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Welcome to a new thread of Advent Soul Quest!

>What is this?
A quest based on the setting of Bleach. Deviation from canon depends on the MC’s influence, and some other additions are to be expected as well.
>Who are we?
Nakashiri Koharu, a former 10th grade (high schooler) trap, now a 3rd seat officer in Aizen’s 5th Division, under a spy mission from Urahara.
>When are we?
Currently it is Autumn 1984, ~17 years prior to the events of canon.
>Dice? Challenge?
Prompted after deciding on an action. Usually 3d10, best of 3 (Bo3), against a set DC and sometimes a crit-DC. Write-ins may affect the DC as well. If a character stat (in the char sheet) is directly related to the action, it will substitute the lowest die in rolls if it is higher (will be always explained when prompted to roll).
>Updates?
So far it’s been 20 minutes per post at best. Generally I promise an update per hour at the very least. I post whenever I start writing, or if I’m held up for some reason. My timezone is UTC+2.
>I have questions!
Ask away and I’ll do my best to answer! You can also address questions to characters, which I’ll answer in-character!
>What do?
Have fun, vote on what feels the best, roll some dice and chill.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/QmTrippy
Archive: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?searchall=advent+soul+quest
Char Sheets: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1DQUOuJbOgzrjIKQLjMFxdmsQh3WIKMMFJQ8fO5-biYM/edit?usp=sharing
Social Links: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1HXWo1bA7rplcTIJSkE850qzEE55b-W36tuL_qtT0b00/edit?usp=sharing
Character Questions: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1S1RrQ6icjeWSV2MIb6EUwuZjzGx0QvuFjoxB1bN_tlU/edit?usp=sharing

>Offer to tell about your own first, in exchange that she tells about hers.
"Fine! I don't care about your dumb sword anyway. Mine on the other hand is very special! You see-"

If normal means don't work we gotta use other means

>>4673761
>>Offer to tell about your own first, in exchange that she tells about hers.
She honored deals so far

>>4673761
>Offer to tell about your own first, in exchange that she tells about hers.

>>4673792
>>4673801
>>4673805
Alrighty then. Let's see just how persuasive you can get.
>Roll 3d10, Bo3, DC 17, crit 26, Social (7) may replace lowest die

Rolled 4, 7, 4 = 15 (3d10)

>>4673811

Rolled 1, 7, 8 = 16 (3d10)

>>4673811

Rolled 7, 10, 7 = 24 (3d10)

>>4673811
Been looking forward to this! Wish I could have started with the thread, I let time get away from me...

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>>4673811
>15(18)
>>4673820
>16(22)
>>4673836
>24
It's a solid pass!
>Writing

>>4673836
Glad to hear that, anon, and happy to have you all! Got quite a few things in mind for this session, but gotta see how far we'll get!

>>4673838
>>4673816
And again I fail at linking properly
pls no bully

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“Someone like me? Whatever that is supposed to mean?” your eye twitches.

“Do I really have to spell it out to you, street rat?” Yukiko says in a condescending voice.

“Do I really have to remind you I’m your ‘senpai’?” you cross your arms. Yukiko’s smug face twitches, and she turns away from you with a ‘hmph.’ You sigh quite audibly.

“Look. I’m not here to take advantage of you or anyone else, unlike some people,” you say as you lean back on the bench. That’s when you hatch your masterplan.

“Well, not that I care to hear about your dumb sword. Mine is QUITE special, you see, and I awakened it in my FIRST year at the academy! Can you BELIEVE it?”

You can feel Yukiko’s head start to boil despite her facing the opposite direction, pushing your mouth into a wide grin.

“It’s pretty neat, it can change how things behave from a certain point of view, and it even has TWO secondary releases!”

“Okay, shut up! I get it!” Yukiko turns around, fuming. “But mine WILL be even BETTER once I learn to control it!”

“Control it?” you blink. Yukiko realizes that she just spilled something rather important.

“Nevermind,” she quickly turns around.

“Ugh. Okay, I did tease you a little there, but don’t feel bad because you can’t control your power yet. I couldn’t either back then, nor can I control it properly this very day. I mean, what can you even do when you’re faced with a zanpakutō that’s essentially like two beings joined up together in the middle? One of which wants to kill you?”

Well, your description might not be completely right, but it has enough truth in it to use.

Yukiko peeks towards you, showing some interest. “H-How did you get it to work then?”

“With blood, sweat and tears. Also known as effort, Yukiko-chan.”

“I told you not to call me that! I’m Shiraka-san to you!”

“Yeah, right,” you wave your hand. “In any case, I’m offering you a once in a lifetime.. afterlifetime.. TIME chance to help with your zanpakutō, but I need details.”

“My zanpakutō is called Naimen no Daiza. Surely yours has one too?”

>1/2

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Yukiko sits more upright now, holding her zanpakutō on her lap. It’s like any ordinary katana, but the tsuba is in the shape of a lotus flower, and a string of white beads extend past the bottom of the hilt.

“I-I don’t know. She hasn’t told me.”

“What?” you blink. As far as you know, zanpakutō awaken the moment their owners learn their name. How the hell does this even work?

“Okay,” you allow it, “then what’s your zanpakutō spirit like? I assume you’ve tried jinzen?”

“Of course I have, how dare you suggest otherwise?”

“Okay, okay, sorry, whatever. Back to the point please.”

Yukiko’s cheeks redden, but to her credit she contains her anger. “She’s.. a little child. Every time I find her, she runs away. Like really! I thought zanpakutō were supposed to obey their masters! And a little child? You have to be kidding me!”

You whistle. “That’s rough, buddy. Okay, what’s your inner world like? Where are you when you enter jinzen?”

“Some house,” Yukiko firmly states, though you see something in them that tells you she’s not entirely sincere. “Lots of rooms and corridors, with proper decorations. Oh, right, a commoner like you doesn’t know what’s proper.”

You feel like punching her, but keep your cool. You can always do that whenever you spar afterall.

>2/2

>”You do realize that zanpakutō are part of us? That they reflect an aspect of our souls?”
>”If she’s running away, don’t you think it’s to get away from something?”
>”Well… there is a way for me to help you. You’re not going to like it.” (suggest entering her mind)
>Other?

>>4673903
>”You do realize that zanpakutō are part of us? That they reflect an aspect of our souls?”
>”If she’s running away, don’t you think it’s to get away from something?”

>>4673903
>Almost like a game of tag?
>”Well… there is a way for me to help you. You’re not going to like it.” (suggest entering her mind)
Let her know we have done it before as well, so we promise to be gentle.

>>4673903
>”You do realize that zanpakutō are part of us? That they reflect an aspect of our souls?”
I'm guessing her Zanpakto is a part of herself she had to bury away due to her mother's extremely heavy expectations.

>>4673903
>It's not supposed to obey you and nobody said so at the academy! The sword IS you! Well, part of you. Look at me, mine wants to kill me half the time!

>>4673903
>>4673911
I guess we're going with
>>”You do realize that zanpakutō are part of us? That they reflect an aspect of our souls?”
so let's chip in more.
>One of mine is all about control, which I'm not fully comfortable with. But I understand where it comes from when I look back on my life, and get along okay enough. Point is, you may have to meet her halfway.
>What were you like as a kid? Did you want to become a shinigami back then, or something else? Was there someone you knew who could calm you down when you were afraid or upset? You could try to approach your zanpakutō like they did, talk about the things you cared about as a kid.they did, or

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>>4673907
>>4673911
>>4673912
>>4673920
>>4673937
I'll make something out of these!
>Writing

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“You do realize that zanpakutō are part of us? That they reflect an aspect of our souls?” you say, bringing up the very first lesson taught to you about zanpakutō. “They aren’t supposed to obey us, otherwise we’d all be having fun with bankai and dying because we’re not prepared.”

“That’s.. ugh,” Yukiko struggles to respond. It’s clear she doesn’t want to admit to being in the wrong.

“The spirit IS you, or rather a part of you. Look at me, mine wants to kill me half the time!”

Yukiko stares at you with a raised eyebrow, and gears start to turn in your head as well.

“Okay, bad example.”

“I’m just saying, it’d be much better if my zapnakutō didn’t run away from me,” Yukiko shifts her gaze back to her zanpakutō.

“Maybe she wants to play tag?” you smirk. “Well, if she’s running away, don’t you think it’s to get away from something?”

“That’s absurd. If she’s my zanpakutō, she should be coming to me, not running away.”

You sigh. Clearly she has no idea what repressed emotions are, or doesn’t want to admit their existence.

“I told you about zanpakutō being aspects of our souls, right? One half of mine is all about control, over anything and everything, which I'm not fully comfortable with. But I understand where it comes from when I look back on my life, being locked up in a house and having to do what those around me tell me to.”

Although Yukiko does her best not to show it, you notice the sudden stir of emotions in her.

“Point is, you may have to meet her halfway. It’s only once I accepted what I felt back then, that I started to get along with that half of my zanpakutō.”

>1/3

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“You.. you were locked up?” Yukiko asks after a moment of silence.

You nod. You consider opening up a bit about it, but decide to let her work for it. Gotta have something to tell her in case she does beat you thrice in a row. “Before Soul Society, that was my life. It’s only the last few months that I was able to enjoy some freedom. Kind of sad that I met my end at that point.”

“Hmph,” Yukiko again turns away, to look at the surrounding garden. Well, at least there’s no witty remark.

“This might come out of nowhere, but what were you like as a kid?”

“E-Excuse me? Why in Reiō’s name would I tell you that?”

“Jeez, just stop being so stubborn for a minute,” you say and gesture with your hands in front of you. “Did you want to become a shinigami back then, or something else? Was there someone you knew who could calm you down when you were afraid or upset?”

“Take it all rhetorically. I’m asking because you could try to approach your zanpakutō like they did, talk about the things you cared about as a kid.”

This is as close as you can get without just saying it directly to her. How the hell doesn’t she realize that the zanpakutō latched onto her repressed self?

Or is it just much easier to see things from an outside perspective?

Well, at least your little talk seems to work, as Yukiko is actually doing more thinking right now, instead of verbally attacking you. Good.

“Hopefully you can resolve this on your own now,” you lean back against the bench again. “But… if you do need more help, there is a way. You’re not going to like it one bit though.”

“What?” Yukiko returns to the present.

“Nevermind. Ask me another time if you’re really in need of it.”

>2/3

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After two years of service, it still feels incredible that the greatest foe of your daily life is the damn paperwork. Sure, you’ve gotten dispatched a few times to the Rukongai to deal with stray hollows, but otherwise there’s little threat to the afterlife. That’s… good you suppose.

But it still doesn’t make the paperwork any easier, despite your attempts to scribble hollow caricatures onto them and thinking about it as a fight against them.

Momo-chan and Aiko-san do make it easier with you often working together in the same room, but you don’t always have the same schedules to allow that.

You could trick some of the fan club members to do the work for you, but that’d be improper. Mostly it’s because you just know the nobles do that, and you won’t lower yourself to their level.

The only respite you get is your daily games with Aizen. Primarily Gō, but he’s also taught you Othello and Gomoku (also known as five in a row). Each a strategic game in their own right, with different angles of approach.

“You sure are a handful nowadays, Koharu,” Aizen sighs, as he prepares the board for a game of Gō.

“Excuse me?” you blink.

“The Shiraka and some other nobles keep demanding your schedules and other knowledge about you, you know. Especially your zanpakutō powers.”

Your heart sinks. “They what now? And you…?”

“Deflect them. I’m not fond of others looking into my business, you know. Including you.”

You sigh in relief. “Well, I’m glad I have such a protecting angel as my captain,” you say as a half-joke.

You finally start the game, and start with the corners of the board as always.

>3/3

>Ask him something. (write-in)
>”Aizen-san… you don’t happen to know anything about the incident of 1900?”
>Focus on the game. Let him open up the discussion.

>>4674025
>>Ask him something. (write-in)
Here's a curveball for him.
>What do you think of the greed of nobles?
>Could they be made to advance the state of the soul society if painted solely as a benefit to them? As an example, train lines between the capital and the immediate districts. Pictured by the nobles, it gives them more freedom of movement, more access to goods, restaurants, laborers for their pet projects. But in the grand scheme, people will need to be educated to maintain it, and easier transportation lets ideas flow more freely as well. Link it up to the far-flung agriculture districts to ensure high-quality food is delivered on time, and you now have a network in place that allows more laborers to see what really goes on with the nobles and get upset over their place in the afterlife.

>>4674025
>Focus on the game. Let him open up the discussion.

I'm curious what he knows about our zanpakuto but he won't tell us (everything) anyway and asking him about only tells we suspect he knows more than we told him. Basically same reason why I'm not asking about the 1900 incident

>>4674025
>Focus on the game. Let him open up the discussion.

>>4674057
+1

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>>4674057
>>4674058
>>4674061
>>4674068
We need one more vote to break the tie, anons!
Petty please?

>>4674025
>>Focus on the game. Let him open up the discussion.
I like the write-in but I’d rather wait a bit before we drop infrastructure talk on him

>>4674025
>Focus on the game. Let him open up the discussion.

>>4674057
>>4674058
>>4674061
>>4674068
>>4674113
>Writing!

