#fraction!orihime

[jeizet]

Fracción Orihime AU (The lost princess of Hueco Mundo)

An AU where Orihime ends up stranded in Hueco Mundo during and after the fight against Aizen, leading her to "survive" by eating hollows... which ended up making her a hollow herself.

(Orihime it's a Fraction because she, kind of jokingly, becomes Grimmjow's fracción, they are constantly together)

About the AU and Orihime's Resurrection (Written by my discord buddy Budget, he is amazing)

Draft Story

The idea came to me because I just started wondering where the fuck that black box that Grimmjow used Against Ulquiorra led and I imagined it just lead to fuck nowhere inside of Hueco Mundo.

So basically how this goes is that during the fight of Ichigo Vs Ulquiorra in the tower where Loly and Melony attack Orihime. Ulquiorra gets tired and to piss off Ichigo, grabs Orihime and makes her eat the teleportation box and she ends up so fucking far away that her presence it's unreachable, suddenly the whole Karakura gang feels it, she is GONE.

Ulquiorra starts talking big and Ichigo goes fucking nuclear on his ass because sure Orihime was traumatized but she was alive... WAS. Because who the fuck knows what that box was truly.

After the fight with Ulquiorra Ichigo was going to search for Hime but is stopped, he is told that Uryuu and the rest are going to search for her, that Unohana currently needs Him to fight, so he trusts his friends to find her while he fights Aizen.

And then he fought Aizen, and he was relieved and his group of friends went to check on him… And there's still no Hime, there's no cute scene of her being relieved and making a comment on how he looks different and there's no soft smiles. He sees the guys, he smiles and then realizes... Orihime is not there and a simple "Where is Inoue?" changes the face of everyone 

"We are still searching, all of the Seireitei is searching for her on Hueco Mundo"

And then he passes out from pain

…

The Caja Negación puts the victim in a pocket dimension for a bit, So Hime is stranded in nothingness for a while before reappearing, lost in Hueco Mundo, very far away. Time goes on and she grows hungrier; she goes to the point that she tries to reject her own hunger, but of course, that’s not really fenomena and trying to find a way to leave the pocket dimension left her drained of energy.

But, even though she is a place made of bone dust, she remembers that hollows bleed, but in a cruel twist, if she kills them, they become dust. She has to eat hollows alive, small or big. She still feels hungry and at some point, she notices a hole opening where her belly button was…

Listen, she has a hole in her tummy now, and who else has it? Grimmjow! Where is he? Close by!

After some time, no one knows how long she has been lost, so she finds Aizen castle and inside the castle, it's Grimmjow, who starts to bully her... Well try to…

It's the first familiar face other than her rikkas who were always by her side. Sure, he is not nice, but it's a face she knows, in a place she knows and it feels grounding enough to break her and allow her to cry.

She collapses and when she wakes up she is on the couch of her old room, Grimmjow on the other side of the room just looking at her. They start chatting, She notices how he is still damaged so she heals him without even asking. He guesses it's not the best time to complain, she is just healing him at the end of the day.

He wonders how she is still alive? Ori admits that she has been eating hollows and they go hunting together. He makes it a competition and for the first time what Orihime was doing felt somehow typical, like she wasn't fighting to survive it's just surviving.

Grimmjow jokes how Orihime it's now his fracción because they have the hole in the same place and she is following him around and Ori can't be happier with finally having guidance.

Time goes on, Grimmjow finally feels better and he opens a Garganta for Orihime to go to the human world, but he goes with her because if she it's caught by a shinigami she will get hunted because she definitely smells/feels like a hollow now. Orihime accepts and goes back to the human world, she imagines the gang think she is dead so she at least wants to clarify that.

She sees that the human world it's intact, so they definitely won which makes her so happy and decides to go to the school since it's a weekday. When she goes to the school the first person that sees her it's Tatsuki, who calls the whole gang to meet her.

Ori discovers that she has been missing for nearly a year, she is informed that the boys go to hueco mundo every weekend to search for her. Uryuu does mention that her spiritual pressure it's extremely strong and that she feels different. They don't realise she is a hollow until Ichigo finally talks…

"Why can't I see Inoue?" He asks, and everyone grows quiet…

This was a confirmation. Orihime is indeed dead, Ichigo can't feel her, or see her, he even tries to reach for her and there's NOTHING

Orihime explains how the months went, she is now friends with Grimmjow, she has seen Nel, she became great at hunting, she has met Haribel and the tres bestias and they get along pretty nice... How she has been eating hollows and at some point she simply couldn’t reject her becoming a hollow.

And with that she shows the gang the hole that was growing on her stomach.

They don't take it well, Ichigo doesn't know what 's going on so he has to explain that now Orihime was dead, that she was a hollow, she had short hair with different clothes and she was completely different, but she didn't look completely sad.

Orihime couldn't bear watching Ichigo getting explained in front of her what she went through, she wanted to talk to him, so as a test she asked for pen and paper to see if he could see her writing, and he could! This in some weird way made Ichigo feel a little better.

She goes back with Tatsuki, she cooks with her, she takes a bath, Orihime begs to do homework together for some sense of normality but... It just doesn't feel like it's normal…

She enjoys the commodities for a week, she takes her long deserved bath, she catches up with her mangas, she reads some stories to Nel and Grimmjow who don't know how to read... And she goes back to Hueco Mundo.

She comes back to the human world very often, she trains with the boys, she jokes around Uryu how they are now sworn enemies, and tells Chad and Tatsuki how she is going to eat them! And she exchanges letters with Ichigo, which has to be her favourite part. She goes to Ichigo's home, talks with Karin, helps Isshin with cleaning, eats and helps Yuzu although she can't see her and goes to Ichigo's room. He bought a whiteboard in order for her to write more comfortably and quicker. At first she just had a stack of papers but she admitted she felt bad making him buy so much paper.

They would talk like this for HOURS. She would write about her day and he'll talk about his. Sometimes she would go to his home thinking he is there and he isn't so he leaves her a message on the whiteboard, she erases what he wrote and writes down a long message of whatever she wants to.

…

17 months after Aizen's death. Let's change perspectives.

…

Ichigo misses Rukia, he misses Orihime, he misses the soul society and how he felt at home there.

He always felt like something wasn't clicking in the human world for him, and he somehow felt at home after becoming a shinigami, and he couldn't admit it to anyone… Anyone other than Orihime, the friend he failed his promise to, he owed her his honesty at least, she has long forgiven him, she always says "there's nothing you and I could have done, it was my decision to go to Hueco Mundo and it was my decision to stop being human too" she will always say.

Inoue would feel like an imaginary friend if it wasn't for his Dad always talking about missing Orihime and how he wants to talk to her, "she the only one to respect me!" He would cry, and Ichigo would remind him that Orihime describes him as " a little silly" not as a grown man.

He told Inoue everything that was going on in his life, she was pretty much his diary, maybe it was easier because he could just write it on the whiteboard and disappear afterwards. He also could guess that it was the same for her, sometimes her messages would be on the sadder side, how she missed them, how she was worried. They kept it light hearted where they were together tho...until one time.

Uryu was attacked and didn't want to tell who and Ichigo was too pissed to even hide it to Hime who was coincidentally in his home that day. She had told him days prior about Uryuu being worried about Ichigo being targeted by bad people and Ichigo chose to ignore it.

Ichigo spoke about how he was powerless, about how he misses his powers and Rukia and her… More than everything else. She is his failed promise, she is the person he failed to protect and somehow she was still here, and every time she came he was happy they weren't apart but it was a constant reminder on how useless he was.

Usually when speaking Ichigo would give her time to reply, but this time he went on and on, and when he realised that he's been speaking for minutes without stopping he looked at the board.

It was empty, but after some minutes Orihime started writing back… 

"I miss you too.

Please get your powers back.

We never really hugged or anything like that, I don't know how I can miss something we never really did, but I do.

I miss you looking at me and not a place where you think I'm at.

I'm taller now but you don't know it, I look different but you don't know it.

After everything somehow I'm fine and I can't show it to you.

Please, I know it's selfish for me to ask, but get your powers back, I miss your eyes on me" 

Ichigo ran through the door to Xcution that day.

The day he saw a hollow for the first time was the happiest he was in a while.

The day he saw Rukia again was a disaster, but after everything went through it was great, they spoke for hours after getting scolded for "being a pussy" and "crying like a baby".

And one day, a Garganta opened up, the first one to come out of it was Grimmjow. 

