#as well as Orihime's own experience with hollows/hollowfication

[rainbowberriesandcookies]

"Orihime being afraid of Ichigo's hollow power shows she doesn't fully accept him."

I see this take and similar ones pop up from anti fans of Ichigo and Orihime and try to say that Orihime is bad, in the wrong, etc. for being afraid of his hollowfication powers when her first encounter with a hollow was her brother Sora.

I know the anime did a lot of damage to Orihime's character - especially by taking these scenes out and altering them compared to the manga - but when Ichigo begins to undergo the same process as Sora, it only makes sense that she's afraid.

Not because she's afraid of Ichigo but because what he can become.

And just like Sora said, "It would be [her] fault"

Also - this is to counter the whole "Ichigo and Orihime were never close/barely friends/just acquaintances" that I see floating around often too.

But all in all - Orihime was never afraid of Ichigo. She was afraid of what he could have become.

As Acidwire, Sora targeted Orihime because of her growing bonds with Tatsuki and Ichigo. He even says that he attacked them because they tried to tear him and Orihime apart and that she already knew why.

For clarity - what I'm about to say isn't me saying that Sora was abusive in life and I'm going to specifically try to use his name as a hollow "Acidwire" as much as possible to express the slight separation between Sora as he was while he was alive and Sora as he was when he became Acidwire.

Especially since early on, it established that hollows - while they were once former humans - often end up being twisted versions of the people they once were.

Now onto the point -

The "You already know why" isn't dissimilar from how abusers, manipulators, etc. often talk to their victims when they're angry or upset. It's similar to the silent treatment in a way where it implies that the victim intentionally made the abuser upset.

He references her prayers for him every day helped ease his own suffering before she became friends with Tatsuki and entered high school before she stopped praying for him altogether. He then says how it hurt him that when she got home, all she would talk about was Ichigo.

For one - the fact that Acidwire knows this proves that Ichigo and Orihime were at least already friends by the time the manga started. In contrast to the anime where Ichigo outright says to Rukia that they've "never had a real conversation"

Anyways - this here in and of itself proves Ichigo and Orihime at least knew each other beyond just acquaintances - because they were close enough for Acidwire to notice and be hurt by it.

She tries to defend herself but he cuts her off before attacking Ichigo again

Acidwire tells her to come with him back to when it was just the two of them. In the context of the story, this would basically be him killing her.

However, this is also a tactic abusers use known as isolation.

When she questions why she should go with him and why he'd hurt Ichigo and Tatsuki before saying that the brother she loved would have never done anything like this.

I feel like in the anime, it kinda breezed by these moments which are honestly heartbreaking in hindsight and key for the leadup to why Orihime was afraid when Ichigo would use his hollow mask.

but Acidwire's response to her refusal and saying that the brother she loved would never do this is to not just harm her, but blame her and say that he is going to kill her.

In the time that she's become friends with Ichigo and Tatsuki and slowly grew happier, Acidwire blamed her for his own despair and sadness.

The kind, loving older brother that she had always known became a monster that would kill her and everyone close to her, and it would be her fault that he did because she stopped praying for him.

Here, it shows how Acidwire views Orihime not as a person who should live her own fulfilling life, but as an object who should live for him because he gave up his entire life to raise and protect her.

Once again, not to say that Sora was an abuser or abusive person, but this line of logic is the same one that abusive and toxic parents often use when it comes to emotionally abusing their children. Saying how the sacrificed so much for their children to control how their children live their own lives when the child never asked to be born. Similarly, Orihime didn't ask to be born or ask for Sora to raise her.

Sora did because that's the kind of person that he is, but Acidwire turns these loving traits of Sora's into a manifestation of abuse.

And even though she has nothing to be sorry for... She apologizes to Acidwire because that's the kind of person she is.

It also shows how she puts on a smile so that way others don't have to worry about her. She didn't want Sora to think that she was sad and hurting, she didn't want him to worry about her so she buried and hid her own sadness.

She apologizes to Acidwire for making him sad and (in what she thinks are probably her last moments) says that she loves him and that she didn't mean to hurt him.

As he's slowly regaining himself, Sora admits that he already knew that Orihime was just trying to shield her sadness from him but still wanted her to pray for him because it was only in those moments that her heart was his.

Ichigo then tells him that it's the same, those who die and those who survive are just as sad as the other.

It's in this moment Sora had fully regained himself, enough to know that he couldn't stay in a form like this or else he'd come to hurt Orihime again. If he killed the little sister that he raised like a daughter over his own heartache, would he have been any better than their own abusive parents?

And finally, the two get to say goodbye properly.

Also - a side note - a lot of people criticize Orihime's passive nature and how she never seems to fight or argue with anyone but it's because the one time that she did have a fight with someone, they died and became a monster.

This entire sequence emphasizes why Orihime always tries to reach out to others in need and never argues or fights. She doesn't want her friends or even strangers, to become like how Sora became Acidwire.

Now, Rukia had changed/erased Orihime's memories following this event but it likely didn't work as intended since during the Rukia rescue arc, Orihime mentions that she's been able to see hollows and spirits ever since the encounter with Acidwire.

Now let's go ahead and jump ahead to VL Ichigo -

Going to Hueco Mundo - Ichigo already knew without having to be told or convinced by anyone that Orihime was in danger. Aizen did his best to make it look like Orihime was a traitor to the Soul Society and Ichigo never bought it

It's being put in plainer and plainer terms that Ichigo transformed as a response to Orihime's call for help.

Even if you want to argue that there was a mistranslation or that Ichigo doesn't directly reference Orihime, even if you remove all of the text the sequence of events goes

Orihime's cries

Ichigo began to move and get up - functionally coming back from being dead

Once again, even if you want to remove the text avoid arguing about whether or not it was properly translated - nevermind the fact that in Japanese pronouns are often omitted and there is a big assumption to just know who/what you are talking about -

Even without text, the images show Orihime crying, and Ichigo beginning to come back to life.

