzzling dislike from Luna’s perspective, since she cannot figure out why she feels so, but masks currently creep her out. Her feelings associated with them are in truth an instinctual reaction, related to her identity as a Vizard Hopeful.
- Alcohol: The scent of alcohol brings back several terrible memories for Luna Melrose, which is why she prefers to avoid it. Her refusal to drink alcohol is linked to the worst people she has met in her life; most of them did so, and as such she associates their behavior with the beverage.
- Suffering: While she won’t feel the slightest bit of remorse for it, Luna generally tries to avoid causing unnecessary suffering when she can; that’s because it ultimately reminds her of when she was herself suffering under her father’s thumb, which is a headspace she doesn’t want to ever revisit. She would rather kill cleanly than cause such suffering, unless the suffering is in itself part of a greater goal.
- Routine: Having a routine you follow religiously is ultimately uneventful, and that’s something Luna cannot stand. She needs a daily spark of inspiration and novelty to keep her mind and tinkering going.
- Formalities: Have they ever served any purpose? Formalities are pointless rules the nobility has put in place to enforce their caste system, and Luna dislikes the idea that such rules exist. If it were up to her, every rule would be efficient and have a practical purpose.
- Central 46: It isn’t quite that she dislikes Central 46 as a whole, she actually appreciates the structure and powers they have at their disposal; rather, Luna Melrose dislikes the current Central 46 because she feels there are waaay too many hands in the pie. That will increase the difficulty of her attempts at manipulating them into doing her bidding, and she’ll need to be mindful of who else they may obey at that moment; there are far too many diverging interests weighing them down.
- Hell: Luna has a deep hatred for Hell. No consideration for extenuating circumstances? No form of appeal? No duty of disclosure? That is all maddeningly unfair! If she could, the girl would rip apart the realm’s grasp on her soul and rewrite their rules to her own liking; whoever arbitrarily decided murders and other forms of defilement were worth an eternal torture needs a good smack, and to be taught a lesson on the basics of sociology.
- Cowlick: Do NOT remind her about the darn cowlick adorning her head. She may take the comment with a smile, but trust me; you won’t like whatever may come your way because of it.
- Faith: Religious nutcases, all of them! Luna Melrose absolutely loathes the idea that something should just be believed because someone else said so, without any attempt at disproving the facts and figuring out where the truth lies. Worse, faith is used as a way to manipulate the weak-willed! Sure, Luna would manipulate you as well, but at least she won’t indoctrinate you in the process!
- Vikings: This may sound weird given Luna’s heritage, but if you consider that nearly every Viking she has ever met has been horrible to her at one point or another, the dislike is genuinely warranted. For Luna Melrose, her homeland is highly nostalgic, but its people aren’t; she would much rather steer clear of their barbaric ways, if she can avoid it.
- Families: Not quite a dislike, this is moreso a jealousy. Her family has always been dysfunctional to such an extreme that it can’t even really be called a family at all, so when Luna learned that this was not the norm, it renewed anger and immeasurable pain within her. Ever since then, she has silently wished she could’ve had a normal family, thinking she could’ve avoided everything that came afterward.
- Training: Luna isn’t someone who believes in the value of hard work and bettering yourself, preferring to think of the body’s natural limits as something to be worked around rather than breached. She has a deep hatred for those who cannot at least respect this opinion or attempt to force a training regimen on her; smart thinking will always be a better asset than any amount of muscles.
- Ciphers: One of Luna’s core beliefs is that you should always tell the truth and, as such, there’s no good reason she can think of for ciphers to ever be used; you can attempt to hide information in plain sight if you wish, that’s exactly what Luna would do, but scrambling information just goes to show that you cannot trust your own sharing mechanisms. If Luna Melrose ever gets her hands on encrypted information, she will do everything in her power to crack the code.
- Colors: You don’t get to live as long as she did by standing out. Colorful elements always stick out and attract the attention of whoever may be watching, which isn’t any good; if Luna peeks at something it’ll be on her own terms, thank you very much. Besides, when she must control another’s scrutiny, colors are just an additional concern and make her objective even more difficult to achieve than it already is.
- Nobility: Luna feels envy towards nobility, simply because of their ability to write the rules. For her, who must find loopholes in order to get her own way, the notion that she could simply add them in as her whims dictate sounds extremely appealing; nobility has access to something Luna Melrose desperately wants for herself.
Habits
- Observe: Every person is a social study case, and Luna loves to learn everything about them! Whether they loaf around or act with diligence, there is always something about how others operate which will either entertain or inspire the girl, she has never once felt like it was a waste of her time. When you’re nearby, you can expect her eyes to fall on you at least moderately often and she may even attempt to get a reaction out of you, trying to see how you'll handle the specific stimuli involved.
- Eavesdrop: Many act in private the way they wish yet would never dare act in public, and that is far too tempting for Luna to just ignore. Whether she’s looking through a peephole, placing her ear next to a door or using surveillance devices to spy on others, this woman rarely holds back and will eavesdrop without feeling the slightest bit of guilt about it. She does so out of a need to know what makes others tick, generally using the newfound knowledge as additional ammunition to manipulate them.
- Tinkering: Nobody around? Then there’s always something to fiddle with, a gadget of some sort she can improve or take apart. Breaking things and making new objects with them could be described as Luna’s natural response to boredom, it’s something she can always do when there’s a need to keep her mind occupied. Even in a scenario where quite literally nothing is at her disposal to do so, her own physical body remains accessible; she will even tamper with her own biology as a last resort.
- Introductions: Both for the sake of her social network and because she cannot hold back her curiosity, Luna Melrose tends to introduce herself to anyone who can pique her interest a minimum. While doing so, she will often gauge their personality and social standing in an attempt to determine how useful they may prove for her schemes, and will try to leave a good impression on them regardless of this appraisal; she works tirelessly to maintain a good reputation and solid connections.
- Leisure walks: While she usually has more urgent matters that she must address, opportunities in her schedule are sometimes taken to walk leisurely around Soul Society. Luna Melrose likes to take detours and follow a roundabout route to her destination while traveling, rarely ever using the same path; she does this to break her routine and meet new individuals, allowing her to intersect with different communities as much as she possibly can.
- Reading: There is indescribable enjoyment to be had from reading the words of our predecessors, no matter if they were written to captivate, motivate or teach. A library filled with books is a window on the mentality of former periods, giving precious insight into both the achievements and errors of their way. Luna Melrose is particularly interested in tales of mystery, both real and fiction, for the glimpse they provide into the methods previously devised to reach one’s ends.
- Swimming: A guilty pleasure, Luna Melrose can often be found enjoying a swim when time does allow for it. The freedom water provides is a liberating and particularly refreshing experience for the woman, and she’ll forcefully make time for it in her agenda if she needs to. Whether it’s in an artificial pool or natural body of water, she enters a deep state of relaxation while submerged and instinctively knows how to remain afloat; her mind wanders to thoughts she had long before becoming a Shinigami, discovering her normal and fleeting human girl thoughts once more.
- Counting: Perhaps the weirdest habit Luna has, when there are numerous occurrences of something she can’t help but count exactly how many. This applies to just about anything from events to objects, for her “several” isn’t precise enough she must know the exact count to be capable of relaying her story accurately; her concentration can even be broken through this habit, since it’s very close to an impulsive action she has no control over.
Flaws
- Honesty: Luna Melrose is honest to a fault, and will not say anything she considers to be false regardless of the circumstances. This is particularly troublesome since she likes to get involved in criminal activities and has an atrocious sense of morality, often forcing her to cover her tracks and, if ever questioned on the topic, to do gymnastics with her words and statements in order to say the truth while still avoiding unwanted repercussions. Socially, she must remain careful when making comments about others and choose when to keep her mouth shut, since she can quickly become a bit too honest to their liking.
- Manipulative: Whether they like it or not, others will rarely avoid walking in the palm of her hand when interacting with Luna. She just can’t help it; every action she takes, every look she gives, every gesture she performs, all of it ends up being highly calculated for the sake of maintaining a persona. This girl is unfortunately buried under so much deception that her real emotions have begun blurring with the ones she is putting up for show, and have become troublesome to convey.
- Lacks empathy: Feeling her own emotions is already a foreign idea, so no need to elaborate too much on how she feels about those of another being. Luna can be vicious and cruel at times, and will not hold back her punches even if doing so might be warranted. She may show signs that she understood another person’s feelings and emotions, but make no mistake; she applied logic to reach her conclusions, which means she could turn on a dime and trample all over them at any point.
- Hedonist: For this woman, there’s only one truly valid way to look at the world and that’s through the lens of calculated pleasure. Luna Melrose applies this logical outlook on all her decisions, and fully expects those around her to also do so; this can lead her to overlook crucial information or misinterpret how someone else may choose to act. Plus, she can easily become engrossed in the pitfalls that accompany the pursuit of pleasure and ignore important duties, putting them aside until a more opportune time; this chance may in fact never come, forcing her to deal with the consequences.
- Low aptitude: Zan Ken So Ki refers to the four combat techniques which, at their core, encompass the Shinigami fighting style; few are those who master all four. Unfortunately, Luna Melrose is terrible in all of them, and has fundamental personality problems preventing her from truly developing her aptitude with their use; her journey as a Shinigami will as such involve the need to develop her own truly unique way of engaging combat, far from these established norms.
- Reckless: If combat in general wasn’t already enough of a concern for the girl, she also lacks many of the instinctual reactions anyone else would have in the face of danger. Perhaps a sign that she has gotten too confident in her own medical skills, Luna is prone to take decisions during a fight that defy common sense and will expose her to damage, especially when it provides her with an opportunity; such reactions are ingrained in her way of thinking and each of them can become a constant and immediate threat to her own survival.
- Curiosity: Nobody is more attuned to the dangers of curiosity than Luna Melrose, who has already paid the price dearly for her own lack of self-control when it comes to her nosy nature and is well aware that the scenario will likely repeat itself again in the future. Being curious can take many forms and, while it can be great for getting out of your comfort zone, it is sadly an unhealthy temptation for Luna since she often puts her well-being at stake for its sake. There is ultimately very little she won’t be willing to do when seduced by the allure of the unknown.
- Stubborn: Thankfully, she is open to debate while still deliberating her own position on a matter, but once she has chosen a stance, it is effectively set in stone; Luna isn’t someone who will re-evaluate her opinion on a whim, instead considering her reasoning as superior whenever confronted. The one conversing with her would need to be particularly special in Luna’s heart for their words to have any value in her mind; that is, generally, a privilege reserved to her close friends and co-conspirators.
Goals
- Move on from her past: When your soul is doomed to be sent to Hell, it is only natural for you to seek a way to escape your fate. Luna Melrose has already avoided this outcome on several occasions and, to be honest, joining the ranks of the Shinigami could be seen as one such moment as well; unfortunately, there is only so much running one can do before things catch up on you, and she is acutely aware of that fact. By joining the Shinigami, she hopes to find a clue that might help her put an end to the hunt for her soul, permanently; if she can’t find any, then she’ll have to rely on her own skills and figure out a way to do so herself.
- Sickness under control: The reason Luna joined the ranks of the Shinigami was to destroy the Hollow parasites that have taken residence inside her soul or, at the very least, get rid of the ailments they are causing. Short-term, she wants to find a better solution than the pills she is currently taking to contain the symptoms, which include pain, sudden cold outbursts and muscle firmness, and a sensitivity toward touch; if they can be extracted safely, she would also love to eventually research how to weaponize the creatures, but for now she will be perfectly content with a nice, uneventful medical condition. This is her most pressing issue, and something Luna will need to address before tackling her many other goals.
- Rewrite the Cardinal Sins: No doubt a whimsical dream, Luna wants to change the conditions by which someone is chosen for a trip to Hell; the current structure goes against basic inclinations of nature and common sense, it won’t remain like that if she ever gets her way! Problem is, there is ultimately no clear path to achieve what she’s trying to accomplish, meaning she first needs to figure out how she can truly implement her reforms; regardless, it’s a fact that her vision is long overdue and must be carried out no matter the cost or consequences. She’ll stop at nothing to reach this objective since Luna Melrose has personal, biased justifications for seeking it out, only being satisfied once her own safety is guaranteed and Hell begins evolving toward her vision of fairness.
- Surveillance network: Outside of her concerns involving Hell, Luna Melrose’s own desires are ambitious as well; she wish to setup a large network of information she could use to learn about anything that’s going on through any of the known worlds. This is a grandiose task that will require quite an investment in resources and influence, something she cannot fathom ever having access to as-of-yet; nonetheless, if it could offer the amount of knowledge she hopes it would then she just has to aim for it, regardless of how difficult the task may seem. For now, knowing about everything that occurs in the present would be enough, but she hopes the past and future could also be recorded through similar mechanisms.
- Return to the Human World: Perhaps a bit of an emotional goal, Luna also hopes to someday return to the World of the Living, and not just temporarily. Throughout her first life, she never really had a chance to appreciate that world due to the circumstances in which she was born and how she had to fend for her own survival, but she must now admit that she felt far more at home in it than she ever did while in Soul Society. If given an opportunity, the girl would love to retire among humans and create a new home for herself alongside them, away from all other worries of the world; that wish is unlikely to ever truly materialize, however, since it would require putting her ambitions aside.
Fears
- Fate: Luna Melrose is destined to take a one-way ticket to Hell; that’s a fate she has desperately fought against so far, but it will eventually catch up to her if she cannot find a permanent solution. Once it does come to pass, her life will be reduced to an eternity of torture without any form of freedom, a thought she legitimately shivers thinking about. There is hardly anything more terrifying to the girl than being reminded she must be punished for a crime committed nearly a millennia ago, especially when she does not feel any fault in what she did. Moreover, signs of an incoming death can lead Luna into a panic since that word is synonymous with eternal damnation for her, which is why her own survival tends to trump anything else in her mind.
- Authority: Even in her particularly long lifespan, joining the Gotei 13 is her first experience involving the authority that comes with a chain of command; it’s as such a highly exciting chance to understand how people act under this sort of system, but it also means her previous understanding of social interactions may not apply anymore; this momentarily leaves her without the shield her manipulation would usually provide. There’s an inherent risk that a miscalculation in one of her schemes could back her in a corner while she lacks the proper grasp on this foreign structure, and as a result she fears the authority those far above her in rank can wield, doing everything she can to prepare guarantees for her safety.
- Commitment: Luna is someone who likes to keep her options open; being told she has to make a choice that would narrow down such options would be a nightmare. Unfortunately, her indecisiveness in that regard ends up causing herself much frustration; she’s afraid she might lose access to a path that could prove critical, one she would’ve preferred immensely in future circumstances that she cannot currently foretell. Her admission into the Gotei 13 is already one such decision she was effectively forced to take due to her situation, and she doesn’t wish to have another major commitment like this one dropped on her again; ultimately, her main desire is to live her life peacefully, away from the concerns and whims of the modern world. To do so, she needs to remain free; anything else would hurt the future she envisions immensely.
- Betrayal: As someone who pulls the strings behind the scenes, falling prey to betrayal is a strong source of worry for Luna Melrose. She dreads the possibility that her plans could be thwarted through no more than simple sabotage from the inside and is alarmed by the consequences that might have; beyond the threat to her survival, it is also her reputation she fears would be damaged in that scenario. Since her influence is directly tied to her standing and is a pivotal component for her plots to go smoothly, losing it would effectively rob her of the leverage she holds over her surroundings; Luna will therefore plan many contingencies around the risks of disloyalty and will be prepared to cut her losses at any point if needed, to protect what she needs most.
- Her Shadow: A peculiar and irrational fear that began after an ambush during her life in the wilderness, Luna is now afraid of not having her own shadow within her field of view; while not crippling and rather akin to uneasiness, she will typically do everything in her power to either keep her shadow in front of herself, or otherwise have the means to keep an eye on it using, for instance, a mirror or other reflective surface. The only upside of this abnormal behavior is that she will generally notice easily when someone is on her tail or stalking behind her, having a particularly high awareness toward such actions; other than her alertness, everything else about her daily life is made more difficult by this unfortunate and nearly constant worry on her mind.
At first glance, Luna appears to be a charming girl, full of life and personality. Her interactions with those around her lead many to believe that she is a social butterfly, especially given her tendency to turn first meetings into lasting friendships. She seemingly has no difficulty socializing in a group, even going so far as to break the ice with someone if she feels they need the help or to put them at ease; in fact, she seems to actively seek unfamiliar faces in a crowd, in an attempt to learn more and potentially make a new friend. Due to her pure smile and positive attitude, others often treat her with a high degree of leniency and are willing to provide her, when requested, with small favors; as a result, she sometimes has access to events or areas she shouldn’t, granting her opportunities to meet individuals of higher standing than her own. The optimism she exhibits often proves contagious, which is what allows her to fit into so many different circles; if it weren’t for that, she wouldn’t be able to support her current lifestyle and extroverted nature.
In her everyday life, Luna Melrose is a carefree spirit. Unless she is actively involved in a task, her mind tends to wander off in thought and she begins impulsively following her whims of the moment. A lot of inspiration for her many projects comes from the mundane events that are occurring daily, which is why she seemingly shows excitement for them even when it doesn't necessarily feel warranted. Moreover, her curious nature knows no bounds, often leading her down a rabbit hole and ultimately getting her in trouble for it. She regularly adopts a lovey-dovey attitude which can disarm even the most hardened antisocial tendencies, allowing her to form close bonds with individuals who would normally rather remain distant. All these qualities are reminiscent, in many ways, of the innocence that a child might display; however, she also sometimes shows a sharp and uncanny understanding of darker topics, which betrays her real comprehension of the world's inner-workings.
In truth, Luna's outward behavior contrasts heavily with her inward philosophy. While she may act friendly with many, there is hardly anyone she would truthfully consider a comrade; her usual conduct is merely a facade she adopted as a defense mechanism, long ago during her life as a human, to disarm and approach others without fear of raising any suspicion on herself. Under the surface, Luna’s nature is that of a scheming and manipulative woman who acts in the shadows, capable of the absolute worst if it means she can push her agenda forward; blackmail, bribery and even seduction are all tools she uses regularly, employing them when her fake personality cannot get her what she wants. All of her actions are calculated far in advance to reach a desired outcome, alongside multiple contingencies in case events go off-script; she leaves nothing up to chance and maintains her persona with an unwavering grip, rarely letting any signs of its existence peek through.
The few individuals she would consider real friends mean the world to her and when left alone in their presence, Luna’s behavior changes drastically. In such circumstances, her demeanor softens and she opens up a lot more about her thoughts, her emotions, her physical state and any other concerns they may have. Additionally, while she tends to take up a lot of space in normal social interactions, she takes a backseat once around them; such friendships matter a lot more to her than many realize, which is why she is willing to start acting with sincerity and forego her usual trickery, instead allowing her own vulnerability to go on display. She will tease and banter with those friends without shame or regard for appearances, and will embrace a much more realistic mindset alongside them; however, most importantly, they are the only ones with whom she will willingly disclose her schemes and reveal what her intentions are. Only their opinions hold any value to the girl, which is why she will often involve them as co-conspirators.
When instead faced with an enemy, Luna’s actions would best be described as ruthless, yet calculated. Her typical response to aggression, whether physical or otherwise, is to pry open her foe’s motives and intentions throughout the clash; she attempts to manipulate or force them into playing their hand so that she may know exactly what threat she is facing, sometimes even placating them with information or half-truths in order to get a reaction out of them. One of her natural reflexes when antagonized is to, perhaps mistakenly, assume she is confronting someone capable of rivaling her own planning ability, leading her to play it safe by seeking to de-escalate the situation and instead negotiate, trying to find common ground between them. She considers conflicts like these to be an excellent opportunity to form new partnerships if dialogue can be established, or otherwise trick her adversary toward their own downfall; should her opponent prove to have incompatible goals or ideals, however, she will not hesitate to put every effort toward their annihilation, employing a relentless barrage of gimmicks she has prepared for exactly this sort of occasion.
As for matters of love, the feelings would be a genuine shock for Luna if they were to hypothetically blossom. While she is no stranger to the more intimate affairs of human courtship, her own feelings in that regard are an unknown she has had very little interactions with so far; in fact, one could say the greatest mystery she has yet to solve is precisely the origin of such feelings of infatuation and attachment, which she knows all living beings can develop but cannot quite pinpoint why yet. Should love ever take root in her heart, she is inclined to rationalize every minuscule deviation in her mind as being the product of this anomaly, scrutinizing her own behavior in order to understand the foreign emotion. This cautiousness would most likely result in erratic and seemingly illogical personality quirks, fueled by a fear of the unknown and desire for normalcy; however, should someone navigate their way through the thorns of her heart successfully, they would certainly find in her a loyal and caring partner.
In terms of routine activities, Luna’s thirst for knowledge is a powerful motivation that fuels most of her everyday decisions. When she isn’t occupied with common chores or handling her duties, the girl can predictably be found either tinkering with anything she can get her hands on or otherwise speculating on the nature of the world around her, attempting while she’s at it to prove her theories. Even amongst the many researchers of Soul Society, she is perhaps the one most obsessed with the thrill of unraveling enigmas and uncovering the unknown; others should be particularly wary of their own behavior around her, since she is highly prone to adopt a stalker’s mentality if she senses the slightest hint of mystery in how someone behaves. Her dearest objective is to one day have eyes and ears all over the three worlds, collecting information no matter how trivial on all their residents, in an unending pursuit for the truth.