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Aizen starts out rather defensively, giving you room for attack, but you play it up defensively as well, fortifying your corners and placing the groundwork for the sides. As with any game of Gō, the center is a volatile space, only considered a viable area to play much later in the game.

“My, you’re quite careful today, Koharu.”

“So are you, Aizen-san. I haven’t seen you play this defensively before.”

“One can teach the enemy a pattern, only to break it when it is most effective,” Aizen says, and proceeds to attack a corner of yours which you were going to fortify on your next turn. Damn it.

“Nothing too out of the ordinary though,” you sweat a little. It’s okay, you had this route in your mind as well. Just have to do the proper jōseki sequence and it’ll balance out, possibly even in your favor.

“You’re clearly inviting me to respond with my own attack,” you conclude after the corner is resolved. “Way over on your side of the board. That’s where the current power vacuum is.”

“Perceptive, as always,” Aizen narrows his eyes. “Question is, will you?”

You shift your eyes to meet Aizen’s, as you feel the black stone in your hand, between your fingers. “That depends on the details.”

“Kage no Sekai.”

>1/2

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“W-What?” you freeze in place. “There? Why?”

“I’ve found more hollows who’d like to take the step towards humanity. Just like Lahela.”

“They can’t go through the natural process?” you narrow your eyes. “I know it’s possible.”

“The natural process isn’t without its dangers. Many die before they see their skin, others are devoured right after for being weak. Your method.. it’s much more controlled, refined. I believe it would be great practice for you as well.”

“How would I even go there? Isn’t it dangerous?”

“You have hollow friends, have you not?” Aizen adjusts his glasses. “There will be someone on the other side to aid you as well.”

You look back at the board. So he already has something in Hueco Mundo? You suspected something, but you definitely did not expect him to talk about it with you.

“Knowing you, you already have everything figured out,” you put the stone against your lips. “The Shiraka will not be happy with me being away from their reach.”

“Once again, perceptive,” Aizen nods, and puts his hands in the opposite sleeves. “You needn't worry about that. You asked me once for a favor.”

You blink in a bit of confusion.

“I’ve arranged with the Ukitake-taichō of the 13th that you can take the next assignment to the living realm in their designated area.”

Your eyes widen now. “O-Osaka?”

He nods. “That’ll be your access point to Hueco Mundo once you’re ready, the means of which I’m sure you’ll figure out on your own.”

“What about my post?” you grip the stone tightly in your hand as you ask.

“You won’t need to worry about that,” Aizen simply states, with a warm smile.

>2/2

>”If you think I’m suited for it, I’ll do it. ”
>”I don’t think I’m ready for such a task.”
>”I have some more questions…” (write-in)

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I'm going to grab an evening snack and help my roommate to their bed, but it shouldn't take too long!

>>4674181
>”If you think I’m suited for it, I’ll do it. ”
Captain knows our capabilities best.

>>4674181
>”If you think I’m suited for it, I’ll do it. ”
but first
>”I have some more questions…"
>Do you know anything about these hollows? Not everyone was good when they were human, and I don't want to empower someone who would turn that power against humans or shinigami for cruel or petty reasons.
>How long is the assignment for?

>>4674181
>>”If you think I’m suited for it, I’ll do it. ”

>>4674181
>>”If you think I’m suited for it, I’ll do it. ”

>>4674181
>”If you think I’m suited for it, I’ll do it. ”
Can we consult with Zilya before we go on what to expect?

>>4674205
>>4674181
Good call. Also check with Drianni? We should at least let her and Lahela know we'll be gone for a bit.

>>4674181
>”If you think I’m suited for it, I’ll do it. ”
>"I'll need a few things to prepare though. I'm sure you remember Lahela's inner turmoil nearly overwhelmed me at the time, and as far as hollows go she wasn't particularly powerful."
>"When would I leave?"
We should visit the forest, tell our frens what's up, and ask if they'd let us use our shikai to see what their inner worlds are like (but not make any changes unless they specifically ask) to acclimate on what might be expected. I don't want Koharu to get "mindbroken" or whatever.

>>4674189
>>4674191
>>4674192
>>4674193
>>4674205
>>4674210
>>4674224
>Back, and writing!

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“I’ll do it,” you answer, and set your piece into Aizen’s territory on the board.

“Just like that?” he raises his eyebrow.

“If you believe I’m suited for this task, I have no reason to doubt you,” you nod resolutely. “I do have some questions though.”

Aizen sets his own piece beside your last move. “Then ask.”

“Any details on who these hollows are? Not everyone was good when they were human, even less so as hollows,” you say as you play your next move to continue the sequence. “I don’t want to empower someone who would turn that power against humans or shinigami for cruel or petty reasons.”

Aizen nods approvingly. “That is a good concern. The short answer is they are not good-willed, and will hurt others over cruel or petty reasons.”

You look up at him, trying to read the situation. “And the long answer?”

“They are going to do so regardless of their form. What do you think would stop it?”

You narrow your eyes. “Somebody who can subjugate them,” you respond. You know this well, through Zilya.

Aizen once again nods. “Correct. As arrancars, they do not feel hunger as much as a hollow. But even then, they have to eat.”

“Hueco Mundo is a wasteland, is it not? Will hunger not dictate their actions in the end?”

You can see a glint in Aizen’s eyes as you mention this. “Yes. There is however something… that I think you need to see for yourself to understand.”

“To conclude however,” Aizen continues, “by offering them back their humanity, we will be subjugating them. To protect others from them, and them from themselves.”

You can’t argue against that, yet you realize that this means you’d be helping him build a personal army of powerful hollows. But then again, he could do that without your help… perhaps this position will be advantageous for you. Afterall, with Zilya’s help, you could make them serve you instead.

>1/2

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"I'll need a few things to prepare though. I'm sure you remember Lahela's inner turmoil nearly overwhelmed me at the time, and as far as hollows go she wasn't particularly powerful.”

Aizen nods. “Prepare however you feel best, Koharu. It should however, be a more stable process the stronger a hollow is, else they risk regressing.”

You wonder about that comment, but leave it be for now. “How long will the assignment be and when is it due, Aizen-san?”

“Ukitake-taichō promised one year. The current shift will return in March of next year, so that is when you will leave.”

Now that’s amusing. The shift end coincides with the end of the Japanese academic calendar?

You exhale deeply, and for a moment focus on the game, as both you and Aizen lay down stones rather quickly, until it’s the endgame phase. The last stones to be placed, kō-fights to be resolved, and last capture attempts made.

Somehow, it’s during this silence and play that you can just feel the true presence of Aizen and yourself, locked in this intellectual game. He is clearly a revolutionary, one to change the status quo violently if need be, while you are more of a renovator. Both seek change, yet the means are different. And both of you know this.

“I’ll do my best, Aizen-san.”

“I know you will, Koharu.”

It is going to be a long journey, this one.

>2/2

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And this is where we’ll stop for today. We shall continue tomorrow at the same time as today, 16:00 UTC. In the meantime, I recommend discussing what you’d like to ask Zilya (and possibly Celaris about), and how you’d like to prepare for this mission.

I’ll go get some sleep so I’ll be at my best tomorrow again. Good night!

>>4674302
Thanks for running, Trippy.

>>4674302
Thanks for the run Trippy. Anyone got any good plans or questions, I can’t really think of anything

>>4674302
I've been wondering how Celaris would respond to being asked:
>I've learned bits and pieces, but can't say I've heard your perspective on where you came from and if there are others of your kind. I could tell Zilya's a hollow from her reiatsu; yours is also different from the norm but I don't think I've sensed anything that compares to it.
I already said it'd be nice to ask Lahela and Drianni if they were ok with us doing a test-run with our shikai to see how their inner worlds look, so it depends whether other anons like it or not.
For Zilya, this is kind of random but it's been said more than once that she spawned a bunch of minions when she was alive. This seems a bit abnormal considering the hollow's life-cycle trends more toward the cannibalistic than the procreative. So yeah what up with that?

>>4674302
For Zilya, we could ask her if using her powers in Hueco Mundo would be alright or if it might attract the attention of some old enemies. She’ll probably shrug her shoulders, but may as well find out.

Koharu is at least at the point where he can admit they’re ultimately in different camps, so conflict is possible. And she knows Aizen well enough to know he has contingencies all over, so if we’re raising a private army loyal to us, he’d have something to flip them over to his control if we decided he was a threat. And anything that could work against them could possibly be used against Drianni and Lahela. We need our own contingencies with them. I back >>4674939
on trying some inner world stuff, if we can communicate through it we can use that to confirm our identity in the future.

Also, ask Drianni if there is a contingency for her. If things get hot, can she move anymore? Could we carry some part of her to assist, drop something off in Hueco Mundo?

I suspect Lahela is going to want to tag along with us. I’m not sure how to feel about that. We’d need a plan to get her in, which I have no ideas for.

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With the mission details cleared, you find yourself having about half a year to prepare for the mission, if you’re to leave in March of 1985. There’s a lot of things you don’t know yet, especially about Hueco Mundo. You could ask Drianni for more information, but given that her experience is from thousands of years back, when the place actually had plants, the data may very well be outdated. Zilya’s experiences are more recent, but what she tells you depends on her fleeting whims.

That, and she enjoys giving you lies in between, to toy with you.

You don’t think Celaris has ever gone there, he’s not a hollow. But you can’t help but wonder, just what exactly is he anyway?

All hollows have that innate ability to warp the boundaries of realms, to rip a fracture in thin air into the void known as the Garganta. Lahela and Drianni should both know how to do it, but you’re not sure if you’d like to take them with you. If it’s as dangerous as others say, you’d rather not risk Lahela’s life, and Drianni… Well, you know just how much she hates sand.

There’s another option too, which you don’t know if you like either.

Urahara.

He’s shown to know how to connect the two realms, based on how he described that hollow pit of his where he threw you. Speaking of which, maybe you should pay him back for that.

All that said, you feel pretty eager for this assignment. You’ll get to see your friends again, you’ll get to fulfill that promise you gave them!

“Just wait a little longer, Chie-chan, Akane-san! I’m coming back!”

>1/2

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Yukiko is a handful as always, and so you decide to combine it with something useful for you. Using your three wins and thus, questions, you got her to agree to do jinzen together with you, despite a lot of complaining.

“Well, not like you’ll be able to overcome me in it,” you smirk, intentionally provoking her.

“Just you see, street-rat! I’ll catch my zanpakutō yet and get her to work with me! Then I’ll become MUCH better than you!” she says with great confidence. You just sigh with a smile. Even though she continues being condescending, you don’t feel the same malice in her voice as before.

“Less talk, more action then!” you nod and sit down with your zanpakutō on your lap, and focus on your breathing. Slowly, with the rhythm of your heartbeat, your consciousness descends deeper inside, until you find yourself in the familiar mindscape.

An island with a shinto-esque pavilion, Naimen no Daiza’s basin at the center, a lake around it all, two torii in the water on opposite sides. One for Celaris, one for Zilya. And of course, the forest surrounding the lake.

The sky makes a gradient from nocturnal to dawn, signifying the domain directions of your spiritual cohabitants.

You approach the basin and move a finger across the water surface.

“You are in a cheerful mood.”

Turning around, you see Celaris, with his humanoid and deer features, stand at one of the entrances to the pavilion.

“Things are going quite well for me right now,” you nod. “I’d be a shame not to enjoy it while it lasts.”

Cel nods. “Indeed. Treasure your experiences, and cherish their memories after they pass.”

>2/2

>”I wanted to ask you something, actually... “ (write-in)
>”So you were Takemikazuchi-no-kami’s consort, huh?”
>”For all the time I’ve known you, you’ve still not told me where you come from.”
>”How exactly did you and Zilya end up sealed within my first ancestor?”
>Other?

>>4675566
>”How exactly did you and Zilya end up sealed within my first ancestor?”

>>4675566
>Does that mean you have some memories you cherish in particular?
I’m basically angling for
> >”So you were Takemikazuchi-no-kami’s consort, huh?”
but giving him the opportunity to go into it himself. He should know about what we read and should realize we’re going to ask about it. We can meander around the topic for a few moments though.

>>4675566
>>”For all the time I’ve known you, you’ve still not told me where you come from.”

>>4675583
>>4675588
>>4675602
Well then. We'll go with these.
>Writing

>>4675608
We went with literally every option. Should make for an interesting conversation.

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“That sounds like you have some particular memories you cherish yourself,” you say with a smug face.

“Correct. I.. I’ve had a lot of time to think about them,” Cel explains as he leans against a fence of the structure.

“Any involving a certain deity?” you continue to prod, as you walk over to the fence yourself, and look at Cel’s face.

Celaris sighs, and closes his eyes, keeping that same calm and composed expression of his. “Yes, particularly of Takemikazuchi-sama. I know you’ve been reading on things, Koharu.”

“Well, it’s not like you ever told me you were the consort of the deity revered at the shrine I lived at. So who wood whom?”

For the first time ever, you see him actually show a small sign of blushing, of all things. “Oh wow, you’re actually getting red!”

“Stop that.”

“Celaris, the stoic and unmoving, is showing signs of emotion!”

“Koharu…”

“Sorry,” you grin from ear to ear, “I can’t help it.”

“If you really must know, it was rather mutual. We met at Kashima, where he was teaching martial arts,” Celaris explains. “He was… quite strong. We fought together a lot, and.. it just happened.”