Both she and Ulquiorra question whether that is Ichigo

Now that said, I think that Ichigo vs Ulquiorra is one of the most brutal and best fights in the series. Both Uryu and Orihime know that this isn't Ichigo.

Yet remember how it is established that hollows often become twisted versions of the people they once were? This is a power that Ichigo can't control and yet uses it to protect the person who called out to him.

While I don't disagree with the notion that this is also White protecting Ichigo, it doesn't change the fact that Kubo intentionally drew Orihime and Ichigo rising side by side multiple times. Even without text, Kubo places emphasis on her and her cries for help against VL Ichigo - not White or Zangetsu.

And when Uryu tries to bring him back to his senses what does Ichigo do? Put a sword through him.

Once again, even if you want to remove any and all text, Kubo puts VL Ichigo paneled side by side with Orihime, and when Ichigo comes back to his senses

The first person that he sees is Orihime.

As much as I want, I'll save my yapping about Ulquiorra for a separate time.

But for a moment, even if only briefly, his desires to protect were twisted in a way that hurt those around him, and once again - Orihime was the catalyst.

Ichigo says that he didn't want to win like this - showing that he views fights as something more honorable than what White/VL Ichigo had done. His last memory being that he had a hole put in his chest, also shows that he more or less "blacked out" and had no control over his actions.

What is one of the things established when people become hollows?

That they lose control of themselves and their desires are twisted.

The difference between Ichigo and Acidwire is that Ichigo wants to protect Orihime while Acidwire wanted to own her - which is why Ichigo never directly harms Orihime even as he loses control of himself.

But - all of this yapping is to show how from Orihime's perspective, hollowfication and hollow powers aren't good. They turn people into monsters that hurt their friends and loved ones.

It's also established that Orihime is the type of person who will internalize her own thoughts and feelings (it isn't ""hubris"" as some people call it).

Whether or not you want to argue that it was an assumption that Ichigo became a VL because she cried for help, it doesn't change the fact that she still cried for help and that Ichigo became a hollow/VL.

From her own perspective, she blames herself regardless of whether or not you think that it is an assumption on her part that Ichigo became a VL to protect her.

And after all - why wouldn't she blame herself when her first encounter with a hollow - Acidwire - blamed her for the monster that he became?

I know I skipped over him using his mask in the fight with Grimmjow, but I already yap too much and wanted to try to keep an already long post short(er).

Anyway - all of this illustrates the trauma that Orihime has regarding hollows and hollowfication. It's not truly her fault - yet in both instances she blames herself.

And not just Kubo, but Ichigo himself is fully aware of this.

Which is why when he tells her not to worry and that he's still himself is so important - because it shows that Ichigo has learned to control that side of himself while at the same time, being aware that Orihime is someone who has been traumatized by hollows and hollowfication.

Ultimately - she doesn't want Ichigo to become a monster like Sora. For Ichigo, it's growth in his own ability while for Orihime it's comfort in knowing that Ichigo won't lose himself fighting to protect those he cares about.

In short, she isn't afraid of Ichigo - she was scared of him becoming a monster like Sora had.

[magical-girl-coral]

any bleach au tidbits??

Oh Jesus, oh fuck, oh shit-

(More under the cut because this became so fucking long)

I have so many that I don't even know where to begin, but I'll try my hardest:

Orihime healing Nelliel's forehead, bringing back her adult form, and kicking Nnoitra's ass until Stark comes to stop her on Aizen's orders.

Instead of bringing the rest of the captains, Byakuya goes behind the Gotei's back and brings Tessai, Yoruichi, and Hanatoro as a chance to let them shine.

None of them wins their fights. Aizen stops them mid-battle and calls them to his throne room to give Orihime a chance to speak for herself, and she agrees to stays at Las Noches because "he said he can bring Sora back." Ichigo is filled with rage, tries to attack Aizen only for Orihime to stop the attack with her shield, only for it to break and getting her hand sliced. It almost cut through the bone, and Ichigo leaves with sham burning his stomach.

The reason why Aizen needed Orihime is very simple- he needs for her to quicken the combination process with the Hokyogu since I doubt using an object of God as a stomach piercing is as easy as canon made it.

So much shit happened during this time that I cannot possibly put it in one ask, but needless to say, she went through a lot of character development and some of it wasn't good.

(but seriously, I should just make another post altogether.)

Two months passed, during which both sides had done everything they could to prepare. Nnoitra, Zommari, Szayelaporro, and Yammy all appear in Soul Society, and the canon fights return.

The Karakura gang comes to Hueco Mundo again to save Orihime with all the Espada gone to either Soul Society or Karakura Town. There they find Grimmjow wounded in Orihime's room, having been wounder by Ulquiorra for getting in his way. He explained how he helped her get behind Aizen's back as a way to pay her back for saving his life again and because of his own grudge against Aizen. Uryu and Chad stay behind to help Grimmjow while Ichigo goes to fight Ulquiorra.

The battle between them is more balanced this time, thanks to Ichigo's training, until Ulquiorra shows his second release. All goes the same, except that it's Orihime that snaps. She releases a new form she gained from being next to the Hokyogu for two whole months, and it gaining her wish to become strong, giving an incomplete version of Kaname's Hollowfication. Both Chad and Uryu have to hold her down, with Ichigo giving her the final push back to reality, having been healed from her newfound power. Ulquiorra still dies.

Orihime opens a Gangata by rejecting the walls between the worlds, something that her secret partner (not Grimmjow) helped her figure out. Grimmjow then goes to Soul Society to find Yammy fighting the remaining captains and screams "shows over, she's safe." Yammy then goes back to his normal size and explains that the princess was nice to his dog and had a head that could smash through solid metal, so he's on her side now. Grimmjow just said that he's tired of being treated like shit.

Back in fake Karakura, Orihime builds a barrier in the Visord's hideout, the one place she was sure Aizen didn't know about where she asks her friends to bring all the fallen to her to be healed. Since the barrier makes their SP disappear, Aizen just thinks they're dead. She also gives them chips that cloak their SP, something she gained by secretly working with Szayelaporro by letting him experiment with her powers while she gains gadgets in return.