Outside of this perpetual hunt for secrets, Luna’s lifestyle is one of pleasure and hedonism. When faced with multiple options, her choice will generally lie with the one that provides the highest satisfaction overall; she weighs the potential returns against each other to choose a course of action, and will typically invite others to do the same on their end. While she's not necessarily above some instant gratification, it is worth noting that she also won't prioritize endeavors based on whether their benefits are immediately perceivable; in fact, she tends to prefer doing activities such as learning or socializing over the materialist ventures that plague modern society. Regardless, one must admit Luna gets delight and enjoyment through even the most mundane events, and is particularly easy to please; food, parties, comedy and other forms of entertainment resonate deeply with the young woman and are like a ray of sunlight in the perpetual chaos that surrounds her.
One of Luna’s foremost beliefs is that the truth should never become tainted through lies; this may seem quite ironic, coming from someone who regularly attempts to manipulate those around her and hides behind a facade, but a lifetime of dishonesty has led her to conclude that lies have unintended outcomes and are therefore dangerous, since she cannot account for them. Deception is another matter altogether, a victim can always be deceived further if needed, but lies inherently change the truth and sometimes, such a lie becomes a dead end; as a result, while she does try to trick others without feeling the slightest bit of remorse, she will also never under any circumstances tell anyone a blatant lie, even when it would benefit her. Omissions and leading someone to a false conclusion are both fair play in her book, but twisting the truth to one’s advantage is where she draws the line; knowledge should always remain impartial to everyone, not be used for personal gain.
Her views on weakness are quite far from the norm, too. While most would consider inherent strengths to be a good indicator of how threatening someone might be, Luna is much more inclined to gauge them based on their shortcomings; she believes that powerful individuals are fundamentally predictable, and that the weak-willed are the ones with the potential to become wildcards. In the right circumstances, a person will embrace extreme ideals and begin dealing in absolutes, sacrificing anything along the way to reach their objectives; such people are never the strong, but rather those who have been robbed of an opportunity to remain cowards. According to her, any weakness can be leveraged and become an asset, paving the way for an individual to grow and tap into their raw potential; relying on strength alone is a mistake since it ignores the most vital component required for growth. Demons are born when great ambitions meet the harsh reality of survival among wolves and, when one’s defects are great enough, even the impossible may become within their reach.
As for her other beliefs, Luna Melrose is a being who willingly bends the knee to societal norms, yet firmly refuses to change her own nature in adherence with them. From her perspective, the whims of society are a perfect playground for her deceptive way of life and prevents those who abuse loopholes in its laws from ever being properly punished; this false sense of justice acts as a shield that protects the predators lurking beneath the surface, silencing the majority while also safeguarding the status quo. In that regard, she deems nobility the greatest culprits, since they are actively instigating the creation of laws favoring them; if such rules were made to be broken in the first place, then she shall exploit their existence alongside them. Society is a complex game of play pretend, in which few are truly honest with themselves and where the only common denominator toward victory is simply one’s survival, all other factors being yours alone to choose; as such, she rationalizes her own actions on this spectrum, often reaching vastly different conclusions on right and wrong.
Should she ever get backed in a corner, become legitimately concerned for her own survival or suffer an immeasurable loss, Luna Melrose is prone to crack under the pressure; if that were to happen, a massive change to her personality would occur, showing what could be considered the deepest corners of her heart. In such a state, her mentality takes a quick turn for the worst, revealing signs of highly pessimistic behavior and the traces of a latent depression deep within her core, a feeling usually lurking underneath and veiled through her persona. Addressing her directly while she cannot think rationally is prone to be met with an attitude she would normally never display, sprinkling her language with lots of sarcasm and adopting a strikingly dismissive mood. Moreover, she will curse the world in this condition and stop at nothing to hurt others the same way she has been; Luna Melrose is only driven by malice at this point, losing her natural pragmatism and momentarily falling into despair instead.
In her everyday life, Luna Melrose is a carefree spirit. Unless she is actively involved in a task, her mind tends to wander off in thought and she begins impulsively following her whims of the moment. A lot of inspiration for her many projects comes from the mundane events that are occurring daily, which is why she seemingly shows excitement for them even when it doesn't necessarily feel warranted. Moreover, her curious nature knows no bounds, often leading her down a rabbit hole and ultimately getting her in trouble for it. She regularly adopts a lovey-dovey attitude which can disarm even the most hardened antisocial tendencies, allowing her to form close bonds with individuals who would normally rather remain distant. All these qualities are reminiscent, in many ways, of the innocence that a child might display; however, she also sometimes shows a sharp and uncanny understanding of darker topics, which betrays her real comprehension of the world's inner-workings.
In truth, Luna's outward behavior contrasts heavily with her inward philosophy. While she may act friendly with many, there is hardly anyone she would truthfully consider a comrade; her usual conduct is merely a facade she adopted as a defense mechanism, long ago during her life as a human, to disarm and approach others without fear of raising any suspicion on herself. Under the surface, Luna’s nature is that of a scheming and manipulative woman who acts in the shadows, capable of the absolute worst if it means she can push her agenda forward; blackmail, bribery and even seduction are all tools she uses regularly, employing them when her fake personality cannot get her what she wants. All of her actions are calculated far in advance to reach a desired outcome, alongside multiple contingencies in case events go off-script; she leaves nothing up to chance and maintains her persona with an unwavering grip, rarely letting any signs of its existence peek through.
The few individuals she would consider real friends mean the world to her and when left alone in their presence, Luna’s behavior changes drastically. In such circumstances, her demeanor softens and she opens up a lot more about her thoughts, her emotions, her physical state and any other concerns they may have. Additionally, while she tends to take up a lot of space in normal social interactions, she takes a backseat once around them; such friendships matter a lot more to her than many realize, which is why she is willing to start acting with sincerity and forego her usual trickery, instead allowing her own vulnerability to go on display. She will tease and banter with those friends without shame or regard for appearances, and will embrace a much more realistic mindset alongside them; however, most importantly, they are the only ones with whom she will willingly disclose her schemes and reveal what her intentions are. Only their opinions hold any value to the girl, which is why she will often involve them as co-conspirators.
When instead faced with an enemy, Luna’s actions would best be described as ruthless, yet calculated. Her typical response to aggression, whether physical or otherwise, is to pry open her foe’s motives and intentions throughout the clash; she attempts to manipulate or force them into playing their hand so that she may know exactly what threat she is facing, sometimes even placating them with information or half-truths in order to get a reaction out of them. One of her natural reflexes when antagonized is to, perhaps mistakenly, assume she is confronting someone capable of rivaling her own planning ability, leading her to play it safe by seeking to de-escalate the situation and instead negotiate, trying to find common ground between them. She considers conflicts like these to be an excellent opportunity to form new partnerships if dialogue can be established, or otherwise trick her adversary toward their own downfall; should her opponent prove to have incompatible goals or ideals, however, she will not hesitate to put every effort toward their annihilation, employing a relentless barrage of gimmicks she has prepared for exactly this sort of occasion.
As for matters of love, the feelings would be a genuine shock for Luna if they were to hypothetically blossom. While she is no stranger to the more intimate affairs of human courtship, her own feelings in that regard are an unknown she has had very little interactions with so far; in fact, one could say the greatest mystery she has yet to solve is precisely the origin of such feelings of infatuation and attachment, which she knows all living beings can develop but cannot quite pinpoint why yet. Should love ever take root in her heart, she is inclined to rationalize every minuscule deviation in her mind as being the product of this anomaly, scrutinizing her own behavior in order to understand the foreign emotion. This cautiousness would most likely result in erratic and seemingly illogical personality quirks, fueled by a fear of the unknown and desire for normalcy; however, should someone navigate their way through the thorns of her heart successfully, they would certainly find in her a loyal and caring partner.
In terms of routine activities, Luna’s thirst for knowledge is a powerful motivation that fuels most of her everyday decisions. When she isn’t occupied with common chores or handling her duties, the girl can predictably be found either tinkering with anything she can get her hands on or otherwise speculating on the nature of the world around her, attempting while she’s at it to prove her theories. Even amongst the many researchers of Soul Society, she is perhaps the one most obsessed with the thrill of unraveling enigmas and uncovering the unknown; others should be particularly wary of their own behavior around her, since she is highly prone to adopt a stalker’s mentality if she senses the slightest hint of mystery in how someone behaves. Her dearest objective is to one day have eyes and ears all over the three worlds, collecting information no matter how trivial on all their residents, in an unending pursuit for the truth.
Outside of this perpetual hunt for secrets, Luna’s lifestyle is one of pleasure and hedonism. When faced with multiple options, her choice will generally lie with the one that provides the highest satisfaction overall; she weighs the potential returns against each other to choose a course of action, and will typically invite others to do the same on their end. While she's not necessarily above some instant gratification, it is worth noting that she also won't prioritize endeavors based on whether their benefits are immediately perceivable; in fact, she tends to prefer doing activities such as learning or socializing over the materialist ventures that plague modern society. Regardless, one must admit Luna gets delight and enjoyment through even the most mundane events, and is particularly easy to please; food, parties, comedy and other forms of entertainment resonate deeply with the young woman and are like a ray of sunlight in the perpetual chaos that surrounds her.
One of Luna’s foremost beliefs is that the truth should never become tainted through lies; this may seem quite ironic, coming from someone who regularly attempts to manipulate those around her and hides behind a facade, but a lifetime of dishonesty has led her to conclude that lies have unintended outcomes and are therefore dangerous, since she cannot account for them. Deception is another matter altogether, a victim can always be deceived further if needed, but lies inherently change the truth and sometimes, such a lie becomes a dead end; as a result, while she does try to trick others without feeling the slightest bit of remorse, she will also never under any circumstances tell anyone a blatant lie, even when it would benefit her. Omissions and leading someone to a false conclusion are both fair play in her book, but twisting the truth to one’s advantage is where she draws the line; knowledge should always remain impartial to everyone, not be used for personal gain.
Her views on weakness are quite far from the norm, too. While most would consider inherent strengths to be a good indicator of how threatening someone might be, Luna is much more inclined to gauge them based on their shortcomings; she believes that powerful individuals are fundamentally predictable, and that the weak-willed are the ones with the potential to become wildcards. In the right circumstances, a person will embrace extreme ideals and begin dealing in absolutes, sacrificing anything along the way to reach their objectives; such people are never the strong, but rather those who have been robbed of an opportunity to remain cowards. According to her, any weakness can be leveraged and become an asset, paving the way for an individual to grow and tap into their raw potential; relying on strength alone is a mistake since it ignores the most vital component required for growth. Demons are born when great ambitions meet the harsh reality of survival among wolves and, when one’s defects are great enough, even the impossible may become within their reach.
As for her other beliefs, Luna Melrose is a being who willingly bends the knee to societal norms, yet firmly refuses to change her own nature in adherence with them. From her perspective, the whims of society are a perfect playground for her deceptive way of life and prevents those who abuse loopholes in its laws from ever being properly punished; this false sense of justice acts as a shield that protects the predators lurking beneath the surface, silencing the majority while also safeguarding the status quo. In that regard, she deems nobility the greatest culprits, since they are actively instigating the creation of laws favoring them; if such rules were made to be broken in the first place, then she shall exploit their existence alongside them. Society is a complex game of play pretend, in which few are truly honest with themselves and where the only common denominator toward victory is simply one’s survival, all other factors being yours alone to choose; as such, she rationalizes her own actions on this spectrum, often reaching vastly different conclusions on right and wrong.
Should she ever get backed in a corner, become legitimately concerned for her own survival or suffer an immeasurable loss, Luna Melrose is prone to crack under the pressure; if that were to happen, a massive change to her personality would occur, showing what could be considered the deepest corners of her heart. In such a state, her mentality takes a quick turn for the worst, revealing signs of highly pessimistic behavior and the traces of a latent depression deep within her core, a feeling usually lurking underneath and veiled through her persona. Addressing her directly while she cannot think rationally is prone to be met with an attitude she would normally never display, sprinkling her language with lots of sarcasm and adopting a strikingly dismissive mood. Moreover, she will curse the world in this condition and stop at nothing to hurt others the same way she has been; Luna Melrose is only driven by malice at this point, losing her natural pragmatism and momentarily falling into despair instead.
If Luna's capabilities were to be evaluated by gauging them in regular combat, they would certainly be considered mediocre at best; she does not meet the criteria usually employed to assess a Shinigami's fighting strength, and likely never will. This girl is extremely adept at learning the theoretical principles behind a phenomenon, but has major difficulty applying this vast pool of knowledge toward practical applications; when it comes to her combat expertise, she is therefore incapable of properly grasping sophisticated fighting styles beyond their fundamentals and will instead keep things simple in their function. Zanjutsu and Hakuda are both a lost cause, she lacks the strength and speed to make good use of them and will instead generally be forced on the defensive when attempting it; her usage of Kido is better, but still leaves much to be desired due to the lack of force backing it up. In truth, only Hoho has a real place in her arsenal, and even then, she has difficulty with the practical applications of Shunpo.
If she ever does need to make use of typical fighting styles regardless, such as during training, Luna’s ingenuity is her only saving grace. In physical combat, she will attempt as best as she can to compensate for her shortcomings by trying to deflect blows instead of fully blocking them, and will reduce the gap with her opponent by using attacks meant to incapacitate them; of course, her lack of training will bite back at her severely here, leading to many mistakes her foe may very well exploit and benefit from. Luna will also focus heavily on her surroundings as a tool to potentially use, taking advantage of it to try and either close the gap with ranged opponents if necessary or to otherwise take them by surprise, incorporating the terrain in her strategies. The last trick up her sleeve she can use in this situation is her innate knowledge of the human body; if given a chance, she can compensate for her own lack of power by targeting the correct vitals and use her own physiology in last-ditch efforts against blows she cannot otherwise defend against.
Truthfully, participating in such a fight is an uphill battle for Luna but thankfully, she will rarely be forced to do so; in real combat where all is fair game, she can fight much better by using her resourcefulness alongside a vast number of gadgets she personally made. Being an inventor, Luna won’t expose herself without having an item ready for nearly every combat situation she can conceivably think of, which is ultimately what lies at the center of her strength as a Shinigami; such extreme versatility, in situations another might find troublesome, is what makes her particularly noteworthy and tricky to fight against for her opponents. When her full arsenal is at her disposal, Luna Melrose becomes a terrifying foe who can fight equally as well up close or at range, and who always has the means to try evading or defending from incoming blows; her potential vectors of attack are effectively infinite, from toxins and traps to illusion and deterioration. Whichever method may seem like a vulnerability for her opposition will be openly exploited, until nothing remains of them or their ambitions.
Of course, any pioneer in the vast fields of science has a unique expertise they can take pride in, and Luna Melrose is no exception; in her case, a mastery over biology and medical practice became the foundation of her knowledge and the lynchpin behind many of her innovations and breakthroughs. Among the Gotei 13, she could be considered one of very few specialists working on modifying a living body for combat purposes, her studies standing at the forefront of this peculiar and often immoral field; as a result, fighting against her implies being on the receiving end of this cutting-edge technology, and having to work around it. Usual theories rarely apply against Luna anymore… Since any body part could easily be concealing a weapon, it is likely for an attack to be met with unexpected resistance in a way normal bodies would be incapable of offering. Her arms, her flesh, her blood, her breath, her eyes, all of it can be weaponized; this girl could be compared to a walking armory when she gets involved on the battlefield, using weaponry capable of rivaling even small nations.
As a medical expert, her influence certainly doesn’t end there; having a medic on the field is often the difference between life or death, turning the tides of battle heavily in any conflict. In that regard, Luna Melrose knows not only how to care for the wounded, but also how to minimize the impact of her own injuries and maximize her recovery, even amidst the threat of a fight; this fact alone is generally enough to make her an infuriating opponent in the eyes of many, especially since she can restore herself as well which means targeting the healer first isn’t truly a solution. To make matters worse, her gadgets are not only geared toward combat, many are meant for healing too; her simple presence can therefore provide the supplies needed to keep a large group in pristine condition, even inside of enemy territory. Luna is obviously extremely confident in her healing skills, allowing her to adopt strategies many would consider suicidal; she will not refrain from taking a hit if she believes it will grant her a chance to retaliate with greater strength.
Perhaps as a consequence of this mindset, a lot of Luna Melrose’s fighting style is built around the use of counters for the tools her opponent decides to employ against her. There are three fundamental pillars with which a foe might try to prevail over the girl, power, mobility, and range; Luna has several tactics in place for each of these scenarios. Against power, she will attempt to prevent the gaps and shortcomings in her defense from being exploited by her enemy to nullify their advantage and will assault them using indirect methods; this will generally involve unorthodox forms of movement and attacks meant to harm using poison, illusions or sensory overload. When faced with better mobility, Luna Melrose will instead reduce their options and push them into making a mistake; offensives targeting an area and the use of traps are both viable options to achieve this, and she may try to bait them into wounding her to ensnare them and return a hit. As for overwhelming range, her tactic of choice is to prevent accurate shots while forcing or tricking them into melee; to do so, she will create blind spots in their vision and reduce the efficiency of their projectiles.
When this isn’t enough or an unforeseen event occurs, Luna Melrose will finally opt to release her Shikai and unleash Mukiryoku; as soon as her threads of fate appear, she will extract and meld them with her reiatsu in preparation for her plans. While this isn’t normally something she likes to do, preferring to rely on her personal skills rather than the power of her Zanpakuto, Luna will typically do so if she feels that her usual tools may prove insufficient for the task at hand; once Mukiryoku comes into play, her threads will be covertly scattered around the battlefield, manipulated from a distance by the girl and positioned strategically for sudden and unexpected attacks leveraging her various other weapons. Every move she makes over the course of combat is deliberate and calculated, usually to reach a favorable outcome and put the opponent in checkmate through a set of consecutive actions; her plans often involve the unique property her threads have when severed, using it to either force her foe into taking a specific decision or trigger a mechanism she has secretly set up over their battle.
With Mukiryoku going wild, her medical procedures also evolve to their logical conclusions; should the situation require both enemy interception and healing the wounded, then her response will adequately meet both expectations. If the battle takes such a grisly turn, Luna will use the injured as a power source and prominently wield the threads attached to them; a large web covering the victims will be prepared and will protect those within from further harm, systematically taking advantage of careless assaults to sever relevant threads and revert the associated wounds. Twisting the rules and application of medical aid to her advantage, Luna will incorporate the injured into her strategy and make them a cornerstone of her actions; their presence will be used as an additional deterrent against her opponent, who will be left with no choice but to exclusively target the medic. Should these victims need to be stabilized, Luna will prepare preliminary treatment using Henka Jinsei and, if their condition is difficult to identify, may rely on Ikken’Ato as well for diagnosis; together, her Shikai techniques are exceptional new tools in the girl’s medical arsenal and contribute directly to the survival of everyone involved.
Of course, her plans aren’t foolproof and may go off the rails at any moment; should this happen, Luna needs a contingency to avoid the worst and manage a recovery. Fortunately, Mukiryoku’s toolkit comes with an appropriate answer for this scenario, providing Uragaeshi to handle the consequences of such an outcome; in the heat of combat, even Luna Melrose cannot truly guarantee she won’t be exposed to danger or suffer from a fatal wound and to mitigate that risk, Uragaeshi’s reversal of the timeline can be extremely useful to ensure she can handle a critical mistake without immediately going down, providing herself with additional time when her plans go haywire. Ultimately, her recovery depends on how well she can manage to flip the current circumstances into a new plan and salvage her strategy, which is why Luna always keeps many options in mind when first devising how she’ll overcome an opponent; in fact, she may even take extra steps, which are irrelevant for her current plans, to prepare an alternative if her active strategy ends up failing.
While this is an extraordinarily rare occurrence, Luna Melrose may sometimes be forced to release her Bankai when faced with dire circumstances, having to rely on Fukyuu’No Meisaku for her own survival. When her life is directly threatened by an opponent, one she lacks the ability to contain properly, the ash-colored threads of her Bankai will often be used in response, proving vital to recover from the many injuries she has most likely already suffered and will continue to endure; being pushed against the wall to this extent, Luna’s self-preservation strategy will switch away from trying to avoid wounds, and turn toward severing the threads of her most heavy injuries during every exchange of blows with her foe. She will openly place her threads of fate as obstacles throughout the terrain and wrap them around herself, preventing whoever’s pressuring her from having free reign with their offense and slowing down their momentum; once her survival is no longer at risk, Luna will then focus on disengaging from further peril.
Another motive, albeit even less commonplace, for her to unleash Fukyuu’No Meisaku on her enemies involves the core of its ability, the power to revert time itself. Although she generally loathes having to activate her time reversal and will never do so on a whim to avoid painting a target on her back, Luna’s unique capability means she can turn the tides of a war very easily, a feat exclusive to herself; as a true strategist, she keeps this trump card close to heart and will avoid abusing it, preferring to save it for an occasion worthy of advancing her schemes forward. Nonetheless, it remains that she has the potential to rescue anyone from their fate even when it would otherwise be too late, an option at her disposal with immense implications, capable of redefining the very limits of her skill ceiling as a medical expert; only time will tell how the girl may choose to use this unprecedented gift and whether it’ll be exploited for selfish ambitions, but either way, it is undeniably a terrifying secret ace to have up one’s sleeve.
As an absolute last resort, her Bankai also gives access to one final technique she may need for survival, Mira-Hensoku; since this technique belongs to her inner Hollow, Luna will do everything in her power to avoid using it but will still begrudgingly do so if there’s no other way to escape her current predicament. After summoning a double of herself, a major switch will once again occur in her fighting style; both girls will now coordinate attacks in unison, attempting to catch their opponent with wide hits and force them to retaliate harmfully toward her clone. Through subterfuge, Luna will try to trick her foe with confusing movements and methods meant to obfuscate their distinguishing features, possibly even using herself as bait and sacrificing her own safety in exchange for an opportunity to land the killing blow. Admittedly, if Luna’s survival ever became endangered so intensely, such a direct confrontation wouldn’t last long; she would try to de-escalate the situation and her strategy would rather be a form of mutually assured destruction, deterring her adversary from engaging hostilities and instead forcing them to partake in a negotiation.