“Just happened? That’s one way to hide the details, you know.”

“Maybe they’re details I don’t want others to know,” Cel shrugs, clearly making an effort to return to the neutral state he was in before. “He was really kind, charming and headstrong. Humans could depend on him to protect them. I won’t deny the love I have for him.”

You decide to not tease him any more. Afterall, it’s been over a thousand years since he last saw him. Cel might not be showing it, but your gut tells you it’s still hurting him.

“It sounds like you had a nice relationship.”

>1/3

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“If you had a deity with you, how exactly did you and Zil end up sealed within my first ancestor?” you ask as you throw a small pebble into the lake, creating ripples on the water.

“It’s.. complicated, and I don’t know everything myself, but divinity cannot be destroyed, only absorbed or exuded. I was given the task of ridding Nara of its spider plague, a trial to become part of the land’s pantheon. Takemikazuchi-sama was to watch, guide and make sure the job would be done.”

Celaris looks down at his hands. “Yet, after clashing with Zilya, a connection was made between us. And a tug of war for divinity ensued.”

“Wait, this is a lot to take in right now. For starters, I never knew you were a deity yourself,” you say with your hands extended to your sides.

“It’s a long tale,” Cel raises his eyes to meet yours, and then he averts them. “One for maybe another time. But.. I’ve been that way since I lived in Greece.”

You shake your head with a sigh. “Alright then. So, you had this… tug of war, and?”

“It could not be severed, not without dire consequences for one of us, and we were both wounded. In order to avoid such a fate, Takemikazuchi-sama… sealed us both within Fujiwara Shiori. Thus becoming Tamaki Shiori, our first host.”

“That must’ve been hard for you,” you note, putting a hand on Cel’s shoulder.

“Yes. But it’s in the past now,” he nods. “Now, I’m here as your companion, along with her.”

“Speaking of that devil,” you turn towards Zil’s side of the forest. As if you had called for her, she appears by the entrance. As she approaches, Cel decides to retire to his side of the forest.

>2/3

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“If it isn’t my favorite human,” Zil grins, as she retracts the spider legs coming from her back. “I swear, I’d enjoy devouring you sooo much!”

“Too bad I’m not a snack you can eat,” you respond, as you walk closer to her. “What’s a guest without a host?”

“Guest? That’s a good joke,” Zil speaks in her unnervingly playful voice, as she touches your chin. “It’s been sooo lonely here, you know. You should go out drinking more.”

“Excuse me?”

“The boys are so fun to tease when you let me out a little like that, they get so flustered.”

“Zil… Just what have you been doing?” you clench your fists.

“Nothing you wouldn’t have, dear,” she whispers into your ear from behind and starts laughing. “I take it you didn’t come here for my charming presence, did you?”

“How do you figure?” you respond sarcastically.

“Now, now, be careful, I could get offended you know.”

“Yeah, right,” you roll your eyes.

>3/3

>”There are things I need to know.” (write-in)
>”Hueco Mundo. Tell me all you know about it.”
>”Why were you at Nara in the first place?”
>”I keep hearing about your ‘children.’ I thought hollows can’t procreate.”
>Other?

Going to note that with talking scenes, the options don't usually conflict with each other, it's more about topics that you've gained through past actions and discussions.

>>4675666
>”Hueco Mundo. Tell me all you know about it.”
>”I keep hearing about your ‘children.’ I thought hollows can’t procreate.”

>>4675666
>>”Why were you at Nara in the first place?”

>>4675666
>”Hueco Mundo. Tell me all you know about it.”
>”I keep hearing about your ‘children.’ I thought hollows can’t procreate"

>>4675666
Small talk write-in since she brought up our friends (and I don’t mind seeing Zilya dunk on Koharu)
>Any of them you think are a keeper?

>>4675673
>>4675676
>>4675702
>>4675709
>Writing

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Oh boy is this a long one. Just a bit more, and I'll push it out.

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You pinch the bridge of your nose. “You better have not done anything weird to them, Zil… How do you even get through? I thought you guys could only interact through Naimen no Daiza?”

“Oh we can nudge you a bit,” she giggles. “We are part of each other, you know. Sometimes, your subconscious listens to me, sometimes it listens to the she-stag. It’s funny just how much you take after him at times.”

“That’s ridiculous,” you shake your head. “I’m me.”

“Yes you are. And we are part of you, you don’t really have a choice here!” Zilya says as she brings her face quite close to yours again.

“I- UGH!” you gently push her away from you, as you avert your gaze. “...Any of them a keeper?”

“I wouldn’t know, ask the she-stag. I personally prefer to capture, bind and eat my lovers, not get bound myself.”

“...That was just one time.”

“Whatever makes you feel better, bondage boy ~”

“Okay, screw this. I had some actual questions for you that I need answers to. Are you going to do that, or continue to just mess around?” you grumble and cross your arms.

“Maybe I will, once you actually ask something worthwhile.”

“I am going to Hueco Mundo. What can you tell me about that place?”

“Are you now?” Zilya whistles, as she brings out her spidery limbs from her back again.

>1/3

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“I suppose it depends on where you go. The surface is a boring wasteland of white sand, occasional quartz tree, shrieking mountains and abyssal pits. All underneath an eternal night and a weird moon. It’s beneath the surface that things gets truly interesting.”

“Beneath the desert?” you ask, and Zilya nods.

“There’s underground forests, filled with Gillians,” she says as she looks up at the ceiling, looking like she’s enjoying the trip down memory lane. “The quartz tree roots support it all and keep the sand from flowing down. Mostly.”

“A forest of Gillians?!” you gasp. Drianni had told you about the different types of Menos-class hollows. Gillians are the so called rejects, failures of Menos that are unable to sustain dominion over the multitude of souls within them, regressing into a mindless amalgamation.

Despite that, they are strong enough on their own, quite deadly to a non-captain level shinigami.

“The underground forests are quite spacious and boring though. But once you get into the caverns, that’s where all the fun lies,” Zilya says with a grin. “Deep caves, pits, water – never touch water in there by the way – and weird mushrooms.”

“But most importantly, that’s where my old domain is.”

“Domain? What do you mean?”

“I suppose you should know that there are the Barons, one of which I once was. Each have their own domain, but of course the reach of them is always disputed. One of them even makes the ridiculous claim that EVERYTHING under the nocturnal sky belongs to his domain. What a funny man.”

You struggle to grasp all these breadcrumbs that Zilya is giving you. Hueco Mundo, its geography, hollows, and now these Barons…

“Who all are these Barons then?” you ask, as you swallow.

“Besides me?” Zilya laughs. “In my time, only two, though I hear there were once more. You have Mr. Skeleton, also known as Baraggan Louisenbairn the ‘Defiler’. Be careful or he’ll turn you into an old geezer like himself.”

You stare at Zilya in confusion.

“On the other side of the madness spectrum we have Daji Lü, the Sadist! Oh how I adore that woman, but my is she wasteful. I learned quite a bit from her torture devices. She really likes glass. Pure genius!”

You swallow hard. What the hell?

“But even then, they’re not that interesting. There’s two hollows that not even I want to meet in person.”

“Let me guess,” you interject, “the Tyrant?”

“Yes, the Tyrant… a hollow with stupid low reiatsu, and stupid high power. There is a reason that even among us Barons, he’s referred to as a calamity,” Zilya’s expression turns sour for the first time ever. “If you even THINK you’re near him, run.”

“What’s this? Zilya the Ruin, recommending running?”

“You have no idea what that monster is capable of. I won’t warn you twice.”

>2/3

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“...Duly noted,” you nervously nod.

“But then… there’s the Jester.”

“A j-jester?”

“THE Jester,” Zilya speaks the name with venom. “He’s a slimy shit, and a very persuasive one. I tried to kill him multiple times, but each time he slipped through my fingers. Fucking piece of shit.”

“What did he do? Clearly your anger is more than just annoyance,” you note.

“Shitty things. Even by MY standards, Koharu,” Zilya clenches her fist.

You narrow your eyes, your thoughts running back and forth fast. “Did he by any chance, make you go to Nara?”

You can see a small reaction of disgust from Zilya, but otherwise she laughs it off. “Don’t be absurd. I went there for my own amusement. I heard Japan had a thing for monsters, so I obliged!”

You raise an eyebrow, but let go.

“Okay… I have another question then. I keep hearing about your ‘children’ here and there. What’s that about? I thought hollows can’t procreate?”

“They can’t,” Zilya nods, and her anger quickly turns into a malicious joy. “So I improvised.”

You gulp. “I don’t know if I want to hear..”

“Oh but you DO!” Zilya pushes her face almost against yours, at an uncomfortable closeness. “You see, with the help of my ally, I could create these teeny-weeny spider hollows, right from my own soul. And then, I could put these teeny-weeny spider hollows into other hollows…”

You can already feel yourself wanting to puke.

“And with such a great growth bed, they eventually turned into larger hollows!”

“H-How many? Just how many did you make?”

“Oh I lost count. Hundreds? Thousands? But among them, it’s those that I grew on Adjuchas I became quite fond of. Worthy enough to call them.. my children.”

“Do you think they are still around? Would they.. recognize you, through me?”

“Maybe,” Zilya yawns. “If they’re not, they’re as good as disowned. I won’t be a mother of trash.”

You feel sickened.

Zilya yawns again, as she moves away. “All this talking, it’s making me drowsy. Go do something interesting, maybe I’ll wake up then.”

“W-Wai-” you try to stop her, but decide to let go. She’s given you a lot already, and it’s best to not overstay your welcome… despite this being your home.

>3/3

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And I’ll have to pause it here. I need to prepare some more things and get some sleep so I can drive my roommate to the hospital again. But, as compensation, I will be running tomorrow too, at 16:00 UTC! A DOUBLE continuation, would you look at that!

It’s a bit lore-heavy right now, but I hope that’s alright with you guys. There’ll be more action later, I promise!

>>4675806
Thanks for the run, hope your roomy gets better

>>4675803
>You see, with the help of my ally, I could create these teeny-weeny spider hollows, right from my own soul. And then, I could put these teeny-weeny spider hollows into other hollows…
This sounds like something Szyael could come up with. And Roka Paramia could be one of Zilya's spawn. Pretty cool.
Excited for day 3!

>>4675806
Thanks for the run, Trippy!

Lore-heavy runs are fine. Gotta cycle the action, character building, and lore to keep anything from getting stale.

>You see, with the help of my ally, I could create these teeny-weeny spider hollows, right from my own soul. And then, I could put these teeny-weeny spider hollows into other hollows…

Possible bankai ability? We'd be an absolute terror for hollows.

How long until we’re pushed into a corner are forced to try and put both halves of our soul in our Zanpakto?

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Your eyes reopen, and you feel cold sweat all over your body, your hands trembling too. You knew you had a hollow inside of you, but only now do you start to understand just how monstrous she is. And she’s inside of you.

The way she implied that you subconsciously take after her and Cel definitely makes you worry.

Yukiko is already up and once she notices you being ‘awake’ again, takes a look at you and crosses her arms. “Wow, you look like you just saw a hollow.”

“Well… that’s not too far off. Any luck with your child?” you say as you rub the back of your neck.

“How barbaric. I’m way too young to have children, street-rat.”

“You know what I meant,” you sigh.

“...None. That damn brat is still running away, but I did get quite close to her once. Urgh! Can’t she just stay put?! I don’t have the patience to chase after her constantly!”

So she got impatient again and scared her off? You chuckle.

“What’s so funny, oh retainer of my family?” Yukiko furrows her brows.

“No, nothing. At least you don’t have a spirit of which one’s half is a murderous bitch. Anyway…”

The two of you continue to socialize in that weird, half-insulting way, though any such feelings of being offended seem to be like water under the bridge. You’ll make a proper human being out of her yet, in spite of her mother’s, Yukira’s efforts.

During the next few days you hear the news that the Gotei 13 have officially agreed to a joint operation in Afghanistan and in parts of Siberia with the Valhallan afterlife. Apparently the western afterlife is struggling with keeping things in check with all that’s brewing in the Middle East and Africa. Siberia, however, sounds weird even to your ears.

When you finally find enough hours for yourself, you cast Kyokkō and lower your reiatsu output as much as possible, and leave for the Wailing Forest to visit your hollow friends Lahela and Drianni.

>1/2

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It is therapeutic in a way to pass by the various Rukongai districts. This is both to remind you of the luxuries of living inside the Seireitei, as well as the enforced poverty over the land, especially those further away from the capital of Soul Society’s elites. You can’t help but wonder – Where are the kids now? Where has Sanjuro taken them? Are they well? You don’t dare to search for them just yet. Not only do the Shiraka want them, but your instincts tell you you should protect them from the workings of Soul Society in general.

Entering the Wailing Forest, you remember the first time you came there, when it was quite scary and dangerous. Now, it feels like any forest, despite the many lurking hollows inside.

The forest patch that you once incinerated because of Zil has regrown into an incredibly pretty area. It’s much more diverse and livelier in a way, you wonder what’s up with that.

Drianni’s reiatsu encompasses the whole forest, making it hard to sense for almost everyone, but you’ve grown used to it. Finding the general direction where it feels the strongest, you make your way there to find her, and most likely Lahela too.