Ichigo looks at him like he didn't miss him, because he didn't! But he was happy to see him in some wicked way, this was the guy that protected Orihime for 18 months when he couldn't so he was at least thankful.

And then Inoue comes through the Garganta happily like a puppy.

"GRIMM I OPENED IT MYSELF CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT OMG I-...."

She was taller indeed, she had shorter hair than the last time he saw her, but longer than the last time she was described to him.

She looked thin and fragile, but she walked with the confidence of a warrior.

He could see the hole on her stomach slightly through the white of her tank top.

Her hair clips were no longer hairclips but they were part of her, and branches grew out of them like horns.

She was fine, she somehow was alive, she didn't look sad or like she had given up.

Her eyes didn't shine as much now. But they shined like they did before when she realised HE was looking.

Looking AT her.

Listening TO her.

"You can see me." Ichigo nodded. "You can hear me" She started crying 

"I can hear you," he replied.

They hugged.

Resurrección

Culebre (the name's closest direct meaning is 'Snake' or 'Cobra', but it specifically refers to a Cantabrian dragon renowned for kidnapping fairies).

Culebre possesses four separate release commands, which will have separate entries.

Release Command: Hoard.

Appearance: Upon release, the three fairies normally used for Santen Kesshun glow and writhe, white clay covering their bodies as they melt into Orihime's flesh, becoming scaled armor that stretches down Orihime's legs to end in clawed, reptilian feet, as well as armor that covers her torso, with enormous, leathery wings emerging from her back.

Ability: With this release of Culebre, Orihime's speed is greatly increased, as she can cross vast distances on foot or by flight without even needing Sonido. When she does make use of Sonido, she can make use of the tremendous speed granted to her to turn herself into a living weapon, slamming into enemies at such high velocities that the impact alone can shatter their bones and pulp their organs. Beyond her base stat increase, Orihime is also capable of creating the Escamas de Dragón (Dragon Scales), massive walls of physical rejection that dwarf the shields she was capable of before becoming a Hollow. These walls are so large and heavy, they can be used as a weapon in their own right, as Orihime drops them from high in the air or simply wraps them around her opponent in order to crush them into paste. However, despite using the most fairies, this is actually the weakest of Culebre's releases, as it has more value in helping Orihime escape or defend herself than in outright destroying her enemies.

Release Command: Gorge Yourself

Appearance: Once released, the two fairies normally used for Soten Kisshun melt into Orihime's body, becoming massive gauntlets that stretch all the way up to her shoulders. These gauntlets have the same scales as her other released forms, and end in enormous clawed hands, so large just a single one can wrap all the way around an adult human without even trying.

Ability: With this aspect of Culebre, Orihime perverts the healing nature of Soten Kisshun, transforming it into a vessel for the insatiable hunger of a Hollow. Her claws, already massively powerful and capable of devastating blows, can scrape into the Reishi around her, rejecting its existence to allow her to bypass armor and shields and strike right at her enemy's heart. But, when something is rejected from existence entirely, it doesn't just vanish, but instead leaves behind a unique energy, as the universe attempts to compensate for a clear violation of the Law of Conservation of Matter. Orihime can then consume this energy, healing her own wounds and making herself stronger and larger, to the point where she towers over her foes in a similar fashion to Yammy. However, this power comes at a price. The more energy Orihime consumes, the hungrier she becomes, the gnawing sense of starvation in her stomach leading her to devour more and more, driving her into a frenzy of feral need until either everything around her is dead or she has collapsed from the exhausting ache in her Soul.

Release Command: Kill Them All

Appearance: With the command given, and her intent filled with the murderous desires of a Hollow, Tsubaki sinks into Orihime's flesh, transforming into a draconic helmet with towering horns and gnashing jaws, which covers Orihime's head entirely save for her left eye.

Ability: The most powerful and the most limited of Orihime's first three releases, this form only allows for a single attack, concentrated on Orihime's head. By using the rejecting powers of Tsubaki, which normally splits anything in half, Orihime can cause the Reishi around her body to become dangerously unstable, in a similar manner to fissile nuclear material. She can then draw this unstable Reishi towards her head, concentrating and channeling it until it can't take anymore, and then launch it forwards with a Cero. The resulting attack is a beam of unstable, cascading Reishi, breaking down and releasing ridiculous amounts of force as it hurtles at high speed into the enemy's body, reducing them to nothing with enough force to crack a tectonic plate. Orihime refers to this as her Aliento de Muerte (Breath of Death), and uses it only when an enemy can't be defeated otherwise, as it is incredibly draining on her Reiatsu to perform more than once or twice successively.

Release Command: Devastate

Appearance: The pinnacle of Culebre's power, which melds all of Orihime's fairies with her body. However, that much power forcibly being added to her system causes her to warp and mutate, the refined armor of her previous releases breaking apart and becoming true flesh and blood. The end result is that Orihime ends up as a massive, monstrous dragon, her legs replaced with a writhing snake's tail as she drags herself forward with clawed hands and massive, canopy-like wings. Even her one eye that was normally visible under her helmet has vanished, leaving little to no trace of anything that could ever identify Orihime as 'human'.

Ability: By using all six of her fairies at once, Orihime has access to all of her prior powers, now at a considerably greater scale, allowing her to surround herself with nigh-impenetrable shields, tear the landscape apart for fuel, and fire beams of pure destruction at anything that lives long enough to be a bother. However, the true power of Culebre in this form is that it isn't quite Orihime. The massive dragon others can see is actually a shell of flesh, similar to a biological mech suit, with Orihime somewhere inside it. Because of this, there's no way to kill Culebre unless you can guarantee hitting Orihime inside it, which is practically impossible given its size. And whenever you land a blow that doesn't end the fight, Culebre simply regenerates, sealing up its flesh and reinforcing its scales as it preps another breath attack to vaporize you. That said, though targeting Orihime herself is impractical (as she could be anywhere in the dragon at any time, and even a single chunk can regrow the whole thing if she isn't removed or killed), Culebre is not without weak spots. The six fairies form points of Reiatsu that those with astute spiritual senses can detect. By targeting these points, a coordinated team can pull the fairies out of Culebre, weakening the dragon as a whole until eventually it loses all its special powers, becoming nothing more than a regular large, scary Hollow. From here, the team could then destroy the weakened Culebre, but this in turn carries a separate risk. So long as Orihime is still driven by rage, hunger, and despair, her considerable power will continue reinforcing Culebre's physical form, to the point where removing the fairies might prompt an evolution of all new attacks and strategies. Thus, in order to truly defeat Culebre, someone needs to break Orihime out of the negative emotions that fill her mind and Soul, preventing Culebre from growing stronger as it is taken apart, and she can finally be saved from her own power and grief.

[recurring-polynya]

It is September 2, the closest Saturday to both August 31 and September 3, which means it is Renji and Orihime's Birthday (observed). I started writing this fanfic two years ago, I think, and got stuck, but I found it recently and it seemed Extremely Finish-able, and it turns out that it was. So, hey, please enjoy this story about parallel pining (when you and your buddy to together to pine about your love interests).

🐍 🌟 💪

a fraction of your happy heart (irresolution doesn't suit you) | ao3 | ff.net |

Summary:  In the wake of the Fullbringer debacle, Orihime wishes she'd been stronger, faster, more helpful, more useful. That's a feeling Renji knows all too well.

Starring: Orihime, Renji and an entire old growth forest full of pining. Ichigo and Rukia show up at the end.

Ships: one-sided (lol) Ichihime, Renruki (seriously, guys, come on)

Rating: T, for cussing and off-screen corpse disposal (canonical).

Words: 3795

[venenorita]

4,12 :3

Mun Questions Meme | Accepting

4. which muse of yours is your all time favorite? if you stopped writing them: why?

Truth be told, probably my muse that's been my all time Favorite to play has been Loly.

I never actually particularly liked her as a character. And in fact she is the type of Muse I HATE rping WITH the most. NAmely, just a rotten bitch. Frankly when it comes to rp communities, I avoid these types of characters because thats what people tend to focus on when playing them. And trying to form meaningful bonds with such characters can be like trying to herd a cat through a straw.

Thus why I wanted to play one myself. To see if I could manage to play such an unlikeable bitch but still make them fun for people to approach. I like to at least THINK I've accomplished that. While Loly is most assuredly a horrind hag of a woman, she still is someone you can interact with. This initially posed an issue with uh, Orihimes. But I eventually managed to get around that by having her try and knive a sortof indirect form of bullying. So she WILL pretend cooperative and positive action with an Orihime, just with ulterior motives.