If she ever does need to make use of typical fighting styles regardless, such as during training, Luna’s ingenuity is her only saving grace. In physical combat, she will attempt as best as she can to compensate for her shortcomings by trying to deflect blows instead of fully blocking them, and will reduce the gap with her opponent by using attacks meant to incapacitate them; of course, her lack of training will bite back at her severely here, leading to many mistakes her foe may very well exploit and benefit from. Luna will also focus heavily on her surroundings as a tool to potentially use, taking advantage of it to try and either close the gap with ranged opponents if necessary or to otherwise take them by surprise, incorporating the terrain in her strategies. The last trick up her sleeve she can use in this situation is her innate knowledge of the human body; if given a chance, she can compensate for her own lack of power by targeting the correct vitals and use her own physiology in last-ditch efforts against blows she cannot otherwise defend against.
Truthfully, participating in such a fight is an uphill battle for Luna but thankfully, she will rarely be forced to do so; in real combat where all is fair game, she can fight much better by using her resourcefulness alongside a vast number of gadgets she personally made. Being an inventor, Luna won’t expose herself without having an item ready for nearly every combat situation she can conceivably think of, which is ultimately what lies at the center of her strength as a Shinigami; such extreme versatility, in situations another might find troublesome, is what makes her particularly noteworthy and tricky to fight against for her opponents. When her full arsenal is at her disposal, Luna Melrose becomes a terrifying foe who can fight equally as well up close or at range, and who always has the means to try evading or defending from incoming blows; her potential vectors of attack are effectively infinite, from toxins and traps to illusion and deterioration. Whichever method may seem like a vulnerability for her opposition will be openly exploited, until nothing remains of them or their ambitions.
Of course, any pioneer in the vast fields of science has a unique expertise they can take pride in, and Luna Melrose is no exception; in her case, a mastery over biology and medical practice became the foundation of her knowledge and the lynchpin behind many of her innovations and breakthroughs. Among the Gotei 13, she could be considered one of very few specialists working on modifying a living body for combat purposes, her studies standing at the forefront of this peculiar and often immoral field; as a result, fighting against her implies being on the receiving end of this cutting-edge technology, and having to work around it. Usual theories rarely apply against Luna anymore… Since any body part could easily be concealing a weapon, it is likely for an attack to be met with unexpected resistance in a way normal bodies would be incapable of offering. Her arms, her flesh, her blood, her breath, her eyes, all of it can be weaponized; this girl could be compared to a walking armory when she gets involved on the battlefield, using weaponry capable of rivaling even small nations.
As a medical expert, her influence certainly doesn’t end there; having a medic on the field is often the difference between life or death, turning the tides of battle heavily in any conflict. In that regard, Luna Melrose knows not only how to care for the wounded, but also how to minimize the impact of her own injuries and maximize her recovery, even amidst the threat of a fight; this fact alone is generally enough to make her an infuriating opponent in the eyes of many, especially since she can restore herself as well which means targeting the healer first isn’t truly a solution. To make matters worse, her gadgets are not only geared toward combat, many are meant for healing too; her simple presence can therefore provide the supplies needed to keep a large group in pristine condition, even inside of enemy territory. Luna is obviously extremely confident in her healing skills, allowing her to adopt strategies many would consider suicidal; she will not refrain from taking a hit if she believes it will grant her a chance to retaliate with greater strength.
Perhaps as a consequence of this mindset, a lot of Luna Melrose’s fighting style is built around the use of counters for the tools her opponent decides to employ against her. There are three fundamental pillars with which a foe might try to prevail over the girl, power, mobility, and range; Luna has several tactics in place for each of these scenarios. Against power, she will attempt to prevent the gaps and shortcomings in her defense from being exploited by her enemy to nullify their advantage and will assault them using indirect methods; this will generally involve unorthodox forms of movement and attacks meant to harm using poison, illusions or sensory overload. When faced with better mobility, Luna Melrose will instead reduce their options and push them into making a mistake; offensives targeting an area and the use of traps are both viable options to achieve this, and she may try to bait them into wounding her to ensnare them and return a hit. As for overwhelming range, her tactic of choice is to prevent accurate shots while forcing or tricking them into melee; to do so, she will create blind spots in their vision and reduce the efficiency of their projectiles.
When this isn’t enough or an unforeseen event occurs, Luna Melrose will finally opt to release her Shikai and unleash Mukiryoku; as soon as her threads of fate appear, she will extract and meld them with her reiatsu in preparation for her plans. While this isn’t normally something she likes to do, preferring to rely on her personal skills rather than the power of her Zanpakuto, Luna will typically do so if she feels that her usual tools may prove insufficient for the task at hand; once Mukiryoku comes into play, her threads will be covertly scattered around the battlefield, manipulated from a distance by the girl and positioned strategically for sudden and unexpected attacks leveraging her various other weapons. Every move she makes over the course of combat is deliberate and calculated, usually to reach a favorable outcome and put the opponent in checkmate through a set of consecutive actions; her plans often involve the unique property her threads have when severed, using it to either force her foe into taking a specific decision or trigger a mechanism she has secretly set up over their battle.
With Mukiryoku going wild, her medical procedures also evolve to their logical conclusions; should the situation require both enemy interception and healing the wounded, then her response will adequately meet both expectations. If the battle takes such a grisly turn, Luna will use the injured as a power source and prominently wield the threads attached to them; a large web covering the victims will be prepared and will protect those within from further harm, systematically taking advantage of careless assaults to sever relevant threads and revert the associated wounds. Twisting the rules and application of medical aid to her advantage, Luna will incorporate the injured into her strategy and make them a cornerstone of her actions; their presence will be used as an additional deterrent against her opponent, who will be left with no choice but to exclusively target the medic. Should these victims need to be stabilized, Luna will prepare preliminary treatment using Henka Jinsei and, if their condition is difficult to identify, may rely on Ikken’Ato as well for diagnosis; together, her Shikai techniques are exceptional new tools in the girl’s medical arsenal and contribute directly to the survival of everyone involved.
Of course, her plans aren’t foolproof and may go off the rails at any moment; should this happen, Luna needs a contingency to avoid the worst and manage a recovery. Fortunately, Mukiryoku’s toolkit comes with an appropriate answer for this scenario, providing Uragaeshi to handle the consequences of such an outcome; in the heat of combat, even Luna Melrose cannot truly guarantee she won’t be exposed to danger or suffer from a fatal wound and to mitigate that risk, Uragaeshi’s reversal of the timeline can be extremely useful to ensure she can handle a critical mistake without immediately going down, providing herself with additional time when her plans go haywire. Ultimately, her recovery depends on how well she can manage to flip the current circumstances into a new plan and salvage her strategy, which is why Luna always keeps many options in mind when first devising how she’ll overcome an opponent; in fact, she may even take extra steps, which are irrelevant for her current plans, to prepare an alternative if her active strategy ends up failing.
While this is an extraordinarily rare occurrence, Luna Melrose may sometimes be forced to release her Bankai when faced with dire circumstances, having to rely on Fukyuu’No Meisaku for her own survival. When her life is directly threatened by an opponent, one she lacks the ability to contain properly, the ash-colored threads of her Bankai will often be used in response, proving vital to recover from the many injuries she has most likely already suffered and will continue to endure; being pushed against the wall to this extent, Luna’s self-preservation strategy will switch away from trying to avoid wounds, and turn toward severing the threads of her most heavy injuries during every exchange of blows with her foe. She will openly place her threads of fate as obstacles throughout the terrain and wrap them around herself, preventing whoever’s pressuring her from having free reign with their offense and slowing down their momentum; once her survival is no longer at risk, Luna will then focus on disengaging from further peril.
Another motive, albeit even less commonplace, for her to unleash Fukyuu’No Meisaku on her enemies involves the core of its ability, the power to revert time itself. Although she generally loathes having to activate her time reversal and will never do so on a whim to avoid painting a target on her back, Luna’s unique capability means she can turn the tides of a war very easily, a feat exclusive to herself; as a true strategist, she keeps this trump card close to heart and will avoid abusing it, preferring to save it for an occasion worthy of advancing her schemes forward. Nonetheless, it remains that she has the potential to rescue anyone from their fate even when it would otherwise be too late, an option at her disposal with immense implications, capable of redefining the very limits of her skill ceiling as a medical expert; only time will tell how the girl may choose to use this unprecedented gift and whether it’ll be exploited for selfish ambitions, but either way, it is undeniably a terrifying secret ace to have up one’s sleeve.
As an absolute last resort, her Bankai also gives access to one final technique she may need for survival, Mira-Hensoku; since this technique belongs to her inner Hollow, Luna will do everything in her power to avoid using it but will still begrudgingly do so if there’s no other way to escape her current predicament. After summoning a double of herself, a major switch will once again occur in her fighting style; both girls will now coordinate attacks in unison, attempting to catch their opponent with wide hits and force them to retaliate harmfully toward her clone. Through subterfuge, Luna will try to trick her foe with confusing movements and methods meant to obfuscate their distinguishing features, possibly even using herself as bait and sacrificing her own safety in exchange for an opportunity to land the killing blow. Admittedly, if Luna’s survival ever became endangered so intensely, such a direct confrontation wouldn’t last long; she would try to de-escalate the situation and her strategy would rather be a form of mutually assured destruction, deterring her adversary from engaging hostilities and instead forcing them to partake in a negotiation.
General Techniques
{Shunpo}
Class: 7
Technique Type: Kidō
Technique Element: None
Technique Description and Effects:
A movement technique that allows the user to move faster than the eye can follow. The focal point that determines the basis of this technique is speed. As speed is the main point of the technique, the method is best characterized by how fast one can get from Point A to Point B in the least amount of steps. Training and skill are what determines how fast a user of Shunpo can move. Those of little skill in the technique or those who haven't used it for an extended amount of time would obviously be out of practice, causing those individuals to be considerably slower. This requires the use of more steps to move the same distance and become tired more easily in a shorter amount of time. A single step magnifies speed for that step by ten times. Shunpo uses fifty Reiatsu per step. This one is automatically learned in the academy. All Shinigami know this when created. This technique does not take up a technique slot.
How to use technique:
Focus of Reishi around the feet area and launch off into a single blurring step. It is not unlike teleportation in appearance, but it is simply extremely fast movement. It is often used to gain an edge in a single moment of combat or to dodge incoming attacks.
One's inner world is a representation of their soul, their spirit, their wishes and what would distinguish them from any other being; with this mindset, Luna's inner world could be said to represent the vast expanse of both past and future, and nod to her unique relationship with each of these two concepts. When it is first entered, a desert dyed red in blood enters sight, this grisly landscape littered with large and unusual slabs of mineral; the sand itself feels coarse and rough to the touch, tainting the breathable air wherever one goes. Within this realm, the temperature feels icy and the atmosphere is lacking, as if the environment itself is rejecting its visitor’s presence. This world is an embodiment of Luna’s torn past and the unending bloodshed she leaves in her wake, without any sign of life on the horizon; you could consider the sand a symbol for the passage of time, and the aforementioned mineral rocks a reference to the many mistakes she made in life, towering over this land as a constant reminder of the effect they each had.
This isn’t the only shape her inner world can take, however; according to the circumstances, it can flip and become a beautiful sapphire field of crystals and snow, covered in rock formations with seemingly man-made characteristics. Contrary to what this terrain may imply, strong warmth is emanating from the ground and a feeling of coziness can be felt through these surroundings, a sensation almost exotic and tropical by its very nature; it is in fact drenched with deceiving contradictions and unexpected secrets just like this one, almost as if normalcy was completely absent here. Much like the woman it represents, this world is imbued with a sporadic energy seeping into the vicinity and corrupting anything it can reach, a force evoking the immutable essence of her future and the perpetual resistance she is organizing against Hell’s grasp. Under the surface, such a realm is therefore violent and erodes the mind of whoever dares enter, accentuating character traits and flaws the longer one is exposed to it.
The existence of these two vastly different inner worlds within her soul begs the question, how can someone travel between them? To provide an answer, Luna’s Zanpakuto Spirit must first be examined; sitting atop a pedestal of either sand or crystal, a rustic hourglass keeps a watchful eye over the region endlessly, monitoring activity within its reach for any signs of a threat. As a silent guardian, this spirit is responsible for Luna’s current stability, and maintains a balance between the opposing forces inhabiting her; it is a serene ally contributing quietly to the equilibrium of her soul. Incapable of discussing directly, this Zanpakuto remains nonetheless able of communication with its user, or anyone else who might enter its realm, through sharing of emotions and thought; anyone with whom this may occur would be capable of recognizing them as belonging to the spirit, it is merely a form of conversation using empathy instead of speech as its basis.
The foundation of this inner world lies with her spirit due to the role it has been given, as the one who brings harmony to it; for that reason, the shape it takes is also something under the spirit’s supervision, meaning it can flip which realm is currently being called upon, at will. Luna Melrose isn’t inherently powerless in this interaction, however; while the woman cannot choose which she will enter when meditating to reach her inner world, she can switch the one she is in by turning her Zanpakuto Spirit upside down, forcing a flip of the world in the process. Doing so is the main way by which navigation is possible through the two worlds, although it is realistically only an option for this Zanpakuto’s user; others would find themselves faced with a lot of resistance thrown their way if they were to attempt doing the same and might even get kicked out of the inner world entirely, assuming the circumstances allow for that.
There is one more trick related to this world and its spirit; they are in fact effectively one and the same. Secretly, Luna’s Zanpakuto Spirit, as an hourglass, contains her inner world inside of it, which is looping on itself; this has, in practice, several implications. First and foremost, it means Luna’s inner world isn’t nearly as infinite as it may first appear; if her inner world’s landscape is located in the hourglass, then it is logical a glass container would eventually be reached when walking through it and indeed, there is a circular range several meters away from the pedestal after which a translucent barrier is present. If this barrier is either broken or passed through, what lies beyond is the vast expanse of the opposite region, appearing near its pedestal; as such, it is possible to keep moving in any direction infinitely and, while the worlds themselves have a limit, the looping between them doesn’t. Moreover, the soil underneath one’s feet is also part of the hourglass, and corresponds to the sand within; this land can be manipulated by Luna’s Zanpakuto Spirit and molded into any shape it wants, giving it an unprecedented level of control over the structure of both worlds.
This isn’t the only shape her inner world can take, however; according to the circumstances, it can flip and become a beautiful sapphire field of crystals and snow, covered in rock formations with seemingly man-made characteristics. Contrary to what this terrain may imply, strong warmth is emanating from the ground and a feeling of coziness can be felt through these surroundings, a sensation almost exotic and tropical by its very nature; it is in fact drenched with deceiving contradictions and unexpected secrets just like this one, almost as if normalcy was completely absent here. Much like the woman it represents, this world is imbued with a sporadic energy seeping into the vicinity and corrupting anything it can reach, a force evoking the immutable essence of her future and the perpetual resistance she is organizing against Hell’s grasp. Under the surface, such a realm is therefore violent and erodes the mind of whoever dares enter, accentuating character traits and flaws the longer one is exposed to it.
The existence of these two vastly different inner worlds within her soul begs the question, how can someone travel between them? To provide an answer, Luna’s Zanpakuto Spirit must first be examined; sitting atop a pedestal of either sand or crystal, a rustic hourglass keeps a watchful eye over the region endlessly, monitoring activity within its reach for any signs of a threat. As a silent guardian, this spirit is responsible for Luna’s current stability, and maintains a balance between the opposing forces inhabiting her; it is a serene ally contributing quietly to the equilibrium of her soul. Incapable of discussing directly, this Zanpakuto remains nonetheless able of communication with its user, or anyone else who might enter its realm, through sharing of emotions and thought; anyone with whom this may occur would be capable of recognizing them as belonging to the spirit, it is merely a form of conversation using empathy instead of speech as its basis.
The foundation of this inner world lies with her spirit due to the role it has been given, as the one who brings harmony to it; for that reason, the shape it takes is also something under the spirit’s supervision, meaning it can flip which realm is currently being called upon, at will. Luna Melrose isn’t inherently powerless in this interaction, however; while the woman cannot choose which she will enter when meditating to reach her inner world, she can switch the one she is in by turning her Zanpakuto Spirit upside down, forcing a flip of the world in the process. Doing so is the main way by which navigation is possible through the two worlds, although it is realistically only an option for this Zanpakuto’s user; others would find themselves faced with a lot of resistance thrown their way if they were to attempt doing the same and might even get kicked out of the inner world entirely, assuming the circumstances allow for that.
There is one more trick related to this world and its spirit; they are in fact effectively one and the same. Secretly, Luna’s Zanpakuto Spirit, as an hourglass, contains her inner world inside of it, which is looping on itself; this has, in practice, several implications. First and foremost, it means Luna’s inner world isn’t nearly as infinite as it may first appear; if her inner world’s landscape is located in the hourglass, then it is logical a glass container would eventually be reached when walking through it and indeed, there is a circular range several meters away from the pedestal after which a translucent barrier is present. If this barrier is either broken or passed through, what lies beyond is the vast expanse of the opposite region, appearing near its pedestal; as such, it is possible to keep moving in any direction infinitely and, while the worlds themselves have a limit, the looping between them doesn’t. Moreover, the soil underneath one’s feet is also part of the hourglass, and corresponds to the sand within; this land can be manipulated by Luna’s Zanpakuto Spirit and molded into any shape it wants, giving it an unprecedented level of control over the structure of both worlds.
Among Shinigami, it is generally a well-known fact that the length of a Zanpakuto formed from one’s Asauchi is representative of its user’s spiritual presence, and on that basis, Luna’s spirit must feel particularly lacking. As a Japanese blade, her Zanpakuto is far from what might be called a katana and should rather be labeled a tantō since its blade falls very short of what would qualify it as a sword, having a length close to a mere kitchen knife. While its other traits tend to match a typical, ordinary Zanpakuto, its length is by itself enough of an outlier to stand out; the blade’s spirit, if described, would feel like no more than a shrouded flow of energy when perceived from the outside, veiled to such an extent that one might even doubt whether a Zanpakuto Spirit resides within altogether. Of course, even though others might scoff at her for it, Luna has never had an issue with this length and prefers it this way due to how easily the Zanpakuto can be concealed on herself; if one is attentive enough, they might however notice that its sheath is longer than the blade, implying a chance for future growth.
Named Mukiryoku, this Zanpakuto adopts a vastly different form when released and becomes a Viking short sword, a nod to Luna Melrose’s Norse heritage; its blade, while still short, takes on a much more appropriate size and, being seemingly made of Damascus steel, is much better suited to frontal combat than the former sealed state. Of its various characteristics, the blade’s new shape is beyond any doubts an oddity of symbolic significance; Mukiryoku curves several times along its length, giving it the shape of a snake, and the whole blade moves slowly in a serpentine fashion, as if it were the reptile itself. The Zanpakuto’s sheath also transforms upon release, turning into a black leather scabbard with a large width to accommodate its new blade’s movements and provide a safe storage space for it. Mukiryoku’s curvature is representative of the flow of time and cannot ever come to a halt; its motions will continue for all eternity, until the world itself reach the inevitable conclusion common to all of creation.
Upon the release of Fukyuu’No Meisaku, an all-powerful and impressive glow of light seems to engulf its blade from the hilt upward, permeating the area with an aura reminiscent of strong sunlight; even while submerged in darkness, this seemingly endless source of light emanating from its Bankai form is enough to illuminate one’s surroundings beyond normal limits, as if it were a beacon leading the way. However, perhaps its most important feature lies in how the past, present and future seem to interconnect at the tip of its blade; such a detail may not seem meaningful but, given Luna’s circumstances, an intense and intrusive bloodlust will steadily be radiating from it, a reflection of the inner Hollow inhabiting its user’s soul. Moreover, this blade now offers a window into both the past and future, and once someone begins gazing at it while focusing on the light it emits, visions of either may appear before their eyes; it is worth noting that these are in no way a certainty and are merely possibilities of a future that may never come, or of a past that could’ve never been.
Beyond the sword itself, Fukyuu’No Meisaku also affects Luna Melrose’s general appearance; wrapped in a cloak of beautiful luminescent threads gently coating her skin and clothing, which are connected to the girl’s collarbones and move along with each gesture, her presence is magnified exponentially. Every expression of her resolve is reflected in the shape and demeanor of these strings, but a common factor remains constant; no matter the situation, they will always flow downward as if the threads were acting like water following a river’s current, drifting and lingering similarly to the Zanpakuto’s blade. Regarding this phenomenon, however, it is operating on a fundamentally different basis; the mantle adorning its user is Fukyuu’No Meisaku’s physical representation of the timeline’s chronology or, in other words, a visual depiction of Luna’s future. As a result, threads of fate in the vicinity will now bend slightly toward her, as if she just became a vacuum to destiny itself.
Named Mukiryoku, this Zanpakuto adopts a vastly different form when released and becomes a Viking short sword, a nod to Luna Melrose’s Norse heritage; its blade, while still short, takes on a much more appropriate size and, being seemingly made of Damascus steel, is much better suited to frontal combat than the former sealed state. Of its various characteristics, the blade’s new shape is beyond any doubts an oddity of symbolic significance; Mukiryoku curves several times along its length, giving it the shape of a snake, and the whole blade moves slowly in a serpentine fashion, as if it were the reptile itself. The Zanpakuto’s sheath also transforms upon release, turning into a black leather scabbard with a large width to accommodate its new blade’s movements and provide a safe storage space for it. Mukiryoku’s curvature is representative of the flow of time and cannot ever come to a halt; its motions will continue for all eternity, until the world itself reach the inevitable conclusion common to all of creation.