In fact, you find them training of all things.

Lahela is going unreleased, and they’re doing hand to hand combat.

“Think what you’re doing,” Drianni speaks calmly, “Commit only to attacks you know you can land. Everything else, use them as feints, distractions, ways to push your opponent into a desirable situation.”

“I’M.. TRYINGSSS…!” Lahela grits her teeth as she keeps pummeling Drianni, who is for now going defense only.

>2/2

>Stay hidden for now, watch them train.
>Reveal yourself, but continue to just watch.
>Reveal yourself, intervene. (How?)
>Other?

>>4675830
Roomiee says thanks!

>>4676074
>>4676282
Glad you are enjoying it. It's hard to judge from my side at times what sort of balance is good and all.

>>4676282
>>4676345
>Bankai
The big thing that you have in front of you is that Bankai is traditionally achieved through the zanpakuto spirit. Unfortunately for you, yours is inanimate. Even then, bankai of *what*? Naimen no Daiza? Kaishigome? Jorogumo?

Also, I damaged the car today. Fuck my life with a cactus.

>>4677380
>Stay hidden for now, watch them train.
Practice to see how well we can hide our presence from high level hollows. Although Drianni probably knows we're here

>>4677380
>Reveal yourself, but continue to just watch.

>>4677384
>I damaged the car today.
You're good though right? Can't have the resident trap lover getting hurt

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>>4677388
Fortunately I'm good. Didn't see a metal pillar while I was going backwards from a dead end, and it hit the left mirror and scraped the left side a bit. Jesus taped the mirror back to some working condition. The car can still be driven quite well, but of course it's a hit on my pride. Doesn't help that it's my parents' car.
>resident trap lover
also resident trap

>Reveal yourself, but continue to just watch.

>>4677380
>Reveal yourself, but continue to just watch.
>I’m over here judging you, Lahela! JUUUUUDGIIIIIING! Don’t let it distract youuuuuu!

>>4677386
>>4677387
>>4677412
>>4677413
>Writing!

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You decide to dissolve the illusion, since surely Drianni knows you’re there anyway. As the space around you shifts, like a blanket being pulled away, Lahela gets startled upon seeing you. Drianni, as expected, doesn’t react, but then again, it’s hard to judge her from just a mask.

“K-Koharu! Sssinsse when were you there?”

“I just arrived, but don’t let me distract you, I’m just gonna stay here and evaluate! No pressure!” you grin as you cross your arms. Drianni catches your drift, and switches to light offensive once Lahela’s flurry of attacks stops. This of course catches her off guard, and she begins to struggle.

“Don’t let your opponent put you where you’re at a disadvantage,” she casually explains with each hit. After pushing her backwards long enough, bone-white wood erupts from the ground, and surrounds Lahela in a prison-like manner, sharp spikes against her body and especially her neck.

Just inches off actually piercing her.

“Especially if your opponent has prepared traps.”

Damn. Now that you think about it, you’ve never really seen Drianni fight, ever. This is however her home turf, one that she has had enough time to set up.

“N-No fair!”

“There’s no such thing as fairness,” Drianni sighs, and retracts the white wooden spikes back into the ground, towards the roots she has laid out. “Only strength and weakness. I learned that the hard way.”

The three of you move to sit on benches of the same white wood as before, but this time grown into more furniture-like shapes. You exchange pleasantries, complain about the nobles again, and some more, until you spill the biggest news.

“I’m going to Hueco Mundo.”

Both Lahela and Drianni freeze, but it’s the latter that asks you the big question.

“Why?”

>Tell them about the mission, don’t hide any details.
>Hide some of the details. (What?)
>Tell them everything, including your suspicions.
>Other?

>>4677452
>Tell them about the mission, don’t hide any details
Not like we got much to hide with them

>>4677452
>Tell them about the mission, don’t hide any details.

>>4677452
>>Tell them everything, including your suspicions.
Since Drianni will probably want to know we’re not marching into this blind.
Suspicions I can think of:
>While I could reduce the threat posed by hollows, I’m effectively building a private army like a warlord, and I can’t 100% guarantee that control can’t be taken from me or broken.
>I am supercharging hollows, so the potential threat of them increases.
As for reasons to do it even if we’re suspicious:
>Need to learn more about how hollows have been getting into the SS, and an extended mission in Hueco Mundo would help.
>I may learn more about how Aizen is even meeting these hollows.
>...you two are badly exposed here if things go pear-shaped in the SS, and I can even be executed for some of my powers. Better to have a fallback location in mind somewhere and not have to use it than be caught without one.
I didn’t really think of that last point until typing this out. If Koharu thinks about it, I imagine it’d hit him hard. There are scenarios in which he’s forced to run away from the only home he’s carved out for himself. I don’t imagine he thinks of what that actually means all that often.

>Tell them about the mission, don’t hide any details.
It's not nice to keep things from friends

>>4677452
>Tell them about the mission, don’t hide any details.

>>4677493
How do anons feel about this? The current choice consensus is against telling any suspicions, just the mission details.

I'll give another ten minutes, then I'll get to writing!

>>4677521
I'll throw my support on it I guess, we're already spilling might as well go all the way.

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>>4677466
>>4677467
>>4677493
>>4677495
>>4677498
>>4677525
It's a three to two case then. I'll include some of the write-ins depending on how well they fit into the general flow of the conversation, while leaving out some to balance with the vote consensus.

>Writing

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“Captain Aizen gave me that mission. I’m to assist in creating arrancars with my powers.”

You tell them more details about it, about the nature of the hollows being arrancarified, and Aizen’s mindset with this all, including the fact that this means you’re helping him build a private army of powerful hollows.

Lahela gets especially anxious as you tell about all the dangers that lurk there, but you do reassure that Aizen wouldn’t leave you without sufficient protection. Though, knowing him, he could be expecting you to do that yourself… with these two.

“My question remains,” Drianni calmly states, “Why? If you comprehend just how dangerous this is, not just for you, but for everyone possible, why would you help him?”

You sigh. “Because as far as I know, he can do it without me. I don’t know that for certain, but I won’t put it past him. At least this way I can make a difference, map out the extent of his reach, the dangers this army poses, information on Aizen himself, and possibly find allies.

Both of your hollow friends remain silent, with Drianni in deep thought, and Lahela being restless.

“I-I wanna go withss you,” Lahela finally says.

“No,” Drianni flat out denies her, “you shouldn’t.”

“But sshe needss all the help sshe can get! Sshe hass to get there ssomehow anyway, right?”

Drianni sighs. “It’s your choice, but know that once you experience it, there’s no going back. It’s not a place like this for hollows… not anymore.”

“Look, I know you don’t approve of this Drianni, but it’s the best path I can take right now, all things considered. You two are badly exposed here if things go pear-shaped in the SS, and I can even be executed for some of my powers. Better to have a fallback location in mind somewhere and not have to use it than be caught without one.”

>1/2

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“I have to admit though that I’m.. a bit out of my depths here. I did not expect to get this kind of an assignment, but in hindsight, it was to be expected. The best I can do is get some practice with this… arrancarification process, so I don’t mess up.”

You look at Lahela. “I know it was my first time back then, but turning Lahela into an arrancar was… a rather intense and traumatic experience.”

“You’ve not attempted it since?” Drianni asks.

You shake your head. “I haven’t exactly had the chance nor reason to. Hollows… well, I’m not very comfortable with entering their minds. It’s… very chaotic.”

“Ever ssinsse I gained my human body backss, I’ve felt more sstable,” Lahela notes.

That gets you thinking. You haven’t looked into Lahela’s mind since her arrancarification. You know that shinigami have a very specific mindscape, due to their bond with their zanpakutō. Sanjuro’s mind was wild and changing, but it was manageable. Lahela’s.. you don’t want to remember.

“I will admit, I’ve… been curious,” Drianni snaps you out of your train of thought.

“About?” you ask.

“About this.. arrancar business. Watching Lahela with her human body over the years has made me think about it a lot.”

“I promised you, didn’t I? If you’d want to go through it, I’m willing to do it, even if.. I have to relive through that again.”

Another moment of silence falls upon you.

>2/2

Drianni:
>Encourage her. It’s clear she does long for a human body, despite being quite close to it.
>Suggest she come with you to Hueco Mundo and judge for herself.
>Tell her to take her time. It’s a rather personal decision afterall.
>Other?

Lahela:
>Accept her help, take her with you to Hueco Mundo.
>Refuse her help, it’s too risky.
>Other?

>>4677581
>Tell her to take her time. It’s a rather personal decision after all.

>Accept her help, take her with you to Hueco Mundo.

>>4677581
This is a tough one for me.
Lahela
>Accept her help, take her with you to Hueco Mundo
Personally I think the help Aizen already lined up for us should be enough but I get the feeling that this option will get picked. If she's curious about Hueco Mundo herself it can be a learning experience. If she makes it out alive that is.
Drianni
>Tell her to take her time. It’s a rather personal decision after all.
Not pushing her on this one, not our place.

>>4677581
Drianni
>Tell her to take her time. It’s a rather personal decision after all .
Could we still take look at her inner world? Since we’ve only done it with Lahela, taking a look at how the process feels with a much stronger hollow would be good for us before we dive into it again on a mission.

Lahela:
>Accept her help, take her with you to Hueco Mundo.
I’m nervous about the risks cor her, but we sseem to be a believer in spreading knowledge given our contempt for how the nobles keep society from advancing here. It’d feel wrong to keep Lahela from learning about the equivalent of an ancestral home of she really wants to go.

>>4677581
Drianni
>>Suggest she come with you to Hueco Mundo and judge for herself.
Lahela
>>Accept her help, take her with you to Hueco Mundo.
Honestly we’ll need any help we can get in Hueco Mundo

>>4677588
>>4677592
>>4677599
>>4677603
Taking Lahela, while telling Drianni to take her time. Got it!
>Writing

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“In the end, it’s your decision. Take as much time as you need for it, Drianni,” you nod to her, and she does so back.

“Well, you offered me help, Lahela. You better not regret it… as I’m taking it. Even if I’m getting help on the other side, I’d rather have somebody I know and trust to watch my back.”

You can see Lahela’s cheeks redden slightly, and she gives you a strong nod. “Hell yeah!”

“There’s something I’d like to try though, with both of you,” you say, rubbing your right arm. “I’d like to use Naimen no Daiza to take a look at your.. inner worlds. How your mind looks. I’ve seen how it is for shinigami and plusses, but I only know of Lahela’s mind from when she was a hollow.”

Lahela nods. “Of coursse. I trusst you.”

You look at Drianni, who doesn’t answer. “I’d be of great help for me to get some experience. I know this is likely too personal, but I still wish to ask.”

>Roll 3d10, Bo3, DC 20, Social (7) may replace lowest die

Rolled 9, 1, 9 = 19 (3d10)

>>4677639

Rolled 5, 6, 4 = 15 (3d10)

>>4677639

Rolled 5, 7, 10 = 22 (3d10)

>>4677639
May as well put roll 3 in

>>4677647
>19(25)
>>4677649
>15(18)
>>4677659
>22(24)

That went splendid, didn't it?
>Writing

>>4677661
Aizen may be training our mind, but the diplomancy is all-natural.

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After a rather long moment of Drianni thinking about it, she finally agrees.

“If you feel that it’ll really help you, so be it.”

“Thank you, Drianni. I promise I’ll be careful,” you nod with a smile. You turn to Lahela, and draw out your zanpakutō. “Well then, are you ready, Lahela?”

“W-What, nowss?”

“Well, better get it out of the way, right?”

You gently release your shikai, your blade turning into the familiar shape of a chalice as the hilt, and a double-edged blade. “Just relax. It’s just me.”

Putting the flat side of the blade against Lahela’s forehead, you close your own eyes, feeling Lahela’s reiatsu resonate within Naimen no Daiza, forming a connection.

When you reopen them, you find yourself in a wildly changing mindscape. It’s not a painful experience like last time. Clearly becoming an arrancar has helped her organize her mind and emotions, though you still feel strong torrents of anger, fear, but also love. In a way, it feels like that of a plus, but more hectic and impulsive.

“Koharu?” you hear Lahela’s voice call out to you, and the mindscape stabilizes on a field with wooden huts, and an evening sky. There’s faceless people moving rather fast in a blur from hut to hut, and only Lahela is distinct.

You give her a warm smile. “See? It doesn’t seem that bad, right?”

Lahela gives you a wide smile, and you right away notice that her behavior is different. As you feel the situation out more, you realize that this is more like a dream for her.

“Come, I will show you my village!” Lahela cheerfully approaches you, and grabs your hand, pulling you further into the village. You feel a surprising jolt of her emotions passing directly through you now, especially her cheery mood.

You decide to let this dream continue for a while, as Lahela shows you rather chaotically things around the place, but also some of her personal items, perhaps from her former life. And all this time, you feel this strong sense of affection through her hand.

>1/2

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Reopening your eyes, you lift Naimen no Daiza from Lahela’s forehead, whose eyes are still open, but mentally she’s absent. It’s only after you snap your fingers a few times that she comes back to herself.

“How did it go?” Drianni asks.

“Rather well,” you say with a light blush, “no problems whatsoever. Do you remember anything, Lahela?”

“Ssorry, what?” Lahela blinks, as her eyes refocus.

