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gallusrostromegalus · 1 year ago

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More Zanpkaptou Spirit Concepts under the cut, featuring Hanataro's Hisagomaru, Yamamoto's Ryujin Jakka, Isane's Itegumo and Hitsugaya's Hyorinmaru:

Of all the Zanpaktou designs in the zanpaktou arc, my least favorite was probably Hisagomaru, because it did Hanataro's character a disservice. Hanataro is a guy who is dedicated to helping others even to the point of risking his life, and you don't get like that without some guts and in my experience, an undiluted and all-encompassing RAGE against the vile circumstances of life that lead to suffering like this, something that cannot be vented in a normal argument, so it gets bottled up and redirected into helping others and battling the cosmic forces. Hisagomaru is the embodiment of that bottled-up rage. Thusly Hisagomaru is the single most furious animal I can think of that has every reason to curse the universe for it's cruel joke of an existence, but since it cannot fight that, it chooses to survive in spite of everything, and it survives by being a living water bottle:

Hisagomaru is a Rain Frog with a long stripe up it's back that turns from black to white starting from it's head as it stores up injury and injustice and also anything that stresses out his much-beloved Hanataro. In fact, Hanataro is nearly invulnerable- while the medic has to strike others with Hisagomaru to heal them, the sword-frog automatically absorbs any injury done to his wielder, waiting to return the injury with insult.

As it stores up these injuries it also... grows. An "empty" Hisagomaru is the size of a regular rain frog, but it can grow to a topological scale if needed. There isn't actually a limit it must reach to release the injury, or an upper limit on how much it can store- it chooses when it's tactical to release the injuries in a destructive strike, and before then, can swell to spectacular size. The glowing "guage" stripe therefore is not a measure of how much power Hisagomaru has stored up (that's the size) but the black vanishing from the stripe is a measure of Hisagomaru's patience with your malarkey slipping away. Before she realized Kenpachi could see Zanpaktou spirits in general, Unohana wondered if Kenpachi might be a latent psychic of some sort because he somehow always knew if the 4th division had had a particularly rough day in triage or exactly where to run to protect the 4th division in field missions despite his wretched sense of direction. Kenpachi is later embarrassed to admit "I just look for the Big-Ass Frog."

---

Ryujin Jakka is not actually the oldest Zanpaktou- all of the noble treasures came into creation before him, and there are some other spirits than bonded themselves to swords before the creation of the Divine Forge that are still wandering around, but Ryujin Jakka was the first sword Royal Guard Nimaiya Oetsu ever created in the Divine Forge and is the zanpaktou that has stood the longest with it's master. Whenever Yamamoto dies, Ryujin Jakka will too. As Oetsu's "Early Work" though, the forgemaster hadn't nailed down all the details of crafting Zanpaktou yet-and thus Ryujin has some unusual abilities that Oetsu did not include in later works. Like Senbonzakura, he can choose to manifest in a way mortals can interact with... ...And used this ability for ~*Romance*~ Ryujin Jakka is the only zanpaktou with children, a fact makes Oetsu chew the walls in hysterics. Not with humans- humans that can actually withstand Ryujin's Very Literal Burning Passion are few and far between- but Ryujin has charmed his way into the affections of several Kami and even a powerful demoness that got trapped outside of Hell, and he and Yamamoto keep in touch with his various progeny*. Yamamoto tends to wave off Oetsu's pleas to PLEASE bring Ryujib back to the forge I need to neuter him hadn't learned much about lamination I can make him stronger! because, never having had children himself, Yamamoto is enjoying a sort of vicarious grandfatherhood through Ryujin. *Mostly. Kami are notoriously bad communicators due to their extreme lifespans and it's been so long that Ryujin can't actually remember what the daughter he had with the Goddess of the Wind looks like or where she lives, but after learning Kenpachi was raised by The Firebird, Yamamoto has had a few nagging concerns... Being the spirit of Fire and therefore, change, Ryujin doesn't stick to a single manifested form- sometimes he's a burning edge on Yamamoto's clothing, sometimes a humanoid figure made of flame, sometimes a dragon, but often he chooses the form of a Phoenix. Ryujin is extremely aware of the kind of collateral damage he can cause and has no doubts of the respect other spirits afford him, so he is quite deferential to the less-powerful beings around him and picks diminutive forms to limit the chance he'll harm someone if manifested, and thus picks a more humble bird to transform into a phoenix as his attire. All the same, Yamamoto was not pleased to hear Kenpachi describe The Spirit of Fire Himself as "An Extra-Spicy Chicken" and ended up chasing Kenpachi halfway around the Seireitei while Ryujin cackled with laughter. While she can't see them like her father, Yachiru is unusually good at sensing them, and Ryujin is exceptionally fond of her *. He will come out to play and teach her how to home her spiritual sense when she comes to visit the first division. *Its odd for Ryujin to be so affectionate towards a human like this, and it makes Yamamoto's worries about The Firebird worsen.