Upon the release of Fukyuu’No Meisaku, an all-powerful and impressive glow of light seems to engulf its blade from the hilt upward, permeating the area with an aura reminiscent of strong sunlight; even while submerged in darkness, this seemingly endless source of light emanating from its Bankai form is enough to illuminate one’s surroundings beyond normal limits, as if it were a beacon leading the way. However, perhaps its most important feature lies in how the past, present and future seem to interconnect at the tip of its blade; such a detail may not seem meaningful but, given Luna’s circumstances, an intense and intrusive bloodlust will steadily be radiating from it, a reflection of the inner Hollow inhabiting its user’s soul. Moreover, this blade now offers a window into both the past and future, and once someone begins gazing at it while focusing on the light it emits, visions of either may appear before their eyes; it is worth noting that these are in no way a certainty and are merely possibilities of a future that may never come, or of a past that could’ve never been.
Beyond the sword itself, Fukyuu’No Meisaku also affects Luna Melrose’s general appearance; wrapped in a cloak of beautiful luminescent threads gently coating her skin and clothing, which are connected to the girl’s collarbones and move along with each gesture, her presence is magnified exponentially. Every expression of her resolve is reflected in the shape and demeanor of these strings, but a common factor remains constant; no matter the situation, they will always flow downward as if the threads were acting like water following a river’s current, drifting and lingering similarly to the Zanpakuto’s blade. Regarding this phenomenon, however, it is operating on a fundamentally different basis; the mantle adorning its user is Fukyuu’No Meisaku’s physical representation of the timeline’s chronology or, in other words, a visual depiction of Luna’s future. As a result, threads of fate in the vicinity will now bend slightly toward her, as if she just became a vacuum to destiny itself.
Overall Ability
As a Shinigami, the powers bestowed upon Luna Melrose are very far from what could be considered the norm among her peers, as the very nature of her Zanpakuto materialized from the guilt and regrets of its user, the many mistakes she made in her lifetime; such woes ultimately imbued the blade with a rather unique ability, one with the potential to make this lady a particularly fearsome opponent. If it were to be described simply, Luna wields the power to change the past, both figuratively and literally; Mukiryoku grants its owner full sovereignty over the timeline on which herself and others operate, allowing her to perform feats such as reverting her wounds or overwriting events to her advantage. This strange, exceptional property provides her with an opportunity to reach entirely new heights as a medical practitioner, redefining the very limits of what can be achieved once someone’s life is in danger.
When attempting to visualize her powers, it may be tempting to simplify them as a form of time control, but that wouldn’t be strictly accurate; her ability should rather be seen as a command over the causality between cause and effect, even if it does include elements of time manipulation. While it is true that a timeline portrays the flow of time over a given period, it is also conceptually a chronology of events, a linear indication of actions taken over such an interval; Luna’s ability isn’t truly tied to the temporal elements of the timeline, and rather interacts with the outcomes of everyone’s actions. In other words, when she is in her released state, she gains the ability to use the result of events occurring around her as a doorway to rewrite and interact with the timeline, all in accordance with the rules set by her Shikai and Bankai; in response, it’s as if the initial course of actions never existed in the first place, the past rearranging itself to accommodate such a phenomenon.
Once released, silky translucent strands called the threads of fate begin to emerge from the outcome of any action and are effectively the embodiment of Luna’s power; these threads act as the fuel for this ability, and are the essential component needed for its use. Whether someone is stabbed, a building shatters from an attack or a person is under the effect of poison, any such event can be reverted or manipulated through Luna’s ability as long as it left its mark on the world; in this case, the wound, the fragments and the symptoms, respectively. Unfortunately, this could also be considered its fundamental weakness, since any event that left no trace of its existence behind cannot be affected; the threads of fate only appear when Luna Melrose can perceive an event’s outcome, which means the ability can be particularly susceptible to illusionary techniques and sensory deprivation. These threads are in essence the link between an event and the timeline; by using them, the underlying event acts as a conduit and anchor between Luna and the notion of causality.
Such strands behave differently and have several physical characteristics that distinguish them or could be considered abnormal when compared to usual threads. To begin with, their buoyancy is extremely high due to how lightweight they actually are, even in comparison with normal strings; as a result, the threads of fate have a tendency to float in midair when they are left idle. Furthermore, the threads are slightly attracted toward what caused the event they emerged from, which means they will usually bend in that direction when still attached or, when plucked off, will slowly try to move toward it; this property can prove useful in some circumstances, for instance during an investigation or when the cause of an event is unclear. Being made of thin reiatsu, it can also be difficult to perceive them, and only those with a small investment of a hundred points in ES, or who have skill points invested in Focused Eye, will be able to make out their exact shape. However, unless someone is completely incapable of seeing spirits, the threads will always remain visible even in that scenario, albeit vague.
When attempting to visualize her powers, it may be tempting to simplify them as a form of time control, but that wouldn’t be strictly accurate; her ability should rather be seen as a command over the causality between cause and effect, even if it does include elements of time manipulation. While it is true that a timeline portrays the flow of time over a given period, it is also conceptually a chronology of events, a linear indication of actions taken over such an interval; Luna’s ability isn’t truly tied to the temporal elements of the timeline, and rather interacts with the outcomes of everyone’s actions. In other words, when she is in her released state, she gains the ability to use the result of events occurring around her as a doorway to rewrite and interact with the timeline, all in accordance with the rules set by her Shikai and Bankai; in response, it’s as if the initial course of actions never existed in the first place, the past rearranging itself to accommodate such a phenomenon.
Once released, silky translucent strands called the threads of fate begin to emerge from the outcome of any action and are effectively the embodiment of Luna’s power; these threads act as the fuel for this ability, and are the essential component needed for its use. Whether someone is stabbed, a building shatters from an attack or a person is under the effect of poison, any such event can be reverted or manipulated through Luna’s ability as long as it left its mark on the world; in this case, the wound, the fragments and the symptoms, respectively. Unfortunately, this could also be considered its fundamental weakness, since any event that left no trace of its existence behind cannot be affected; the threads of fate only appear when Luna Melrose can perceive an event’s outcome, which means the ability can be particularly susceptible to illusionary techniques and sensory deprivation. These threads are in essence the link between an event and the timeline; by using them, the underlying event acts as a conduit and anchor between Luna and the notion of causality.
Such strands behave differently and have several physical characteristics that distinguish them or could be considered abnormal when compared to usual threads. To begin with, their buoyancy is extremely high due to how lightweight they actually are, even in comparison with normal strings; as a result, the threads of fate have a tendency to float in midair when they are left idle. Furthermore, the threads are slightly attracted toward what caused the event they emerged from, which means they will usually bend in that direction when still attached or, when plucked off, will slowly try to move toward it; this property can prove useful in some circumstances, for instance during an investigation or when the cause of an event is unclear. Being made of thin reiatsu, it can also be difficult to perceive them, and only those with a small investment of a hundred points in ES, or who have skill points invested in Focused Eye, will be able to make out their exact shape. However, unless someone is completely incapable of seeing spirits, the threads will always remain visible even in that scenario, albeit vague.
Shikai Ability
“Set your sight on Jörmungandr, Mukiryoku!”
Once Shikai is active, a dark mist first appears to reform Mukiryoku’s blade into its new shape, followed by the emergence of pure white threads of fate in the surroundings. This first stage of release grants the ability to weave these threads of fate, a simple yet particularly effective power that excels in versatility; Luna Melrose is now able to meld her own reiatsu signature with the threads and manipulate them, allowing her to defend herself through their use. As a manifestation of her release, each thread has a durability equal to Mukiryoku itself and can be extracted from the result of any action that occurs or has occurred nearby. Unfortunately, since this ability is medical by its very nature, the threads are incapable of damaging an individual and can only be used offensively to bind or restrain them; destiny cannot ever change itself, preventing these threads from being weaponized directly. Using this power for combat is admittedly very difficult, requiring smart thinking with its special characteristics; Mukiryoku is a medical Zankaputo first and foremost.
While in contact with her threads, Luna Melrose can freely and precisely manipulate their movements in order to achieve her objectives. Each motion is fueled by signals emitted from her reiatsu, which must travel from her body to the thread but can do so through an indirect path; for instance, if she were to hold a thread in contact with another farther away and assuming that they maintain the connection, she could effectively control both. When doing so, her threads are capable of performing accurate actions and can maneuver in mid-air, quickly reaching a speed equal to 300 points at top velocity; by default, she can only manipulate a single thread or construct in such a way at once, but that count goes up by one for every 200 points in instinct Luna Melrose has at her disposal. However, there is a range limit to this property; the reiatsu signals she emits will degrade over a certain distance and, once they have traveled 20 meters, the pulse becomes too corrupted to be of any use.
The effectiveness of this ability, versatility-wise, scales directly with her investment in the Crafting skill. When lacking the skill entirely, her handling of Mukiryoku’s threads is limited to each thread individually and she is incapable of attaching them together, preventing her from using them to their full potential. With one skill point invested in Crafting, it becomes possible to attach multiple threads together and create simple constructs, such as nets and webs, which allow for a lot more creativity while fighting. With an investment of two skill points, she can choose to change a thread’s material properties while in contact with it, so long as they remain incapable of harming another directly; as a few non-exhaustive examples, she could make it hard like steel, conduct electricity like a wire, or be sticky like glue. A third skill point allows for the creation of complex constructs using the threads, like a sword, an arrow, a wall or clothing, while a fourth skill point provides such exhaustive control over the threads that they can now retain synaptic signals within them, allowing a construct to be imbued with basic life and sentience.
It is worth noting that the creation of such constructs is accelerated greatly by the meticulous control over the threads that this ability provides. While weaving threads into something as complex as a sword or clothing would normally be a particularly difficult task necessitating time and effort, Mukiryoku can make it intuitive and swift in execution; the concentration required is therefore minimal and can exploit mental images to control the exact outcome. To gauge how long this process takes from start to finish, a comparison with Kido can be made; when only one hand is involved, whether that’s through direct or indirect contact, Luna Melrose can build the final construct in approximately the time required to launch a Kido spell with its incantation, whereas using both hands at once can perform the same task as quickly as incantation-less Kido. Regardless of which method is used, the constructs cannot be bigger than one cubic meter in size and must always remain plausible in terms of use and function, although they can be attached together if a bigger construct is desired.
Of course, this ability wouldn’t be much of a medical one if the threads were incapable of healing; when fighting Luna Melrose, it is extremely important to keep track of which threads she has used to make her constructs and which event led to their creation, since this association is the crux of her healing powers. While the threads have the same durability as Mukiryoku under normal circumstances, if they get hit by an action matching both the medium and instigator from which they originate, the rules change; in such circumstances, the OS of the attack and the thread is ignored, and this act will destroy the threads no matter what. However, this is not without consequences; once this has occurred, these threads of fate have effectively been severed, which causes the event they emerged from to just disappear and get erased from the timeline entirely. As a result, the healing Mukiryoku provides is built upon the principles of causality; if you wish to fight Luna, you must avoid striking at her threads carelessly and instead plan your moves around them.
There also exists a second mechanism by which Mukiryoku can revert undesired outcomes; since Luna Melrose has melded her reiatsu with the threads, she can use her own healing capabilities to try and revert the event from the timeline. In gameplay terms, an event’s resistance to alterations could be considered equal to the OS of the attack causing it and, only once per post for one of the threads she is in contact with, Luna can subtract half of her HE stat to this resistance in an attempt to erase the event. Should the OS behind the event ever reach zero, such an erasure is henceforth completed; from that moment onward, the outcome of the associated event has now been reverted. The combination of both medical abilities Mukiryoku has at its disposal is meant to make countermeasures a necessity when confronting her, and mind games the core of her fighting style; unfortunately, it is extremely difficult to outplay her in that regard.
While in contact with her threads, Luna Melrose can freely and precisely manipulate their movements in order to achieve her objectives. Each motion is fueled by signals emitted from her reiatsu, which must travel from her body to the thread but can do so through an indirect path; for instance, if she were to hold a thread in contact with another farther away and assuming that they maintain the connection, she could effectively control both. When doing so, her threads are capable of performing accurate actions and can maneuver in mid-air, quickly reaching a speed equal to 300 points at top velocity; by default, she can only manipulate a single thread or construct in such a way at once, but that count goes up by one for every 200 points in instinct Luna Melrose has at her disposal. However, there is a range limit to this property; the reiatsu signals she emits will degrade over a certain distance and, once they have traveled 20 meters, the pulse becomes too corrupted to be of any use.
The effectiveness of this ability, versatility-wise, scales directly with her investment in the Crafting skill. When lacking the skill entirely, her handling of Mukiryoku’s threads is limited to each thread individually and she is incapable of attaching them together, preventing her from using them to their full potential. With one skill point invested in Crafting, it becomes possible to attach multiple threads together and create simple constructs, such as nets and webs, which allow for a lot more creativity while fighting. With an investment of two skill points, she can choose to change a thread’s material properties while in contact with it, so long as they remain incapable of harming another directly; as a few non-exhaustive examples, she could make it hard like steel, conduct electricity like a wire, or be sticky like glue. A third skill point allows for the creation of complex constructs using the threads, like a sword, an arrow, a wall or clothing, while a fourth skill point provides such exhaustive control over the threads that they can now retain synaptic signals within them, allowing a construct to be imbued with basic life and sentience.
It is worth noting that the creation of such constructs is accelerated greatly by the meticulous control over the threads that this ability provides. While weaving threads into something as complex as a sword or clothing would normally be a particularly difficult task necessitating time and effort, Mukiryoku can make it intuitive and swift in execution; the concentration required is therefore minimal and can exploit mental images to control the exact outcome. To gauge how long this process takes from start to finish, a comparison with Kido can be made; when only one hand is involved, whether that’s through direct or indirect contact, Luna Melrose can build the final construct in approximately the time required to launch a Kido spell with its incantation, whereas using both hands at once can perform the same task as quickly as incantation-less Kido. Regardless of which method is used, the constructs cannot be bigger than one cubic meter in size and must always remain plausible in terms of use and function, although they can be attached together if a bigger construct is desired.
Of course, this ability wouldn’t be much of a medical one if the threads were incapable of healing; when fighting Luna Melrose, it is extremely important to keep track of which threads she has used to make her constructs and which event led to their creation, since this association is the crux of her healing powers. While the threads have the same durability as Mukiryoku under normal circumstances, if they get hit by an action matching both the medium and instigator from which they originate, the rules change; in such circumstances, the OS of the attack and the thread is ignored, and this act will destroy the threads no matter what. However, this is not without consequences; once this has occurred, these threads of fate have effectively been severed, which causes the event they emerged from to just disappear and get erased from the timeline entirely. As a result, the healing Mukiryoku provides is built upon the principles of causality; if you wish to fight Luna, you must avoid striking at her threads carelessly and instead plan your moves around them.
There also exists a second mechanism by which Mukiryoku can revert undesired outcomes; since Luna Melrose has melded her reiatsu with the threads, she can use her own healing capabilities to try and revert the event from the timeline. In gameplay terms, an event’s resistance to alterations could be considered equal to the OS of the attack causing it and, only once per post for one of the threads she is in contact with, Luna can subtract half of her HE stat to this resistance in an attempt to erase the event. Should the OS behind the event ever reach zero, such an erasure is henceforth completed; from that moment onward, the outcome of the associated event has now been reverted. The combination of both medical abilities Mukiryoku has at its disposal is meant to make countermeasures a necessity when confronting her, and mind games the core of her fighting style; unfortunately, it is extremely difficult to outplay her in that regard.
{Additional Info: Severing Fate}
As a mechanism unique to this release, severing fate should be expanded upon further.
Definition
The result of an action affecting the threads of fate, when this action shares its medium and instigator with the event from which the aforementioned threads came from.
Medium
The means by which an action is carried out; some mediums are permanent, such as a sword, a fist, a rock, while others are temporary, such as a technique, a bullet, a poison cloud. For permanent mediums, they are unique and must therefore be an exact match with the event for it to be considered equivalent, while a temporary medium will be valid if it is a different instance, but must still otherwise match every other characteristics of what had first caused the event.
Note that for mediums which only affect living beings (such as poison), getting in contact with a thread should be considered as the trigger for this ability; if such a medium is touching the threads of an event it has caused, fate will be severed.
Note that for mediums which only affect living beings (such as poison), getting in contact with a thread should be considered as the trigger for this ability; if such a medium is touching the threads of an event it has caused, fate will be severed.
Instigator
The identity of a sentient being capable of free will; in special cases, such as summons or when it isn’t clear if something should be considered a different instigator, free will should be the determining factor when attempting to determine whether they are distinct. Could this entity, without any mind control or other such ability involved, turn against its user of its own free will? If so, it should be considered as a distinct instigator; if not, the user is instigating, and the entity should be considered a medium.
Events must have an instigator to generate threads of fate; if an event seemingly has no instigator at all and just occurred by chance without anyone’s intervention in the matter, then this event falls outside the scope of Luna’s ability.
Events must have an instigator to generate threads of fate; if an event seemingly has no instigator at all and just occurred by chance without anyone’s intervention in the matter, then this event falls outside the scope of Luna’s ability.
Result
When fate has been severed, the threads and their associated events will quickly disappear; both direct and indirect events will revert, until their medium stops matching the one for which fate has just been severed. In other words, a chain reaction occurs when severing fate, and follow-up events related to it may also vanish if their medium is the same.
Practical Example
A person is wounded by a poisoned blade. If the threads extracted from this wound are hit by the same blade again, the threads and the wound both vanish; in this situation, follow-up events such as clothing damage and blood loss also revert and return to how things would be if the wound had never occurred in the first place, since these events share the same medium as the initial event. However, in regards to the inflicted poison, things go a bit differently; the poison’s application was caused by the sword wound and should therefore revert since its medium is also the blade, but the subsequent damage it caused is a different chain of events with the poison itself as medium. As a result, in our scenario the person would effectively be cured from the poison, preventing it from causing any further harm, but would also keep the damage they had already suffered from it.
Final Note
While severing fate is capable of many miracles, bringing someone back from the dead isn’t one of them; if this is attempted, the corpse will be restored but will also remain lifeless. Fate has already run its course and Mukiryoku’s ability to sever fate isn’t enough to overwrite that fact; on the contrary, one might say the ability is bound to enforce it.
Bankai Ability
“Avert Ragnarök, Fukyuu'No Meisaku Mukiryoku!”
Once under the influence of her Bankai, a large number of threads converge on Luna and start veiling her appearance in a cloak representing the timeline itself, the blade of her sword beginning to shine in a bright white light; at this stage of release, Luna has effectively detached herself from the timeline on which everyone operates, granting her new abilities unlike anything her Shikai could previously achieve. In this form, several former abilities are strengthened beyond their previous limits; contact with the thread is no longer required to control it, she can now manipulate an additional thread for every 50 points of instinct instead of 200, her signal range is now increased to 100 meters, her full HE stat can now be subtracted to an event’s resistance, weaving threads is now done as quickly as incantation-less Kido regardless of how many hands are involved, and each construct can now be ten cubic meters in size. However, these are merely the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Fukyuu'No Meisaku; its true ability is to rip Luna Melrose’s existence away from the timeline and force her to temporarily inhabit a space devoid of fate, allowing her to move across that timeline and return to the past.
Due to this separation, her threads of fate are directly impacted; while every thread was previously a beautiful and clear white in color, her Bankai now allows a new kind of thread to emerge, blackened and colored like ashes. These black threads are unlike their white predecessors, since they represent events that have occurred outside the scope of the timeline; as such, they appear whenever Luna is affected by an action or when she takes an action herself, and should she already be linked to an event producing white threads when releasing her Bankai, the associated threads would seamlessly darken. Such threads are not bound by the same rules that dictate the behavior of their white counterparts, and as a result can be severed differently as well; black threads revert their associated outcomes when affected by an action matching their original instigator, without considering the exact medium anymore. These threads aren’t tied to an action on the timeline like their white equivalents and, to sever them, only the identity of the one taking the initiative needs to match.
Since Luna Melrose now operates outside the timeline, Fukyuu'No Meisaku allows her to move through it and change the course of events according to her objectives. Putting it differently, Fukyuu'No Meisaku provides a simplistic and very restrictive form of time travel; by wrapping an inert thread of fate around its blade and spending a hundred reiatsu, she can insert her presence inside the timeline at precisely the moment this corresponding event occurred. In doing so, all events that hadn’t occurred at that point are reverted; however, this only applies to events inside the timeline, those with white threads. Black threads could therefore be considered as a trade-off; while they are easier to sever than white threads, they are also exempt from reverting through movements along the timeline and could be seen as a fixed event. Luna is unable to use this time reversal to heal herself, since all events involving her generate black threads; this is the fundamental weakness her Bankai’s true ability has. Moreover, while a thread of any color can be used to insert herself in a specific point of the timeline, black threads will always lead Luna to appear after the associated event has already taken place, meaning its outcome is unavoidable.