Plus I very much enjoy getting to rp a piece of shit. Loly's awful, and she's also just flat out wrong. She has REASONS for behaving the way that she does, but she also actively resists things that would make her a better person, and latches onto anything that validates her existing behavior. BUT. She still changes and evolves as a person. Not in a GOOD way mind you. She essentially just figures out new and more personal ways to fuck with people. But its still development. And of course, theres also the hall of fame of people who have ACTUALLY managed to garner a positive relationship with her. Which has been incredibly rewarding.

12. what roleplay trends do you remember from the year you started tumblr rp? how did you feel about those trends?

That would beeeee, around February 2014.

Midway into the TYBW arc in fact! Back then, there was a lot of fractioning of peoples little rp communities. Back then there were also a lot more closed groups. BAsically people would have Affiliated blogs, no dupes, peeps all would play with eachother basically as their own little version of the Bleach storyline. Never was in one, so have no idea what that was like tbh.

BUT, the community seems a little more interwoven? About as interwoven as you CAN be on Tumblr. There was a lot of Arrancar blogs back then, and a lot of Quincy blogs coming out in the midst of the TYBW chapters coming out. Lots of people were excited about interacting with eachother. But it was also pretty segregated.

Arrancar, Shinigami, Quincy. They tended to stick within their own groups, so esseentially they had their own separate rp communities with little bits of interaction between them now and then. One of the unfortunate parts about Bleach as a setting is that divides are kinda built into the races. Each sect by their nature will clash with eachother, and so its hard for people to mingle in a broader sense. And well. Aint nobody had any kinda drive to try and push a narrative of that changing. People were, and are, pretty attached to canon.

Even so? I kinda miss the diversity. Having come back and seeing how the dust has settled, most blogs are humans or shinigami, at least insofar as single muse blogs. But even Multis don't seem to crack out their quincy or arrancar quite as often. Which is a shame, but frankly I understand it. The community has also shrunk over the years, and so its only natural would pick cohesive muses to maintain activity.

[auburniivenus]

❛ i’m trying to fix your hair, so hold still. ❜

In   the   chamber's   somnolent   recesses,   where   antiquity's   murmurs   lingered   as   if   a   subtle   perfume   of   jasmine,   Mulan's   digits   cavorted   with   the   finesse   of   a   veteran   penman   upon   her   turbulent   locks.   Her   amber   tresses,   as   abundant   as   aureate   heavens   at   twilight,   anticipated   METAMORPHOSIS—an   elaborate   Chinese   chignon.   Orihime,   yielding   as   stone   in   repose,   reclined   upon   her   stool,   her   frame   so   still   it   could   have   been   a   reed   in   the   storm's   lull.   Yet   her   soul   weathered   a   maelstrom   of   trepidation.   With   dauntless   assurance   befitting   a   champion   on   the   field   of   honor,   Mulan   believed   her   hands   were   capable   of   molding   rebellious   tresses   into   a   magnum   opus   of   refinement.

"Do   you   truly   deem   it   efficacious?"   She   quavered.   The   bastion   of   skepticism   she   had   erected   quaked.   Her   heart   throbbed   unevenly   to   the   litany   of   hesitation.   Furrowing   her   brow,   unspoken   turbulence   within   manifested   itself.   A   fractional   quiver   upon   her   roseate   margins,   delicate   percussion   by   her   feet   against   ancient   floorboards,   and   a   wandering   gaze   bespake   Inoue’s   uncertainty.   The   princess   was   unbothered   by   initial   trepidation,   which   brushed   across   the   other's   visage;   she   persevered   in   her   coiffure   anthesis.   Mulan's   hands   wended   through   the   locks   akin   to   those   of   some   arachnid   architect,   each   motion   assuring   that   present   disarray   would   give   way   to   inherent   pulchritude.   As   the   chignon   took   form,   sentiment   shifted   in   its   favor:   "Indeed,   your   prowess   is   admirable."

[fangirlingpuggle]

More thought through ideas on Bleach roleswap AU

Instead of the Vizards taking the place of Ichigo’s friends they take the roles of the mortal ones Keigo ect and it’s Urahara, Yoruichi and Shinji take the places of Chad, Uryuu and Orihime.

(Orihime being the shop keeper and former head of Squad 4 with Op healing ability) She is always so happy go lucky and no one can get a read on her. She talks about building a giant robot… no one knows if she’s actually trying to do that or not.

Yoruichi and Urahara and best friends and pure chaos (Even worse when Gin is added to the mix)

Urahara having the power that leads him to be kidnapped in place of Orihime.

Shinji:…You sure we need to rescue him? he might just annoy them into letting him go

Aizen:…I mean if it didn’t work with Gin in soul society I don’t think it’ll work with Urahara and the espada

Gin:…

Gin:I can’t tell if I should take that as a compliment or if I should just try harder

Yourichi and Gin are also pure idiots who see Espada Soi fon and Fraction Rangiku and are just head over heels and spend their entire fights flirting.

Aizen:…Seriously?

Yoruichi: Quit making heart eyes at Shinji and then you can judge Us!

Urahara being stuck waiting for them to rescue him like oh they’ll be coming straight for me… then see’s Yourichi ‘fighting’ where she’s just flirting with Soi Fon. The rest of the group are sure they hear him swearing from all other the base.

Ulquiorra and Orihime having the you left me behind storyline, and after soul society arc whenever he shows up at the shop them being awkward and so clearly pinning for each other. It’s painful and like watching a car crash.

Adjuchas Komamura just still following Tousen around after the winter war and all the other captains just being like ‘…fuck it to tired for this bullshit just gonna ignore this’

[o0o0thorn0o0o]

I wish I could have but even a fraction of Orihime’s imagination… Couldn’t think of anything better than Ichigo being a secret agent, haha.

Wanted to post one final thing before my break, and I guess I wanted a soft sketch or something which then turned into a mini-comic of sorts. Speaking of break…:

It’s time for my (planned ^^;) annual month-long break. Feels so soon since my three-month…hiatus, but ah, what can I do?

I’ll still be here, like last year, but not as frequently and won’t be posting much of my own work if at all. Nothing digital, that’s for sure. Again, tryna take a break from my iPad for better habits and focus on other stuff rn. Maybe traditional sketches, but I said that last year, and how’d that turn out? Eheh…

[animeloverskylarmoon]

Ulquiorra Cifer  x Reader- Chapter 1 (Bleach)

"You want me to what?!!" Rukia winced. "It's been tough managing the soul society. "I want them to adjust to their new life. So I need someone to help him around Karakura. "

"A-Ask Orihime! Look how close they are!!" you pointed as the oranged haired girl blinked upon hearing her name. She turned to you wave happily.

 "Hi (Y/N)-chan!!!" she giggled and you sweatdropped. Rukia did the same as Orihime turned back chatting with the green eyed espada. 

"She isn't the most responsible." Rukia conveyed.

"I can see that." you sighed. "Fine, I'll help him. I have room if he needs a place to stay temporarily. " Rukia beamed. 

"That's great!"

"Temporary!" you stressed.

"Y-Yes," Rukia replied with a laugh.

~~

"Human." You jumped. 

"Crap, I almost forgot you were behind me, you're so quiet."

Rukia explained the situation. After the war, Grimmjow and the others became your alliances. So you were helping them in any way you can. You didn't mind Nel, or even Grimmjow. That's because you could always read them. But with Ulquiorra, you couldn't and it unnerved you. Being around him made you uneasy. Your body turned and you looked at him.

Those blank eyes. It made chills run up your spine. Not the good kind either. He was currently in a gigai. So to the human eye he was pale, but humanly pale. He looked emo. No one would think twice about questioning him.

"My name isn't human." you corrected.

"What is your name?"

"It's (Y/N). " He nodded. 

"Very well, (Y/N)-san. What is that thing?" he pointed towards a guy selling cotton candy at a stand. "Oh, it's a snack." He kept staring intensely and you chuckled internally. 

"Maybe he wants to try it." 

You moved over to the salesman, greeting him and purchasing one of the bundles of cotton candy in a clear bag. You thanked the man walking back over to Ulquiorra. 

"Here you go." You held out the snack and he took it. For a while he just stared, and then you realized he probably had no idea how to open it. You pulled at the top popping it open. You dipped your hand in, taking out a piece and putting it in your mouth. 

You chewed happily. You really liked sweets. When you looked back, Ulquiorra was staring at you in amazement. You stifle a laugh. 

"Try some." you encouraged. He did, taking a piece and placing it in his mouth. His eyes opened a fraction when it touched his tongue.