“Do you remember anything?” you ask.

“Rememeberss what?” she asks and tilts her head. “Youss put that ssword on my head.”

So she doesn’t. Interesting. Now that you think about it, you don’t think Sanjuro remembered your visit well either, but could recognize you as the one to bring him ‘out’ of his agony that time. Asato-senpai is a shinigami, and thus you can conclude that visiting their mindscapes will for sure leave a memory. Perhaps something about multiple consciousnesses being present.

“Well, it all went nice and good, so don’t worry!” you smile with closed eyes. Damn that cute goof. But this does give you some good information. Touching the target within the mindscape will form a closer mental connection. You’re fortunate that this was a positive emotion that Lahela made you go through. But if it’s anything to go by, it’s possible to push negative ones through you as well.

“I suppose it’s my turn then,” Drianni sighs, breaking your line of thought. “I hope you’re ready.”

“I think I am,” you swallow hard, and move in front of Drianni. You’ve come quite far with her, now that you think about it. Got off on the wrong foot maybe, but you’ve become good friends despite that.

You raise Naimen no Daiza, and lower it gently on top of Drianni’s masked head.

>2/2

>Roll 3d10, Bo3, DC 22, crit 28, Mental (8) may replace lowest die

Rolled 9, 7, 1 = 17 (3d10)

>>4677709

Rolled 8, 4, 4 = 16 (3d10)

>>4677709
Ah, that DC might be a little tough

Rolled 5, 5, 4 = 14 (3d10)

>>4677709
Time for the harder part

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>>4677715
>17(24)
>>4677716
>16(20)
>>4677719
>14(18)
It was a tough one, but you made it!
>Writing

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The first thing you notice is the true intensity of Drianni’s reiatsu, enough to almost push you down on your knees. Generally she spreads the pressure all around the forest, shrouding it in her reiatsu, but with direct contact, you can feel it much better. Naimen no Daiza quickly attunes to it, and the pull into her mind is like a strong tug, but you resist it enough to drift at a steadier pace.

You feel the chaos.

You feel the wild, hazardous mix of emotions and memories all around you, but the mindscape looks rather stable. A forest of blue, with occasional yellow and purple, where you move through it rather quickly.

“This is…” you wonder aloud, as you try to take in the quickly moving scenery.

“Hueco Mundo. As it was, a long time ago.”

You look around, now that the scenery has stopped moving, in order to find the source of the voice, until suddenly there’s a person in front of you, her colors as if inverted.

“D-Drianni?”

“Yes..” she speaks softly, and looks down at the ground, then touches it. You can suddenly hear thousands if not more, shallow voices screaming and wailing. As if the ground itself is crying.

“What’s happening?” you ask nervously.

“To become a Menos, a hollow has to consume other hollows. Souls that are unable to pass, unable to move on in the cycle,” she speaks, lifting some of the soil and smelling it, before letting it fly away as dust in the wind.

“Bring enough of such souls together, and you create a Menos.”

Your heart sinks. “So all those voices..”

“Yes. They are broken, tormented souls, with no future but to bend to my will. An Adjuchas must fight to stay in power, but a Vasto Lorde.. they have complete dominion.”

You feel a sudden weight on your whole body, and you fall on your knees, as you feel the ground suddenly shift. Grotesque hands and heads form, trying to pull you beneath.

>1/2

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“W-What is this?!” you shout, fighting against them, punching and kicking, but for each one you destroy, another one forms.

“They have been imprisoned and tormented for thousands of years. They don’t like to see what they can’t have.”

“They’re trying to take my freedom?!” you shout, “Drianni, help me, make them stop!”

“I cannot, not without harming you. You must fight them. If you truly are going to be reckless and make arrancars out of hollows, especially Menos… you must learn to resist them.”

Shit. This isn’t looking good. You can’t feel your legs anymore, and the creeping agony… you do your best not to scream. Looking inside yourself, you pull on the strengths of your two spiritual companions: Celaris for your own peace, and Zilya to command these wretched souls to let go of you.

Fortunately for you, the grotesque figures start to dissolve, and you get to push out of the pit formed from your sinking.

“So it’s true,” Drianni’s eyes narrow. “You do have her inside of you. I really hoped I was wrong.”

“Why?” you ask as you breathe heavily. “Why does it terrify you like this?”

“Because you have no idea what she’s capable of, nor realize how mad she is,” Drianni says as she crosses her arms. “She only has one goal. To make every soul in existence obey her, like the souls you briefly subjugated. To turn them all into her spider abominations.”

You look down at the soil again, feeling quite tense.

>2/2

>You’ve had enough, you need to go now while you’re still sane.
>Remain here and talk. (write-in)
>Other?

>>4677759
>>Remain here and talk. (write-in)
Ask more about Zilya, ask Drianni what she thinks about all of the stuff that’s been happening, talk about how Lahela’s been doing, maybe just ask how Drianni’s doing in general

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I'll leave the vote open overnight actually, I have to help my roommate again so we can get to sleep at a reasonable time.

We'll do *another* continuation tomorrow at 16:00 UTC, should be the last one for this session. Yes, I'm that crazy.

Hope you guys are alright with that, and enjoyed today.

>>4677780
>>4677759
Support

>>4677759
I’ll back >>4677780
As another item, we’re going to end up with a lot more arrancars soon. They’ll may be looking for ideas on what to do. Any ideas on what we could tell them?
My guess would be to find a home for themselves. They’ll have more powers, maybe they can carve out something in Hueco Mundo.
Any seeds Drianni could provide to help with that, or is that too risky/not an option due to Hueco Mundo’s climate?

>>4677759
>other we'll bang, okay?

>>4677808
Night Trippy, thanks for the run

>>4677395
>also resident trap
You'll have to prove that

Generally speaking though, we let slip some info about our Zanpakuto and next update the Shiraka are assking about it, does this imply that she hasn't passed on what we told her? Are we getting through to her?

>>4677871
I'd hope so! It'll make the trap card of the three-win reveal go better.

>>4677639
>You can see Lahela’s cheeks redden slightly, and she gives you a strong nod. “Hell yeah!”
>>4677704
>though you still feel strong torrents of anger, fear, but also love
>And all this time, you feel this strong sense of affection through her hand.
>“Rather well,” you say with a light blush, “no problems whatsoever

Hollow babby's first crush? If so, that's cute. Hollow tomboy waifu get.

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>>4677780
>>4677815
>>4677821
>>4677822 (kek)
I'll put out the roll prompt now before the session, so we'll have that out of the way.
>Roll 3d10, Bo3, DC 20, crit 26, Mental (8) may replace lowest die
Since you're in the mind of a Menos, it will take some effort to stay sane.

>>4677821
>Any seeds Drianni could provide to help with that, or is that too risky/not an option due to Hueco Mundo’s climate?
Big K got it covered on that front

>>4677871
>You'll have to prove that
Maybe one day. At the end of the quest?

>>4677871
>>4677880
Your rolls with her did wonders. You really got Yukiko thinking about things and (after)life.

>>4677891
>Hollow babby's first crush? If so, that's cute.
>Hollow tomboy waifu get.
She may have some infatuation with you.

Rolled 2, 2, 9 = 13 (3d10)

>>4678791

Rolled 1, 9, 6 = 16 (3d10)

>>4678791
Please no mindbreak

Rolled 3, 6, 8 = 17 (3d10)

>>4678791

>>4677821
>They’ll may be looking for ideas on what to do.
I may be making an assumption here, but seeing as these are hollows that Aizen has rounded up and not ones that we just so happened to stumble upon, I have the feeling that they know exactly what they will be using their new powers for. Even if it's a case of "you scratch my back I'll scratch yours" with our captain. We can still try and give some pointers on what they can try and make for themselves, but we're also not a hollow so they might just shrug us off.

>>4678791
>Maybe one day. At the end of the quest?
No pressure, I was mostly just joking

>She may have some infatuation with you.
I'll say it again: cute. Remind me, does she know we're a boy? Either way, I kinda ship it. Speaking of Arrancar shipping, any chance Luppi is less of a dick in this / we'll be able to shape his growth so he ends up nicer? Yes, I am the TrapxTrap anon who's been hoping for Yushiro since a few threads in.

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>>4678796
>13(19)
>>4678797
>16(23)
>>4678802
>17(22)
It's a solid pass, but you will still have troubles.
>Update will be posted in 3h 40min

>>4678866
>No pressure, I was mostly just joking
I know :^)

>>4678866
>spoiler
Luppi is among the hollows that Aizen hasn't turned into arrancars yet, so yes, you may get the chance to shape him up for the better.

>>4678866
>Remind me, does she know we're a boy?
No, she doesn't. Considering she lived as a plant-like hollow for years, she might not really care.

>>4677891
I just woke up after laying back down to catch some extra Z’s, and a funny thought just hit me related to this.
>Drianni is basically Lahela’s adoptive parent
>Koharu asking Drianni for permission to date Lahela
>Drianni being all “WTF no shinigami is going to be dating my daughteru!”
>Cue shirtless fistfight in the rain with Drianni over Labela’s affection.
I think I need to go back to sleep...

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Despite the foreboding feeling of danger, you decide to stay for a while longer. This is as close and personal as you can get with Drianni, whether she’s actually conscious here or acting subconsciously.

Either way, you’ll have to be careful.

“Believe me, I know how she is quite well,” you say with a stern gaze, fixed on Drianni. “But she’s the one who chooses what to tell me, so if you know more, do tell.”

The surrounding blue forest starts to move rather rapidly, growing and falling in hundreds, thousands of cycles, until a sudden shockwave passes through everything, including you, and reduces it all to pristine white sand. You scream from the pain as it feels like your flesh rots and dissolves; your bones ache. Fortunately, once you open your eyes, you are elsewhere, and your body is intact.

The jungles you see before you are not of Hueco Mundo anymore, but of the living realm. You vaguely connect this place to the jungles of Southeast Asia, from the memories you have of picture books your caretakers gave you as a child. Once the shock wears off, you finally take in the details of your surroundings.

Grotesque spider-looking hollows, hunting and killing both shinigami and hollow alike, as the familiar white roots impale them from the ground. Despite being hurt and surely close to dying, these spiders keep on rising and fighting until their masks are shattered.

Among them, you see one hollow in particular, which makes your heart sink. A spider body, with a humanoid upper torso, like a centaur but not. She is commanding the spider army, guiding their ferocious path of destruction.

“T-This is.. Zilya?” you swallow hard.

“No,” Drianni speaks beside you, “This is one of her children. Lubina Arachina. Tasked with finding me.”

“What for?” you ask, as you still process the violent events around you.

“You did not listen, so I will repeat: Zilya only has one goal. To make every soul in existence obey her; To turn them all into her spider abominations.”

>1/2

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The scenery warps and twists again, until what you see around you looks much like the Wailing Forest, but a lot wider and larger. Soul Society.. before growing to its modern size?

“I could find peace in the home realm of the Shinigami. Ironic… but at least with a nonphysical realm, I could properly grow my roots here, and smear my presence over a large area. Until one day… the Ruin’s spider machines stopped coming.”

“Yeah, there… was an event, that may be the reason why I’m here now.”

Drianni, in her color-inverted human form, narrows her eyes and looks at you. “Also ironic that the Ruin finds me only after becoming imprisoned, by a human no less.”

“Maybe,” you sigh. “Thanks for showing me all of this. It’s given me some perspective. How.. how are you yourself holding up?”

“I’m over all of these events, Koharu. Incidentally… that’s when I became a Vasto Lorde, once I could let go of everything. Once I stopped caring.”

“But you have found new things to care about, haven’t you? The forest? And Lahela?”

Drianni’s gaze lowers, and you can detect the change in emotions in your surroundings.

“I have,” she finally gives you an answer, and raises her eyes to meet yours. “That’s why I don’t want her to go to Hueco Mundo.”

>2/2

>”Then come with us. You can protect her, and truly make peace with Hueco Mundo.”
>”I promise you, I will keep her safe, no matter what.”
>Other?

>>4678994
>”I promise you, I will keep her safe, no matter what.”
Can we tell her to give Lahela a good and long talk about Heuco Mundo? It's not like Lahela has to go in blind.

>>4678994
>”I promise you, I will keep her safe, no matter what.”

>>4678994
>”I promise you, I will keep her safe, no matter what.”
I’m not 100% on what Drianni is afraid of. Is it just about the danger of the trip, or is she more afraid of Lahela’s naivety making her think she could stay in Hueco Mundo with some arrancar “friends” and be safe?

>>4678994
>”I promise you, I will keep her safe, no matter what.”

>>4679008
>>4679015
>>4679019
>>4679027
>Writing

>inb4 we fail a roll

>>4679029
Fancy you say that.
>Roll 3d10, Bo3, DC 19, crit 24, Social (7) may replace lowest die

Rolled 10, 4, 4 = 18 (3d10)

>>4679036

Rolled 2, 9, 7 = 18 (3d10)

Satan guide my cock!

Rolled 9, 3, 10 = 22 (3d10)

>>4679036
rollan

>>4679037
>18(21)
>>4679050
>18(23)

We're short on rolls, but I'll start writing since it's a pass. I'll accept one more roll tho-
>>4679054
>22(26)
SONOFA
>Writing

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You take a few steps closer, alerting Drianni as you do. She’s trying to keep her distance?