---

Isane Kotetsu's Itegumo or "Ice cloud" has no canon appearance and it's release command is "Hashire" which can be translated as "Run", as in to Sprint or travel quickly" and thusly I have concluded that Itegumo is an Avalanche. If that doesn't sound particularly terrifying to you, please enjoy this video of an Avalance in Kyrgyzstan (everyone was alright) to give you an idea of what Itegumo is capable of in just it's Shikai release.

It's one of the least physically defined Zanpaktou out there, appearing as a shimmering cloud of prismatic sparkling ice crystals. If there was a genuine vote of the most beautiful zanpaktou spirit, Itegumo might well win. Even Senbonzarkura has felt a pang of jealousy upon seeing Itegumo swirling and glittering around Isane. Itegumo is a largely quiet and serene sort of spirit, perfectly content with the fact that Isane rarely needs it's power- it doesn't get pent up for battle like some spirits do, but instead is purely reactive- meaning Itegumo can go from complete tranquility to mass destruction in an instant if that's what circumstances dictate. This does not stop Itegumo form unnerving people, because it likes to people watch from high places. Isane picked out her office specifically because there's an odd high window with a ledge that it likes to hang out on and peer down at people from, like an overhanging snow embankment. It also tends to chill the air when it manifests as a spirit, something thoroughly obnoxious in winter but much beloved in summer.

Kenpachi is chronically annoyed by Itegumo. It's massively powerful and would be one hell of a fight for him... and it's got no interest in fighting save to protect Isane, and Kenpachi has too much self-respect to go around threatening women, especially doctors, just to start a fight, and too much self-preservation to actually bother Isane because she can and would castrate him. Itegumo's habit of looming on high pisses Kenpachi off too, and more than one appointment to the 4th has been interrupted with a "DO YOU FUCKING MIND?" when it's lurking becomes too damoclean. Worst of all, a big guy like Kenpachi tends to overheat in summer and he's very willing get into Isane's good graces to have her come over the the 11th and cool the place off when the weather hits triple digits, but Itegumo's next favorite person after Isane is Captain Komamura, because wolves really appreciate winter in a way almost nothing else does, and with the fur coat he can't take off, Isane always puts Sajin first in line on the cooldown triage, so Kenpachi is left trying to choose between suffering the heat or suffering another discussion of administrative policy and philosophy.

---

Hyorinmaru is almost as old as Ryujin Jakka, but instead of having children, the Ice Dragon Sword has had many wielders. He was actually carried by a previous 10th division captain Tayuki Tanaka (the one before Captain Matsumoto and Captain Shiba), to great effect, and now that Hyorinmaru has chosen Young Hitsugaya as his wielder, there are many high hopes for the boy!

Fuck 'em. Growls Hyorinmaru one night when Toshiro comes to him about the pressure he feels to achieve. I'm an old fart who doesn't know when to quit, what of it? he asks with a flick of his tail.

"Then...Why did you pick me?" Toshiro wonders, curled up against Hyorinmaru's jaw. The Spirit is massive- an ancient dragon easily over 100 feet long and a torso so thick that Komamura could probably stand up comfortably inside his stomach. Toshiro cards his fingers through the long blue-green mane of the beast- the hair is thick and rough, the the mane of a horse, and soothing to comb out.

An eye bigger than Toshiro's head rolls back to give him a spectacular side-eye, before closing and Hyorinmaru sighs fondly, a sound like a small avalanche. It's alright- your sensitivity is one of your most admirable qualities Toshiro- I know it hurts sometimes, but it gives you spectacular insight and nuance that allows me to speak to you- everyone just hears noises and sees movements, not even gesture. But you understand me perfectly.

I chose you because you do understand me- and that's all I desire out of our partnership, really. To be known, and if I may earn it, loved. he explains to the boy, sitting and staring up at his eye. To be loved as you are is the greatest treasure in this world and any other. Trust me- I'm a dragon! I know all about treasure.

Toshiro cracks a smile and Hyorinmaru turns his head to affectionately rub his browridge under the boy's chin. "-I know." Toshiro sighs, flopping over him and sliding a bit so he's laying over the top of Hyorinmaru's muzzle. "I just worry about letting everyone else down."