"It's sweet." you nod. "Yep." your head titled."Do you not like sweets?" you asked.

"I've never had any."

"Oh, well now you have." you stated. He gave a nod, dipping his hand back in and taking another bite. The both of you continued on your way and you smiled a little.

"He might be entertaining to have around." 

You didn't have much to do since the war was done. You could use the entertainment. He would be helping with the cleaning of hollows so it wasn't like he was just going to be lazing around.

~~~

"So that's the bath. If you need anything else just let me know." you handed him some fresh towels. 

"Also I think we need to go and get you some more clothes. " He looked down at his jeans and shirt. "This is fine." he assured.

"You're gonna need more than just one outfit. "

"Why?"

"U-Uh, b-because, w-well because you can't wear that everyday. Things get dirty so you have to wash it."

"We never washed at Hueco Mundo." your eyebrow twitches. 

"Well here we do."

"Humans are strange." He commented.

"Anyway I have to get to my job so just hang out here. Try not to break anything." you instructed. You didn't give a chance to reply because you were rushing out the door.

Ulquiorra stood watching as you ran off. "Humans are rather impolite as well. " he said aloud.

[tenshusuto]

⅋⅋ㅤ𝐔𝐍𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐃 ; ㅤ( always accepting ) @inouehs : "Would you like some help around the shop?" It seemed only fair to offer, consider the amount of times he had gotten them out of trouble. Hmm...though, now that she thought about it, it seemed to be about as many times as he got them into trouble. Ah well, it wouldn't hurt to be nice!

ㅤOut of inventiveness. Like today when theatrical curtain shuts down, his shopkeeper persona stows away from the scenic route, giving space to a settled way of behavior contrastingly meek and more reserved like no other day. Or perhaps not very out of 'do-it-yourself' creativeness when he waved at the healer with a screwdriver in his hand instead of a fan. On her way around the shop, the ginger found the inventor slightly crouched beside the main entrance, with naught of his usual fashion attire nor the infamous hat but a plain green samue. As for a sustained level of activity - it consisted of something reminding a task very simple and unworthy of stress that apparently had something to do with loose screws; because there seemed to be quite plenty of those scattered beside him. So much for domestic repairs, he successfully negotiated with Tessai to let him shoulder the task in exchange that today's dinner procedure shall be on him.

ㅤStill airy in his gleaming attitude Urahara greeted the familiar face within his radar, " Inoue-san! " As the Reaper rose back to the upright position he couldn't help himself but wonder why would she offer help so freely and out of blue, maybe hiding some hidden intent or just feeling extra generous because - reasons, bygones. ㅤBut if Orihime desired so and offered a kind gesture of her own accord ... Kisuke flashed a dekko in a pondering notion around the visible parts of  Shōten's interior from right to left until an unambiguous scheme graced sharp-witted mind in a countdown of three finger taps. Plentiful options in disposition as there was always something to do, and for once, it had nothing to do with his inventions. Dishes, dust, windows, floor ... when you clean one thing another appears, ugh boxes, plenty of all kinds of boxes, with his handy ware trades and outputs. Somewhere, between margins of invisible sentences in his mindscape floated a swimming option for him to politely decline the young lady's offer and not engage her in further torturing and stuff ... but ... being a little opportunist that he is ... ㅤ'' Help you say? Well, '' he paused in a casual calm hiding behind slight shoulder lift, then a fraction later, Kisuke looked coyly mischievously right back at her, '' there is something where your hand might prove handy ... ''

[lilacs-in-the-wind]

The fact that Ichigo ended up with Orihime and had a kid together completely escaped my mind when I sat down to watch Bleach (It's been a few years since I thought about this ). Then Orihime appeared and it came crashing back and yeah I got mad over a 20 year old shounen anime. I wasn't even an Ichiruki shipper (like they were soulmates and all but platonically for me) and orihime wasn't even that horribly written compared to virtually useless love interest characters in other shounen. Just think the whole thing would have been so much better if Ichigo's side of the relationship was even 10% more developed. Like the Mangaka only had to give a fraction of the treatment he gave Renji and Rukia to make Ichihime a satisfying relationship. As much as I love 2000s anime it undoubtedly gave birth to weebs who think there are actual women out there who would simp hard for them without any special effort from their part (Naruto is probably the most guilty considering how popular it was). I can never take men seriously when they say that they like a canon shounen anime pairing lol. Shounen anime is simply better when they don't insist on a successful married life for the protag in the end.

[akaluan]

Undercover as lovers + time travel orihime/tatsuki/rukia

“What are three young ladies like yourself doing all the way out here?”

Tatsuki bites her lip and suppresses a flinch at the genial-caring-fake voice of the man who’d addressed them out of the blue; at her side, Orihime squeaks and pulls away, staring up at— at Aizen like a deer in headlights, fine tremors running through her limbs.

(Oh dear…)

(She hopes none of their reiatsu control slipped…)

“We just… we just wanted some time alone!” Rukia scrambles to explain from Tatsuki’s other side, her hand slipping over to clamp down on Tatsuki’s in a death-grip.

Aizen gives them a concerned-troubled-fake frown and adjusts his ridiculous glasses, looking every inch the kind-caring-good man that Rukia had told them he’d posed as for so many decades. “I understand your desire for, ah… privacy, but there’s been reports of a Hollow around here. Surely you’ve heard it?”

(She… maybe understands a bit more how the Shinigami were fooled for so long.)

(Aizen really is good at pretending to be something he’s not.)

Orihime gives her most air-headed titter of a laugh and presses into Tatsuki’s side. “It won’t go after us,” she insists breathlessly. “And besides! You’re here to get rid of it, aren’t you Shinigami-sama?”

Aizen’s frown etches fractionally deeper, and Tatsuki knows they’ve upset him somehow; whether that’s because they’re in his way, because they’ve upset one of his plans, or some other unknown reason, it’s still… pleasing.

(Maybe that creepy Hollow they killed last night was one of Aizen’s, and not just a standard opportunist.)

“Hollows do go after empowered souls more often than souls such as yourselves,” Aizen concedes, voice so gentle-kind-fake that it makes Tatsuki want to gag. “But they won’t hesitate to take a meal where they can find one. Please, return to your village, at least until I’ve managed to take care of the danger.”

Tatsuki hums and rises to her feet as gracefully as she can, smiling up at Aizen as she helps Orihime and Rukia to their feet after her. “Thank you, Shinigama-sama,” she says with a deep bow, doing her best to pretend the sort of awe-admiration-subservience that someone in her position should  be showing. “We’ll return to our village, I promise.”

“See that you do,” Aizen says as he turns away, clearly dismissing them from his thoughts.

Rukia delicately frees her hand from Tatsuki’s. Reaches up to fiddle with her hair. Turns her body slightly towards Aizen’s and—

Yanks her hairstick free. Grips it tight as her long hair tumbles free, reiatsu shimmering across the ornate piece, hairstick fading into sword, and she lunges—

Aizen jerks around, eyes wide and hand fumbling for his blade and—

Rukia stabs him, straight through his chest and out the other side.

Aizen blinks. Coughs. Presses one hand to his chest and stares in disbelief as Rukia bares her teeth in his face.

“This is for everyone you’ve killed, everyone you’ve betrayed,” she hisses, sharp-furious-deadly.

Blood runs down her blade as she yanks it free— as Aizen stumbles back— as she raises her blade and strikes—

Aizen’s body crumples to the ground, still and lifeless, as his severed head tumbles away. Blood stains the grass, soaking into the ground as his reiatsu begins to dim, begins to fade, proof that they’ve done it, that they’ve fixed the future and…

Tatsuki’s knees give way and she hits the ground with a thump, relief flooding her entire being as she stares blankly at Aizen’s body.

(They’ve done it.)

(They’ve done it.)

(So much grief averted, so much suffering avoided, so many deaths prevented…)

Rukia flicks her sword, scattering droplets of blood across the ground, then bends down to wipe the blade clean on Aizen’s kosode. She straightens with a huff and turns away, striding back towards Tatsuki, lips pursed and brows furrowed. “I didn’t expect that to work,” she admits, sending her blade a disbelieving look. “He always expected everything we tried, to the very last. But three young girls and he dropped his guard…?”

Orihime laughs, bright-high-hysterical, and drifts past Tatsuki, attention fixed on Aizen’s body as she slowly approaches it. “Three young ladies wanting to have a little private time together,” she corrects airily, then pauses on the edge of the bloodstained ground and reaches up to brush her fingers across her barrettes. Her fairies pop into existence, darting over to the body as Hime stares down at it and declares, “I reject.”

Motes of light drift up from Aizen’s body as it begins to fade, begins to be unmade, under Orihime’s power.