(Orihime's time at Las Noches was basically making a house of cards fall by adding too many. The people there either used her for their own motives or had a discomforting self-reflection)

While Orihime heals everyone, she explains how no matter how many times they get back to the battle, Aizen would just get rid of them so they might as well wait for a sign from her partner. Rangiku figures out who they are and goes to comfort them on her own. Orihime still stays put, knowing damn well Rangiku won't get hurt. I'm sure you've guessed who they are already.

Gin and Aizen have an epic battle instead of him getting cut down because I deserve this.

Orihime notices that it's taking too long and goes to check what's happening, where she's confronted by Tousen who never used his Ressurection and won his fight because fuck you Kubo. He admits that he's not here to stop her but to get answers. You see, during the two-month period, Tousen noticed there was something odd with Suzumushi and with Orihime's oblivious advice, tells him to go to his inner world where his inner hollow forced him to face his flaws. Back to modern and he asks Orihime to find Aizen with him. They find him standing above Gin's body.

Aizen notices there is something different with Tousen and realizes that Orihime secretly took out his suicide bomb while she healed Tousen's scars. Aizen goes ballistic, having already become unhinged by Gin's betrayal, and goes straights for Orihime's heart. Tousen pushes her last second, and the sword goes to his throat. Aizen stabs him in the heart for mercy while strangling Orihime, and she cuts open Aizen's chest with Tsubaki, seeminglydoing nothing to him. Until Mugetsu.

Urahara let Orihime explain this one - Gin had secretly revealed to her that Rangiku was the only survivor who had their soul piece taken out. They planned on removing it once the Hokyogu was freed, and by taking out Rangiku's piece, an imbalance would occur. What happened to Aizen was the equivalent of when a person drinks during winter; instead of gaining new warmth, Aizen wasted the one that already existed, slowly emptying his soul.

A lot of stuff happens during the recovery period that I'm not fully down on, but here's what I refuse to let go of - Tousen goes to Karakura town for self treament, Orihime's aunt who also happened to be a lawyer gets her shit together and moves in with Orihime to a new apartment that's closer to the close, Gin becomes captain again after Orihime's aunt destroys the Central 46 in court, and the Shinigami was forbidden to visit Karakura town in the hopes of damage control.

(I also have a complete rewrite for the Fulbringer arc but this ask is already just too damn long)

[captainsupernoodle]

@wolfsrainrules @north-peach IT’S HERE!!

This is very long????????????

(also writing this really drove home another one of those moments where i'm just like “what the FLIP I have FAMILY as young as this hero WHAT ARE THE GROWNUPS DOING”)

Ichigo is immediately like “a person who Knows Things! Who's willing to Tell Me Those Things!” and sits down and lays out everything he's been mentally and not-so-mentally screaming about since he got STABBED with a SWORD and got up with MAGIC POWERS. Byakuya eventually meanders them to his estate and orders tea and half of soul society feels Judged even though they're not sure where it's coming from. Byakuya is massively unimpressed with Everything.

Whether this is right after the first invasion or later would change some things, but in any era what the fallout mostly boils down to is the Gotei freaking out because suddenly! The super-powerful kid they've had running around is asking questions! And doing things!! Legally!!!

Ichigo puts Byakuya on speed dial on his soul phone and calls him up every time he thinks of a problem or someone tries harassing him or Isshin says something that just. Doesn't add up.

And eventually he just starts calling Byakuya to yell about shinigami nonsense around town (his bedroom is no longer marked as a safe house, has the esteemed Gotei 13 fallen so low–), about theories and experiments he's doing to adapt kido to his reiatsu levels, about history and science and reishi architecture and whatever else catches his interests, and Byakuya pretty much always picks up, even if it's just to tell him that he's in a meeting and setting a time for them to talk, and when he visits soul society he has friends who are eager to see him but he always spends some time at Byakuya's.

(more under the cut!)

Byakuya is quick to invite him into the Kuchiki library, and they spend many afternoons and evenings just sitting quietly, Ichigo tearing through scrolls and records, Byakuya doing paperwork or reading, and sometimes Ichigo will ask a question or Byakuya will point out that this author over here expounds on that point in the book you're reading, and they'll have intellectual debates over hasty bites out of their dinner and the staff is Scandalized by the young lord taking books to the table but after the first three times they got up in the middle of eating bc byakuya was trying to enforce Decorum ichigo just brought his books with him and then byakuya had to get up to reference something and it was just too much trouble. The head servant whatever is just like fine! fine, at least they're not eating in the library, who knows what might happen with a Shiba in the works, at least the young lord still has a grip on his temper.

And it is funny to anyone who sees them together -- it took a little while because Ichigo isn't actually in SS all that often, he usually trains in the bunker and Kisuke is about all the mad scientist he can handle, but he comes to hang with Renji & other friends on some weekends -- but they actually do get along like a house on fire after byakuya flipped the "mentor" switch and let his guard down enough to keep getting sucked into heated debates. Ichigo's not a rebel, necessarily, in that he's not out there constantly looking for reasons to pick fights with anyone, he just doesn't let anyone pick fights with him or his friends and also goes "well that's stupid" with... pretty much any kind of unjust authority and law. It drives Byakuya a bit bonkers but he channels it into "educate the unfortunately misinformed future clan head" instead of immediate senbonzakura-ing. Trouble is that Ichigo is entirely ready for friendly debate throw-downs and yeah, maybe he doesn't have a law degree, but execution without a trial for trying to protect people, byakuya, really?

And this is where a little of the cultural confusion comes through, because Byakuya is intellectually aware that Ichigo is human but it doesn't really affect much beyond Ichigo being from somewhere else and being unfamiliar with soul society. And he's like, mostly adult-shaped, right? He's bigger than Toshiro, and most souls that look like Ichigo are already out doing things, even if they're still pretty closely connected with home, and he acts young sometimes but most of the time he's at Byakuya's level, just less experienced, which is to be expected given shinigami aging. So Byakuya answers any questions he has and applies pressure in ichigo's favor when needs be in the background, and otherwise lets Ichigo come to him and generally be independent.