Like I said. Fuck 'em. You are kind, Toshiro, but it's your prerogative to meter out your generosity as you see fit. It's a kindness for you to serve as a shinigami because you have me, but it's also just that. A favor. You owe them nothing, and if you decide to quit tomorrow and spend the rest of your existence making dandelion crowns, I will stay by your side all the same. He explains, tail lazily swaying across the width of the 10th division courtyard.

Toshiro huffs a sarcastic laugh. "Tell that to the old man..." he grumbles.

What's he done? Hyorinmaru rumbles, eyes snapping open, even if he has to go a bit cross-eyed to look at Toshiro. I will tell Shigekuni off if it comes to that- I'm still four years older than he is and he needs to respect his elders!

Toshiro laughs outright. "Nothing he just- I don't know. He doesn't actually *ask* things of me, he just... offers me personal tutoring in Kendo and just assumes I can handle this officer's position and... it's like he implicitly expects me to become a captain."

Ah, Hyorinmaru nods. Shige's always been emotionally constipated and I don't think there are enough prunes in all the realms to fix him- Shigekuni isn't trying to convey his expectations of you, he's trying to express his confidence in you. Hyorinmaru sits up a bit to stretch.

"It's so weird to hear you call the captain-general by his given name..." Toshiro mutters, climbing up to sit on the dragon's head and hang onto an antler. "But what do you mean, confidence?" MMMMGRH! That's better- Hyorinmaru grunts, stretching out his forelegs, each as long and thick as a cedar tree, sword-sized claws wiggling as he stretches. He offers you tutoring in Kendo because he's sure you can handle his lessons and are smart enough to really benefit from them. He hands you assignments as a vote of confidence in your capacity. He probably thinks he's being reassuring.

And perhaps... Hyorinmaru stretched out his hind legs and back, spine rippling in a great wave from his head to the tip of his tail. He's old now, and I can't help but think he's considering possible sucessors. Having someone as talented and even-handed as you are in the court guard probably relieves much of his worries about what will become of the organization after he passes. "...Oh." Toshiro mumbled, still hanging on as Hyorinmaru paced in a circle, mock-trampling the grass out of millennia of habit before he settled down again. "Okay, but that's not like. Actually instilling confidence in me. Just more expectations." he said, stretching out on top of Hyorinmaru's head and gazing up at the stars now that the dragon had settled.

It's your choice to take those lessons and assignments, Toshiro. Hyorinmaru explained. If it's too much, tell him no.

"Oh, like it's that easy."

It really is. Hyorinmaru rumbled. Zaraki, who Shigekuni doesn't even like, tells him to fuck off to his face all the time, and the worst that happens is a cross word, because for all his years and respect, Shigekuni cannot demand that which he is not owed. He is immensely fond of you, and being told 'No' by you will probably only increase his respect for you.

Toshiro pondered this for a minute, before taking out his phone and opening the text communication application.

He finished typing, rolled over and held the screen down to Hyorinmaru's eye for him to read.

Do you actually want to take him up on it after summer, or are you lying to be polite?

"No, no I learned not to do that with Momo's Birthday party." Toshiro sighed. "I do want to learn but I swear hollows are like, ten times more active in summer."

Then send it.

After a moment's wince to screw up the courage, Toshiro pressed send, and sighed with disgust at the nerves.

I'm proud of you. Hyorinmaru hummed, facial tendril reaching up and lightly squeezing the boy's shoulder. The phone beeped a reply and Toshiro startled, almost falling off the dragon's head but accidentally tossing the phone on the ground. Toshiro grumbled at himself, accepting the tendril's help down and retrieved it, opening up the message.

"...Really?" he sighed, glaring with disappointment at the screen. Without looking at Hyorinmaru's interrogative eyebrow, he plodded back over and held the phone up for him to read.

Captain-General Yamamoto: <😎👍>

...Young People and their Emotications. Sighed Hyorinmaru, rolling his eye but still seeing and enjoying Toshiro's frustrated sigh at the incorrect slang.

For AEIWAM:

Is Zaraki's able to see Zanpaktou spirits because he himself was once a weapon?

Any plans for Sode no Shirayuki? How does she feel about being considered the most beautiful Zanpaktou?