This form of movement across the timeline has several restrictions, which are meant to balance its use and prevent abuse. First, as mentioned before, only events with white threads reverse when time travel occurs; black thread events are left as-is, which means Luna can never make use of its healing properties directly, this healing is only meant for support. Second, she ultimately has no control over which events revert; if both an ally and enemy are wounded, she may have no choice but to heal both. Third, stamina and reiatsu revert to their previous level for everyone involved, except Luna; she can therefore exhaust herself if not careful and is better off not using the ability when it isn’t necessary. Fourth, only one Luna Melrose may exist at once, and she appears wherever the event she’s using to travel occurred, or very close thereby. Fifth, everyone within the range of Luna’s gravitational pressure, allies and foes alike, will keep all of their memories when moving through the timeline, to avoid creating a problematic roleplay experience for those involved. Finally, only recent events, a few hours away at most, can be used in this manner during combat.
For cinematic purposes, her reversal of time can also be executed through a ritual; after wrapping the thread around Fukyuu'No Meisaku’s blade, she can enter into a meditative state and synchronize the timeline with her inner-world over a period of several minutes, allowing for a different form of reversal with less restrictions. Using this method, Luna can rewind as far in the past as desired, without memory preservation for those not directly involved and while also allowing the original Luna Melrose to exist in parallel; in other words, this is a true time travel ability, stripped of its former balance limitations. The reasoning for this ritual to exist is to open avenues of roleplay unique to time travel and the interactions that emerge from it; however, it is also subject to strict additional rules, preventing its use outside of these occasions. If a proposed reversal would prove problematic for any reason, the ritual is subject to veto powers by all individuals involved in a thread or responsible for it; as such, the owners of any RPCs or NPCs, the GM of the thread and members of staff can oppose this part of Luna’s ability, without any justification needed. Should this happen, the threads of fate will be considered too unstable for a synchronization to properly occur, and the attempted ritual will fail.
Due to this separation, her threads of fate are directly impacted; while every thread was previously a beautiful and clear white in color, her Bankai now allows a new kind of thread to emerge, blackened and colored like ashes. These black threads are unlike their white predecessors, since they represent events that have occurred outside the scope of the timeline; as such, they appear whenever Luna is affected by an action or when she takes an action herself, and should she already be linked to an event producing white threads when releasing her Bankai, the associated threads would seamlessly darken. Such threads are not bound by the same rules that dictate the behavior of their white counterparts, and as a result can be severed differently as well; black threads revert their associated outcomes when affected by an action matching their original instigator, without considering the exact medium anymore. These threads aren’t tied to an action on the timeline like their white equivalents and, to sever them, only the identity of the one taking the initiative needs to match.
Since Luna Melrose now operates outside the timeline, Fukyuu'No Meisaku allows her to move through it and change the course of events according to her objectives. Putting it differently, Fukyuu'No Meisaku provides a simplistic and very restrictive form of time travel; by wrapping an inert thread of fate around its blade and spending a hundred reiatsu, she can insert her presence inside the timeline at precisely the moment this corresponding event occurred. In doing so, all events that hadn’t occurred at that point are reverted; however, this only applies to events inside the timeline, those with white threads. Black threads could therefore be considered as a trade-off; while they are easier to sever than white threads, they are also exempt from reverting through movements along the timeline and could be seen as a fixed event. Luna is unable to use this time reversal to heal herself, since all events involving her generate black threads; this is the fundamental weakness her Bankai’s true ability has. Moreover, while a thread of any color can be used to insert herself in a specific point of the timeline, black threads will always lead Luna to appear after the associated event has already taken place, meaning its outcome is unavoidable.
This form of movement across the timeline has several restrictions, which are meant to balance its use and prevent abuse. First, as mentioned before, only events with white threads reverse when time travel occurs; black thread events are left as-is, which means Luna can never make use of its healing properties directly, this healing is only meant for support. Second, she ultimately has no control over which events revert; if both an ally and enemy are wounded, she may have no choice but to heal both. Third, stamina and reiatsu revert to their previous level for everyone involved, except Luna; she can therefore exhaust herself if not careful and is better off not using the ability when it isn’t necessary. Fourth, only one Luna Melrose may exist at once, and she appears wherever the event she’s using to travel occurred, or very close thereby. Fifth, everyone within the range of Luna’s gravitational pressure, allies and foes alike, will keep all of their memories when moving through the timeline, to avoid creating a problematic roleplay experience for those involved. Finally, only recent events, a few hours away at most, can be used in this manner during combat.
For cinematic purposes, her reversal of time can also be executed through a ritual; after wrapping the thread around Fukyuu'No Meisaku’s blade, she can enter into a meditative state and synchronize the timeline with her inner-world over a period of several minutes, allowing for a different form of reversal with less restrictions. Using this method, Luna can rewind as far in the past as desired, without memory preservation for those not directly involved and while also allowing the original Luna Melrose to exist in parallel; in other words, this is a true time travel ability, stripped of its former balance limitations. The reasoning for this ritual to exist is to open avenues of roleplay unique to time travel and the interactions that emerge from it; however, it is also subject to strict additional rules, preventing its use outside of these occasions. If a proposed reversal would prove problematic for any reason, the ritual is subject to veto powers by all individuals involved in a thread or responsible for it; as such, the owners of any RPCs or NPCs, the GM of the thread and members of staff can oppose this part of Luna’s ability, without any justification needed. Should this happen, the threads of fate will be considered too unstable for a synchronization to properly occur, and the attempted ritual will fail.
Zanpakuto Techniques
{Uragaeshi (裏返し - Reversal)}
Release Level: Shikai & Bankai
Description
Uragaeshi is a technique meant for emergency use and capable of reverting mistakes along the course of the timeline; when activated, it will reverse the flow of time for events involving threads of fate, making it effectively turn around. Flipping the orientation of Mukiryoku’s pommel controls this technique and will flip the direction in which the timeline flows as well; when this occurs, the outcomes of every event will be affected accordingly and, once the timeline returns to the moment that event took place, they will disappear. If the timeline ever flips again, returning to the same moment will lead to that outcome’s return as well. It neither quickens nor lessens the momentum at which time will flow, and merely flips between forward and backward; the technique is therefore best-suited to prevent checkmate scenarios and for medical applications.
Do note that, while in Bankai, this technique is able to selectively flip either the world’s overall timeline or Luna’s personal timeline; depending on which is chosen, events tied to either white or black threads respectively will be the ones affected, and both timelines may go in opposite directions without issue.
Do note that, while in Bankai, this technique is able to selectively flip either the world’s overall timeline or Luna’s personal timeline; depending on which is chosen, events tied to either white or black threads respectively will be the ones affected, and both timelines may go in opposite directions without issue.
Drawbacks
This ability does not discriminate; it will affect every event, regardless of whether they target the user, an ally or, most importantly, an opponent. Since flipping the released sword’s pommel is necessary for this technique’s activation, it is impossible to use without having access to it. Moreover, its greatest drawback is that it doesn’t truly heal anything and is moreso a stop-gap measure for emergencies. If an event was erased by this technique and the timeline is flipped again, time will eventually reach its point of return; additionally, once the release ends, regardless of whether it was intentional or not, everything that was hidden through Uragaeshi will be coming back all at once. Reversing the flow of time doesn’t negate the need to heal your wounds, it simply provides more leeway to do so.
Cost: 150 per flip
{Ikken'Ato (一見後 - Glimpse of the Past)}
Release Level: Shikai & Bankai
Description
With the ability to manipulate the timeline, this release provides interesting opportunities to lead the future in a desired direction, but that’s assuming the user knows enough about the events that have occurred to properly make use of it; to help with this, Ikken’Ato grants the ability to peer through the timeline. While in contact with something, regardless of what that may be, person or object, Ikken’Ato can be activated and will allow the user to selectively view events on its personal timeline until they are either satisfied, too traumatized to continue viewing or have exhausted their reiatsu reserves; this is as such useful for therapy treatment and to investigate the exact circumstances around an event. When used, a massive web of what seems to be translucent threads of fate all interconnected together into nodes will appear to the wielder and can be utilized to navigate between various events on the timeline; each node represents an event related to what’s being touched and, if the user of this technique already knows what they’re looking for or is vaguely aware of an event, they can find it instinctively through the web. If the user keeps focusing on a keyword in their mind while using it, relevant nodes will also begin to glow and they will instinctively know why, allowing for an efficient keyword-based search around the nodes of this web.
Ikken'Ato tends to leave emotional imprints on its wielder whenever it is being used. When it involves a living creature, the events displayed by the technique will be from a first-person perspective and is very akin to a memory. Everything will therefore be relayed in excruciating details and go much deeper than simply knowing about the event, you are effectively living it yourself; emotions and even pain is imbued within every node and transferred fully when viewed, but may be processed differently according to the user’s personality. As for objects, the perspective is close to omnipresence with the capability to focus more precisely on individual outcomes, and since objects cannot feel pain, the user will not either; they will still feel intense emotions accordingly however, based on how a living being would perceive or react to the circumstances.
While the technique can be used in either Shikai or Bankai, having learned the second level of release also grants its wielder the ability to instead share their own memory of an event to another; utilizing Ikken'Ato this way requires consent from the target, and can be broken off by them at any point.
Ikken'Ato tends to leave emotional imprints on its wielder whenever it is being used. When it involves a living creature, the events displayed by the technique will be from a first-person perspective and is very akin to a memory. Everything will therefore be relayed in excruciating details and go much deeper than simply knowing about the event, you are effectively living it yourself; emotions and even pain is imbued within every node and transferred fully when viewed, but may be processed differently according to the user’s personality. As for objects, the perspective is close to omnipresence with the capability to focus more precisely on individual outcomes, and since objects cannot feel pain, the user will not either; they will still feel intense emotions accordingly however, based on how a living being would perceive or react to the circumstances.
While the technique can be used in either Shikai or Bankai, having learned the second level of release also grants its wielder the ability to instead share their own memory of an event to another; utilizing Ikken'Ato this way requires consent from the target, and can be broken off by them at any point.
Drawbacks
The first limitation this technique has is the need to get into contact with the target and maintain it for the duration it is used. Furthermore, it can be extremely dangerous to the user if they aren’t careful, since the strong empathy created between them and the target can lead to trauma. Lastly, time is not frozen while the technique is active and maintaining it requires concentration; the user seems to be in a trance while making use of Ikken'Ato, and is highly vulnerable to attacks in that state. It also means one cannot easily use it on an unwilling victim, since they could simply defend themselves; to do so safely, they would first need to be either restrained or incapacitated in some way.
Cost: 50 base cost + 25 per event
{Henka Jinsei (変化人生 - Life Alteration)}
Release Level: Shikai & Bankai
Description
At the core of Luna’s toolkit, Henka Jinsei is a medical technique using the unique ability of Mukiryoku to achieve something very few can claim to have sovereignty over. Regardless of skill, any healer is bound to eventually face a situation where their expertise is lacking, or the wounds ahead of them are beyond their capability to stabilize; such a scenario is often a medic’s worst nightmare, and the reason why they broaden their expertise to its natural limits. Henka Jinsei sidesteps that problem entirely; as a technique, it can modify the circumstances of an event that has occurred on the timeline, allowing adjustments to an injury’s exact conditions so that it may better match Luna’s skillset. Virtually any damage caused by an opponent can be affected in this manner, assisting heavily during combat and emergencies.
When the user wants to make use of it, they first begin by extracting a thread of fate from the result of the event they wish to change; then, it is placed at the newly desired location while the technique gets activated. After doing so, the outcome of the event will change according to the user’s wish and will hopefully be replaced with a preferable result; please note that while it is mainly intended for medical use, the technique can affect inanimate objects as well.
When the user wants to make use of it, they first begin by extracting a thread of fate from the result of the event they wish to change; then, it is placed at the newly desired location while the technique gets activated. After doing so, the outcome of the event will change according to the user’s wish and will hopefully be replaced with a preferable result; please note that while it is mainly intended for medical use, the technique can affect inanimate objects as well.
Drawbacks
Henka Jinsei has several restrictions limiting what it can accomplish. To begin with, while it can impact the severity of an event’s outcome, it is unable to change its nature; for instance, if a sword caused a stab wound piercing through someone’s organ, this technique can change where this stab occurred and the organ being affected but not the type of damage, it’d still need to affect an organ and cannot switch from a stab wound to a different form of injury. Furthermore, the switch isn’t instantaneous, and for a single post after using the technique, a ghostly version of both wounds or event outcomes will appear at both the old and new location; during this post, the negative side-effects from both will be felt and they could be considered effectively doubled.
Cost: 100 per alteration
{Mira-Hensoku (ミラー変則 - Mirrored Anomaly)}
Release Level: Bankai only
Description
Mira-Hensoku is the ultimate technique in this Zanpakuto’s arsenal and can be considered the greatest weapon its Bankai has at its disposal. When a timeline exists, several actions may be taken on its interval but, if free will is to be believed, we are all capable of making choices along its course; if so, then where do the actions we have foregone end up going? Mira-Hensoku provides an answer; for every timeline, there is an equivalent one where the opposite outcome has occurred. If someone wins a fight in our timeline, then one exists where the same fight was lost; all such outcomes can be mirrored, which is a fact Mira-Hensoku is weaponizing to its user’s advantage. Since this Bankai separates the user from the timeline, Mira-Hensoku essentially does one simple thing; it pulls the alternate version of its user, which now doesn’t belong to any timeline either, into our own timeline.
This clone is very similar to the original user, but has one additional ability that makes it entirely unique compared to said original; it cannot be wounded in any way by anyone in our timeline and, in fact, any wounds one would try to inflict that ends up hitting them will be mirrored back entirely on the attacker, absorbed fully and causing no further collateral damage since it was reflected upon themselves. The same also applies in reverse, it cannot hurt anyone from our timeline and would only hurt itself if it tried, which severely limits its offensive capabilities; nevertheless, its ability makes this copy of the user a particularly effective shield against all sorts of attacks and can be used to de-escalate a conflict very effectively. To fight against it, one must be capable of selectively controlling and fine-tuning their power to target the user and not its copy; in other words, arbitrarily blasting everything in your way will not do anymore, and will only lead to your own demise when faced with this Zanpakuto’s ability.
This clone is very similar to the original user, but has one additional ability that makes it entirely unique compared to said original; it cannot be wounded in any way by anyone in our timeline and, in fact, any wounds one would try to inflict that ends up hitting them will be mirrored back entirely on the attacker, absorbed fully and causing no further collateral damage since it was reflected upon themselves. The same also applies in reverse, it cannot hurt anyone from our timeline and would only hurt itself if it tried, which severely limits its offensive capabilities; nevertheless, its ability makes this copy of the user a particularly effective shield against all sorts of attacks and can be used to de-escalate a conflict very effectively. To fight against it, one must be capable of selectively controlling and fine-tuning their power to target the user and not its copy; in other words, arbitrarily blasting everything in your way will not do anymore, and will only lead to your own demise when faced with this Zanpakuto’s ability.
Drawbacks
To begin with, it should first be mentioned that Mira-Hensoku’s copy of its user is visibly very different from the original, and it is extremely easy to tell both apart; the copy has the same appearance but with every color inverted, black turning to white, white to black, and so on. The clone’s usage of reiatsu and stamina is also shared with the original user, which means these resources could be exhausted faster than usual if the user is not careful with them. If, for any reason, the user ends up hitting their own copy with an attack, they aren’t immune to the mirrored ability either and will inflict damage on themselves just like anyone else. Lastly, on top of the reiatsu cost, this technique strains the Bankai and will double its post consumption while it is active.
Cost: 400 base cost & doubles Bankai post consumption
Faceclaim: Masakaki, [C] (The Money of Soul and Possibility Control)
Have you ever felt, from the darkest depths of your soul, a lingering desire to inexplicably laugh? Have you ever been unable to stop? Have you ever thought of the world as a comedy, merely awaiting its Final Act? If so, that is how this man first gets a hold on you… Make no mistake; while what’s inside Luna is technically an inner Hollow, this creature is far more insidious than first meets the eye and has a very different agenda from what might be typically expected of their kind. Its name? Melrose; the court jester, the wildcard, the joker. You might wonder why it’d share a name with its recipient, and I would advise you hold on to that thought since it is no mere coincidence; Melrose is the future sinner version of Luna after all, merely interacting backward with the timeline, an ability it shares with her, to toy with the poor girl. Even Luna, who’s extremely good at reading people, isn’t sure what his true objective is; both the man and his intentions remain clouded in mystery.
Adorning the attire of a businessman and a matching top hat, wielding a walking cane engraved with hellish patterns and showcasing a grin befitting someone fully in control, Melrose is frankly quite a sight to behold; if it weren’t for his obvious origin, he’d likely seem like an excellent individual with whom you could garner favor and influence. His motions are fluid and eloquent, fostering a sense of prestige and elegance in his presence; there is nonetheless something deeply unsettling in each of his actions, thanks to how they always seem to go against the flow and defy expectations at every turn. Simply put, every choice Melrose makes is unusual; it’s almost like he gets genuine pleasure from another’s discomfort, even in its smallest and most mundane forms. The only correlation that can seemingly tie his logic together is summarized by a single word: Malice; if it can bring torment and misery to someone, it’s on the table, regardless of how nonsensical the results may be.
Maintaining a courteous attitude, Melrose remains highly respectful to whoever may be listening or any would-be audience, a fact that even applies for Luna herself; his speech and mannerisms include various traces of esteem and reverence, such as in his way to address others and refer to them with diverse honorifics. The demeanor he likes to adopt mimics how you would expect a mere servant to behave inside a royal court, but his acts follow these principles no matter who he is currently interacting with; in fact, this conduct is overblown to the point of derision, as if he’s actively mocking such traditions. Few are ever truly fooled; Melrose tends to throw dirt at the idea of subservience whenever possible, and he obviously means none of the respect regularly bestowed upon others. To the inner Hollow, self-interest is his only valid criteria and consideration when taking a stance, and to involve any other factors into it is foolish at best; subjugation is a foreign idea for him, even self-destruction would be preferable.
When discussing his ideals, one belief tends to stand out; he advocates for proper retribution toward one’s actions and seems to strongly believe in the need for consequences that measure up to a person’s misdeeds. Melrose speaks highly of karma, not as the way things are but rather how they should be; this attitude sticks out since Luna herself goes against his ideology by running away from her fate, a fact they often argue about. The crux of their conflict lies here, with neither willing to acknowledge the other’s position; that is why both partake in a meticulously planned game of deception to try and gain an upper hand, forcing the opponent to yield on their viewpoint. Winning isn’t enough, Melrose intends to make Luna give up on her mindset out of her own free will; unlike a typical inner Hollow, he won’t be satisfied with simply taking control of his host’s spirit and must instead systematically drag her down, breaking her psyche along the way.
Inside of her inner world, the sinner regularly lurks in the blue crystalline fields representing Luna’s future, making it his unofficial home; the soil turns into a jet-black onyx-like coloration while in his presence, falling directly under his control. Her Zanpakuto Spirit tends to leave him entirely alone, free to roam this inner world without restraints; that isn’t by choice, but rather because the hourglass cannot directly oppose him like it would any other intruder, since its power belongs to him just as much as it resides within Luna. One should be wary of assuming they are safe while inside the realm symbolizing Luna’s past, given that nothing truly stops him from wandering around the crimson landscape as well if he truly wanted to; nonetheless, it is true that Melrose will rarely venture beyond, unless he has explicit business there. To him, this past represents previous deeds for which fate has already been cast; he can see no reason to dwell on it any further and would prefer to spend his precious energy focusing on the road ahead.
Do note that, out of Luna's Zanpakuto techniques listed further above, Mira-Hensoku is both special and unique; it is the only ability within her arsenal which does not pull its power from her Zanpakuto and is instead using the capabilities of her inner Hollow. As a result, it can be considered Melrose’s specialty and a power he alone excels at, turning it into a terrifying weapon when wielded by his hands rather than hers; while Luna has a great grasp on the effects her ability has on the timeline, her inner Hollow understands the full spectrum of outcomes that can occur over every alternate turn of events. In fact, Melrose could easily claim that he alone can perceive the full scope of what Mira-Hensoku can do, since his very existence is a manifestation of it; the mere possibility that Luna might fall into Hell alongside the nature of her ability is what gave birth to Melrose, that very potential being all it took for him to become a guarantee in the outline of at least one timeline.
Adorning the attire of a businessman and a matching top hat, wielding a walking cane engraved with hellish patterns and showcasing a grin befitting someone fully in control, Melrose is frankly quite a sight to behold; if it weren’t for his obvious origin, he’d likely seem like an excellent individual with whom you could garner favor and influence. His motions are fluid and eloquent, fostering a sense of prestige and elegance in his presence; there is nonetheless something deeply unsettling in each of his actions, thanks to how they always seem to go against the flow and defy expectations at every turn. Simply put, every choice Melrose makes is unusual; it’s almost like he gets genuine pleasure from another’s discomfort, even in its smallest and most mundane forms. The only correlation that can seemingly tie his logic together is summarized by a single word: Malice; if it can bring torment and misery to someone, it’s on the table, regardless of how nonsensical the results may be.
Maintaining a courteous attitude, Melrose remains highly respectful to whoever may be listening or any would-be audience, a fact that even applies for Luna herself; his speech and mannerisms include various traces of esteem and reverence, such as in his way to address others and refer to them with diverse honorifics. The demeanor he likes to adopt mimics how you would expect a mere servant to behave inside a royal court, but his acts follow these principles no matter who he is currently interacting with; in fact, this conduct is overblown to the point of derision, as if he’s actively mocking such traditions. Few are ever truly fooled; Melrose tends to throw dirt at the idea of subservience whenever possible, and he obviously means none of the respect regularly bestowed upon others. To the inner Hollow, self-interest is his only valid criteria and consideration when taking a stance, and to involve any other factors into it is foolish at best; subjugation is a foreign idea for him, even self-destruction would be preferable.
