VC BANKAI
As of this notice, VCs have once again become bankai-capable. However, there will be numerous restrictions in place, most notably that only a couple of you will even have the opportunity to accomplish said feat, and even then, there will be yet further restrictions on the bankai that you choose to have manifest. It would take some higher power to shuttle you into the realm where you will be able to meet a captain's bankai in power and complexity, and I assure you when I say 'higher power' I mean 'don't hold your breath'.

The Selection Process: This is none of your concern. All I can say is that your VC has to have been active and approved for a certain period of time, and as always, we need to know you're a trustworthy member. You'd need to be the kind of member who is at least captaincy-capable, but there just aren't any positions open. This is, as always, a very important thing: do not PM us asking to get bankai. That's not how things work this time. It will come to you if you are deserving of it.

The Actual Thing: Naturally, when you are given the go-ahead for your bankai, several things come into play. What you are going to do is post your bankai in a separate post in your character's application thread, so we may review it, and it won't get pushed under by the general riot that is the Tech App forum. There are, however, numerous restrictions that must apply:
1. Your release times will be greatly reduced. This is more of a warning than a 'rule', because members can't do very much about this anyway. Don't expect to see a release time of more than 15, and that is the absolute maximum I'd be willing to hand out. The average will be within 7-10 posts. Cooldown will probably be increased as well, we're kind of out on that.
2. You can only have two abilities attached to it. If you want a third, you can PM a staff member, but really, two is the max. In addition, I don't want to see extremely complicated releases as well: keep it simple, and if at all possible, in the more 'physical' realm of zanpakutou. Kidou-type users will obviously have to be a little more inventive with theirs, but they can't overstep it.
3. Don't get crazy. This isn't so much as a point as a personal peeve I am sure I will develop. For captains, bankai is the secret weapon, virtually completely divorced from shikai in terms of power. It's so strong it's criminal. For Vice-Captains, it's more like... an extension on the shikai. Like I said, don't get crazy.

The Acquisition: Naturally, bankai don't just fall out of the sky onto people's laps, and then they can whip it out and brandish it around like some kind of crazy person, all triumphant. No, there is some training that is involved. I mean a ten-post minimum bankai-specialized training session, and that's ten posts on your side. After those ten posts, you can whip it out of your pants and dazzle the ladies.
Note: I'd recommend recruiting your captain to train you, if just to make it more believable.

Don't forget, kiddies, only a select few get this. It has a meritocratic basis, so if you try really hard with your VC, you might just end up with something nice...