Soon enough, there will be nothing left: no body, no blood, no evidence.

The Shinigami will never know what happened to their beloved Lieutenant.

The Shinigami will never know the bullet they’ve dodged…

“This is well before he expected to have enemies,” Tatsuki tells them both as she grabs hold of Rukia’s kimono the minute the woman comes within reach, then tugs until Rukia huffs a laugh and settles down at her side. Tatsuki leans into Rukia’s side with a sigh of relief, and says, “Especially out here.”

Rukia hums and wraps an arm around Tatsuki’s waist, pulling her closer without a second thought. “We’ll need to move on soon enough. The Shinigami will send an investigation squad when Aizen doesn’t return in a day or two, depending on why he was sent out here. If he was even officially sent out here.” She frowns down at her blade, then casts a cautious, sideways glance at Tatsuki and says, “Though… I’m not entirely certain where—” She cuts off with a yelp as Tatsuki drives an elbow into her side.

“Stop being so self-effacing,” Tatsuki orders with a disappointed scowl learned from Ichigo. “Your past self should be around here somewhere, right? We might as well go find her and see how much of a badass we can teach her to be.”

Rukia ducks her head but can’t hide the brilliant blush that spreads across her cheeks.

Tatsuki kind of wants to kiss it.

“W-well, if you’re alright with it—” Rukia starts to say.

“I think it’s a brilliant idea!” Orihime declares as she turns away from the now-pristine ground, her fairies vanishing back into her barrettes. She blinks at the sight of Rukia’s bright red cheeks, then flashes a sly-warm-teasing smile at Tatsuki and says, “It’ll certainly be fun, won’t it.”

Tatsuki glowers at Orihime, knowing exactly where her friend’s mind has gone. And while it’s definitely not objectionable to her, there’s a big difference between pretending to be lovers and being lovers, and she’s… unsure how Rukia feels about the idea.

On the other hand…

On the other hand, they certainly have plenty of time to find out, don’t they?

A slow, pleased smile creeps across Tatsuki’s face and she leans further into Rukia’s side. “It certainly will, indeed.”

Wooing her Rukia and teaching a second, tiny Rukia to be a badass from the very start?

Yeah, she could do it.

It’d be fun.

[jeizet]

OH Forgot to tag those Himes in the upper corner!

Top right corner it's Mary Poppins Hime

And Top left corner it's a concept I'm working on, Fraction Orihime.

Her story is still a big draft but basically:

During the fight in Hueco mundo between Ichigo and Ulquiorra (the one where Loly and Malory are hurting Hime), Ulquiorra gets tired of Ichigo trying to run off to save Hime, so he goes to Orihime, grabs her and makes her eat one of the boxes that Grimmjow used to trap him.

She is teleported to the middle of nowhere inside of Hueco Mundo, so far away the gang can't feel her.

She starts wandering but after some days she gets starvingly hungry and with nothing else to eat but hollows she had to do it

Eating hollows makes stronger the hollow energy she has as a full bringer to the point she becomes a hollow, with a whole on her stomach like Grimmjow.

Talking about Grimmjow he is the one that finds her! He tries to bully her but the broken and alone Orihime just hugs him and cries on his chest.

Grimmjow tells her he can open a garganta for her to take her to the human world but he still doesn't have enough energy, so Orihime starts healing his spiritual energy and they bond a little.

They go hunting together and actually kind of enjoy it, and he jokes around about how since she is now a hollow and has a hole in the same place as him, she is now hi fraction, and she is actually very happy about it, she feels part of something, less alone and with a clear guide now.

Orihime insists she wants to learn to open gargantas by herself and he teaches her.

The first time she opens a garganta, she goes to the human world, with Grimmjow as protection. She learns that she is now invisible since she is now a hollow, that she was lost and trapped for a nearly a year, and since everything is alright in the human world, that they won the war.

She visits the school since she guesses Tatsuki will be able to see her and indeed she does. Tatsuki sees her through the window and calls for Ichigo, Uryuu, Chad, Keigo and Mizuiro.

She learns that the gang goes every weekend to hueco mundo to search for her, but her presence changed so much now they were never going to actually find her.

They are thrilled to know she is alive until they realize... Ichigo can't see her. He lost his powers and since now she is a hollow they can't see eachother.

Orihime guesses that since she can interact with objects they can become penpals maybe.

They become penpals until Ichigo gets his powers back.

I can't decide if I want this AU to be Ichihime or Grimmhime... maybe Grimmichihime since no one can stop me hehehehe

Orihime Rikka outfits! + Silly Ichihime extra

I've started watching Shugo Chara, crating this was my Canon event. I have no self-control. I was unable to draw ANYTHING unless I finished this shit.

This is the post, just a bunch of Hime Designs

Concepts:

Shun-no: nurse??.

Ayame: wife kind of outfit.

Lily: superhero.

Hinagiku: Superspy, that is an alien, so doesn't know how to dress.

Baigon: samurai??

Tsubaki: assassin

[recurring-polynya]

Fanfic Round-Up 2023

I was looking at last year's round-up in preparation for doing this and it is very hilarious because it starts out with "well I set a new record in sucking" and let me tell you: I have blown away last year's new record in sucking.

That's not entirely fair-- last year, I had a pretty big word count before I stripped out everything that I hadn't actually written that year, which knocked it down to about 113k. This year, I posted an extremely sad 58,086 words, but if you add in the fanfic I spent half the year working on and haven't finished yet, it gets back up to about...113k. This is still roughly half of what I used to be capable of, but I guess I'm just not anymore. I actually tried to quit writing in the first part of the year, because it was making me miserable, but it turns out that then I just got I-am-not-writing-miserable, which was much, much worse, so I just started Doing It Miserable. I finally started feeling a little better around October before I got kneecapped by Christmas, just like I do every year. Anyway!! Here's the goods:

Most of this year's Squad Six is Jerks (volume 4 of my multi-year collection of short stories) was stuff for RenRuki week, so technically it got written in December of 2022, or before because at least two of them were things I had lying around. It includes Part 3 of my silly Renji-joins-Squad 4 AU, an angsty TYBW healing springs story, some zanpakutou nonsense, and a nice Rukia birthday story that I'm actually pretty proud of. Later on in the years, as part of the Bleach Returns event to celebrate cour 2 of the anime, I wrote a little post-lude to the Rukia's arrest scene, which I am never not thinking about.

My big accomplishment for the year, I guess, was go places, a Rukia-and-Renji-prepare-to-try-out-for-the-Academy story. I had started it years ago, and it was just this little, no-plot thing that I was fond of, and I decided to dust it off and make something of it. That turned out to be a ton more work than I expected, but I'm actually really proud of the result, which is a little bit melancholy, but also full of heart (and world building). Please read it if you enjoy scenes where characters go to the post office.

On my usual one-every-three-to-twelve-months pace, I wrote two adult fanfics this year. One is the (loose) sequel to the other. If you like stories about people having sex in extremely inconvenient places, please check out the very descriptively named Rukia and Renji Bone Down in the Urahara Shouten Stockroom and/or Things to Do in Hueco Mundo When There's a Sandstorm and You're Stuck in a Cave.

The last thing for this year was a fraction of your happy heart (irresolution doesn't suit you), a nice story where Renji and Orihime commiserate about the long-haul pining lifestyle and then go fight each other for funsies. Now that I think about it, this was another one that I pulled out of the dusty WIPs pile and finished off.

I guess that was a big theme for this year, which on one hand, sounds kind of lazy, because all I did was finish things. On the other hand, I finished a lot of things, which is sort of the perpetual lament of the fanfic writer, so good for me. Also, it was easy for some of them, but for others, it was a lot of work (I am looking at you, go places).

Also, I very much did spent a lot of time working on my next installment of the Heart is a Muscle. There's still a significant stretch to go, but I'm pretty confident that I'll be able to complete it in the first part of 2024, before the Summer Vacation slump (I have now learned to set my expectations very low for June-Aug and also the month of December, because that's just how it is). After that, I'm optimistically hoping to pick up and complete a little in love now and then as my fall project, but that's a long way off, so we'll just have to see.

[pipstr]

first, just wanna say i absolutely LOVE your art and am ecstatic that your faves are also some of my faves (shunsui needs more love/appreciation)!💕💕💕

my ask for you is what arcs in bleach did you find the most and least interesting to read about?

thank you my dear 😭😭😘

shunsui deserves all the love of the world. he remained all alone of old generation, so I want him to be happy with someone now