And this works for Ichigo! He's been independent for years, wrongfully so, but he still has more life experience than most kids his age and is fiercely independent on top of that, so having someone to lean on is both novel and avoids being suffocating or condescending. A lot of the time he wants help – he already has more independence than he really wanted, and he's mostly adjusted to it, but it doesn't stop him from wanting some of that support that he's been lacking for so long, and that Byakuya is freely offering.

And eventually he figures out that he's started telling Byakuya things he hasn't told anyone else – questions about hollows eventually led to offhand mention of his hollowfication, and oh right, he'd actually kind of attacked Byakuya with his hollow mask, he'd probably want an explanation for that and even as chill as he's been so far the soul society anti-hollow rhetoric has gotta come into play somewhere with a noble –

Except Byakuya doesn't push. He never pushes. Even with that first offer, he was just laying out an option that Ichigo could take if he needed it, and he followed through when Ichigo took him up on it.

So he has a bit of a crisis and is a little more scowly than usual, but his sisters and friends know what it looks like when he's thinking really hard about something and leave him be, and he takes some long walks with Chad, just turning over what's been happening in his head and considering.

(Byakuya's been one of his people since he got his head screwed on straight, but Ichigo knows he has a tendency to latch on in ways that most people don't reciprocate, and it's okay. His friends have gone to war with him for someone they barely knew, they trust him, and he can lean on Chad most times, and it's good, it's good to have friends and precious people to protect.

But Byakuya isn't looking for his protection, or for someone to follow, or to spar with or experiment on or manipulate.

He's just – there.)

His thinking doesn't change much. He's already confided more in Byakuya than he has with anyone, because before hollows and Soul Society his friend group was all human teenagers doing teenager things, and Chad was sorely needed relief from a chaotic home life but he was still Ichigo's age, didn't have answers to a lot of the questions Ichigo's been shoving deep ever since his mom died. Byakuya doesn't press, doesn't judge, thinks deeply before speaking, but Ichigo always knows he's listening.

It's. It's good. It's really good.

And I guess I have a timeframe after all because Ichigo's really been there and back by the time of the Winter War. Byakuya sent his sister and his lieutenant to support Ichigo before he'd even been denied help to rescue Orihime, and came to Hueco Mundo himself, and listened again when Ichigo came to him, glaring and stiff, and slowly, quietly told him about dying and coming back less than human, fear in the faces of his friends and enemies, about seeing a soul – a person – crumble at his own hands.

Byakuya gets a hint, then, that Ichigo isn't quite the same as a soul. Souls might go entire lives only in soul society, from birth to death, but even souls who grow naturally rather than coming from the Living World are in some ways static, slightly less flexible in some fundamental way than those in the Living World. He does a little asking around, and Ichigo is so young even by human standards – Soul Society has been leaning on him like he's as old as his power levels suggest, in a place where passive reiatsu output is often more accurate than physical appearance, and all this time he's not even fully developed as a person, is still soft and learning how to exist in the world.

Byakuya has his own crisis right about then, and I'm playing fast and loose with timelines because I don't even remember most of the show, so in this au we're in a waiting period after clashing with the Espada just enough to get Orihime back – all the shinigami are alive, Grimmjow is licking his wounds-presumed-dead, tragic batman is dead, harribel and the tres bestias are not wearing battle bikinis cool, uuuuuuuum I think???? the vizard already happened before the grand desert slaycation??? Byakuya has a few belated heart attacks when he hears about training and the dangers thereof even though he's been privy to & helping with Ichigo's solo experiments with the hollow mask, and after Orihime is back and the shinigami do whatever sneaky sneak they've been planning or however it was they figured out about the time limit or whyever they wait for the Karakura pillars fiasco instead of, idunno, trying to prevent the megalomaniac from keeping hold of the magic rock….

ANYWAY there's a quiet period and Byakuya has his oh crap i'm a dad crisis and eventually is just like this is a literal child but he's proved himself time and time again that he's capable and wouldn't appreciate anyone butting in on his business uninvited, so instead he's sneaky about it. Most of his sneaking reveals that things are about like Ichigo's described, he has school and friends and training (urahara probably notices his snooping but he's certainly not the one filling in for Isshin's catastrophic failures in parenting, and maybe he sees the need or maybe he just isn't bothered enough to do something about being spied on, and he never interferes or tells kurosaki). Okay, this is fine, if everyone else is a complete and utter failure of a parent then he'll have to fill in whatever Ichigo hasn't covered himself. He gets an actually competent shinigami to cover Karakura, gets a copy of his school schedule and keeps people from harassing him near tests, is even more stringent with fronting central 46's stupidity and Very Firmly, At Risk of Murder cuts off all possible contact between Kurotsushi and Ichigo's people (and may start quietly grooming nemu to take over the 12th but nobody can prove it).

Things are bopping along, and then we have whatever permutation of the winter war that happens in this AU. Byakuya's been busy with the Grand Karakura Relocation or whatever the plan is and reinforcing his division, whipping them into shape after centuries of nothing but low-level hollows, and he knows that Ichigo's doing the same and he isn't concerned when they have less time to communicate.

Then Aizen.

I never actually watched the interim between the hundreds of episodes of vs arrancar fights and the butterfly beatdown but i'm assuming that everybody's tied up elsewhere or else they wouldn't have let a SINGLE 15YO fight aizen on his own, right? RIGHT???

Anyway in THIS fic that's the way it works, and while urahara and some of the other captains/ whoever's fighting fit, free, and not gonna die just from standing near the powerhouses lends a hand, so Byakuya is busy but not really worried bc Ichigo is a proven warrior and he has backup and for all his unexpected fondness, byakuya is still a military man and he Compartmentalizes.

Except then Ichigo's power rises and rises and rises again, and then all at once disappears.

