You all remember Nirata, don't you? ;)

If not: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/132032/

When I left (user:Gunmouth) my sketchbook, I was kinda stunned. I hadn't expected him to at AWA, so when I asked if he had any space for a commission open, I didn't really have anything in mind. I wasn't getting any ideas, but then I thought, "Hey, I'm at an anime con... nothing's quite as anime as Nirata..."

Usually, a kitsune will possess a human for a short time. In Nirata's case, she merged body and soul with her willing friend in order to keep from dying. What she became is rather unique, but not unheard of in her universe: she retained the power of a four-tail, but isn't hampered with the drain of maintaining a physical form. This allows her to stay in the physical realm without any penalty (including aging!). She also can transform like all kitsune can, but the only human form she can assume is that of her male counterpart, the one she merged with.

Of course, the tradeoff is that it's much easier for her to be truly killed, just like any human. While she can heal herself fairly quickly with magic (even quicker if there's a lake or pond nearby), as a full spirit kitsune a cut from a sword would be ignored. It takes special weapons or magic to harm a normal kitsune. Also, using magic isn't quite as easy for her as it would be a normal kitsune. She's well versed in magical arts, but long, sustained use of her magic will exhaust her well before her full-spirit counterpart.

After her origin story, she trains in the art of the sword, vowing to rid her world of the demons and fel spirits that plague her land. While not a true samurai as she doesn't swear fealty to anyone, she still serves Inari with her skills. Her magic makes her quite formidable in battle, able to cast illusions easily and move faster than most any swordsman.

This makes her almost unbeatable in direct combat with a human, but other spirits and magic-based opponents more than equal the playing field. She can't kill demons with cold steel, so one of her swords has been consecrated against spirits. Anything ghostly or demonic cut with this sword is usually mortally wounded... unfortunately, this includes Nirata herself. The very aura of the blade burns away any illusions she maintains, and it scorches her as well. To counteract this, she's trained heavily in the art of iaido, so that the sword is exposed for as little as possible. Yes, this makes blade maintenance a hassle. ;)

I've had Nirata in my head for a long time... and Gunmouth spent a long time on her at AWA... but goddamn!

As Danny and Stickdevil put it, "He did that with a fucking ballpoint pen!"

Wow. Just... just wow. Thanks so much, Matt. I've never really had a solid look to give Nirata, and this came out more than perfectly.