my least favourite arc is tybw. I mean first half was amazing and I really like it, until the moment then Yhwach absorb SK. After that moment characters start disappearing (moment with Hanataro is the funniest to me cos he's standing and chatting with Nemu and boom you wouldn't see him never again).

my favourite arc is.... idk all others? I love them all. they have their own meaning to Ichigo and his friends characters. first arc introduce why Ichigo acts like this, what traumas and regrets does he have. it shows us more about Orihime, that she is into Ichigo. it shows us Chad, who is really loyal to Ichigo. conflict with Isida. second arc with Rukia is cool too ofc, cos we are saying nice_to_meet_you to all shinigami. third arc... I mean arrancars are my favourite fraction 😍 and fullbringers... I just feel it deep inside me. Ichigo just confused and don't know who he can trust, he cant talk about his problems and doubts with dad (as I couldn't with my parents lol) and he just chooses random guy who doesnt looks friendly but nevermind. part with Tsukishima when every Ichigo close person become loyalto enemy is... just Incredible...and when Ichigo was ready for a murder

I just should say that I love bleach so freaking much. I read it in 2014 and since then bleach became my second family.

[hesesols]

Into the WILD

Day 16 of Ichiruki month 2020

Trapped inside fantasy MMORPG. Send help please?

Rating: T

FF/ao3

.

The first thing that strikes him as odd is that the ground underneath him is dewy soft. Not that the carpet in his tiny student accommodation isn't soft. It just isn't as soft by comparison and doesn't smell so strongly of grass and urgh- he hates pollen with a vengeance.

It makes his nose itch like mad and –

Wait!

Last time he checked summer was already over and the northern hemisphere was entering early autumn.

.

Brown eyes open in alarm.

The sun is in his eyes as he sits up and he's lying in a sea of golden tulips and ruby red camellias, blades of grass and crushed flowers under his fingertips.

He isn't alone.

There are others next to him. Each one garbed in unusual medieval clothing- intimidating-looking armours with spikes and brightly-coloured capes, fur-trimmings and equally garish-looking armbands; brandishing weapons that range from claymores to wooden staffs. Everyone seems to be in more or less the same state of disbelief and wide-eyed amazement at their new surroundings.

Where are they?

And holy shit! Is that a real-life armoured bear?

.

"You look like you could use a hand there, Kurosaki."

"Ishida?"

Ishida or at least who he assumes to be Ishida- his annoying cousin of sorts and fellow guild member- stands in front of him, offering an outstretched hand. Ichigo recognizes the voice but those pointy ears, the gleaming ivory bow that stands at a grown man's height and strange cleric-like clothing- those are definitely new. He grabs hold of it and pulls himself up, wiping at the grass stains with a fierce scowl before turning to the strange elf-like creature.

"What are you wearing?

Uryuu snorts, "I could ask you the very same question, Kurosaki."

Ichigo glances at the midnight black armour he has on- light weight, extra resistance to magic and +25% endurance to all physical attacks- wait, where did that come from?- the reassuring weight of Zangetsu in his hands-

He blinks.

.

Name: Zangetsu. Also known as: Sword of the Moon, Cursed Fang. Status: Legendary. Raid item from the Sacking of the Gollum King's Palace at Hueco Mundo. The mythical black blade forged by the Grandmaster Yhwach over the Fires of Sokyouku for a full year and a half in preparation for the Conquest of the Soul King's Throne (see also Conquest of the Soul King's Throne). Grants the wielder—

.

Reeling from the surprise, he falls flat on the grass.

How the hell did that just happen? How did all those words and background information just pop into his head unprompted? Almost like they're in a fantasy RPG gam—

"What's going on?"

Uryuu's smile is grim and sardonic, sliding the half-moon glasses up the bridge of his nose before he tells him, "Don't freak out but I think we're inside the game."

.

.

.

"Anything?"

Uryuu shakes his head.

Ichigo sighs. The lines of communication are down and no one has been able to log back out into the real world since they first entered.

"This doesn't make any sense at all!"

10,000 WILD players across the world and different servers who were online and active at precisely 12 midnight that day somehow found themselves transported into the game world and trapped there as their game character persona.

They're calling it the Lockdown.

No one has a clue as to why they were the only people affected, nor do they know how they came to. One minute they were logged in, playing the game as usual; the next thing they know they're lying flat on their asses in this strange new world strongly reminiscent of the game world of WILD, as their respective game characters.

He's one of the lucky ones he thinks. As a human Swords Master, there isn't much alteration to him besides the clothes and the muscle bulk added to his physique, unlike Chad who woke up as a bear armed to the teeth with a war axe and metal gauntlets. It wouldn't have been a pleasant wake up call for anyone, much less someone who wakes up trapped inside a fantasy MMORPG.

"What about Keigo then? Have you managed to locate him yet?"

Uryuu's eyebrow twitches. The pale blue glow from his hand falters for a fraction of a second when his attention shifts to shoot his guild leader a nasty glare.

Ichigo growls before mumbling out an apology to the raven-haired Cleric. He knows of course that Uryuu is trying his best and really in a strange new world that seems equal parts deadly and fascinating, the best is all they can do.

He's just … frustrated over the lack of answers and to make matters worse, one of their own still remains unaccounted for. Out of all the guild members who decided to switch servers during the Lockdown, it just had to be Keigo- scatterbrain extraordinaire. He wouldn't trust Keigo not to get sold on some crazy-ass get-rich-quick scheme in the real world, let alone in this virtual reality full of bloodthirsty monsters just waiting to make a nice dinner out of unsuspecting players.

The double doors to his studies are suddenly pushed apart, jolting him out of his thoughts. Orihime stumbles in barefooted and narrowly avoids tripping over the trail of her druidic dress robes in her excitement. Her cheeks are flushed and the pretty flowers in her flower crown bloom and blossom in magnificent shades of pinks and violets as she makes her announcement.

"Kurosaki-kun! I have his location!"

Ichigo jumps to his feet.

.

Finally!

.

It's the first piece of good news he's had since he found himself stranded here with the rest of his guild members.

"So where is the idiot then?"

Behind her, trails Tatsuki- their resident cynic and Shield Maiden who purses her lips and informs both him and Uryuu rather miserably, "You're not going to like this. He's in the Forest."

Ichigo resists the urge to face-palm as he sees Uryuu rubbing at his temple.

"Keigo must have been on his way back to HQ and decided to take the shorter route," Uryuu rationalizes things- as the team tactician he excels at it, "he couldn't possibly have known."

That's right. Keigo couldn't possibly have known that he would get sucked into the game and be left standing in place of his game character.

Tatsuki gives a derisive snort, "Doesn't make a difference. A level 25 Bard like him can't possibly survive the Forest of Hueco Mundo alone. He's going to get himself killed. The Forest is no man's land- level 70+ Hollows and player killers aren't warded out."

All eyes turn to their orange-haired team leader.

"What do you want us to do?"

Call it instincts but Ichigo has a nasty suspicion that player death in their new world would also mean certain death in the real world. The thought makes him nauseous and for obvious reasons, he isn't too keen on testing out the theory himself.

Keigo may be a pain-in-the-neck and downright insufferable at times but damn it! He's one of them. He's their pain-in-the-neck and they can't just leave him there.

In the real world, Ichigo Kurosaki may be just an ordinary university student bogged down by studies but here in WILD, he's a guild leader, it's his job to look after his guild members and he pledges to make sure that every single one of them makes it back home to the real world in one piece.

Ichigo heaves a loud weary sigh, grabbing the sleek black katana by his side.

"Let's go get our idiot back!"

.

.

.

"I told you we should have gone left instead of right!"

Tatsuki can feel her skull throbbing. She should have just stayed behind with Chad and Orihime.

"Stop yelling at me! It's not my bloody fault that you're so fucking incompetent that you couldn't get a better map!"

"Oh so I'm the incompetent one?! Never mind I was the one who organized the rations! We would have starved to death days ago if I hadn't triple checked our provisions!"

Tatsuki grimaces as the feel of exhaustion creeps in as does the unbearable chaffing on her thighs. It wasn't just the lines of communications that were shut off with the Lockdown. It turns out the Portals- their main means of transport have also been disrupted and that means that the full distance between Karakura and the Forest had to be covered by good old-fashioned horse-riding.

They've been riding nonstop since they left Karakura, trading horses with NPCs in the farmlands nearby to push ahead at a gruelling pace and rescue Keigo as soon as possible. It is a noble cause but the trade-off for the weeks' long worth of hard-riding leaves the three riders surly and sullen. This virtual reality that they're trapped in certainly feels real enough, right down to hunger pangs and sore muscles.