Byakuya promptly flips his lid and Aizen goes into the box a bit more shredded than he did in the og timeline.

Everybody else gets the idea pretty quickly and flings Ichigo at Byakuya, who figures out what happened very fast and immediately decides Isshin has lost all rights to anything, ever. Ichigo is kept abreast of all developments in the efforts to get his powers back and NOBODY leaves him to his own devices for two years because Byakuya is persistently present and Isshin is on his shit list big time so he takes great joy in thwarting him at every turn.

I haven't watched or read the Ginjo arc at all but from what I gather they sneak in while Ichigo's isolated so there's a solid chance all that mess gets cut off at the knees.

Byakuya may or may not have an apartment and double life as a reclusive rich businessman in the Living World so that Ichigo has a place to stay when Isshin is Too Much, maybe the welcome eventually gets expanded to Chad and Orihime and the twins, but whatever goes on after Aizen, Byakuya is there and backing Ichigo up.

[sunmaylight]

Fate x Bleach: What if Ichigo became a SERVANT?

Random idea of having Ichigo from Bleach as different Servants from the Fate-Series.

Don’t know that much of either fandom, just going off of what I researched so far with my own creative twist and indulgences.

WARNING: Long post with loads of information in it. Have fun reading. ;)

((Compute got reset, so somethings might sound strange, PM me and I’ll fix it as soon as I can))

Backstory

When Kurosaki Ichigo dies, he leaves behind a legend of what he has done in his life. That legend was created at first as a joke from his friends and shinigami, but it spiraled out of control after someone decided to publish a bibliography of his life (the Bleach manga). Somehow, a hard-copy has ended up in the world-of-the-living and found it’s way to a magus’ hand. Said magus thought the book was a relic of an ancient hero and decides to use it as a catalyst for the next Holy Grail War.  

Or, the other option is that Ichigo’s deeds to the Soul Society is more well-known than possible that he became a legend in his own rights. Time in the Soul Society is different than the human world. So when Ichigo’s soul goes to Soul Society, it could have gone to the beginning of it, or just a short while after he has died. None the less, he has gained a reputation from the world of the dead, and by extension the world of the living because shinigami loves to gossip or by other means (see bibliography). Thus, a copy of his soul is sent to the Throne of Heroes.

(The third option is either Zelretch or the Soul King did some meddling, or a combo of both fourth is Alya)

Unfortunately (or fortunately), when people learn about what happened to Ichigo, there is nothing that can be done to stop it. Ichigo is a permanent fixture in the Throne of Heroes.

Summoning

There are a few ways to summon Ichigo as a servant/ally to battle. 

1) Using the Substitute-Shinigami Badge as a catalyst. This will work, but the Ichigo that will appear is as random as using a piece of the Round Table as a catalyst. You don’t know at which point of Ichigo’s life will appear as a servant. It can be one who has first gotten the badge to the one who fought during the Winter War. But it will never be a form that is after the Winter War.

2) The bibliography book (Bleach manga). So, this one is more accurate on what form of Ichigo that will be summoned. As the Badge will bring pre-Fullbringer Ichigo, the book will summon post-Fullbringer Ichigo or any form after that.

3) A container of Strawberries with a shield. This is more of a joke because of the double meaning of Ichigo’s name. You can only use both as one catalyst, since using one or the other will either make another random servant appear or nothing will come. The Ichigo that appears will only come as a Saber or a Shielder, both of those will have weaker stats than Ichigo normally would just because out of spite of your summoning.

4) The other one is using a Hollow mask shard, a piece of a Zanpakuto, or a Quincy weapon. As Ichigo is the perfect combination of the three races at birth, using all of them will be perfectly fine as a means of summoning him. Using all three for one catalyst will bring out Ichigo as a Ruler, but using only one of the three above will appear as Berserker, Alter Ego, Saber, or Archer.

5) The last one is having a tuft of fox fur, or anything relating to the God Inari, with the Substitue-Shinigami Badge or the bibliography book. With the rising popularity of the Kitsune!Ichigo (joke) when he was alive, there was a brief period in time where Ichigo was treated as a God with similar or less standing as God Inari. Thus, Caster is born as Ichigo with Kitsune traits mixed in with his own.

Classes

As hinted before in ‘Summoning’, there are multiple forms in which Ichigo can be summoned as. The ones that can be summoned in the Grail War are going to be mentioned first, then the ones that would appear in Grand Order. In every Grail War, only one Ichigo can be summoned if he is dead. IF Ichigo is alive during a Grail War, then he is transformed as a pesudo-servant.

Whatever ‘Ichigo’ is summoned, they will have the trait of ‘Strawberry Protector’. Also, any master that summons him is under his influence, there is no going back from this besides ultimate betrayal. When you are in this influence he considers you as ‘someone to protect’, thus he goes all out in battle just for you to be safe. Otherwise, if he has no one but himself, he only fights at 75%.

Grail War

1) Saber (pre-Fullbringer): Saber is like the ‘Lily’ of the other form of Saber. This Saber is more head-strong and rushes into battle without a plan more ofter than not. As long as he can ‘protect’ his master, he will fight anyone in his path unless if they explicitly say they want to be an ally with his master. Think of how Ichigo is during all of the fights and battles leading up to the final fight against Aizen before Ichigo loses his shinigami powers and that is the personality and strength of him. His stats are a combination of his human ones and his Shinigami’s because of how hard it is to balance out his powers.

Strength: B+                  Magical Energy: C-

Endurance:B-                Luck: C

Agility: B                        Noble Phantasm: B

Skills: 

Riding-C                        Magical Resistance-D+

Madness Enhancement-D-

Intuition-C+                    Shunpo-A+

Bankai-A+

Noble Phantasm (Quick): Getsuga Tenshou - Saber’s signature move that is black and crimson outlined crescent moon arc of reiatsu that is released from his blade.

“Bankai! Zangetsu!

To defend means that to cut down my enemies.

Getsuga Tenshou!”