When discussing his ideals, one belief tends to stand out; he advocates for proper retribution toward one’s actions and seems to strongly believe in the need for consequences that measure up to a person’s misdeeds. Melrose speaks highly of karma, not as the way things are but rather how they should be; this attitude sticks out since Luna herself goes against his ideology by running away from her fate, a fact they often argue about. The crux of their conflict lies here, with neither willing to acknowledge the other’s position; that is why both partake in a meticulously planned game of deception to try and gain an upper hand, forcing the opponent to yield on their viewpoint. Winning isn’t enough, Melrose intends to make Luna give up on her mindset out of her own free will; unlike a typical inner Hollow, he won’t be satisfied with simply taking control of his host’s spirit and must instead systematically drag her down, breaking her psyche along the way.
Inside of her inner world, the sinner regularly lurks in the blue crystalline fields representing Luna’s future, making it his unofficial home; the soil turns into a jet-black onyx-like coloration while in his presence, falling directly under his control. Her Zanpakuto Spirit tends to leave him entirely alone, free to roam this inner world without restraints; that isn’t by choice, but rather because the hourglass cannot directly oppose him like it would any other intruder, since its power belongs to him just as much as it resides within Luna. One should be wary of assuming they are safe while inside the realm symbolizing Luna’s past, given that nothing truly stops him from wandering around the crimson landscape as well if he truly wanted to; nonetheless, it is true that Melrose will rarely venture beyond, unless he has explicit business there. To him, this past represents previous deeds for which fate has already been cast; he can see no reason to dwell on it any further and would prefer to spend his precious energy focusing on the road ahead.
Do note that, out of Luna's Zanpakuto techniques listed further above, Mira-Hensoku is both special and unique; it is the only ability within her arsenal which does not pull its power from her Zanpakuto and is instead using the capabilities of her inner Hollow. As a result, it can be considered Melrose’s specialty and a power he alone excels at, turning it into a terrifying weapon when wielded by his hands rather than hers; while Luna has a great grasp on the effects her ability has on the timeline, her inner Hollow understands the full spectrum of outcomes that can occur over every alternate turn of events. In fact, Melrose could easily claim that he alone can perceive the full scope of what Mira-Hensoku can do, since his very existence is a manifestation of it; the mere possibility that Luna might fall into Hell alongside the nature of her ability is what gave birth to Melrose, that very potential being all it took for him to become a guarantee in the outline of at least one timeline.
Should this inner Hollow ever fall under her control, the Vizard mask Luna Melrose would henceforth manifest is a pristine and clear white, capable of slightly reflecting ambient lights on its surface. Much like the intangible cover concealing her manipulative tendencies, this mask is the physical embodiment of her false mentality and is meant to mirror the hidden side of her identity; the lack of mouth, nose or any other facial feature is a hint toward the blank husk of a person she becomes in this state, a sign of the void her Hollow form creates in her heart. While it may seem to fit her face perfectly at first glance, further inspection would reveal that the mask has merged with her; its material is reminiscent of a bug’s chitin or exoskeleton and has actively replaced Luna’s skin instead of merely adorning it. The mask’s shape therefore seems to bend and move according to her facial expressions, as if it wasn’t truly one but rather revealed Luna’s true self.
This mask’s most prominent and easily recognizable feature, though, is one that could very well be unique to Luna’s specific Vizard attributes and found nowhere else; a third, fully functional eye sits on the girl’s forehead, attentively observing her surroundings while she is manifesting it. This third eye is somewhat of an oddity, to be honest, since it is without a doubt conscious and actively perceiving what’s occurring around Luna, yet isn’t connected to her own sight; if you were to blindfold both of her eyes while the mask has been pulled out, her field of view would be completely obstructed even while the third eye on her forehead clearly keeps focus on each of your movements. Because of this, it can be inferred that the eye belongs to someone else, or perhaps even worse… Regardless, this situation brings into question how much of this ability is truly hers, or even whether a third being might be involved in Luna Melrose’s interactions with her inner Hollow.
While filtering out the girl’s subtle facial cues, her mask also provides insight into the furthest corners of her mind. When worn, Luna’s eyes become a window to her feelings and emotional state, taking on a slightly different hue based on circumstances; clear thoughts will generally lead to a white and light coloration, while a mind clouded by emotions, such as when feeling confusion or fear, would darken her gaze. Other emotions also have their own colors; for instance, green when content, blue when sad, red when angry, yellow when excited, purple when focused and pink when flirty. Of course, emotions are far more complex than this, cannot be categorized that easily and can even be layered together; her gaze is therefore closer to a constellation of colors rather than a single uniform shade. Those who have known her for a while and have seen these eyes over long periods may very well develop a sense of empathy toward her general thoughts, and become able to make accurate guesses about her mental state while looking at them.
This mask’s most prominent and easily recognizable feature, though, is one that could very well be unique to Luna’s specific Vizard attributes and found nowhere else; a third, fully functional eye sits on the girl’s forehead, attentively observing her surroundings while she is manifesting it. This third eye is somewhat of an oddity, to be honest, since it is without a doubt conscious and actively perceiving what’s occurring around Luna, yet isn’t connected to her own sight; if you were to blindfold both of her eyes while the mask has been pulled out, her field of view would be completely obstructed even while the third eye on her forehead clearly keeps focus on each of your movements. Because of this, it can be inferred that the eye belongs to someone else, or perhaps even worse… Regardless, this situation brings into question how much of this ability is truly hers, or even whether a third being might be involved in Luna Melrose’s interactions with her inner Hollow.
While filtering out the girl’s subtle facial cues, her mask also provides insight into the furthest corners of her mind. When worn, Luna’s eyes become a window to her feelings and emotional state, taking on a slightly different hue based on circumstances; clear thoughts will generally lead to a white and light coloration, while a mind clouded by emotions, such as when feeling confusion or fear, would darken her gaze. Other emotions also have their own colors; for instance, green when content, blue when sad, red when angry, yellow when excited, purple when focused and pink when flirty. Of course, emotions are far more complex than this, cannot be categorized that easily and can even be layered together; her gaze is therefore closer to a constellation of colors rather than a single uniform shade. Those who have known her for a while and have seen these eyes over long periods may very well develop a sense of empathy toward her general thoughts, and become able to make accurate guesses about her mental state while looking at them.
Birthplace: Roskilde, Denmark. Year 1091.
Residence: Academy Quarters
Memorable Figures
{Asbjørn Ulfsen}
Faceclaim: Mortimer, Millenium War Aigis
Luna's father, and the man who can be said to terrify her most; a Viking chieftain capable of the worst imaginable, Asbjørn Ulfsen has been her greatest concern since birth and the one who pushed her on the path Luna now walks. As a warrior, no human could ever hope to defy his will and as a leader, he kept an iron fist on the sea surrounding Sjælland and especially the fjord of Roskilde; this man was a monster who could frighten even his fellow Vikings into submission, a pure berserker at heart. When confronting her father, Luna Melrose instinctively kept her head down and vision low; something about him caused immeasurable fear from within, as if he was willing to simply dispose of her whenever that might prove necessary. She never quite understood where that belief came from, but was convinced he had no love for her; Luna served as no more than a tool for his ambitions, ever since childbirth.
Perhaps his greatest weakness was his over-reliance on strength, and a belief it could solve any issue; nothing could’ve changed her father’s mind, which ultimately sealed his fate and caused the cruel death he had to endure. Asbjørn was just as stubborn as his daughter and wouldn’t let go when he had a plan on his mind; events might’ve played out differently otherwise.
Perhaps his greatest weakness was his over-reliance on strength, and a belief it could solve any issue; nothing could’ve changed her father’s mind, which ultimately sealed his fate and caused the cruel death he had to endure. Asbjørn was just as stubborn as his daughter and wouldn’t let go when he had a plan on his mind; events might’ve played out differently otherwise.
{Hjalmar Gälta}
Faceclaim: Reistof, The Faraway Paladin
The recipient of her father's ire, Hjalmar Gälta was a respectable man who tried to rise above the petty squabbles of his tribal environment. Incapable of following through on his vision to its conclusion, his actions and demise nonetheless created the conditions with which Norse traditions could finally begin moving forward, toward feudalism; ironically enough, the man was doomed regardless of the attempts against his life, being afflicted by a terminal disease at that point of his life. A devout man, Hjalmar had many ties with Christianity and tried to proselytize his ideas in the region; that was the deeper meaning behind his meeting with Luna in the first place. While a shadow of his former self, Hjalmar had also been a Viking previously and knew his way around violence; had Asbjørn attempted his coup far earlier, the conflict would’ve likely escalated into a large-scale war. Fortunately, decades of bloodshed led him to see the damage he left in his wake, and justified retaliations against his reign led him to change his ways.
While dying, the last thought crossing his mind was of his wife, now deceased, and how Luna reminded him of her fierce vengefulness; the man doubted he’d ever meet her again, even in the afterlife.
While dying, the last thought crossing his mind was of his wife, now deceased, and how Luna reminded him of her fierce vengefulness; the man doubted he’d ever meet her again, even in the afterlife.
{Aura Melrose}
Faceclaim: Kokia Fukurou Artwork
A short-lived relationship, it was nonetheless perhaps the most memorable from Luna’s point of view; her time spent alongside Aura’s group became the lynchpin and standard with which she gauged many of the other events she went through. As its leader, Aura Melrose was a mysterious woman who never quite revealed the full extent of her secrets, even at the very end; thinking back now, Luna doesn’t even think she ever had a chance to have a good look at the woman’s face, always kept concealed under her ash-colored mantle. There is next to nothing known about her, and nearly no trace of her presence left in history books; it’s almost as if she just vanished and never left any marks behind. Among her many memories, the only traits Luna can truly recall about Aura are a devotion to cinnamon tea, a charming singing voice, an affinity for birds and small rodents, and the adamant composure of someone defying all odds.
While Luna loathes doubting Aura, how she managed to find her during the suicide attempt, when the woman had explicitly tried to cover her tracks, is peculiar. From her perspective, it feels like Aura knew ahead of time Luna would be there... That just can’t be, right?
While Luna loathes doubting Aura, how she managed to find her during the suicide attempt, when the woman had explicitly tried to cover her tracks, is peculiar. From her perspective, it feels like Aura knew ahead of time Luna would be there... That just can’t be, right?
{Pursuing Hollow}
Faceclaim: Blood, The Faraway Paladin
A mysterious Hollow who kept pursuing Aura’s group, the identity of the one behind its mask is no other than Luna’s father. For some reason, it had already become an Adjuchas by that point, which is a period too short for this level of evolution and likely means the man was subjected to it artificially; whoever was responsible probably had ulterior motives and planned for it to chase after them. Whatever the reason, it became a massive thorn in Luna’s back and was single-handedly at fault for her early trip to the great beyond, killing her when it had a chance.
Capable of particularly grand feats, this Hollow had power comparable to a low-tier Captain and could defeat every single person that came after him. Its fury had no match and was fueled by Asbjørn’s last thoughts when life was robbed of him, of how he wanted to tear Luna apart; this perception was carried to its grave and created a turmoil of emotions, anger and resentment for the most part, that festered inside of its soul, allowing him to take a dominant role among the many spirits making up this Hollow’s soul. Luna’s death could’ve possibly been as gruesome as her father if she hadn’t escaped, as payback for her treatment toward him and for meddling in his affairs.
Capable of particularly grand feats, this Hollow had power comparable to a low-tier Captain and could defeat every single person that came after him. Its fury had no match and was fueled by Asbjørn’s last thoughts when life was robbed of him, of how he wanted to tear Luna apart; this perception was carried to its grave and created a turmoil of emotions, anger and resentment for the most part, that festered inside of its soul, allowing him to take a dominant role among the many spirits making up this Hollow’s soul. Luna’s death could’ve possibly been as gruesome as her father if she hadn’t escaped, as payback for her treatment toward him and for meddling in his affairs.
{Bark Face}
Faceclaim: Gaga, Millenium War Aigis
Given his name by Luna herself, Bark Face has been a reliable helper ever since her arrival in the wild of Soul Society. Raised by a Beast Clan after being abandoned on the outskirts of West Rukongai’s furthest districts while still a child, this man had a pivotal role in Luna’s long-term survival when she first arrived in this realm of spirits; his strength and survival instincts have remained top-notch over the years and were crucial to ensure the girl’s safety during various turning points.
Honest yet gullible, the man has always been exceptionally kind-hearted, even though he never could grasp social customs correctly. Taught morality by his Beast-Clansmen kin, Bark Face has upheld their teachings at every opportunity and would frequently help those who got lost in the wilderness; bringing food to the malnourished kids of nearby districts was also a rare but appreciated activity, something he felt was a small relief in this world filled with injustice. Sadly, Luna’s influence has recently corrupted the values he held dear, slowly twisting them into a perverse worldview; what he now considers ethical and righteous is severely mismatched from his previous beliefs and is continuing to deteriorate, turning into a shape his unpredictable accomplice can mold as she sees fit.
Honest yet gullible, the man has always been exceptionally kind-hearted, even though he never could grasp social customs correctly. Taught morality by his Beast-Clansmen kin, Bark Face has upheld their teachings at every opportunity and would frequently help those who got lost in the wilderness; bringing food to the malnourished kids of nearby districts was also a rare but appreciated activity, something he felt was a small relief in this world filled with injustice. Sadly, Luna’s influence has recently corrupted the values he held dear, slowly twisting them into a perverse worldview; what he now considers ethical and righteous is severely mismatched from his previous beliefs and is continuing to deteriorate, turning into a shape his unpredictable accomplice can mold as she sees fit.
{Nolt Everett}
Faceclaim: Gilbert Rainforth, Senkou no Clarias
Portrayed by those who know him as a thrifty businessman with a shrewd mind and no qualms about morality, Nolt Everett is everything Luna wished for in her henchmen. A former Shinigami kicked out for insubordination and the father of two little cubs, this Beast-Clansman desperately tries to provide his children with a bright future; he attempted to keep their existence a secret from the underworld but was unsuccessful once Luna got involved. Effectively held at gunpoint by her wise choice of words, the man currently believes his family is at risk of retaliation if he were to ever oppose Luna directly. As such, Nolt became a docile beast, its bloodthirsty fangs kept away from her neck through extortion.
Among black market fences, his sixth sense and ability to spot an undercover agent remains exceptional; remnants of his efforts in Squad 6 lingered beyond his dismissal and have become particularly handy in his new endeavors. Governed by self-interest, he is gifted with good judgment and a strong attention to details; the man is prone to rationalize everything about his surroundings and very rarely shows emotion aside from a substantial disdain for nobles. Normally, he should’ve been an outstanding influential figure among criminals; why he wasn’t is a mystery Luna cannot yet explain...
Among black market fences, his sixth sense and ability to spot an undercover agent remains exceptional; remnants of his efforts in Squad 6 lingered beyond his dismissal and have become particularly handy in his new endeavors. Governed by self-interest, he is gifted with good judgment and a strong attention to details; the man is prone to rationalize everything about his surroundings and very rarely shows emotion aside from a substantial disdain for nobles. Normally, he should’ve been an outstanding influential figure among criminals; why he wasn’t is a mystery Luna cannot yet explain...
Chapter 1: Valhalla Warriors
Luna’s story begins on a fateful night in the harsh conditions of Scandinavian winter, year 1091. Born to the union between Asbjørn Ulfsen and one of his concubines captured the year prior, this girl was given the gift of life on the tail end of the Viking Era; her father being a Norse chieftain, she received thorough attention during her early childhood but, as one might expect in these circumstances, was also quite neglected by her blood relatives. Going at the time by the name of Sigrid, eldest daughter of the Ulfsen family, the life she led was a satisfactory mix between modest education and carefree exploration; even at such a young age, however, her boundless curiosity was already glaringly obvious. Due to her father’s prolonged and frequent absence to participate in raids and pillaging, she came to see Roskilde, their hometown, as her one true family. Unfortunately, this leeway, which she was given so early on, would soon end up being Sigrid’s undoing.
On a particularly cloudy day, as a band of raiders were about to embark on a longship and set off sail, Sigrid frantically approached them, attempting to warn them of an incoming storm; the child was ignored yet the group, as predicted, never returned. As news of their likely demise circulated, so did rumors that Sigrid might be a seeress, known to Norsemen as a Vǫlva, and had seen, at that moment, a glimpse of their future; the young lady was in fact merely observant, having managed, at the mere age of seven years old, to recognize the weather patterns that were prevalent around the region. Haphazardly trying to explain her reasoning, she was unable to convince the settlement, cementing their perception instead and leading her to be put on a pedestal, getting treated in a way befitting her new standing. This situation, while it may seem like a dream come true at first, was truthfully the early beginnings of Sigrid’s worst nightmare, for it granted her father Asbjørn a unique opportunity he wouldn’t fail to exploit.
As a chieftain, the elder of the Ulfsen family wasn't without his own concerns for the future; the Age of the Vikings was coming to an end, and his raids became increasingly more difficult as time went on. Moreover, even he couldn’t escape the whims of medieval society; Sigrid’s father was under the leadership of a liege, a man known as Hjalmar Gälta, who was highly invested in modernizing Norse traditions. Politics aside, Asbjørn was simply afraid; fearful of the unknown, one might say, as his whole heritage had been the lifestyle of Vikings for generations. Of course, initially he believed Sigrid could indeed see the future, seeking answers and reassurance through her ability, but it quickly became evident she was just a normal girl, like any other. At that realization, Sigrid’s fate was sealed… A Vǫlva is a religious symbol of might for pagans, and could get into places no other would be allowed into; through her actions, Asbjørn began to believe he could assassinate Hjalmar and attempt to safeguard the Viking Era.
And so, it began; under the pretense of “honing her gift”, Sigrid was secretly subjected to teachings that were far too grim for a girl of her age; despite her lack of martial training, she was taken on raids and pressured to partake in acts of pillaging by her father, who tried cultivating her survival instincts and mentality. As part of his Viking crew, Asbjørn kept a close eye on his daughter and made sure she would remain isolated, which he hoped would lead her to rely on him; instead, she began dissociating and forming a mask, a new persona she donned when interacting with others, a fact even her father wouldn’t realize until much later. The constant cruelty surrounding her brought a major change to Sigrid’s mindset, a strong sense of apathy toward the world, but since she never gave away any signs of it and rather kept a cheerful attitude, the Norse chieftain relented; a different approach would be needed... Thankfully, the man never cared if she were caught and brutalized for it, only that Hjalmar’s dead body lay at his feet.
Thinking aloud, the father eventually realized his daughter had a knack for solving her problems through ingenuity rather than might, and could wield her silver tongue like no one else; these skills, rare and often overlooked in their culture, were all she would really need. Returning from their trips, Sigrid took on the mantle of a clairvoyant gracefully and, through tricks and ambiguous wordings, could pretend she truly had premonitions of the future, while Asbjørn began coordinating the girl’s education alongside a medical practitioner, believing she would make great use of this knowledge at the eleventh hour. For several years, her life settled into a routine of soothsaying for the clan and studying medicinal principles, sprinkled with occasional “accidents” meant to hone her instincts, alertness and diligence; her freedom had effectively been robbed, replaced with a thinly-veiled form of servitude. Throughout this period, she amassed an inordinate amount of understanding on human physiology, gaining an aptitude with herbal remedies and the fundamentals of alchemy; Sigrid acquired a weapon, one which had ramifications few could truly comprehend.
All this lasted until one day, it came; an opportunity her father had been eagerly awaiting… A carriage approached Roskilde, carrying within a messenger and invitations to a large feast held by Hjalmar Gälta. As chieftain, Asbjørn was obviously invited, but most importantly, one was also present for Sigrid, as the lord wished to meet whoever had been causing such turmoil in the region; both immediately made their way to the halls in which the ceremony would take place and the girl, unfit to participate in such revelry, was taken to the side, meeting the lord only once festivities would be over. This momentary freedom was all she needed to carry out the plan, yet was also a long-lost sensation; in this very instant, she had a choice to make, along with many options to pick from... and pick, she did. One single decision sealed her fate for centuries afterward, forging a path she alone could tread; Sigrid would soon be no more, lost in the annals of history.
As she entered the longhouse, Hjalmar already had a few drinks too many; initially engaging in light banter, the mood shifted drastically once the lord fell to the ground. Groveling at her feet, this once proud and strong Viking demanded answers, and at that, Sigrid couldn’t help but laugh; she had eyes not for him, mind you, but rather for Asbjørn, whose world was about to turn upside down. One by one, every guest in the hall fell to their knees, suffering the effects of a powerful toxin she had applied indiscriminately to the outside of each of their mugs; all save for one, her father’s, who would now witness his dreams crashing down and get increasingly out of reach. The Vǫlva had no sympathy to spare, finally enacting an act of revenge for the madness she was forced to endure since birth, a sin she would carry to the grave; she had just committed an act condemning her to an eternity of torment, a torture destined for her within the depths of Hell.
Enraged by the outcome, Asbjørn lunged at Sigrid and grabbed her by the collar, lashing out in anger at the girl for her actions; she was instantly pushed to the ground and immobilized under his weight, the father’s mind fueled only through rage and emotions. As this man began strangling his own daughter, arms and legs flailing desperately in a futile attempt to get free, he suddenly lost all strength in his body, robbed from him at the critical moment; Sigrid’s coat had been lined with toxins as well, which were now viciously disrupting his most basic bodily functions. The girl had tried, twisted as it may be, to give him a chance to make amends, she really did, but alas; “There is ultimately no redemption awaiting either of us, huh?”. Grabbing utensils from the dinner table, Sigrid slowly and methodically ended her father’s life, using the very medical knowledge he had bestowed upon her in hopes that it would benefit his own goals; the man was left a mess on the ground, torso open and face distorted from the damage.