“I promise you, I will keep her safe, no matter what. I may not have spent as much time with her as you, but she’s still dear to me. Lahela proves that hollows can show kindness and love, despite their urges and chaos. I will not let her, or you, down.”

The world around you shifts again, and you return to the blue forest from before, with the pitch black sky and an odd moon on it.

“I’m not one to command those around me, Koharu,” Drianni speaks as she touches one of the trees, as well as the fruit hanging from them. “If it is Lahela’s wish to go, then I will not stop her, even if it isn’t what I’d like.”

“And that makes you more human than the many nobles I’ve seen in the Seireitei.”

Those words clearly make an impact for Drianni, and you see a subtle, gentle smile on her lips.

“I just ask that you help her prepare for the journey ahead,” you continue, “while I do my own best.”

Drianni nods. “I will, Koharu. She’s already on her way to becoming a great warrior. She does it for you, you know.”

“...Yeah, I know,” you look to the side as you feel funny.

>1/3

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With a gentle fade, your eyes reopen, and Drianni’s standing instead of sitting, her reiatsu flaring quite brightly.

“D-Drianni?” you blink as you raise the blade from her head, sealing it back into its normal form. Lahela is beside the two of you, looking worried as she no doubt feels intimidated by Drianni’s display of power.

“Koharu? Oh,” you hear her finally say, and she suppresses her reiatsu back to what you and Lahela are used to. “I don’t know how that happened.”

“It’s okay,” you smile nervously, and sheathe your zanpakutō. “How.. do you feel?”

“Surprisingly refreshed. Odd feelings and vague memories of what just happened.”

You make a mental note of this. Hard to make any pattern yet with only two tests.

“Well, I’m personally quite exhausted. Doing that is a lot more work than it seems!” you grin.

All in all, you have some fruit for a snack to replenish your energies, though Drianni’s not eating. When you ask her about it, she tells you that Vasto Lorde class Menos don’t feel hunger nor need sustenance, unless they are very badly injured. It strikes you as rather odd, since as far as you know, her Saketsu should be broken.

A mystery for another time.

>2/3

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Once you leave, you have plenty of time to think about plans for the next half year or so, until your assignment starts. Working at the division and having to spend hours per day for Shiraka’s amusement limits the time you have to prepare, unless you’re going to steal time from things like sleep. You’re not sure if that’s a good idea, since it most likely will lower your mental health in the long term. On the other hand, since you’re paired with Yukiko, you could use her to focus on a certain kind of training.

Creating arrancars is going to be the tough part, with all the mind shenanigans, and that you’ve only done it once. You need actual hollows to train that, and afterwards there’s the question of what to do with them. Killing a hollow releases its soul and those that it ate back into the cycle, right? It’s easy to justify when faced with a masked monster, but once they regain a human body?

You don’t know how to feel about that idea. Nor do you know if you could ask anyone for help. Shinigami are all out of the question, Drianni is against this all in the first place, and Lahela… you can’t bring yourself to ask her to help you systematically experiment and kill hollows. Well, there IS an alternative to killing, but that would mean using Zilya’s power.

>3/3

>Focus on arrancar experiments on your own.
>Ask somebody to assist you with it. (who?)

And method:
>Capture, arrancarify, kill.
>Capture, arrancarify, enslave through Zilya.
>Capture, arrancarify, release.
>Other?

Oh, this seems like a big one. Where will we be getting our test subjects from, if I can ask Trippy?

Just some initial thoughts as well, I think Asato(?) is the only person we can really approach to help us with this. Is goes beyond just "secret mission", this is outright treason level stuff we're pulling. We already know his big secret so if we need any extra muscle I'd say he'd be willing to turn a blind eye and help. I'm sure if anyone knows anyone else that's a better choice though they'll bring them up. As for the second part, I think if we bring Asato along we can let him make the call there. Some of these are going to be imperfect and we might have to put them down, but every time we manage to succeed I don't think enslaving is the right thing to do.

>>4679088
>Focus on arrancar experiments on your own.

>As for the method I think that should depend on the hollow. In some case kill or enslave them while letting the more reasonable one go.

>>4679090
The Wailing Forest is the default option for this one, but you can go look for more distant areas of the Rukongai if you so wish. Or if you have other ideas, always up to hearing those!

>>4679103
Hmm the Forest gives us the most privacy of all the options I can think of, plus we can try to single out our test subjects instead of having to deal with a group.

>>4679088
>Ask somebody to assist you with it. (who?)
Asato, maybe he can make some friends lmao

>Method
This will have to vary depending on the hollow, but I would say we should go in with the intention of putting them down if they look like they'll be a problem. If they don't lash out violently, we can consider leaving them be.

>>4679088
>Ask somebody to assist you with it. (Asato)
>Vary depend on the hollow
I do want to test manipulating at least one though

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Just going to point out that Asato has a clear hatred towards ALL hollows. If you get him to help, he'll do that through the ways of exterminatus. He might be quite interested to know why you're doing these experiments, though you could argue it's to learn more about your zanpakuto capabilities. Will probably require a social roll.

We can have the method dependent on the hollow in question, I'll just need a consensus on what kind of hollows you'd like to spare, which to enslave, and which to kill. If you want to have these options, you'll need to leave Asato behind, at least on some of your trips (meaning less chances of spare/enslave, but not zero).

>>4679140
Oh I remember him not liking hollows, I figured he'd be good for the ones that we want to kill since our combat isn't on his level. I guess that would make him useless for ones we want to let live though....also enslaving hollows on Drianni's turf seems like e recipe for disaster.

This is an important enough decision I feel that I'll leave it open for a long while. We're pretty near the end of this session anyway. I'll do one more update to wrap things up.

So despite me continuing, this above vote is still open!

If we are going to enslave the hollows on Drianni’s turf we’ll need her all-clear as well. Any arrancars we released might want to stay in her forest, and things might get too crowded for such a confined area. Lahela and Drianni get along great, others may not.

Lahela might not be super chill with us murdering people like her if she found out.

Ugh. I’ll vote
>Ask Asato to assist you with it.
>Capture, arrancarify, enslave through Zilya, kill
>Distant Rukongai for the area.

We’ll need the social roll, but we’ll have extra firepower, someone willing to erase the hollows if we get soft, and don’t need to worry about Drianni or Lahela.

I don’t like any of these choices...

>>4679189
Well I would say we shouldn't worry too much about them getting along with the others, Drianni should be strong enough to keep one or two extra arrancars in line.

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>https://audius.co/qmtrippy/01-on-the-precipice-of-defeat-93772

With your thoughts still in shambles, you reach the Seireitei and decide to retire for the day in your own room, earned through your hard work, as seen by your rank. Of course, it could be because Aizen is making things easier for you, but you somewhat doubt that. So far, Aizen has challenged you to deal with things yourself, only giving advice and guidance. Even with this mission before you, he has given little help, not counting that which awaits at the other side of the realm borders.

Your thoughts drift to your friends again. It’s been… three and a half years now, since you passed onto the afterlife? They must’ve graduated from high school already. Where are they now? College maybe? Or work?

In any case, you can’t wait to see them. You just hope you can find some peace with them among all this plotting, intrigue, and possible betrayal.

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Daireishokairō.

The Great Archives.

The largest, most extensive repository of knowledge of the whole Soul Society, its access restricted only to the few of the ruling nobles. Breaking in is punishable by death… and worse.

It is here that Aizen has been taking you, to make his own research, and to give you access to the vast knowledge stored within, for whatever purposes you desire.

There is no knowing what secrets you may unearth here.

You just have to know what to look for.

>...

>You have THREE things you may look for.
>Link to this post with a WRITE-IN of what you’d like to learn about.
>Remember to vote for the topics suggested!

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This is where we’ll finish this long session. I personally had a blast, and I hope you guys did too. We covered pretty much everything that I wanted to before the assignment, so next time we’ll jump right to March 1985, just before you leave for Osaka.

The vote on how to go about doing the arrancar business is still open for at least a day, so be sure to discuss and vote!

Character sheets and social links will be updated asap! If you’ve noticed, I’ve added a Character Questions link as well. Although they’re in topics, I felt it’d be nice for them to have their own dedicated page.

Comments, feedback and said questions for characters (or me) are all very welcome. I’ll be around!

>>4679214
You think they have files on Drianni?

>>4679088
>>Focus on arrancar experiments on your own.
>>Capture, arrancarify, enslave through Zilya and or kill
>>4679214
What votes were cast for this last time?

>>4679239
>You think they have files on Drianni?
You can try and look.

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>>4679261
Here's a picture of the votes I wrote down from last time!

>>4679268
Thanks Trippy
>>4679214
>>The Soul King
>>The Afterlife in general
>>forbidden spells

>>4679216
I got character questions, only some asking about Koharu’s fashion taste
Koharu:
>Anything on your mind?
>Did you ever get a chance at wearing any sort of dresses while you were still alive, like a summer dress or cocktail dress? Would you like to wear any specific type of dress?
>You ever cosplay before, it ever interest you in getting all costumed up?
>Did you have any hobbies that you’d like to continue from the living world?
>On a more serious note have you thought about all of the different infrastructural, social, educational, governmental and etc. changes you’d like to enforce on Soul Society and how best to implement them?
Celaris:
>How do you think Koharu’s doing so far, anything worrying you?
Zilya:
>Anything you interested in seeing in modern Hueco Mundo?
Lahela:
>How are you feeling about going to Hueco Mundo with Koharu, are you excited to spend more time with Koharu and getting to know Koharu better?
Drianni:
>What interests you the most about the prospect of becoming an arrancar, any thing you think you’d like to try if you decide on becoming one
Aizen:
>Do you have faith in Koharu’s ability to lead, do you think he’ll be able handle the hollows well?
Yukiko:
>Who’d look prettier in a dress you or Koharu?
>What’s the most suspicious thing to you about Koharu, have you heard the rumor or of the group’s dedicated to Koharu’s cuteness and genitalia?
>Do you think Koharu’s been doing a good job under the service of your family?
>Learn anything new and/or interesting from Koharu?
Trippy:
>What other settings interest you outside of Bleach?
>How are liking how the quest has been going so far?
>How’s the weather?

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>>4679315
Now that's a lot to unpack. Here it goes!

Koharu:
>Anything on your mind?
"A lot. I keep finding out new things about myself, about those around me, and the world, all at such a rapid pace that I feel overwhelmed at times. I think about my friends a lot, both in the living realm and in Soul Society. If I didn't have them, I don't know if I could take all this pressure."
>Did you ever get a chance at wearing any sort of dresses while you were still alive, like a summer dress or cocktail dress? Would you like to wear any specific type of dress?
"There.. were a few that I liked, summer dresses. One of my caretakers was nice to me and bought me all kinds of things despite the others disapproving. I prefer simple, elegant clothing, but I won't say no to trying out new things!"
>You ever cosplay before, it ever interest you in getting all costumed up?
"N-No, if you don't count my miko clothes... but I would like to try sometime, I suppose." (Embarrassed finger poking)
>Did you have any hobbies that you’d like to continue from the living world?
"Outside of wandering as a spirit? Manga, television, books, in-door activities. It's not like I could really do much with my.. old body."
>On a more serious note have you thought about all of the different infrastructural, social, educational, governmental and etc. changes you’d like to enforce on Soul Society and how best to implement them?
"Well... I have thought a little bit about things. For some reasons, trains are on my mind. The more I think about it, the more it seems like the best way to push things forward."

Celaris:
>How do you think Koharu’s doing so far, anything worrying you?
"I feel bad for Koharu, but at the same time I'm happy he pushed himself away from the shrine, and spread his wings. He has a strong sense of will, but I worry all this pressure will get to him one day. I hope he can find somebody to confide in."

Zilya:
>Anything you interested in seeing in modern Hueco Mundo?
"I want to see how bad my nests have become. I doubt my children have had the power to keep my realm in check. Hopefully it won't be just that old fuck Baraggan and the wrinkly hag Daji ruling it."

Lahela:
>How are you feeling about going to Hueco Mundo with Koharu, are you excited to spend more time with Koharu and getting to know Koharu better?
"I'm sso eager! I can finally sshow my worth! Koharu alwayss had to leave sso the sshinigami don't ssusspect anythingss... I really wantss to become a better friend! Koharu iss my firsst true friend, I wantss to be jusst ass good!!!"

Drianni:
>What interests you the most about the prospect of becoming an arrancar, any thing you think you’d like to try if you decide on becoming one
"...I'd be nice to feel with actual skin: the rain, tree leaves, the soil. The white hollow bone protects us Menos well, but it covers us almost completely. The first thing I'd do I suppose, is submerge myself in water."

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>>4679315

Aizen:
>Do you have faith in Koharu’s ability to lead, do you think he’ll be able handle the hollows well?
"Faith is useless. I know Koharu has the power to do it, as well as the intellect. I will cultivate his potential as much as possible."