1.5) Saber (post-Fullbringer): The true form of Saber; the one who has grown through countless of battles into the war-hardened person today. This Saber has gone through countless of battles against Aizen, his army, and then some that makes him into the person he is now. Because of his unique birth, this person has gotten to experience all three parts of his heritage as well as the unique ones that are developed through special circumstances.  However, he has yet to unlock his true powers that is hinted in the Quincy War (True!Bankai).

-If Humans, Shinigami, and Hollows are the primary colors, and Quincies, Vizords, and Fullbringers are the secondary colors. Then Saber is the rainbow, the one who can and has experienced all in one body.

Strength: A                     Magical Energy: C

Endurance: A-                  Luck: C+

Agility: A                           Noble Phantasm: A+++

Skills:

Riding-C+ .                      Magical Resistance: C+

Unity in One-A+

Tactics-B-                         Pioneer of the Spirits-EX                 

The Power To Protect-EX

Noble Phantasm (Buster): Getsuga Juujishou -Getsuga Tenshou that is released through two blades. A Noble Phantasm that lets Saber briefly jumps to his form during the Quincy War to unleash his true Shikai’s ability.

“Let it be known that I will not back down if my friends are in danger. 

Zangetsu! 

To call upon the ‘me’ of the future to lend me strength!

Gestsuga...Juujishou!!!”

2) Berserker: ((Forgot the Description earlier)) If Ichigo has gotten consumed by his Hollow after receiving his Shinigami powers. Another possibility if Ichigo dies in Hueco Mundo while the rescue for Orihime went wrong (terribly so). During his fight with Ulquiorra Cifer, Ichigo was fatally wounded in his full Hollow form which gave the perfect opportunity for his inner Hollow to devour most of him. Orihime was able to heal him, but the damage to the soul was irreversible, leaving him more Hollow than Human. Being stuck in Vasto Lorde permanently allows Berserker great power, but less control of his own sanity at times. Though he stays true to his namesake to prevent him from becoming an insane beast. Berserker is able to comprehend speech, but he is only able to perform a similar speech pattern as to another Berserker of short words and phrases to convey what he means. However, most of the time will find him saying the word ‘protect’. When he does, it is advised to calm him down or find something for him to decimate; or he will go on a mad frenzy that is nearly impossible to stop until it’s over.

Strength: A+                        Magical Energy: C

Endurance: B+                    Luck: C+

Agility: A-                             Noble Phantasm: B+

Skills:

Madness Enhancement-EX

Hollow’s Hunger-B-              Mana Burst (Flame)-A-

Madness of the Spirits-B      

Noble Phantasm (Buster): Cero - Berserker charges at his opponent with devastating speed and power that is reserved to his class in a mad combo before firing a massive Cero that obliterates everything in its path.

“I will...

I will PROTECT you!

RAAAAAGHHH!”

3) Archer: A possible life that Ichigo could have been if he was raised as a Quincy instead of being thrusted into the world of Shinigami. Archer is more ruthless than his Saber counter-parts because of Quincy ideology, but the weaker class (even with class advantage). Not much is known about Archer’s backstory because of the lack of known Quincies are outclassed by Hollows and Shinigami. So instead, Archer is modeled after a well-known Quincy(Ishida Uryuu) in the bibliography book and combined with Ichigo’s personality and open-mind.

Strength: B++                          Magical Energy: B-

Endurance: C++                      Luck: C-

Agility: B+                                Noble Phantasm: A-

Skills:

Independent Action-B+           Magical Resistance-C+                

Quincy’s Legacy-B+                Mana Burst (Splash)-A-

 Mind’s Eye (True)-B                        

Noble Phantasm (Arts): Kirchenlied: Sankt Zwinger - “A powerful Quincy spell that creates an area of Reishi shaped with countless Quincy crosses protruding from the ground (From the Bleach Wiki)”. Archer manipulates this further by fortifying it with his high levels of reiatsu. He then turns the crosses into ‘arrows’ that fire beams of light to his opponents. Almost impossible to dodge unless if you have extremely high speed or endurance on you (rank A or above).

“Come Light of the Lord. Help me against those that mean harm to me and those in my protection.

Kirchenlied:... 

Sankt...

ZWINGER!”

Grand Order

1) Classes mentioned above

2) Alter-Ego (Bleach Brave Soul Ichigo 2nd Anniversary Character): This is only possible when Ichigo is merged with his full Hollowfication to create a being that is similar to Ruler, with the will to protect those close to him, but different because he follows his own rules. Even if his friends fight him, as long as he can protect them in the end, that is all that counts.

Strength: EX                               Magical Energy: C++

Endurance: A                              Luck: C+

Agility: A++                                  Noble Phantasm: A++

Skills:

Magical Resistance-B+                Independent Action-B-

Unity in One-A

Hollow’s Hunger: EX                    Protection from the End of the Worlds-A

The Power To Protect-EX

Noble Phantasm (Arts): The Power to Protect All - Unlike the skill ‘The Power to Protect’, this is Alter-Ego’s special move that became an evolved move of that skill. He unleashes a Getsuga Tenshou from above ground to everyone in the surrounding area.This is the move he used against a certain enemy (Aizen) to severely weaken him and bring victory to the war at the cost.

“Come see, all of my power. 

By it shall be unleashed

Getsuga Tenshou!”

2.5) Alter-Ego (Hollow Ichigo/Shiro): No one knows how Alter-Ego gained his own body since he is originally a part of Ichigo. He represents all of the darkness in Ichigo in the form of an Arrancar looking Hollow, yet different. If Ichigo sacrifices all to protect others, Alter-Ego will do everything in his power to protect only Ichigo (or the master who summoned him) for he is the ‘horse’ to his ‘king’ and won’t let anyone else control him.

Strength: A++                             Magical Energy: B-

Endurance: A+                            Luck: C

Agility: A+ .                                  Noble Phantasm: A++

Skills:

Magical Resistance-B+                Independent Action-EX

Hollow’s Hunger: EX                    Protection from the End of the Worlds-A+

The Power To Protect-EX (Skill is like that because Alter-Ego only protects Ichigo and whoever their current Master is)

Noble Phantasm (Quick): The Power to Protect One - With this power, Alter-Ego unleashes a Grand Cero as well as some well aimed strikes with his sword

“With this power. I shall beat you to a plup. 