On a particularly cloudy day, as a band of raiders were about to embark on a longship and set off sail, Sigrid frantically approached them, attempting to warn them of an incoming storm; the child was ignored yet the group, as predicted, never returned. As news of their likely demise circulated, so did rumors that Sigrid might be a seeress, known to Norsemen as a Vǫlva, and had seen, at that moment, a glimpse of their future; the young lady was in fact merely observant, having managed, at the mere age of seven years old, to recognize the weather patterns that were prevalent around the region. Haphazardly trying to explain her reasoning, she was unable to convince the settlement, cementing their perception instead and leading her to be put on a pedestal, getting treated in a way befitting her new standing. This situation, while it may seem like a dream come true at first, was truthfully the early beginnings of Sigrid’s worst nightmare, for it granted her father Asbjørn a unique opportunity he wouldn’t fail to exploit.
As a chieftain, the elder of the Ulfsen family wasn't without his own concerns for the future; the Age of the Vikings was coming to an end, and his raids became increasingly more difficult as time went on. Moreover, even he couldn’t escape the whims of medieval society; Sigrid’s father was under the leadership of a liege, a man known as Hjalmar Gälta, who was highly invested in modernizing Norse traditions. Politics aside, Asbjørn was simply afraid; fearful of the unknown, one might say, as his whole heritage had been the lifestyle of Vikings for generations. Of course, initially he believed Sigrid could indeed see the future, seeking answers and reassurance through her ability, but it quickly became evident she was just a normal girl, like any other. At that realization, Sigrid’s fate was sealed… A Vǫlva is a religious symbol of might for pagans, and could get into places no other would be allowed into; through her actions, Asbjørn began to believe he could assassinate Hjalmar and attempt to safeguard the Viking Era.
And so, it began; under the pretense of “honing her gift”, Sigrid was secretly subjected to teachings that were far too grim for a girl of her age; despite her lack of martial training, she was taken on raids and pressured to partake in acts of pillaging by her father, who tried cultivating her survival instincts and mentality. As part of his Viking crew, Asbjørn kept a close eye on his daughter and made sure she would remain isolated, which he hoped would lead her to rely on him; instead, she began dissociating and forming a mask, a new persona she donned when interacting with others, a fact even her father wouldn’t realize until much later. The constant cruelty surrounding her brought a major change to Sigrid’s mindset, a strong sense of apathy toward the world, but since she never gave away any signs of it and rather kept a cheerful attitude, the Norse chieftain relented; a different approach would be needed... Thankfully, the man never cared if she were caught and brutalized for it, only that Hjalmar’s dead body lay at his feet.
Thinking aloud, the father eventually realized his daughter had a knack for solving her problems through ingenuity rather than might, and could wield her silver tongue like no one else; these skills, rare and often overlooked in their culture, were all she would really need. Returning from their trips, Sigrid took on the mantle of a clairvoyant gracefully and, through tricks and ambiguous wordings, could pretend she truly had premonitions of the future, while Asbjørn began coordinating the girl’s education alongside a medical practitioner, believing she would make great use of this knowledge at the eleventh hour. For several years, her life settled into a routine of soothsaying for the clan and studying medicinal principles, sprinkled with occasional “accidents” meant to hone her instincts, alertness and diligence; her freedom had effectively been robbed, replaced with a thinly-veiled form of servitude. Throughout this period, she amassed an inordinate amount of understanding on human physiology, gaining an aptitude with herbal remedies and the fundamentals of alchemy; Sigrid acquired a weapon, one which had ramifications few could truly comprehend.
All this lasted until one day, it came; an opportunity her father had been eagerly awaiting… A carriage approached Roskilde, carrying within a messenger and invitations to a large feast held by Hjalmar Gälta. As chieftain, Asbjørn was obviously invited, but most importantly, one was also present for Sigrid, as the lord wished to meet whoever had been causing such turmoil in the region; both immediately made their way to the halls in which the ceremony would take place and the girl, unfit to participate in such revelry, was taken to the side, meeting the lord only once festivities would be over. This momentary freedom was all she needed to carry out the plan, yet was also a long-lost sensation; in this very instant, she had a choice to make, along with many options to pick from... and pick, she did. One single decision sealed her fate for centuries afterward, forging a path she alone could tread; Sigrid would soon be no more, lost in the annals of history.
As she entered the longhouse, Hjalmar already had a few drinks too many; initially engaging in light banter, the mood shifted drastically once the lord fell to the ground. Groveling at her feet, this once proud and strong Viking demanded answers, and at that, Sigrid couldn’t help but laugh; she had eyes not for him, mind you, but rather for Asbjørn, whose world was about to turn upside down. One by one, every guest in the hall fell to their knees, suffering the effects of a powerful toxin she had applied indiscriminately to the outside of each of their mugs; all save for one, her father’s, who would now witness his dreams crashing down and get increasingly out of reach. The Vǫlva had no sympathy to spare, finally enacting an act of revenge for the madness she was forced to endure since birth, a sin she would carry to the grave; she had just committed an act condemning her to an eternity of torment, a torture destined for her within the depths of Hell.
Enraged by the outcome, Asbjørn lunged at Sigrid and grabbed her by the collar, lashing out in anger at the girl for her actions; she was instantly pushed to the ground and immobilized under his weight, the father’s mind fueled only through rage and emotions. As this man began strangling his own daughter, arms and legs flailing desperately in a futile attempt to get free, he suddenly lost all strength in his body, robbed from him at the critical moment; Sigrid’s coat had been lined with toxins as well, which were now viciously disrupting his most basic bodily functions. The girl had tried, twisted as it may be, to give him a chance to make amends, she really did, but alas; “There is ultimately no redemption awaiting either of us, huh?”. Grabbing utensils from the dinner table, Sigrid slowly and methodically ended her father’s life, using the very medical knowledge he had bestowed upon her in hopes that it would benefit his own goals; the man was left a mess on the ground, torso open and face distorted from the damage.
Chapter 2: The Gates of Valhalla
For the first time in over a decade, Sigrid Ulfsen was finally free, in the truest sense of that word; and, with such freedom came deep feelings of hopelessness and loneliness. Now the lone survivor of her own massacre, she hurriedly left the longhouse and fled in the wilderness before anyone would realize what had just occurred, covering her trail as she went; night came, and soon the harsh reality of living off her homeland began to settle in, having to now find provisions through a frozen environment. Fortunately, she knew a lot about the local ecosystem and particularly which plants to avoid, helping her immensely with this task; nonetheless, her constant vigilance toward threats quickly left her drained of energy, and forced a decision upon her. She could resist even further, and risk going through an atrocious death, or she could simply give in, and at least focus on ending her life painlessly.
As might be expected with her unstable mindset and the harsh circumstances she found herself in, the girl chose to take the easy way out, seeing no value in a life that ultimately had no place in this world. To do so, she adopted a method she felt would reduce her pain and agony; undressing until she was in her birthday suit, Sigrid entered freezing cold water and let her body temperature lower to dangerous levels in one last swim before she’d join the afterlife; her consciousness began to gradually fade, and soon she lost it entirely… until, she woke up. Confused as to what had just happened, Sigrid noticed a different presence alongside her, the silhouette of a woman veiled in black. The individual introduced herself as Aura Melrose, and revealed she had saved Sigrid’s life just now; in exchange, she merely asked for a bit of her attention, and a moment to mull over the girl’s resolve for death.
Angered at this, Sigrid attempted to lash out, but to no avail; her strength had seemingly left her, as if a twisted joke from fate. The woman, her gaze soft, calmly approached the young lady and, with a mellow voice, revealed the harsh truth to Sigrid; “If you wish to resign to your fate, go ahead, but you will find that this cruel world won't let you off so easily”. As strength began to return to the girl’s shivering body, Aura explained the true nature of the world to her; the presence of spirits, the existence of Hollows, the Shinigami who oppose them and, most importantly, the damnation that would await her in Hell. She then made an offer to Sigrid Ulfsen, paving the way to her future and destiny; “Do you still desire a taste of death? I will not stop you, the water is right there; but, if you would rather live, my group will gladly welcome you”. Seeing no other way out, the girl accepted this offer, and thus, took her first step in a long attempt to run away from the grip of fate itself.
Joining this merry band of travelers was no easy life, but Sigrid made it work knowing full well where she would be otherwise; moving eastward, their group was in constant flux, with new people joining and others parting ways just as often. Made up of tormented souls, this random assortment of people was nothing particularly notable; many were merely victims of circumstances, some had secrets and a tragic past to hide, others remained paralyzed by a fear gnawing at their heart, and a few simply enjoyed the companionship. Whichever the case, they all had a lot in common; misery was a shared experience among them all, followed by an awakening to the spiritual world… No, there was much more than that; a resistance against the status quo and rebellion against established norms was also rampant. Perhaps because of this mutual understanding, Sigrid developed a sense of belonging with them unlike anything she had felt before, not even in her hometown Roskilde; she mellowed out with the passage of time and opened up immensely over the next several years.
Centered around their eldest member Aura Melrose, an individual who kept her intentions shrouded in mystery and whose appearance remained unknown, hidden underneath a large cloak, the group’s origin was obscure at best; whichever event had led to its creation, only Aura was left from that Era and she was tight-lipped on the matter. Regardless of how it began, however, its people were a very resourceful bunch, Aura included, and had a knack for settling in areas anyone else wouldn’t even consider; they traveled from the outskirts of one city to the next, moving from the coast of Denmark into the Byzantine Empire and even extending into Mesopotamia. Regrettably, this group wasn’t without its own worries for the future; chased overtly by the Church for their unorthodox way of life, their community also harbored many with an unusual spiritual footprint and, thus, was targeted by Shinigami and Hollow alike. Constantly on the run, Sigrid learned to enjoy every moment of life she could get her hands on, knowing it could be robbed from her at the most inopportune of times.
Unfortunately, the girl’s past caught up with her, and before long a new Hollow began chasing them, one much stronger and quite different from previous occurrences; this new threat appeared suddenly and left a trail of bodies in its wake, pursuing them relentlessly and even effortlessly slaughtering the Shinigami standing in its way on a few occasions. Large and brutish, its appearance was horrifyingly close to a living skeleton, with an exposed ribcage and skull, resembling a monster imitating the human form; Sigrid knew from first laying eyes on it what this Hollow’s true nature and identity was like, having had a hand in its demise herself. The person hidden beneath this horror’s mask could only be her very own father, whose wounds perfectly matched the exposed parts of this Hollow’s body; as for its ambitions, they weren’t very difficult to guess, it certainly yearned only for revenge. Without a doubt, this giant behemoth was on the hunt for her specifically and had no desire for the rest of their group; however, she had no intention to just give in, and instead stubbornly chose to fight her own fate once more.
Against all odds, the community kept on the run and fought their way through every predicament laid on their path, not without substantial loss of lives; the Hollow, always on her tail, was outmaneuvered at every turn but also took its toll on their number. Shortly, the group shrank and lost most of its combat prowess, exhausted and defeated by immeasurable casualties; and so, Sigrid was eventually cornered as well during one such encounter, brought to a standstill on the side of a cliff with her back against the void. “HHRRAAAAAHHHH~”, the Hollow screamed and, using its wail as an opportunity to escape, Sigrid leapt away; she attempted a getaway but was quickly jabbed, the monster’s hand piercing through the side of her left hip and immobilizing her through pain. Rising its arm high, the Hollow was seemingly about to land a finishing blow, when a flash of white light engulfed them both... Soon the girl found herself back at Aura’s side, albeit a major change had seemingly occurred; Sigrid now adorned the form of a spirit, her Chain of Fate broken during the engagement.
Having now died, nothing the woman could do would change her fate anymore; even if the Hollow left her alone or was defeated, Shinigami would still attempt to give her a Soul Burial, effectively dooming her to Hell in the process. Sigrid was admittedly dejected, captive to her own past; luckily, one last ray of hope was at her disposal. Aura Melrose had previously demonstrated the ability to send their spiritual companions directly to Soul Society, bypassing the Soul Burial; by making use of that, she still had a way to redeem her future. At the eleventh hour, they hurriedly prepared the needed ritual and kept an eye out, unaware of when their Hollow pursuer would next appear; once ready, they started immediately. Positioning herself behind the girl and placing her hands on Sigrid’s shoulders, Aura Melrose began reciting an incantation and forcefully led her soul to its next destination, when... With an abrupt sound, Sigrid endured a sharp pain throughout her abdomen. Looking down, an arm protruded from inside of her and, looking back, the Hollow was right there, its mouth open; what left its lungs next would forever leave her stunned, since it was nothing like the roar she had been expecting: “At last... Reunited”.
As might be expected with her unstable mindset and the harsh circumstances she found herself in, the girl chose to take the easy way out, seeing no value in a life that ultimately had no place in this world. To do so, she adopted a method she felt would reduce her pain and agony; undressing until she was in her birthday suit, Sigrid entered freezing cold water and let her body temperature lower to dangerous levels in one last swim before she’d join the afterlife; her consciousness began to gradually fade, and soon she lost it entirely… until, she woke up. Confused as to what had just happened, Sigrid noticed a different presence alongside her, the silhouette of a woman veiled in black. The individual introduced herself as Aura Melrose, and revealed she had saved Sigrid’s life just now; in exchange, she merely asked for a bit of her attention, and a moment to mull over the girl’s resolve for death.
Angered at this, Sigrid attempted to lash out, but to no avail; her strength had seemingly left her, as if a twisted joke from fate. The woman, her gaze soft, calmly approached the young lady and, with a mellow voice, revealed the harsh truth to Sigrid; “If you wish to resign to your fate, go ahead, but you will find that this cruel world won't let you off so easily”. As strength began to return to the girl’s shivering body, Aura explained the true nature of the world to her; the presence of spirits, the existence of Hollows, the Shinigami who oppose them and, most importantly, the damnation that would await her in Hell. She then made an offer to Sigrid Ulfsen, paving the way to her future and destiny; “Do you still desire a taste of death? I will not stop you, the water is right there; but, if you would rather live, my group will gladly welcome you”. Seeing no other way out, the girl accepted this offer, and thus, took her first step in a long attempt to run away from the grip of fate itself.
Joining this merry band of travelers was no easy life, but Sigrid made it work knowing full well where she would be otherwise; moving eastward, their group was in constant flux, with new people joining and others parting ways just as often. Made up of tormented souls, this random assortment of people was nothing particularly notable; many were merely victims of circumstances, some had secrets and a tragic past to hide, others remained paralyzed by a fear gnawing at their heart, and a few simply enjoyed the companionship. Whichever the case, they all had a lot in common; misery was a shared experience among them all, followed by an awakening to the spiritual world… No, there was much more than that; a resistance against the status quo and rebellion against established norms was also rampant. Perhaps because of this mutual understanding, Sigrid developed a sense of belonging with them unlike anything she had felt before, not even in her hometown Roskilde; she mellowed out with the passage of time and opened up immensely over the next several years.
Centered around their eldest member Aura Melrose, an individual who kept her intentions shrouded in mystery and whose appearance remained unknown, hidden underneath a large cloak, the group’s origin was obscure at best; whichever event had led to its creation, only Aura was left from that Era and she was tight-lipped on the matter. Regardless of how it began, however, its people were a very resourceful bunch, Aura included, and had a knack for settling in areas anyone else wouldn’t even consider; they traveled from the outskirts of one city to the next, moving from the coast of Denmark into the Byzantine Empire and even extending into Mesopotamia. Regrettably, this group wasn’t without its own worries for the future; chased overtly by the Church for their unorthodox way of life, their community also harbored many with an unusual spiritual footprint and, thus, was targeted by Shinigami and Hollow alike. Constantly on the run, Sigrid learned to enjoy every moment of life she could get her hands on, knowing it could be robbed from her at the most inopportune of times.
Unfortunately, the girl’s past caught up with her, and before long a new Hollow began chasing them, one much stronger and quite different from previous occurrences; this new threat appeared suddenly and left a trail of bodies in its wake, pursuing them relentlessly and even effortlessly slaughtering the Shinigami standing in its way on a few occasions. Large and brutish, its appearance was horrifyingly close to a living skeleton, with an exposed ribcage and skull, resembling a monster imitating the human form; Sigrid knew from first laying eyes on it what this Hollow’s true nature and identity was like, having had a hand in its demise herself. The person hidden beneath this horror’s mask could only be her very own father, whose wounds perfectly matched the exposed parts of this Hollow’s body; as for its ambitions, they weren’t very difficult to guess, it certainly yearned only for revenge. Without a doubt, this giant behemoth was on the hunt for her specifically and had no desire for the rest of their group; however, she had no intention to just give in, and instead stubbornly chose to fight her own fate once more.
Against all odds, the community kept on the run and fought their way through every predicament laid on their path, not without substantial loss of lives; the Hollow, always on her tail, was outmaneuvered at every turn but also took its toll on their number. Shortly, the group shrank and lost most of its combat prowess, exhausted and defeated by immeasurable casualties; and so, Sigrid was eventually cornered as well during one such encounter, brought to a standstill on the side of a cliff with her back against the void. “HHRRAAAAAHHHH~”, the Hollow screamed and, using its wail as an opportunity to escape, Sigrid leapt away; she attempted a getaway but was quickly jabbed, the monster’s hand piercing through the side of her left hip and immobilizing her through pain. Rising its arm high, the Hollow was seemingly about to land a finishing blow, when a flash of white light engulfed them both... Soon the girl found herself back at Aura’s side, albeit a major change had seemingly occurred; Sigrid now adorned the form of a spirit, her Chain of Fate broken during the engagement.
Having now died, nothing the woman could do would change her fate anymore; even if the Hollow left her alone or was defeated, Shinigami would still attempt to give her a Soul Burial, effectively dooming her to Hell in the process. Sigrid was admittedly dejected, captive to her own past; luckily, one last ray of hope was at her disposal. Aura Melrose had previously demonstrated the ability to send their spiritual companions directly to Soul Society, bypassing the Soul Burial; by making use of that, she still had a way to redeem her future. At the eleventh hour, they hurriedly prepared the needed ritual and kept an eye out, unaware of when their Hollow pursuer would next appear; once ready, they started immediately. Positioning herself behind the girl and placing her hands on Sigrid’s shoulders, Aura Melrose began reciting an incantation and forcefully led her soul to its next destination, when... With an abrupt sound, Sigrid endured a sharp pain throughout her abdomen. Looking down, an arm protruded from inside of her and, looking back, the Hollow was right there, its mouth open; what left its lungs next would forever leave her stunned, since it was nothing like the roar she had been expecting: “At last... Reunited”.
Chapter 3: Valhalla and Beyond
Her next memories were fuzzy, as she entered the spiritual realm without going through the Cycle of Rebirth and outside of proper protocols; when she finally regained her senses, Sigrid found herself in a lush environment, wild in nature and unlike how Soul Society had been described to her previously. Her expectations for a bustling town were shattered by the verdant forest ahead of her, booming with life yet devoid of camaraderie; faced with this unexpected scenery and still struggling to make anything out of her sparse memories, the young woman recoiled in shock. Just what had she managed to accomplish, thus far? Nothing! No, not quite true... She had saved a life, her life; and, in doing so, earned herself a fresh start... Her face now adorned a smile. That’s right... She just needed to start over. To do so, Sigrid felt the need for a new name to ensure her safety, and one did call for her from deep within; looking back, it was the only real legacy she had and, in a way, felt like a promise to give her own path further meaning, walking with her head held high... The name she picked, was Luna Melrose.
Now facing this entirely new reality, the girl tried to make sense of her circumstances. She had been told the layout of Soul Society would be a central area meant for Shinigami and nobles, surrounded by many districts where normal souls took residence; clearly, where she ended up matched neither of these two descriptions, looking akin to a temperate, dense forested region instead. Walking around and trying to reach higher ground didn’t help nor change the landscape she had before her eyes, only a sea of trees would await the girl regardless of the direction she might choose to take; Luna knew wilderness existed beyond Soul Society’s furthest reach, so perhaps that had been her destination? Fortunately, many of these interrogations would soon find answers, as a strange man entered her field of vision. The figure, gracefully moving between tree branches using agile motions, was some sort of tribal warrior, his face hidden by a wooden mask adorned with feathers and fur. Silent, he showed no signs of hostility toward Luna, something she understood quickly since he could’ve easily remained unseen if he truly had such intentions; instead, he acted as if to incite her into following him.
Analyzing the situation, Luna felt her options were limited, and so opted to indulge the man’s agenda for now; she needed information in order to pick a course of actions, which is what she was most lacking at the moment. Shortly, the two of them arrived at a clearing, and what caught the girl’s eye was certainly unexpected; a group of what seemed like intelligent beasts had set up camp here, something she would soon learn to be a Beast Clan. Took off guard, their open aggression toward the abrupt human visit told her all she needed to know about being unwelcome on these grounds, but thankfully what seemed like an elder, one of the few beasts capable of conversing with her, intervened: “Stop”. The situation finally de-escalating, she received several answers to her questions, alongside what felt like even greater points of confusion; as she had surmised, her current location was indeed the wilderness surrounding Soul Society, a portion of it close to the western side of Rukongai. However, she was informed the man who had accompanied her here did so because the spiritual signature she had suddenly emitted, during her arrival to Soul Society, felt like one belonging to a fellow Beast-Clansmen.