Yukiko:
>Who’d look prettier in a dress you or Koharu?
"Of course me. What a silly question is that? I mean, do you not have eyes? That street-rat, prettier than me, a noble of high quality? You offend me, peasant."
>What’s the most suspicious thing to you about Koharu, have you heard the rumor or of the group’s dedicated to Koharu’s cuteness and genitalia?
"...Koharu is WAY too successful for a street rat! There has to be something he's hiding! And that.. group... UGH! How bad can one's taste be?! ...I-I think Koharu is a girl.. right? RIGHT?! I couldn't POSSIBLY lose to a BOY, right?!!!"
>Do you think Koharu’s been doing a good job under the service of your family?
"Hmph, as if that street rat could do anything more than a decent job. Whatever my mother says about her, she's wrong."
>Learn anything new and/or interesting from Koharu?
"I hate to admit it, but.. I'm improving a lot more and faster with Koharu than ever at the academy.. it makes me mad! ...I'm envious of how many different onigiris Koharu has eaten though!"

Trippy:
>What other settings interest you outside of Bleach?
"Oh, where do I even begin? Star Wars, Stargate, Elder Scrolls, Naruto, Avatar... I usually make my own settings though for fantasy TTRPG's."
>How are liking how the quest has been going so far?
"I'm personally really happy with how it's been going. I'm most happy that it's good enough for anons like you to participate. Yes, I'm a slave to the (You)'s.
>How’s the weather?
"The weather is surprisingly good here! Winter is fading away, snow is melting, Spring is coming, and it doesn't look like we'll have our national fifth season type - the depressing grey season."

>>4679364
>There has to be something he's hiding!
Yukiko subconsciously knows the truth, she’s just refusing to accept it. Go figure.
>>4679214
I’ll back >>4679277.
>>4679204
I’m less worried about Drianni keeping a few in line as much as kinda forcing it on her. “Look I made a baby, I’m dropping it off here for you to take care of while I go away” sort of deal. I’m also not sure if this is going to be 1-2 or 10-20 we’re dealing with here.

>>4679088
>Focus on arrancar experiments on your own.
>Capture, arrancarify, see how they react, act accordingly

Could we... maybe... Arrancarify Lizzy? or would that kill the lizard because she's too weak?

>>4679214
>forgotten spells
>search for info on unusual Zanpakuto or other weaponss, possibly with hollow influence.
>Info about noble houses that isn't readily available. Maybe we'll find blackmail for the Shiraka.


I feel like Lahela because my s key is kinda broken and I constantly have to delete additional s's

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>>4680603
>Could we... maybe... Arrancarify Lizzy? or would that kill the lizard because she's too weak?
You could. Pic related was a thing in Bleach afterall (yammy's dog)

>I feel like Lahela because my s key is kinda broken and I constantly have to delete additional s's
Kek. It'ss fine! Embrasse the lissp!

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I was asked about the weather, pic related is from today when I went for a walk. Now, out of the blue, it's snowing again.

Oh boy, let's see if we'll get to Spring at this rate.

>>4680637
Nice, we should do that once we've got some more experience and can do it safely.

>>4680603
>>>4679214
>>forgotten spells
>>search for info on unusual Zanpakuto or other weaponss, possibly with hollow influence.
>>Info about noble houses that isn't readily available. Maybe we'll find blackmail for the Shiraka.

>>4681643
I'll second this

>>4679110
>>4679120
>>4679189
>>4679261
>>4680603
The consensus for this vote seems to be asking Asato for help most of the time, especially with the more rowdy hollows, as well as go for a balanced approach of killing the worse ones and keeping the reasonable ones.

I can't see Koharu bringing Asato to the Wailing Forest for the fear that he'll torch the place to the ground, so with him it'll be all around everywhere else essentially. I'll have to think about it some!

>>4679277
>>4679468
>>4680603
>>4681643
>>4681881
For the archives, the winning topics are:
>forgotten spells
with 5 votes
>search for info on unusual Zanpakuto or other weapons, possibly with hollow influence.
>Info about noble houses that isn't readily available. Maybe we'll find blackmail for the Shiraka.
with 3 votes each. Poke me if I miscounted. I should have some time to write them this weekend!

And if things go okay on my sides and I get proper sleep, we can get a session on Monday. We won't jump directly to the assignment, but we'll do go over broadly what you do during the half a year, to resolve some situations (like Asato & hollow hunting).

>>4682083
>when the winning votes are your write-ins and your leftover write-in from last time
Gives me the warm fuzzies

>>4682083
We could do lower-level hollows in the forest, ones like Lizzy. Might be hard to find, but it’s easy to justify keeping them around. Lahela can have some pets!

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>>4682091
They are good write-ins. Warm fuzzies earned!

>>4682114
>Let's start a hollow zoo

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THE ARCHIVES

You find yourself once more in the great archives with Captain Aizen. You still wonder just why he brings you here, what is his goal? He himself keeps his research private, mostly because he doesn’t even use the machine, but seeks out the things he needs directly from this hollow tower. Something about ‘unlisted’ knowledge.

Well, you’re not one to pass up the chance to learn something others try to keep you away from. Back in your childhood that was manga, now it’s the secrets of the afterlife. Funny how that goes.

And so you delve, and look…

>COLLECTION: INACCESSIBLE KIDŌ

This is a collection of kidō that is restricted in use, infeasible to use, or lost to time. For more information, refer to related individual articles.

>Hadō 90-99
The hadō spells beyond 89 of the numbered kidō system developed by Guru Sabhya Kailashnath Tahir are deemed too risky to use without near-certain death of the user. The risk is possible to minimize to near-fatal injury or loss of body parts.

>Kūkanten'i
Spatial manipulation spell. Used to transport a chunk of space and everything within to another place within the realm. Spell fails if used in the living realm without an enormous amount of reiryoku or divinity. Historically significant in the separation of the Royal Realm into a pocket realm attached to Soul Society. Usage strictly forbidden outside of the Royal Guard, punishable by soul annihilation.

>Jikanteishi & Jikansaisoku
Temporal manipulation spells. Former used to slow time in a chunk of space, while the latter makes time pass faster. Spell fails if used in the living realm without an enormous amount of reiryoku or divinity. Successfully using it there may result in catastrophic consequences. Usage strictly forbidden outside of the Royal Guard, punishable by soul annihilation.

>Jigokutsuihō
Banishment spell. Summons a Hell Gate and marks the target for banishment into the Hell Realm. Without true concentration, the spell may mark others in the area for banishment, as well as the user. Spell failure may create a temporary two-way passage between the connected realms, causing Kushanāda to breach outside of Hell to prevent the escape of damned souls, dragging any nearby souls with them. Usage strictly forbidden outside of the Royal Guard, punishable by soul annihilation.

>Tamaseisaku
Soul fabrication spell. Creates a reishi nexus that may gather reiryoku more directly and at high capacity. Requires immense amounts of reishi. Possible to substitute through sacrifice of other souls, which is strictly forbidden and punishable by soul annihilation. Spell is known to be complex and consisting of multiple parts, requiring multiple casters. Has not been seen since the creation of Soul Society. No practitioners nor instructional records exist.

>1/4

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>COLLECTION: UNUSUAL ZANPAKUTŌ

This is a collection of notable zanpakutō that deviate considerably from the standard zanpakuto model. Bankai information only recorded for zanpakutō with no user. For more information, refer to related individual articles.

>Sōkyoku Kikōō
Unbound zanpakutō of divine nature. Fire-type. Sealed form is a large halberd. Only has a single release, on the level of a bankai rather than a shikai. In its released form, it takes the form of a blazing bird, its raw power equaling over a million zanpakutō. Requires a concentrated team to unseal and control. Currently located at Sōkyoku Hill, used for execution by soul annihilation.

>Shinken Hakkyōken
Unbound zanpakutō of divine nature. Attuned to the members of the Ise family, who are tasked with safeguarding the zanpakutō with their lives. Sealed form is a ceremonial katana. In shikai, it takes the form of an ornate medium-sized bladeless sword with a flat end. Its blade is decorated with four inlaid diamonds, its forte possesses a tassel on either side. The zanpakutō has the power to disperse divine influence. Owned by Ise Nanao.

>Katen Kyoukatsu
Only known dual-type zanpakutō. Its owner could not attune to a single asauchi despite his mastery. Zanpakutō was awakened after the owner got a hold of two asauchi. Sealed form consists of a daishō pair. In shikai, they become a pair of huge, black, heavily curved Chinese scimitars with silver edges with long red tassels dangling from the end. Has the power to make make children's games real. Owned by Kyōraku Shunsui.

>Sōgyo no Kotowari
Twinned zanpakutō. Sealed form is a standard katana with a rectangular bronze cross guard and dark red handle. In its shikai, the blade splits into two, connected by a red rope-like chain at the base of the hilts, five silver metal square charms attached to it. Has the power to absorb, channel and redirect energy with heightened or diminished potency. Owned by Ukitake Jūshirō

>2/4

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>Kyūketsu no Kureyome
Unbound, rogue zanpakutō. Owner disappeared into Hueco Mundo, presumably perished. Has absorbed hollows into herself to sustain her form. One plagued Soul Society and massacred countless shinigami. Sealed form is a regular, black katana, with a red hilt. In shikai, its blade turns crimson, with black markings on its hilt. Former bankai unknown, current bankai requires its user to stab themselves and feeding their soul to it to activate. In bankai, manifests as a woman with long red hair. Has hollow-like powers. Knows how to use shinigami techniques. Able to entice those in proximity to use her in her sealed form, using them to fuel her manifested existence. Sealed in the living realm.

>Muramasa
Rogue zanpakutō. Its owner, Kuchiki Kōga, was sealed away, but his zanpakutō was not on him. Sealed form is a standard katana with a purple hilt and a circle with a pentagon-like shape in the center for a guard. In its shikai, the five points on its tsuba grow into spikes, as does the end of its hilt, while the blade elongates to one and a half its original length. Has the ability to intrude into the opponent’s soul. Bankai unknown. Current location unknown.

>Kazeshini
Twinned zanpakutō. Sealed form is a regular katana with an octangular tsuba. In its shikai, it takes the form of two Kusarigama-like weapons, each with two scythe blades, with one inverted. The blades are connected to a spiked rod tethered together by a long chain. Owned by Hisagi Shūhei.

>Naimen no Daiza
Only known multi-release zanpakutō. Sealed form is a regular katana with a cup-like guard. In its shikai, its hilt becomes a chalice, and the blade becomes double-edged. Has the power to mediate others. In one of its nikai, it becomes Kaishigome, a stag antler shaped scimitar. Has the power to track the reiatsu of the last enemy hit. Presumably has one other nikai release. Owned by Nakashiri Koharu.

>...

So your zanpakutō is already noticed and considered unusual, huh? Shit. You wonder if that means you’ll be watched more closely because of that, though Aizen could be looking out for you on that front as well.

The other ones seem to be rather interesting and you recognize the owners of some. Namely, Captain Kyōraku of the 8th and his Lieutenant Ise; Captain Ukitake of the 13th, and Lieutenant Hisagi of the 9th. You’ve suspected that the Sōkyoku is a zanpakutō, but not like this. The fact that a zanpakutō can be divine is a rather odd idea. Don’t zanpakutō form by taking on an aspect of another soul? Perhaps you could.. take some asauchi and experiment some time. Aizen surely would approve of such shenanigans.

>3/4

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Browsing through various item matches by putting ‘Shiraka’ as the input, you eventually find something that catches your eye...

>REPORT: THE KUCHIKI-SHIRAKA COMPLICATION
The following is a joint-report of the Five Great Noble Houses and Onmitsukidō Commander-in-Chief Shihōin Yoruichi of the Kuchiki-Shiraka case, in which Kuchiki Kōga was eliminated from complicating the political status quo.

>Preface
Kuchiki Kōga was a shinigami of great power, who married into the Kuchiki clan in 1782 CE Modern. Kōga was a decisive force in the resolution of the 1813 CE rebellions of Soul Society, eliminating key dissidents to restore order. Kōga held a powerful zanpakutō that was hard to defend against even for stronger opponents

>Issue
Kōga showed strong interest in the head of the major noble family Shiraka, Yuzuki. Correlations over ten years showed political sway of the Shiraka in favor of the agenda of Kuchiki, possibly upsetting the balance of political power and jeopardizing the public image of the Kuchiki house. Kōga’s efforts in eliminating the rebel forces also raised concerns of the potential political power gained for the Kuchiki house, as well as the dangers his zanpakutō posed to the Seireitei as a whole.

>Resolution
With permission from the head of Kuchiki, Ginrei, the other heads of the Five Great Noble Houses, and Onmitsukidō Commander-in-Chief Shihōin Yoruichi, elite retainers were dispatched to frame Kuchiki Kōga of murder, keigun were sent to arrest him. He remained detained as his sentence was prepared, as well as the means to neutralize his zanpakutō. Kōga escaped confinement and killed the nobles connected to the operation, and escaped towards the Rukongai, where he slaughtered countless innocent lives. He was sealed with the combined efforts of Captain-Commander Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni and Captain Kuchiki Ginrei.

>Aftermath
Testimonies of the two captains indicate Kōga’s zanpakutō not heeding his command and thus not functioning properly, giving them an advantage against him, but not enough to incapacitate or kill. The sealed Kōga was transported eventually to the living world once it became evident that destroying him or letting him out would have been too dangerous. The Shiraka were put under surveillance until they are deemed politically stable, and their heir, Yuzuki’s daughter, investigated.

>...