Getsuga Tenshou.

How do you think of me now?”

3) Caster (Ichigo summoned with Inari): A ‘what if Ichigo became a special attacker instead of a physical fighter’. No, this is Inari who is able to be summoned in special Grail Wars like this one. Instead it is a combination of the two. This is Ichigo, who has been blessed to become a Kitsune after his fight with Aizen in the Winter War (or even before that) by Inari. Inari became intrigued with this person and decides to follow this hybrid around with useful tips. After the final battle, Inari saw how depressed Ichigo became and turned him into his Kitsune disciple/underling in hope of cheering him up. Instead it backfires with Ichigo becoming a possible vessel of Inari if the god ever wishes, which the god doesn’t. Even death won’t separate Inari from this new kit, luckily with Ichigo becoming a Heroic Spirit, that will not be a problem. ((Kitsugeddon was fun to read))

Strength: B                                   Magical Energy: A-

Endurance: B+                             Luck: A-

Agility: B+                                     Noble Phantasm: A

(Note: The left side of stats are from Ichigo, Magical stats are from Inari, NP and Luck are a combo between the two)

Skills:

Divinity-A                                      Magical Resistance- A

Territory Creation- B                    

Shape shift-C                                 Kitsune’s Fire-B

God’s Protection-A+

Noble Phantasm (Arts): Bountiful Strike for Good Harvest - Ichigo and Inari do a tag team attack with Ichigo leading with his sword, then Inari shots Fox Fire and Ichigo supports.. Then Inari gives a blessing for a successful battle that raises moral and vitality of allies.

“Come Kit, let’s start. You first.

Huh? Don’t I have a say in this?

Nope, you are my disciple. So you should know that everything taught to you has a reason.

Ugh, you are a difficult as Geta-Boshi at times. Fine. Let’s do this then.

Glad you agree with me.

Bountiful Strike for Good Harvest!

You happy now?

Of course, Kit.”

4) Ruler (Ichigo summoned in his Mugetsu Form): Ichigo that had died a strange death that let him keep most of his memories and has been trained as a Royal Guard and a Zero Division member. It is unknown when Ruler died in comparison to the bibliography because even he doesn’t really remember when he died. After his death, Ruler has been taken to the Soul King’s Palace then appointed as a Royal Guard immediately after. Through the accelerated pace in his learning, Ruler learned about his own being and heritage early on. This in turn allowed him to accept everything about him early on and permanently change him to Mugetsu. When the Soul King found out, he then appoints Ruler as a special member in his court that allows Ruler to judge the realms where souls live with unclouded eyes. Ruler’s own death happened as he killed the Quincy King before he could kill the Soul King by using himself as the shield and sword to kill the major threat.

-(Trivia #1): Let it be noted that Ruler’s mannerisms is different to the older Shinigami compared to the rest, if ever encountered that is. It’s almost like he dislikes the older shinigami for not acting in a more dignified matter to protect spirits.

-(Trivia #2) The man is tired of the fighting for the balance, he has seen all of what life could bring and there are a few things that can make him show emotion. Ruler continues to fight for those close to him like all other ‘Ichigo’s. As a Ruler, he doesn’t have a wish for the Grail. But if he was given a chance, he would probably wish for peace in the soul realm so that he won’t fight anymore and his precious people are safe.

Strength: A++                               Magical Energy: C+

Endurance: EX                              Luck: C+

Agility: EX                                      Noble Phantasm: EX

Skills:

Unity in One: EX                            Magical Resistance-B-

Revelation-A .                                The Power To Protect-EX

Soul King’s Blessing-EX

Noble Phantasm (Buster): Final Getsuga Tenshou - The last Getsuga Tenshou that can be learned. A move used to defeat a mad man (Aizen) from a different reality. This move is known as the Trump card and Last Resort. If trained improperly, then the user will experience a serious backlash with possible death. Ruler knows how to properly use this and will only get exhausted for a while after using this.

“My being will be used to protect, to maintain the balance. To safeguard my friends.

FINAL...

GETSUGA...

TEN-SHOU!”

5) Foreigner: Not much is known about Foreigner from the bibliography or the Throne of Heroes at the moment. The reason for this is because Foreigner’s true powers have yet to be discovered as some parts of the bibliography is being recovered after an ‘unfortunate accident’. All that is known at the moment is that this Ichigo is said to match wannabe gods and transcendences with unparalleled power. This is the person that could beat Ywatch if his Quincy powers weren’t taken away in the beginning of that battle.

Unique Skills

Shunpo: After learning the secret Shinigami speed technique from the proclaimed ‘Flash Goddess’ Yourichi, Ichigo can do fast burst of speed that will raise his Agility up a rank. The only fall back to this is that it uses a part of his mana and his master’s mana to do, so he tries to save this for battles or in times of need.

Bankai: The ability to transform into a greater form. All Shinigami posses a Bankai form after learning of their own Zanpakuto. Ichigo’s own Bankai ability lets him have enhanced strength and endurance during the fight as well as letting him release his Noble Phantasm to its a greater potential. This works similar to Independent Action and Imperial Privilege, but the down side is that his Master will be stun for a while after Ichigo activates Bankai because of the strain. Leaving them vulnerable to enemy attacks if they aren’t protected.

    -The strain can be eliminated if the Master has strong magical energy, or if Ichigo is summoned as the Other Saber form, Ruler or Alter-Ego.

Unity in One: An ability that symbolize people who come from mixed races and have a perfect balance of abilities and knowledge from all they are affiliated with. As rare as the birth of a new star in a universe, those that are fortunate enough to have this skill will have momentous advantage when they need and create new abilities that are unique to those that are like their own mix-race species. A drawback to this is that it takes x1.25 as much mana to use one of the unique abilities because of the unknown output of how much an ability like that would be from a native race like that. (Though this drawback can be temporarily disabled if the person has the means to do so.)