Point 1: Yes, also because he's the (adopted) son of a Minor Kami and a [SPOILER], but mostly because it's funny if he has no spiritual sense except that he can see sword spirits. Zanpaktou spend most of their time Resting in a little pocket dimension inside the Sword- all those showy super-attacks take a lot of energy, and they are fueled by but one person! But if a Zanpaktou wants to talk to their wielder or is bored and wants to watch The Shinigami Show, they can manifest outside the sword in a spirit form only visible to Their Wielder Specifically, and other Zanpaktou that are also currently in spirit form or in shikai/bankai. In general, one Shinigami cannot perceive the zanpaktou spirit form of another Shinigami, Unless Some Weird Shit Be Afoot, so it's a hell of a surprise to the spirits when they find out Zaraki can see them, as they (like everyone else) assumed he was Human. He can't see Zanpaktou when they're resting in the pocket dimension though, because they're in a different dimension. Kenpachi does have a bit of a problem though, in that Sword Spirits look just as real and normal to him as humans and other people, and he's seen such an enormous variety of People that he does not necessarily notice that a Zanpaktou is a Zanpaktou. He thought that was Just Some Guy, and he's the last person who should be commenting on appearances. He's learned from living in the heavily forested Far North where they are common, that Many Minor spirits like Koropokkuru and Kodama are invisible to most people and startle if seen, and that more material beings don't like it when he talks to them without being some kind of introduced first, so he's adopted an informal policy of generally ignoring people until they make the first move. ...Which is how nobody in the Gotei-13 noticed Kenpachi could see Zanpaktou until a solid 57 years after he became captain, when he lightly ruined one of Shunsui's moon-veiwing parties.

Point 2: She doesn't think much about it because she is not "Generally Considered" to be the most beautiful zanpaktou, even if she was voted to be so. In AEIWAM, Sode no Shirayuki is an Ice Apparition that takes the form of an Artic Hare and All the Chappy Gikon have a crush on her, and when all the Chappys took a vote, they agreed unanimously on the most beautiful, and espouse her virtues to anyone that will listen. She's usually busy beating the shit out of someone if there's a Chappy in her vicinity, and so she doesn't listen to them and is entirely unaware of their affections.

Point 3: Lots of the Zanpaktou Spirits look different than how they're depicted in the Zanpaktou Arc, because many of those designs were frankly Uninspired, especially compared to the ones that appear in the Manga. ...This post got kinda long though, Zanpaktou spirit appearances under the cut:

Zabimaru appears much as they do in the Manga, and writing their dialogue because they are two entities of different genders sharing a body, or at least, a butthole. Zabi The Monkey is still female and and Maru The Snake is still male, and they don't use pronouns so much as weild them like nunchucks. Kenpachi got on very well with them back when Renji was in the 11th and still do- many spirits are alarmed to be percieved, but Zabimaru was delighted and took a great deal of pleasure at making running rather cheeky commentary during meetings to (lovingly) agitate Renji and see if they could crack Zaraki's Pokerface.

Senbonzakura is one of the few Zanpaktou that semi-regularly manifests in a way humans and other mortals can see, a privlege granted to him by his exceptional age (he's almost as old as Ryujin Jakka and Shinken Hakkyoken) and the patronage of the Kuchiki clan. A great many people have seen him, but few notice that they have because Senbonzakura is a Tree. He appears as an enormous, ancient and beautiful cherry tree with a crooked root that is the perfect for leaning against and meditating, and is far and away the most stable member of the Kuchiki family, if only by virtue of his extensive root system. Kenpachi didn't actually notice Senbonzakura was a sword spirit the first time he saw him- the central courtyard of the Kuchiki manor is a perfectly normal place for a grand old tree like that. He realized what was going on and hour later when he came back down the same hall and realized the tree was now mirror image to it's previous position and had a good laugh at the Spirit's joke and they became friends, much to the detriment of Ginrei Kuchiki's blood pressure. It's bad enough having Yachiru regularly hop the fence to eat snacks and steal fish out of the pond, but Zaraki semi-regularly turning up to have the craic with the family sword is just too much. Senbonzakura is equally find of Kenpachi, because he took the teenage Byakuya under his wing and imparted on the boy the wisdom of a broader appreciation of Senbonzakura- "Sure, the blossoms are pretty and all but that's one week in a whole year of tree. If my opinion is worth anything, He's at his best in late summer when he's full of fruit." "-Count on a Bird to have properly nuanced opinions on trees." agrees Senbonzakura.

Rangiku's Haineko looks like a snow leopard with a coat of fine flaky ashes instead of fur, whose spots glow from the inside like a still-smoldering log. Of all the spirits, Hainkeo is the only one that really Unsettles Kenpachi- She doesn't actually make noise when she moves, is disturbingly well-camoufalged even in the city, and never flinches from making eye contact. Kenpachi isn't sure if Haineko is genuinely unsettling, or if she bothers him because he he was raised by Eagles and lost many friends and even some family to the ravages of cats.