Chaffed thighs, bland food, little sleep and the heat (the sheer humidity was making her hair frizz) made for horrible traveling condition and it seems that both Ichigo and Uryuu are about to hit their respective boiling points.

She rolls her eyes, tugging at her horse's rein to halt.

"Both of you need to shut up before –"

A sudden rustling in the bushes nearby draws their collective attention and sure enough from the depth of the overgrown bushes, a Hollow emerges. This one seems more reptilian in features, flickering pink tongue and all. Something jumps at the back of her mind but Tatsuki ignores it.

The Guide is nothing more than a useless collection of WILD lore and trivia.

She doesn't need a lecture on Hollow classes and their special attacks to know that the only good Hollow is a dead one.

With a loud battle war cry, she unsheathes her blade and leads the charge, throwing herself against the beast.

.

.

Ichigo leaps through the dense foliage with Zangetsu drawn and bloodied in his hand. Despite Tatsuki's misgivings about his foolhardy plans and recklessness, the woman is just as bad with her own brand of battle lust, leading the charge like a crazy berserker.

All hell literally broke loose the second they stormed through the clearing. The sheer number of the Hollow horde overwhelmed them and forced them to break formation and the three of them took off in different directions in a bid to divide the remaining Hollows' attention.

He ducks behind a tree to catch his breath. Having lost sight of both Uryuu and Tatsuki during their retreat, he is in a sour mood and more than a little embarrassed that a level 98 Swordsmaster like him is being forced back by a horde of weakling Hollows in level 50s.

"Psst. Ichigo."

Ichigo grips Zangetsu tightly, eyes nervously darting at his surroundings. He could have sworn that he heard Keigo's voice. Well it's either that or he's officially losing his mind.

"Over here."

A head pops out from the bushes next to him and Ichigo reacts accordingly- nearly slicing the newcomer's head clean off his shoulder and Keigo almost becomes a casualty of friendly fire before Ichigo sees through the heavy layer of disguise and stops the blade mid-swing.

"Keigo?"

The bard is barely recognizable with his slashed and dirtied tunic, patches of dirt and dried leaves covering his face.

"The fuck you doing- sneaking up on me like that! I could have killed you!"

Keigo couldn't have cared less. With a loud wail and snot running down his face, he throws himself at his saviour and professes his undying gratitude in between hiccups and tears.

"ICHIGO! I knew you would come for me! I never doubted for a second!"

"Get off me! You stink!"

The happy reunion doesn't last as the roar of a Hollow and heavy footsteps of a lumbering giant still their movements. Ichigo pushes Keigo away from him and readies his blade, but even his quick reflexes are no match for the suddenness of the attack.

"ICHIGO!"

The Hollow's swipe knocks the air right out of him and sends him flying. The tree trunk of a young sapling snaps in half as his back connects painfully with it. The pain disorients him and he is enough of a doctor's son to recognize the signs of concussion. Also, he thinks he might have cracked a rib (or two) as fresh blood- metallic in taste gurgles past his throat.

His vision clears in time for him to see the Hollow- a Dragon class one with beady yellow, thick, iridescent scales covering its front and gigantic wings sprouted at his back, rearing up for another charge.

This time at Keigo, who is down on his knees- eyes wide with fear as he scrambles to get away from the advancing Hollow.

There's no time to think. Ichigo pushes everything he has- the very last spurt of HP and MP within him towards Keigo, taking his place before the monster with gapping mouth, awaiting certain death to come.

.

.

"Out of the way!"

His eyes snap open just in time to see a small lithe figure, sunlight reflecting off the bone white armour- so bright that he squints, leaping through air and landing gracefully on the Hollow's back. A glint of light flashes yet again and before his very eyes, one of the Hollow's tattered wings is cut off, an arc of blood spurts high into the air and the Hollow's roar of anguish follows.

"Are you deaf or stupid? Get out of the way!"

Ichigo doesn't hesitate. With Keigo tucked under his arm, he pushes past the pain and sprints for the clearing.

With them gone, the mysterious stranger makes quick work of the beast, easily dismantling its other wing before diving for the kill; sinking the white blade somewhere between the soft scruff, flabs of excess skin free from the scaly armour.

Ichigo watches in silence as the dying monster screeches in pain, a swan's song in roars of fury before it topples over with dead eyes, a fine cloud of dust from where its body fell.

With the urgency of the situation gone, he focuses on the newcomer. Sheathing Zangetsu as it becomes apparent from the markings and sigil on the stranger's shield and helmet that he is a Paladin, one dedicated to the path of the light. They're in safe hands- for now at least.

"Where did you come from?"

The Paladin regards him oddly.

"What do you mean?"

.

"Princess!"

Half a dozen of swords are suddenly drawn and held under their throats by what seems to be a band of armed knights. Their armours gleam with the same bone-white shine and the leader of the men- a tall redhead with inked markings across his forehead approaches them with a fierce scowl and the intent to kill.

Next to him, Keigo yelps.

"The fuck!" Ichigo curses. His chest hurts, he's barely standing on his feet and now this?

Can this day get any worse?

.

"Watch your mouth, you punk!" The redhead growls threateningly, "You're in the presence of the Princess."

Amber eyes narrow. Did they think he's stupid? There's no one vaguely even female in their company unless—

The Paladin removes his helmet and a cascade of black hair- dark as the night pours forth. Apple cheeks, soft petal lips and elfin features curtailed somewhat by the iciness of her stare and her unsmiling face.

Their eyes meet.

.

Oh!

.

The short stature suddenly makes so much sense. Ichigo gulps.

"They're Heroes, Renji."

Renji scowls and gives them a dirty look.

Ichigo's eyebrows knot in confusion. "Hang on- what do you mean by Heroes and how are you a princess? Royalty isn't a job class and Paladins don't call themselves Princesses. I don't care what level you are, that's not allowed by the game admins."

The smile on the woman's face- Ichigo doesn't know what to make of it, but he thinks he's about to be made into a fool of epic proportions, especially when she pushes past her armed guards and tilts his face up by the chin with the tip of her white blade.

Smirking with dark violet eyes gleaming, she tells him, "That's because I'm not a Hero. Look closer."

Sure enough- when Ichigo focuses his gaze at her, her presence is shrouded in golden aura. The Guide pings- very belatedly and most unhelpfully, he might add.

.

Name: HRH Princess Rukia of the noble house of the Kuchiki, heir apparent to the throne of Seireitei. Status: NPC

.

He bites his tongue.

"B-But- but NPCs aren't sentient," Keigo blurts out.

Ichigo turns just in time to see him give out a pained yelp, being pummelled by the angry redhead, "Oh I'll show you how non-sentient my fists are!"

He winces. That looks like it would hurt… a lot. But Keigo's an idiot with thick skin, he'll live.

Rukia- her name rolls off his tongue easily. He refuses to even entertain the idea of addressing her by her royal title. For starters, a princess isn't supposed to be a Paladin, or know how to fight or use a sword, or look this good while having him at her mercy.

He gulps when violet eyes narrow at him.

"And you? Do you think that NPCs are non-sentient beings too?"

Ichigo is a fast learner and gives a quick shake of his head.

"Good-" her lips curve into a smile, hair dipping low to tease at the contours of his face as she whispers into his ear- "Because this NPC just saved your life. I'll show you just how deadly I am with my sword before you dismiss me as just another background token NPC."

The sword tip leaves his neck.

"Now, hold still."

That's all the warning he gets before a green glow is emitted from her hands- smelling faintly of mint and something fresh he can't quite name. He shuts his eyes, letting the healing magic wash over him, knitting most of his superficial cuts and wounds back into place.

When the light fades, his chest still hurts but at the very least he feels a little less light-headed and breathes a little easier despite the pain.

He wants to thank her- both for her healing and her timely rescue from the Hollow but she refuses to meet his eyes.

"Renji," she barks at her captain of guards who immediately stands to attention.

"Take them with us. He needs a proper healer. I can't set his broken ribs."

"It's Ichigo!" he calls out, interrupting their conversation and earning himself a hard glare from Renji but Rukia's gaze is almost thoughtful.

"Can you still ride, Ichigo?"

He nods.

A horse is brought to him under Rukia's instructions and as soon as he is properly mounted with Keigo seated behind him, the woman sounds the horn, black hair unbound and flailing in the wind as she leads the company into a gallop.

"To Seireitei!"

.

.

FF/ao3

Review, like, comment or reblog to send some love my way pretties~~~

I have a thing for fantasy AUs. Can’t you tell? Click on link for rec list of some off-main Isekai/Game animes. I have a special place in my heart for them.

[liesonthefloordramatically]

Annotations for “the seventh day of the seventh month”

(Link to the fic if you’ve somehow managed to stumble on this.)