     -For Ichigo, this means that his Shinigami, Hollow, and Quincy powers are in perfect harmony with each other. Instead of destroying him, they further enhance his own body and spirit to be a super human. Enhancing his stats in battle farther, giving him the chance to make a new move by combining skills from two or all three of the races that are part of him. (i.e: A cero that is weaved together with a high level kido that will not take from Ichigo’s or his master’s magical reserves, but from the surrounding magic in the area.)

The Power to Protect: Ichigo’s unique skill that works like Bankai, but removes the drawbacks Bankai would normally have. Also gives the user the ability to survive a fatal blow.

Pioneer of the Spirits: A skill that is similar to ‘Pioneer of Stars’, but for spirits. These are spirits that have changed Soul Society into progression for better or worse. The main candidates that would apply to this besides Ichigo would be the Soul King, Aizen, Kisuke, among others “that became a turning point in human (spirits) history”.

Hollow’s Hunger: Hollows are beings of instinct who lives in the lands of ‘Survival of the Fittest’. Ichigo’s own Hollow is a reflection of himself, all of his unacknowledged traits that he hates. To not be forgotten, the Hollow continuously challenges Ichigo to strengthen him so that he can triumph over death before defeating his enemies. This gives Berserker the ability to heal some damage taken to him and to survive a fatal-blow by coming back at the enemy with more vigor

    - Because he is still alive and does not know how his instincts works, it is lower than other Hollow’s of his status, but isn’t lower than a Vasto Lorde. 

Quincy’s Legacy: As one of the last members of the race known as Quinces, any and all knowledge of their culture has been passed down from generation to generation. This knowledge gives Quincies a tactical mind that is unparalleled to any human today. The Quincy that has learned of their culture turns it into a weapon to assist them in combat, making them a wise strategist that grows with experience in battle.  

Protection from the End of the Worlds: A skill that represents that this person has the most chance of survival from the World’s End because they are given protection from it. Inoue Orihime blessed Ichigo with this skill upon her death once upon a time. She put her very being into this as a means to ‘reject’ the very idea that Ichigo should die in the time where the war raged on for too long. Because Inoue Orihime put her very self into casting this last move, Ichigo can access his Noble Phantasm faster and is considered invincible for a short amount of time. ((This skill by any way, shape, or form is suppose to represent any ships. It is just a what if world’s skill that Orihime can do for anyone of her friends))

Kitsune’s Fire: Inari’s special skill. This allows one to make illusions around themselves and create a mythical fire that can burn at will. (Side effects may include a skulk/earth of foxes, the ability to understand foxes, a sudden group of followers devoted to worship you, or a never ending flame that can’t go out unless if caster allows it)

God’s Protection: A skill that works like Imperial Privilege and Independent Action. This skill allows Ichigo to wander off on his own and not get damaged as easily, increases his vitality, and prevents him from most ailments against him. This skill is mainly created because of Inari’s jealousy of Archer (Orion and Artemis)’s unique combo. A jealous fox is a cunning fox after all. (-Honestly, why isn’t this just Independent Action instead?-)

Soul King’s Blessing: An enchantment that the Soul King places on a select few in his royal court. Those that are blessed notice that they stronger, more resistant to ailments, and their own weapon(s) and moves have a coating of reiatsu that is a mix of their own and presumably the Soul King’s. This blessing can be activated willingly.

Well that is that, might do more head canons in the future because I love how the Fate Grand/Order community is full of shenanigans when you aren’t saving the world.

[shitenkoushun]

HEADCANON / FEAR, HOLLOWFICATION, & FORGIVENESS

Orihime’s fear of hollows and hollowfication in general was something originally born from her trauma (and justifiably so) with the several isolated incidents leading up to her gaining her powers, as well as her relationships with her friends when the Arrancar first began to arrive.

She associated her inability to be a strong offensive force within her group, to be what she (and the others around her) perceived as a useful ally in battle, with hollows in general (she later recognised this as an incorrect association after some self introspection). Because up to that point in time, she kept losing and losing and losing against them. She was never strong enough to stand up against them, regardless of how she felt she hardened her resolve. And in some capacity or another, she had always been a target of hollows; as the weakest link in her group, as a valuable hostage, and ironically enough as a powerful tool to be tortured and exploited at their whims. In tandem with this, she was never strong enough to protect her friends; that feeling of fear, mingling with her loneliness, her feelings of uselessness, and her despair made for a painful combination that inflicted long lasting wounds upon her.

As a repeated victim of abuse, she was conditioned to think of herself in a certain way (as useless, as unwanted, as weak, as powerless), and when a person has a history like that in combination with this rapid succession of traumatic events, fear by association is an expected outcome. Especially so when  she, despite being an emotionally insightful and intelligent individual at her young age, was still only 15-16 years old during the bulk of these events taking place.

In regards to Ichigo, she did fear his hollow form. But she also feared for him, and for what he was exposing himself to for the sake of others. Being exposed to a power like that when having the experiences that Orihime has associated with hollowfication is a frightening thing. But even more so, Orihime knows firsthand what a person who becomes hollowfied is capable of doing to the people they care about the most — she experienced this with her own brother, Sora. Her fear of Ichigo is a product of her trauma and her upbringing, something she actively fought against as she sought the strength to be a true support to her friends. But her fear for Ichigo is that he’ll lose himself to a darkness he willingly embraces.

Even after her vow to heal his injuries regardless of their severity in the Lost Agent arc, even when she cried for him in the Hueco Mundo arc; the moment she finally began to forgive herself (and forgive Ichigo for putting himself through that) is when he reveals his complete hollowfied form in the Thousand Year Blood War arc. When he turns to her and says that he is still himself.

By no means did it cure her, and she still harbors some small bits of fear and doubt (because she’s human and multi-faceted), but she was finally, truly able to move on. And I think there’s something to be said for how the very same darkness she feared within him for so long is the very same that heals her in the end.