That’s interesting. Not only were the Shiraka involved in a scandalous relationship with the Kuchiki, but it ended with a disaster. How ironic that Yukiko ended up in Kuchiki Byakuya’s division of all places.

>4/4

>>4685212
>inb4 Yukira's true plan was to get Yukiko married to a Kuchiki
Interesting to know that we're already documented in the archives. Though this did make me curious how our powers would interact with Muramasa's considering they both involving invading another person's Inner World.

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>>4685285
>how our powers would interact with Muramasa's
A very interesting question, which may be revealed in the distant future... or earlier, if you make certain decisions.

Also, I mentioned earlier that I'd possibly be running on Monday (tomorrow), but I'll have to delay that to Tuesday. But otherwise, standard time, 16:00 UTC, and a follow-up the next day is very likely too.

I still need to update the spreadsheets

>>4685208
>>Tamaseisaku
>Soul fabrication spell. Creates a reishi nexus that may gather reiryoku more directly and at high capacity. Requires immense amounts of reishi. Possible to substitute through sacrifice of other souls
Wonder if this is how Drianni is stable. Eating a bunch of hollows is is basically eating a bunch of souls. Eat enough of them, you may be able to skip the multiple casters/steps for the spell.

>Kūkanten'i
Might be useful to practice this in the forest, try to become the "teleports behind you" meme. Failing that, I doubt anyone would be around to complain if we tried it in Hueco Mundo, but it'd be better to have some grasp of it before heading there so we could really take advantage of the lack of SS presence.
Jikansaisoku seems nifty as well, but I don't think we could take advantage of it to train since I'm sure it's a huge drain to maintain.

>>4685469
IIRC that's the spell that got Tessai exiled
So yeah, no real chance to practice that since it just shows up on the radar if you use it once

>>4685481
Harsh. I guess Hueco Mundo is still a safe training place, but I don’t know if that should be a regular stomping ground for us. Maybe Lahela can shuttle us back and forth, but that could call attention to detail them too.

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OMAKE: The Daily Life of a Lizard

>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXpjCWnGYhA

You are Lazariussa Saurucian Allagatore, the mightiest hollow of existence, the bane of Soul Society, and most importantly, the keeper of the warmest bed and headpat dispenser in the six realms.

Also known as Lizzy, but only to your best servant.

He’s kept you safe, kept you warm and energized, given you a place to nap! Sometimes he’s rude and shoves you into your comfy castle, but you let him believe in the illusion that he could have any control over you or the power to resist you.

During the day, you nap away with him, curling up inside the clothy castle paradise. When night falls on the realm, that is when you take up your reign!

Usually you spend your time at the white right-angle mountains, with lots of black demons like your servant, but of course, your power is so grand that they cannot notice you with such weak levels. They do many silly things that you like watching, such as stumbling around like turtles, and roaring to intimidate their kin.

Fascinating!

As much as you love your grand home forest, befitting of a queen like yourself, this is a worthy place to rule over. Nothing could be better than this!

“A LIZARD!” a girl screams as she picks you up by your tail.

“KA-KA-KA-KRRAAA!” you magnificently declare. How DARE she? A lowly being like her, pick you up in such a rude way?! You flail your legs around to get enough swing to bite her hand, but to no avail.

“CUTE! You’re sooo cute! Like Kenny!” she squeals and pats your head. Well, maybe this isn’t bad. She could be your nocturnal headpat dispenser while your favorite one sleeps!

...That is, until she holds you in her hand, and starts warping around these mountains! Oh by your hallowed name, you’re gonna get sick! This pink-haired girl, she’s trouble alright, a worthy villain to defeat!

Once you get to yourself, you find yourself in an unfamiliar area, with the girl nowhere to be seen. Ah, surely she must’ve gotten scared of your true might. Then, you hear a new voice…

“Why is it always me… why can’t I be like my brother? No, Hanatarō the janitor, no future in sight…”

You approach this lanky black demon and feel like puking. Such a weak display, such fragility! As he notices you, he screams in a high-pitched voice, and holds a broom against you.

“S-Stay back, you h-hollow!”

“KE-KE-KA-KRRAAA!” you reprimand him and tell him to become more confident! He is clearly lacking, but maybe you can do something... As his new coach, you enter the soft, clothy castle of his despite his weak show of skill with a broom, and make your way towards his head!

“EEEEEEEEEEE, N-N-NO, GET AWAY, G-GROSS!”

His flailing stops as he lies on the ground in defeat, as you lie on his head, on top of the black grass.

Yes, in due time, he shall be a suitable nocturnal caretaker and headpat dispenser.

>To be continued?

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Character sheet and social links have been updated. Not much, but a bit. Until tomorrow, anons!

>>4685469
>>4685481
>>4685968
To learn Kūkanten'i, you'd have to find really good instructions or a kido master willing to teach you it. You could ask a certain mentor of yours..

Also, winter decided to come back. Minus ten, snow everywhere... jeez. It's MARCH already!

>>4686731
>Yukiko
>”Is... is this what a friend is like?"
Cute, absolutely cute
>>4686730
Also Lizzy best girl confirmed

Aw man now they'll want to arrancarify the lizard and bang it.

>>4686730
We have a new quest everyone. Forget Aizen, the traitor, hollows and the Souls Society..
We must serve the Lord of our castle and bring him treats

>>4682119
You joke now, but once we conquer Hueco Mundo and make its hollows our pets you wont be joking

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You are Nakashiri Koharu, and you’re on a mission. A mission that requires proper preparation to succeed, one of which is your ability to turn hollows into arrancars, by mediating their agony, and thus their masks, into usable tools for them as they return to their pre-hollow form.

So far, you’ve only performed this on Lahela, successful only on your second try, and not without issues. To improve, you’ll need test subjects. A thought that doesn’t sit too well with you, but something you’ll have to get over with sooner or later.

As you lay on the top of one of the buildings in your division, you pet Lizzy’s head, and wonder. She is one of these ‘lesser’ hollows, ones that don’t seem to really need to feed directly. You’ve deduced that the little fellow survived on Drianni’s ambient reiatsu and berries, and has since adapted instead to yours.

It makes you wonder even more. Reiatsu is the pressure, the result of reiryoku interacting with reiryoku. Can reiatsu be used to draw out reiryoku then? Your zanpakutō seems to do that too, as it’s specifically reiatsu that it needs, but that’s more akin to resonance.

You shake your head and bring your thoughts back on track as Lizzy starts to move around and decides to fall asleep on your face.

“Are you really a lizard?” you think out loud. Humans who turn hollow don’t look human, instead having various animalistic traits. It would make sense that other souls behave similarly, though humans… well, they’re quite a special case.

In any case, there’s only one way to find out!

>1/3

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With the reluctant blessing of Drianni, you set out to find and arrancarify various small hollows in her forest. They’re small and weak, enough so to avoid the attention of larger hollows. Good thing you have good senses.

There’s not that many of them however, and you end up stopping at the tenth smol hollow you find after many days of searching. They come in many shapes: there’s rodents, some birds and even large insects.

And… a mushroom.

Yes, a mushroom.

You don’t know how or why that’s possible, but then again Lahela was a flytrap plant and couldn’t move much by herself.

Once you start mediating them, you experience each of their tragedies. A dog that was abandoned. A tiger and its cubs brutalized by another. A swan whose nest was thrown in a brick, decimating any life before it could even have been born.

Many tragedies, both due to mother nature and humanity.

It’s not easy. Despite being weak hollows, the emotional turmoil that caused them to go hollow in the first place is very much real and strong. Without rational thoughts, the intensity of the experience is higher than what you’d expect.

In the end, you do manage to stabilize each one of them, taking off most of their masks, and turning them into pristine-white bone collars. The mushroom ended up being a monkey of all things possible, who got dared by its ‘friends’ to climb a tree arching onto a high valley. And you know what they say about irony and karma.

Lahela is ecstatic, and despite Drianni’s annoyance, she does come to like having proper, non-cannibalistic animals now to tend to. She hates the monkey though.

>2/3

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The next step is the arrancarification of human soul based hollows, which makes this a tad bit more uncomfortable. You don’t want to just turn them into arrancars and then kill. Zilya of course tells you not to worry about such meaningless things, while Celaris applauds you thinking about compassion even in things like this.

The final decision that you end up with is searching for neutral or friendly hollows on your own at the Wailing Forest, while asking Asato to accompany you elsewhere to hunt for stronger and more dangerous hollows to experiment on, ones that you can kill with good conscience.

They’ll pass onto the cycle of reincarnation, right?

And that’s how you find yourself with Asato-senpai, in a secluded area of the 7th division, to speak about this.

“So let me get this straight, Koharu-san…”

“Y-Yeah?” you smile awkwardly.

“You want me to go out with you to hunt hollows?”

“Kind of..”

“But before killing them, you want to restrain them, to practice some ability?”

“Yup.”

“To do what exactly? Why the need to restrain, but not kill?” Junichi narrows his eyes. He may not be socially apt nor that smart, but he sure has good intuition.

>3/3

>”I’m going to mediate their minds.” (half-truth)
>”I will be sealing their masks to some degree.” (truth)
>”You’ll have to just trust me on this.” (non-answer)
>Lie? (How?)
>Other?

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Welcome once more to the session, anons! How are you doing today?

A blizzard's been going on for the whole today on my side. Spring shall never come..

>>4687713
>”I’m going to mediate their minds.” (half-truth)

>”I’m going to mediate their minds.” (half-truth)
>"I want to know how my ability would affect a hollow so I don't get surprised in live combat"

Kinda lying but it's better than nothing

>>4687727
>>4687737
I'll take the votes I can get!
Will need a roll though, hope we can get enough. Might have to ask for seconds!
>Roll 3d10, Bo3, DC 21, crit 27, Social (7) may replace lowest die
Let's see how well you can convince him to trust this idea!

Rolled 6, 9, 5 = 20 (3d10)

>>4687746

Rolled 3, 7, 4 = 14 (3d10)

>>4687746

Rolled 8, 1, 5 = 14 (3d10)

>>4687746
Maybe crit?

>>4687758
>20(22)
>>4687764
>14(18)
>>4687771
>14(20)

It's a pass! He'll remain dubious, but he's not too worried...
>Writing

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“I.. want to mediate them,” you say as you glance away.

“You what now?”

“My shikai, the same way I first ended up in, you know, your mind.”

“This is the worst idea I’ve heard in my entire afterlife,” he facepalms.

“I’ll end up doing it sooner or later, you know! I accidentally did it when we locked our swords together, I might do it when having trouble against a hollow. I don’t want to be unprepared when it eventually happens,” you explain with some degree of nervousness. “Please? Junichi-senpai?”

“You do know Hisashi will have my head on a plate if you end up getting hurt, with me around?”

“He’s a big boy, and so am I. Besides, what he won’t know won’t hurt him, right?” you wink.

“Why do I feel like I’m going to regret this?” Asato holds out his hand with a pained expression. “Alright, I’ll come along, if only to see what you’re up to.”

With that, the two of you make your way with flash steps towards the Northern Rukongai. Not the complete opposite direction of the Wailing Forest, but away nonetheless. The few times that you’ve been dispatched to deal with something out there, you’ve found a few similar forests to that of Drianni’s, just less menacing and easier to sense without her presence overshadowing everything. Consequently, this also means that finding hollows is rather easy for you, despite them trying to hide.

Aizen has warned you about hollows in the Soul Society before: This place naturally weeds out the weak and strong hollows from the cunning ones. The important factor is not strength, as there’s always more shinigami than hollows here. No, the most important aspect is how well the hollow can hide.

>1/2

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“YOU PIECES OF SHIT! I’LL KILL YOU!”

You stand beside a weird hollow with six limbs and tendrils for its fingers. Of course, he doesn’t have those, as you and Asato have cut them away a hundred or so times now, that their regeneration is incredibly slow. Doesn’t help that Asato charred the wounds close as well, on top of holding the hollow restrained with Hainawa. There’s no slipping away.

“Yosh!” you nod smugly at the success.

“DON’T YOSH YOU ARROGANT ASSHOLE! I’LL ENJOY RIPPING YOUR HEARTS OUT!”

“Oh don’t be so droll. I just want to try something, but you just had to resist it! Really, you’ve got nobody else but yourself to blame!”

As the hollow continues to curse you out in every possible combination of profanities, Asato just stares at you with concern.

“Since when are you so comfortable around hollows?”

You give him a shrug with a cheeky smile, to which he just mutters under his breath.

“Now sit still!” you proclaim, and throw a kidō string, like that of the web technique Hinamori taught you, and attach it to Naimen no Daiza. You can feel the reiatsu resonate through the string and your blade, and the tug on your consciousness towards the hollow.

“FUUUUCK YOUUUU!”

Charming.

>2/2

>Resist going in, focus on just influencing the emotional turmoil and the mask into an item.
>Go into the hollow’s mindscape. You need to truly feel the agony to shape it.
>Other?

>>4687807
>Resist going in, focus on just influencing the emotional turmoil and the mask into an item.

>>4687807
>>Resist going in, focus on just influencing the emotional turmoil and the mask into an item.

>>4687807
>Go into the hollow’s mindscape. You need to truly feel the agony to shape it.
Go in. Balls deep

>>4687807
>Go into the hollow’s mindscape. You need to truly feel the agony to shape it.