As usual, I am only annotating the big things!  If you wanna know more, feel free to hit me up in the comments on AO3 or on Tumblr!  There are also a bunch of little jokes and Easter eggs hidden throughout the fic, if you have more knowledge of Japanese religion/Japanese language/my other fics.  If you find any of them, please let me know and I will give you a virtual gold star.

Festivals in general - “Wow, Queenie, have you been to a festival before?” you ask.  Yeah, you might say that.  If I have managed to capture a fraction of the colorful, weird, liminal, sweaty, noisy, marvelous mess that is a summer festival, I will be content.

Tanabata - Tanabata is a festival based on a legend about the weaving maiden (Orihime) and the cowherd (Hikoboshi).  They are separated by the Milky Way and can only meet (via a magpie bridge across the Milky Way) once a year.  If it’s raining on Tanabata, the magpie bridge can’t form and they can’t meet.  Orihime and Hikoboshi correspond to the stars Vega and Altair, respectively.  There is a lot more Tanabata Lore that I didn’t really get into in this fic; look it up if you’re interested in learning more!

Tanabata in Morioh - Morioh is based on real world Sendai (S City), which is famous for its Tanabata celebrations (held August 6-8).  Morioh’s Tanabata isn’t a one-to-one reproduction of Tanabata in Sendai, but look it up if you want some visual references (and because it’s cool)!

Shrine geography - The exact layout of each shrine is different, but some common features: a main shrine building (that people usually pray outside of), one or more shrine gates, and a shrine office (which is where they dispense charms and fortunes and amulets for household altars).  In case you need a refresher, Jotaro’s local shrine looks like this.  Assuming that I’ve done my mapping correctly, this is the real-world analogue of Josuke’s local shrine, although the layout of the Morioh shrine in this fic is fictional.

Japan’s two-part summer - Japanese summer is split into the “rainy season” (mid-June to mid-July) and “after the rainy season” (mid-July to September).  The rainy season is appreciably cooler and less humid but also...more rainy.  July 7 and August 7 thus have pretty wildly different weather patterns, even putting aside geographical differences.

Tanabata wishes - A common way to celebrate Tanabata is to write wishes on little slips of paper and tie them to bamboo.  Here’s a visual.

Yukata - A yukata is a summer version of a kimono; please do not ask me to describe clothing and instead look at this visual reference.  An obi is the sash used to tie a yukata.  Children’s yukata have different patterns than adult yukata (which also have different patterns based on gender); here’s a visual reference.  The joke here is that the only yukata Koichi could find that fit him was made for a child.

Gagaku - Traditional court music; it sounds like this.  The taiko drum is the big drum (which is also used at shrines, independently from gagaku performance).  Festivals will sometimes have live gagaku music...or will sometimes play the same 30-minute cassette on loop over the shrine A/V system for thirteen hours.  It’s fine.

The One-Month Delay - All facts offered in this fic are true and accurate.  Tanabata has a really wide range of dates when it gets celebrated in Japan, including: the seventh day of the seventh month under the Gregorian calendar (July 7), the seventh day of the seventh month under the Gregorian calendar + one-month delay (August 7), and the seventh day of the seventh month under the lunar calendar (dates variable depending on the year).

Obon - A Buddhist festival honoring the spirits of the dead.  Traditionally held on the fifteenth of the seventh month under the lunar calendar, but now officially recognized as a national holiday on August 15 in Japan.  Like Tanabata, different areas of Japan celebrate it on different days.  The Obon holiday (August 13-15, although some schools and workplaces may give more time off) is one of the biggest travel holidays in Japan.

Festival food - Each region of Japan has its own specialty foods, but there are a lot of Festival Foods™ you can find anywhere.  I’m not going to annotate most of the individual foods because I think they’re pretty easy to uncover via Google if you’re interested!  “Queenie, is Jotaro right about cucumber on a stick?” you ask.  I skillfully dodge the question.

Wait, hold on, it’s just a cucumber?  On a stick?  It’s (lightly) pickled but, essentially, yes.

Frozen mikan can - Okay, I’ll actually gloss this one, since I do think it’s one of the less common festival foods in this fic.  Basically, you take a can of mikan (sometimes called “Satsuma oranges” or “mandarin oranges” in the States) and you...freeze it.  Visual reference here.  It turns into a solid block of ice and fruit that you painstakingly chisel out with a plastic spoon.  Highly recommended.

Miko - If you’ve seen an appreciable amount of anime, you probably already know what a miko is, but they’re the young women (sometimes called “shrine maidens”) who staff shrines.  Here’s a visual reference.  Some (bigger) shrines have full-time miko, but smaller ones tend to hire high school and college students part-time.  Yukako is correct that some people claim serving as a miko is good training for marriage.

Charms - Shrines sell charms for different benefits--they tend to be made out of brocade, often with the benefit and/or the name of the shrine embroidered on them.  Here’s a nice visual of a bunch of different types.  Some common charms you can find at pretty much any shrine: traffic safety, success in academics, good health, recovery from illness, safe childbirth, success at work, peace and prosperity in the household, business prosperity, etc.

Happi - A type of straight-sleeved coat, primarily worn at festivals.  Visual reference here.

Japanese toy guns - Surprisingly common at festivals and pretty unnerving for Americans, since they’re not legally required to make them look fake.

[blackrder]

@orihibae asked: orihime gently brushes their bangs aside and places a tender peck upon their brow. "thank you for your support, rider. I truly appreciate it."

                                    𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞-𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐝𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐲𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐠𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧, 𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐞 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐮𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐣𝐞𝐰𝐞𝐥-𝐥𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐜 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐞𝐲𝐞𝐬 𝐬𝐚𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐣𝐨𝐲. glimmering figments of childhood and adolescent rivers running with brisk disappointment and acerbic exasperation, words of affirmation were scarce and praise paltry—blackberry thorns piercing their flesh as they scrambled away from men’s sharp jeers and hallowed mockery: not all knights were kind and less were accommodating of unaccountable weakness and repetitive failures. missteps and blunders followed them wherever they went, barbed wires wrapped around their delicate throat like a serrated noose: darling of the people they were but the warriors’ and the soldiers’ patronizing grins lurked about, haunting them from the tenebrous shadows, an ever constant reminder that they might not be worthy to stand amongst their fellow gilded paladins, that they could be shameful castaways, their blatant lack branded irrevocably upon their smaller frail body. but, oh, orihime does not see the immortalized anguish which has so taunted them with predatory threats of defeat that could pronounce their annihilation and orihime’s possible fall in battle. the mere thought sends them reeling with traitorous fright; they will not allow for such a situation to befall neither her nor themselves. 

                                    the manifestation of apollo’s darling, she is lovesome, as bright as an emblazoned star. the universe would be remiss if astolfo dared to fall short of being her shield and lance! her unwavering strength and powerful magical abilities mark her as a formidable opponent; oftentimes, 𝑎𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑙𝑓𝑜 𝑝𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑠ℎ𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑡𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑚 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦 𝑠𝑎𝑚𝑒 𝑤𝑎𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑑𝑒𝑓𝑒𝑛𝑑 ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑓𝑖𝑒𝑟𝑐𝑒𝑙𝑦. the sweet kindness of her touch is a hymnal lullaby, an undeserved benediction that engulfs them in its piercing tenderness. they cannot resist fractionally leaning in for they have invariably been ravenous for affectionate declarations of encouragements, particularly that orihime’s gratitude is achingly sincere. 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐬 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚 𝐠𝐢𝐟𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭.   ❝   ah, i shall not say ‘no need to thank me’, though that would be the courteous response that a prince and a knight such as myself should endorse! because we both know that i’m always asking for praise!   ❞   an airy giggle leaps from their lips, their gaze epitomizing soft elation.   ❝   so, you’re most welcome! it was my pleasure to aid you however i could! but, listen, i’ll do my best to get stronger so that you can rely on me more often. you don’t have to, of course! stil, i want to prove myself to you! i want to prove that i’m worthy of your partnership!   ❞