Unable to find a proper explanation for that mystery, Luna was forced to set it aside; more importantly, she needed a way to change her current conditions, and therefore offered the clan a deal. If they would guide her to the outer reach of Rukongai and provide her with safety while living in the wilderness, she would in return act as an intermediary with the souls living there and offer the clan proper means to acquire desired commodities; as a bonus, she also offered her help with medical issues to sweeten her deal. This arrangement was greatly beneficial for the Beast Clan, which led her to swiftly be accepted amidst the group; as such, the strange man who had previously acted as her guide, another helper for the clan who had been abandoned in the wild and subsequently raised by them, became a frequent ally and companion to the girl. Incapable of speaking, Luna Melrose slowly taught him basic language skills and communicated through gestures, affectionately nicknaming him Bark Face as a nod to his peculiar appearance.
Following this, her daily life developed into a monotone yet stable cycle encompassing both errands and woodland exploration. Early on, she met with the local groups ruling the nearby district and made sure to negotiate favorable terms with them as well; with their assistance, she could provide valuable access to wilderness resources and ensure no Hollow would come close, cleaning up nests whenever required. This led to a symbiotic relationship between the outer districts and this Beast Clan, with Luna acting as the lynchpin to it all; both sides benefited from it heavily and knew better than to risk it for superficial gains, standing to lose more than could ever be regained. Over the next several decades, Luna refined and modernized her medicinal practices, fulfilling her duties for both factions and using the remaining occasions to polish her understanding of this new world; she also attempted to study Hollows and their behavior, well aware of the threat they could pose and the need for effective tools she could use against them.
The effect time might have on these agreements was unfortunately something the girl underestimated and couldn’t foretell, especially since her life had always been short-lived thus far; she just didn’t know, yet, how fickle the relationships she had just formed could truly be. Faced with centuries of routine and repetitiveness, her mind didn’t catch on to the fact that most of the individuals in leadership when she introduced herself had, over such a long period, either died or moved on with their lives, replaced with new spirits eager for change; moreover, from their perspective, her presence in the woods felt like an unchanging and stagnant reality, with the populace even beginning to call her the “Witch of Western Rukongai” without her knowledge. The Beast Clan grew prominently but resentment also festered as a result, pure disdain against a group they felt didn’t deserve such prosperity and, by proxy, against Luna Melrose as well; it was only a matter of time before their situation boiled over.
Such a calamity eventually fell upon the clan, leaving in its wake a chain of events one might describe as a tragedy. Fueled by sheer malice, the thugs of the district acted against them, following orders from a new crime boss who had recently taken over; as spiritual beings, Beast-Clansmen were especially prone to need food to satisfy their hunger caused by the awakening of spiritual power, which was a weakness these bandits would exploit without a hint of remorse. Among supplies intended for the clan, multiple crates of food had been contaminated with poison meant to cripple its victim’s strength; however, the immediate threat loomed over Luna’s head, who had been followed during what seemed at first like a perfectly normal delivery. Returning toward the hidden shelter she shared with Bark Face, her pursuers sneaked from behind and gave the woman a powerful strike to the head, forcing her to fall unconscious; with her collaborator nearby, there was nothing she truly had to worry about, but the man, earnest and simple-minded, failed to realize what future would soon lie ahead for them.
Coming back to her senses, Luna’s sight quickly centered on the thugs who had ambushed her, now out cold on the ground, before hurriedly focusing on the impending disaster awaiting the Beast Clan; they needed to hurry, this whole ordeal undoubtedly meant to keep the clan separated from them. Sadly, it was too late, the nauseating stench of blood already permeating the air around the clearing; as the two soon reached the area, they had to confront the traces of what had seemingly been a likely abduction and one-sided massacre of their kin, charred remains of what were once proud beasts scattered across the field. “No...”; devastated by this view, Bark Face couldn’t contain his emotions, lamenting the loss of his lifelong companions through loud sobs and howling. Luna Melrose, on the other hand, was silently ecstatic, truth be told... Finally an opportunity to break free from her old agreement and explore new horizons, away from the boredom of her current lifestyle.
Now facing this entirely new reality, the girl tried to make sense of her circumstances. She had been told the layout of Soul Society would be a central area meant for Shinigami and nobles, surrounded by many districts where normal souls took residence; clearly, where she ended up matched neither of these two descriptions, looking akin to a temperate, dense forested region instead. Walking around and trying to reach higher ground didn’t help nor change the landscape she had before her eyes, only a sea of trees would await the girl regardless of the direction she might choose to take; Luna knew wilderness existed beyond Soul Society’s furthest reach, so perhaps that had been her destination? Fortunately, many of these interrogations would soon find answers, as a strange man entered her field of vision. The figure, gracefully moving between tree branches using agile motions, was some sort of tribal warrior, his face hidden by a wooden mask adorned with feathers and fur. Silent, he showed no signs of hostility toward Luna, something she understood quickly since he could’ve easily remained unseen if he truly had such intentions; instead, he acted as if to incite her into following him.
Analyzing the situation, Luna felt her options were limited, and so opted to indulge the man’s agenda for now; she needed information in order to pick a course of actions, which is what she was most lacking at the moment. Shortly, the two of them arrived at a clearing, and what caught the girl’s eye was certainly unexpected; a group of what seemed like intelligent beasts had set up camp here, something she would soon learn to be a Beast Clan. Took off guard, their open aggression toward the abrupt human visit told her all she needed to know about being unwelcome on these grounds, but thankfully what seemed like an elder, one of the few beasts capable of conversing with her, intervened: “Stop”. The situation finally de-escalating, she received several answers to her questions, alongside what felt like even greater points of confusion; as she had surmised, her current location was indeed the wilderness surrounding Soul Society, a portion of it close to the western side of Rukongai. However, she was informed the man who had accompanied her here did so because the spiritual signature she had suddenly emitted, during her arrival to Soul Society, felt like one belonging to a fellow Beast-Clansmen.
Unable to find a proper explanation for that mystery, Luna was forced to set it aside; more importantly, she needed a way to change her current conditions, and therefore offered the clan a deal. If they would guide her to the outer reach of Rukongai and provide her with safety while living in the wilderness, she would in return act as an intermediary with the souls living there and offer the clan proper means to acquire desired commodities; as a bonus, she also offered her help with medical issues to sweeten her deal. This arrangement was greatly beneficial for the Beast Clan, which led her to swiftly be accepted amidst the group; as such, the strange man who had previously acted as her guide, another helper for the clan who had been abandoned in the wild and subsequently raised by them, became a frequent ally and companion to the girl. Incapable of speaking, Luna Melrose slowly taught him basic language skills and communicated through gestures, affectionately nicknaming him Bark Face as a nod to his peculiar appearance.
Following this, her daily life developed into a monotone yet stable cycle encompassing both errands and woodland exploration. Early on, she met with the local groups ruling the nearby district and made sure to negotiate favorable terms with them as well; with their assistance, she could provide valuable access to wilderness resources and ensure no Hollow would come close, cleaning up nests whenever required. This led to a symbiotic relationship between the outer districts and this Beast Clan, with Luna acting as the lynchpin to it all; both sides benefited from it heavily and knew better than to risk it for superficial gains, standing to lose more than could ever be regained. Over the next several decades, Luna refined and modernized her medicinal practices, fulfilling her duties for both factions and using the remaining occasions to polish her understanding of this new world; she also attempted to study Hollows and their behavior, well aware of the threat they could pose and the need for effective tools she could use against them.
The effect time might have on these agreements was unfortunately something the girl underestimated and couldn’t foretell, especially since her life had always been short-lived thus far; she just didn’t know, yet, how fickle the relationships she had just formed could truly be. Faced with centuries of routine and repetitiveness, her mind didn’t catch on to the fact that most of the individuals in leadership when she introduced herself had, over such a long period, either died or moved on with their lives, replaced with new spirits eager for change; moreover, from their perspective, her presence in the woods felt like an unchanging and stagnant reality, with the populace even beginning to call her the “Witch of Western Rukongai” without her knowledge. The Beast Clan grew prominently but resentment also festered as a result, pure disdain against a group they felt didn’t deserve such prosperity and, by proxy, against Luna Melrose as well; it was only a matter of time before their situation boiled over.
Such a calamity eventually fell upon the clan, leaving in its wake a chain of events one might describe as a tragedy. Fueled by sheer malice, the thugs of the district acted against them, following orders from a new crime boss who had recently taken over; as spiritual beings, Beast-Clansmen were especially prone to need food to satisfy their hunger caused by the awakening of spiritual power, which was a weakness these bandits would exploit without a hint of remorse. Among supplies intended for the clan, multiple crates of food had been contaminated with poison meant to cripple its victim’s strength; however, the immediate threat loomed over Luna’s head, who had been followed during what seemed at first like a perfectly normal delivery. Returning toward the hidden shelter she shared with Bark Face, her pursuers sneaked from behind and gave the woman a powerful strike to the head, forcing her to fall unconscious; with her collaborator nearby, there was nothing she truly had to worry about, but the man, earnest and simple-minded, failed to realize what future would soon lie ahead for them.
Coming back to her senses, Luna’s sight quickly centered on the thugs who had ambushed her, now out cold on the ground, before hurriedly focusing on the impending disaster awaiting the Beast Clan; they needed to hurry, this whole ordeal undoubtedly meant to keep the clan separated from them. Sadly, it was too late, the nauseating stench of blood already permeating the air around the clearing; as the two soon reached the area, they had to confront the traces of what had seemingly been a likely abduction and one-sided massacre of their kin, charred remains of what were once proud beasts scattered across the field. “No...”; devastated by this view, Bark Face couldn’t contain his emotions, lamenting the loss of his lifelong companions through loud sobs and howling. Luna Melrose, on the other hand, was silently ecstatic, truth be told... Finally an opportunity to break free from her old agreement and explore new horizons, away from the boredom of her current lifestyle.
Chapter 4: Reclaiming Valhalla
Given their newfound freedom, there was no time to waste. Shinigami would certainly head this way for an investigation, and Luna had no intention to still be around when that time came; the girl had a small window to act as she saw fit, and she would be using it to its full potential. Bringing Bark Face along with her, she forcefully met with the criminal organization responsible for their current predicament and let him loose on them, spurring the man into taking revenge and effectively breaking down any remaining inhibitions he might’ve had toward violence. Afterward, she took several measures to ensure they could safely travel away by destroying incriminating evidence using natural acids, hiring bodyguards for the journey then subsequently assassinating them once their destination had been reached, and spreading false rumors of individuals matching their descriptions on different paths than their own. Luna Melrose made sure no clues could lead back their way; unless you already knew what had occurred here, a strife between residents and Beast-Clansmen over territory and boundaries would seem like the most logical and consistent perspective.
Moving inward toward some of the more central districts, the pair worked together and established a foothold for themselves; or, perhaps it would be more accurate to say Luna turned her accomplice into a puppet, handling all of her more dubious tasks while she kept clear of any risks. Getting in contact with the right people allowed them to enter the local black market and, using her skills with medicine, Luna quickly made a name for herself by creating unconventional means to harm others; she played smart by keeping her identity a secret and using scapegoats as a cover-up, preventing rivals from forcing her out of business. On the rare occasions this didn’t suffice, Bark Face took on a lead role as her errand boy and bodyguard, a perfect man for these jobs; she reinforced her subterfuge and strategies until this was barely necessary anymore, refining her manipulation techniques to their limit. Honesty developed into a guiding principle and fundamental doctrine for the woman, following several incidents which escalated after she got caught in a blatant lie.
One agreement led to another, and before long, Luna had met up with several of the organizations in control of the market, along with the corrupted officials who looked the other way. Gradually, she built up a large network of connections involving criminals from the various districts of Soul Society, allowing her to begin pulling strings from behind; Luna became an organizer over the next several decades, rarely getting involved directly with criminal activity and simply replacing any of the busted operations with a new undertaking whenever necessary. She just knew a lot of names, really; yet, in this line of business, that was already a major asset and made her an important player in its overall structure. Whenever the authorities began detaining members of an illegal organization, she worked in the shadows to ensure that market wouldn’t end up disrupted by it; her role was simply to play matchmaker between criminals and the correct illicit transactions, only associating with organizations as an independent third-party and avoiding any involvement in conflicts between them.
As the saying goes, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade; the events that had led to the demise of their Beast-Clansmen friends were certainly not a pleasant experience, but they could still be turned into a positive. Using her knowledge of the circumstances as leverage, Luna Melrose easily convinced many of her involvement in the matter by pointing out inconsistencies in the official version of events, revealing it to foster a reputation for herself and sharpen the edge of its blade; among its most notable applications, she effortlessly forced a short Beast-Clansman bandit with black fur known by the name of Nolt Everett, a dominant fence from the southern districts, to turn coat at the mention of her fictitious accomplishment. The beast swiftly became a front for her activities and covered unilaterally for Luna, the menace she wielded being threatening enough to urge his compliance; Nolt wasn’t shy from taking part in any of the more depraved criminal acts and would smuggle just about anything, which made him an excellent ally for her many schemes.
Privy to a lot of information circulating in Soul Society, she rapidly caught wind of a new, revolutionary practice from the World of the Living capable of performing miracles, something they called “science”. Mentioned by newly reborn souls who had experienced its impact first-hand, Luna Melrose’s interest skyrocketed from the get-go when they spoke of medical achievements she believed would always stay beyond the grasp of humanity; “I need to get my hands on that”, she immediately thought. The study of worldly phenomenon using a codified approach opened doors she couldn’t even fathom, and gave rise to many questions for the girl; just how far was it possible to go with this, and could she even find a way to circumvent the problems plaguing her mind? It reignited her resolve to escape from Hell and fight her fate to the very end, a reality she’d slowly resigned herself to accept over her many centuries within the realm of spirits; experimentation became a small flicker of hope in her boundless sea of darkness.
Jumping head-first into this field, the young woman used everything at her disposal to get ahead and reach her so-desired breakthroughs; focusing mainly on spiritual biology and its relationship with rebirth in Soul Society, she began collecting innumerable dead bodies of all sorts through her connections with the black market, running several experiments with them. Luna enticed many from the underworld by offering a peculiar deal; any corpse they could provide her, she would safely destroy and prevent it from ever being found again. Who the body belonged to and how the death had occurred didn’t matter a bit to this girl, which made her proposal even more alluring, and she welcomed remains from any sentient race, which led many to her doorstep in their times of need. Luna’s reputation preceded her and, with Nolt running daily operations, she acquired plenty of work material; her research only emboldened over the centuries and led Bark Face to serve as a guinea pig for her many crazy theories, left unrecognizable after the length of a single lifetime.
During one such experiment, on a day just like any other at first glance, an incident took place; remains from a dead Shinigami weren’t quite as inoffensive as first believed, and soon a handful of small Hollow parasites the size of mere tadpoles leapt out from its body during an autopsy, latching on to Luna as their new host. Her metabolism fused with the creatures, causing symptoms she would associate with daily life from now on; intense internal pain, cold sensations, stiffness permeating her whole body and increased tactile sensitivity. Obviously, Luna Melrose wasn’t pleased and tried multiple methods to rid herself of these intruders, but it was futile, she couldn’t even detect their presence anymore. Defeated, she had to find a different solution to her problem and one did lurk on the horizon, but Luna didn’t ever want to rely on it; “Shinigami fight against Hollows and know everything about them, they should have a way to restore your condition”, Nolt offered.
Fortunately, joining the ranks of the Shinigami wouldn’t be too difficult; from Luna’s perspective, their entire structure was flawed and allowed corruption to run rampant, both from intended and accidental sources. Since the Gotei 13 was built with nobility and a class system in mind, she could piggy-back on their influence to obfuscate her admission as a simple Rukongai resident without any ties to the criminal underworld; it was a common practice, truth be told, for those who wished to join while keeping secrets about their identity. To avoid raising unnecessary suspicion, her forged paperwork would mention minor noble families as former employment; anyone who tried digging into her past would be met with a sob story about her time as a servant to provide credibility and blur the trail from there, a deterrent against any background checks on the girl. Her preparations complete, she enrolled into the Academy, unaware of what the future had in store for her; whatever it was, Luna Melrose wasn’t naive enough to believe her fate would not be a cruel, terrible one.
Moving inward toward some of the more central districts, the pair worked together and established a foothold for themselves; or, perhaps it would be more accurate to say Luna turned her accomplice into a puppet, handling all of her more dubious tasks while she kept clear of any risks. Getting in contact with the right people allowed them to enter the local black market and, using her skills with medicine, Luna quickly made a name for herself by creating unconventional means to harm others; she played smart by keeping her identity a secret and using scapegoats as a cover-up, preventing rivals from forcing her out of business. On the rare occasions this didn’t suffice, Bark Face took on a lead role as her errand boy and bodyguard, a perfect man for these jobs; she reinforced her subterfuge and strategies until this was barely necessary anymore, refining her manipulation techniques to their limit. Honesty developed into a guiding principle and fundamental doctrine for the woman, following several incidents which escalated after she got caught in a blatant lie.
One agreement led to another, and before long, Luna had met up with several of the organizations in control of the market, along with the corrupted officials who looked the other way. Gradually, she built up a large network of connections involving criminals from the various districts of Soul Society, allowing her to begin pulling strings from behind; Luna became an organizer over the next several decades, rarely getting involved directly with criminal activity and simply replacing any of the busted operations with a new undertaking whenever necessary. She just knew a lot of names, really; yet, in this line of business, that was already a major asset and made her an important player in its overall structure. Whenever the authorities began detaining members of an illegal organization, she worked in the shadows to ensure that market wouldn’t end up disrupted by it; her role was simply to play matchmaker between criminals and the correct illicit transactions, only associating with organizations as an independent third-party and avoiding any involvement in conflicts between them.
As the saying goes, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade; the events that had led to the demise of their Beast-Clansmen friends were certainly not a pleasant experience, but they could still be turned into a positive. Using her knowledge of the circumstances as leverage, Luna Melrose easily convinced many of her involvement in the matter by pointing out inconsistencies in the official version of events, revealing it to foster a reputation for herself and sharpen the edge of its blade; among its most notable applications, she effortlessly forced a short Beast-Clansman bandit with black fur known by the name of Nolt Everett, a dominant fence from the southern districts, to turn coat at the mention of her fictitious accomplishment. The beast swiftly became a front for her activities and covered unilaterally for Luna, the menace she wielded being threatening enough to urge his compliance; Nolt wasn’t shy from taking part in any of the more depraved criminal acts and would smuggle just about anything, which made him an excellent ally for her many schemes.
Privy to a lot of information circulating in Soul Society, she rapidly caught wind of a new, revolutionary practice from the World of the Living capable of performing miracles, something they called “science”. Mentioned by newly reborn souls who had experienced its impact first-hand, Luna Melrose’s interest skyrocketed from the get-go when they spoke of medical achievements she believed would always stay beyond the grasp of humanity; “I need to get my hands on that”, she immediately thought. The study of worldly phenomenon using a codified approach opened doors she couldn’t even fathom, and gave rise to many questions for the girl; just how far was it possible to go with this, and could she even find a way to circumvent the problems plaguing her mind? It reignited her resolve to escape from Hell and fight her fate to the very end, a reality she’d slowly resigned herself to accept over her many centuries within the realm of spirits; experimentation became a small flicker of hope in her boundless sea of darkness.
Jumping head-first into this field, the young woman used everything at her disposal to get ahead and reach her so-desired breakthroughs; focusing mainly on spiritual biology and its relationship with rebirth in Soul Society, she began collecting innumerable dead bodies of all sorts through her connections with the black market, running several experiments with them. Luna enticed many from the underworld by offering a peculiar deal; any corpse they could provide her, she would safely destroy and prevent it from ever being found again. Who the body belonged to and how the death had occurred didn’t matter a bit to this girl, which made her proposal even more alluring, and she welcomed remains from any sentient race, which led many to her doorstep in their times of need. Luna’s reputation preceded her and, with Nolt running daily operations, she acquired plenty of work material; her research only emboldened over the centuries and led Bark Face to serve as a guinea pig for her many crazy theories, left unrecognizable after the length of a single lifetime.
During one such experiment, on a day just like any other at first glance, an incident took place; remains from a dead Shinigami weren’t quite as inoffensive as first believed, and soon a handful of small Hollow parasites the size of mere tadpoles leapt out from its body during an autopsy, latching on to Luna as their new host. Her metabolism fused with the creatures, causing symptoms she would associate with daily life from now on; intense internal pain, cold sensations, stiffness permeating her whole body and increased tactile sensitivity. Obviously, Luna Melrose wasn’t pleased and tried multiple methods to rid herself of these intruders, but it was futile, she couldn’t even detect their presence anymore. Defeated, she had to find a different solution to her problem and one did lurk on the horizon, but Luna didn’t ever want to rely on it; “Shinigami fight against Hollows and know everything about them, they should have a way to restore your condition”, Nolt offered.
Fortunately, joining the ranks of the Shinigami wouldn’t be too difficult; from Luna’s perspective, their entire structure was flawed and allowed corruption to run rampant, both from intended and accidental sources. Since the Gotei 13 was built with nobility and a class system in mind, she could piggy-back on their influence to obfuscate her admission as a simple Rukongai resident without any ties to the criminal underworld; it was a common practice, truth be told, for those who wished to join while keeping secrets about their identity. To avoid raising unnecessary suspicion, her forged paperwork would mention minor noble families as former employment; anyone who tried digging into her past would be met with a sob story about her time as a servant to provide credibility and blur the trail from there, a deterrent against any background checks on the girl. Her preparations complete, she enrolled into the Academy, unaware of what the future had in store for her; whatever it was, Luna Melrose wasn’t naive enough to believe her fate would not be a cruel, terrible one.