Sogyo no Kotowari are still twins, but Ukitake has seen them change over time- they look like little boys now, but during Ukitake's early days, when the Soul Society was a much rougher place, the twins looked decidedly more Shadow Over Innsmouth. Even today, when they're really upset, they still have a tendency to go a little fish-eyed. They were another one Kenpachi did not realize was a Zanpaktou spirit and one night The Twins had come out to play in the garden during one of Shunsui's "Moon-Veiwing" parties, and Ukitake happened to mention he is the oldest of eight children. "Seven brothers and sisters!" Kenpachi laughed. "How can you, of all people, not have a spare sibling to babysit for you?" "Babysit? For me?" Jushiro blinked at him, confused. "My siblings used to call on me when my nieces and nephews were still young, but I'm a bachelor." "Don't tell me you're babysitting The Twins?" Kenpachi demanded, pointing at them "Here? Now? Surely you've got a less-busy sibling who didn't have a boozing session on his calendar that could watch them?" Jushiro followed out to where Kenpachi was pointing. "You... You can see them? The two little boys over there?" "I only got the one manky eye, Jushiro, the other works fine. Cute little shits." "You- They're- They're my Zanpaktou! You can see Zanpaktou spirits??" "Ohhhh, yeah I can see how getting a sitter for sword spirits would be tricky." Kenpachi nodded. "-THAT'S NOT THE RELEVANT POINT ZARAKI!"

The design I did like from the Zanpaktou filler arc was Minazuki- a shroud over an invisible body and a watery, disembodied voice? Choice combination of elegance and menace, befitting a Stingray. ...but definitely could be weirder. Imagine her cape as what looks like thick, mottled green fabric which an almost wet-looking sheen if she passes through direct sunlight- until you touch it and realize the cape is the smooth, slippery and exquisitely camouflaged flesh of a Potamotrygon brachyura Stingray, and you need to be REALLY careful about the little tail of fabric trailing behind her, because those spines aren't decorative. She shifts, standing up to become more humanoid and her single orange eye appears under her hood, floating in the middle of the space where her head should be. Or if she doesn't feel particularly humanoid, she bows and the eye passes through the fleshy cloak to the top of her head, now shaped more like a stingray but... gooey and uncertain around the edges, like she's bleeding into an invisible river around you. regardless of position, the eye always follows you, unblinking. Kenpachi is of the Opinion that Minazuki is the most beautiful of all the Zanpaktou, and insists he's not biased- Sure, he's madly in love with Retsu and therefore Minazuki because they are more one being than two, but he also damn near died of a freshwater stingray's spine once. "That just makes you more biased." Sighs Yumichika. "You're horny for anything that almost kills you."

Katen Kyokotsu appears much the same as she does in the Manga, and as part of her subterfuge to hide Shinken Hakkyoken, she doesn't distinguish between either of 'her' bodies when speaking. They're both her and if you try to distinguish between them you're clearly some kind of Idiot. Most humans are Idiots though. At the Moon viewing party where Kenpachi revealed he could see The Twins, there is BEDLAM. "You can see Zanpaktou spirits?" Unohana blinks. "-Just. In general and not when you're particularly close to someone?" she asks and when a puzzled Aizen frowns at her, she clips him under the ear before he can speak. "Yeah? It's not that big a deal, lots of people can see minor spirits-" "No! being able to see minor spirits at all is really rare, even among humans in the afterlife and Shinigami, and I've literally never heard of someone who can see Zanpaktou!" Ukitake yelps. "...Huh. 'Snot that great- they mostly just look like other people. Better dressed, usually, but it's really nothing." "How. uh. Long have you been able to see them?" Shunsui asks, suddenly nervous. "Since forever?" Zaraki shrugs, pouring himself another cup of tea. Shunsui stares at him, trying to puzzle something out. "You... didn't think it was Odd when Katen Kyokotsu appears next to me? She loves those meetings." "What, the Oiran with the purple hair and-? Ah." He realized as she manifested at the sound of her name, regarding him imperiously. "My Lady." Kenpachi nodded his head at her. Good Manners around the Oiran had been instilled into him by Madame Tsubaki with some force. There was a moment of silence while those assembled waited for an answer. "...Yeah I'm not gonna lie. I thought she was your Dominatrix or something." Kenpachi sighed. Katen Kyokotsu roared with laughter and Shunsui crumpled into a ball on the floor.

Apparently there's a charter limit I'm approaching, more later.

#AEIWAM #an elephant is warm and mushy #Bleach #Bleach fanfiction #hyorinmaru #toshiro hitsugaya #Yamamoto #Ryujin Jakka #isane kotetsu #Itegumo #yamada hanataro #Hisagomaru #zanpaktou

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