- Location
- Australia
As I understand it, Shakespeare was the Michael Bay of theatre.
Now You Feel Like Number None [Bleach Arrancar Quest]
- Thread starter Omicron
- Start date
- Users' Choice!
Voted best in category in the Users' Choice awards.
IIRC Shakespeare was popular because he made stuff that the nobles could go "Ah, the praise"/"Silly foreigners" at while the commoners went "Lol, Noble Fops" at.
Also, it's still useless for high school English. Wonder how long it'll take for him to move to Lit Hist where he belongs.
Fanwork Collection 25/02
- Location
- Brittany, France
- Pronouns
- He/Him
EDIT: Aaaaand of course my complete post got denied because it had more than 20 images. Fine, let's split this up.
And thus it is time for another fanwork collection!
However, before we get to this, I would like to have a word with you. This past month hasn't been great for my update speed due to a number of Real Life reasons, and it may be a few days before I update Number None again. I'm sorry for that, but it can't be helped.
That said, if you've been following this Quest so far and enjoying my writing, you might enjoy the writing that I enjoy! Therefore, I will be using this threadmarked post to unleash the Legendary Multi-Shill Technique and link you to several Quests you should read and follow while I work on the next update over the following days.
@TheOneMoiderah's Raging Sea of Flames is a space-faring Quest featuring strange new worlds, epic mecha battles, and conflicted characters full of personal issues and conflicts. It's a wild, entrancing world whose brutal battles result in shattered landscapes and broken armies, with a distinctly sci-fi take on the post-industrial aesthetic, full of junkyard planets and abandoned worlds standing in contrast to the frightening power of giant robots who can crush small armies to dust, but need ever more precious money to repair and enhance themselves.
@Cetashwayo's Sworn to the State is the loose sequel to Sworn to the Scythe, one of my favorite Quests ever. Pulagu Shulgi "Queen" Vashti is a Vicar, a member of an elite-yet-feared-and-ostracized class of religious officials who learn to master schools of spiritual powers to defeat armies and put rogue spirits to rest. You have found shelter in a monastery as war engulfs the lands around you, and it is time to decide how to save your people from the violence that pervades a fallen world, even as golems, ghosts, rogue spirits and stranger things besides gather around your new home.
Given the inherent overlap between Bleach fanfic followers, I assume most of you have heard of @Maugan Ra's Of Noble Purpose. If you have not, consider that this story shares some similar themes to Number None - a young Shinigami, straight out of the Academy, joins a four-people squad and must learn to do her job balancing her ties to a powerful noble family and her duties as a Soul Reaper who must preserve te balance of souls. Interpersonal conflicts and relationships are at the core of this Quest, which is why I like it so much.
(And, if after that barrage of multi-Quest shilling, you still have room for more, consider my slow-updating but still active Quests: Snowflake, a urban fantasy story of a young wizardess seeking the mysteries of highest magic, and Bunraku, a fantasy medieval Japan story following the pilot of a wood-and-silk medvieval mecha in her war against bandits and rogue divinities.)
I'm... not sure about this. It seems to switch between second- and first-person and unless I've missed something it looks like a mistake rather than a stylistic choice? And Szayel trying to grasp La Marana isn't something that's happening, and there's a Blues joke but it gets bogged down in the narrative and this... Doesn't quite work, sorry. There's an interesting idea at its core but it doesn't pan out. I might give XP for a more refined version.
I would advise getting someone to proofread your work - you still slip from second- to first-person at one point, and it might help your writing feel more fluid.
That said this is a pretty solid sketch. Have 25xp.
Now, I get the implication you've tried to sneak in there, and I am not making it canon that Kenpachi is the soul of a purified Vasto Lorde
That said, hey, it's just a story. It could be false or interpreted in various ways. And I like Luppi and Ren chatting together. The omake is canon, and hhave 100xp for it.
Goddammit, I love this Minirucci adventure. You actually have me waiting for the next update, even though this is my thread and my Quest, you monster.
I'm giving you 50xp for it. And as usual I offer a completion bonus if you wrap up that series of omakes but given its nature it seems unlikely. So there, that's my revenge
Actually it's really interesting to read these - and to have read some entires that are now gone during your writing process - as it gives me a different perspective on the Quest; for instance, you seem to have felt Chapter 10 to be much sadder than I thought it to be when writing it.
Anyway, have 50xp for your work, and this is the last time I am giving XP for anything TVTropes related. There, done.
I really love how in the plane theft picture Nemo isn't riding in the plane but instead Cirucci holds her hand while she glides alongside it so she can feel like she's flying. That's adorable. Everything about P!Nemo and Minirucci is adorable, except that Nnoitra pic, which instead is really cool for its level of detail and its feeling of action in motion. Jackelton and the Pugalera look classy as hell.
But I still wish you had a non-joke version of that Ashido page because it's great
Have 200xp for the lot.
And thus it is time for another fanwork collection!
However, before we get to this, I would like to have a word with you. This past month hasn't been great for my update speed due to a number of Real Life reasons, and it may be a few days before I update Number None again. I'm sorry for that, but it can't be helped.
That said, if you've been following this Quest so far and enjoying my writing, you might enjoy the writing that I enjoy! Therefore, I will be using this threadmarked post to unleash the Legendary Multi-Shill Technique and link you to several Quests you should read and follow while I work on the next update over the following days.
@TheOneMoiderah's Raging Sea of Flames is a space-faring Quest featuring strange new worlds, epic mecha battles, and conflicted characters full of personal issues and conflicts. It's a wild, entrancing world whose brutal battles result in shattered landscapes and broken armies, with a distinctly sci-fi take on the post-industrial aesthetic, full of junkyard planets and abandoned worlds standing in contrast to the frightening power of giant robots who can crush small armies to dust, but need ever more precious money to repair and enhance themselves.
@Cetashwayo's Sworn to the State is the loose sequel to Sworn to the Scythe, one of my favorite Quests ever. Pulagu Shulgi "Queen" Vashti is a Vicar, a member of an elite-yet-feared-and-ostracized class of religious officials who learn to master schools of spiritual powers to defeat armies and put rogue spirits to rest. You have found shelter in a monastery as war engulfs the lands around you, and it is time to decide how to save your people from the violence that pervades a fallen world, even as golems, ghosts, rogue spirits and stranger things besides gather around your new home.
Given the inherent overlap between Bleach fanfic followers, I assume most of you have heard of @Maugan Ra's Of Noble Purpose. If you have not, consider that this story shares some similar themes to Number None - a young Shinigami, straight out of the Academy, joins a four-people squad and must learn to do her job balancing her ties to a powerful noble family and her duties as a Soul Reaper who must preserve te balance of souls. Interpersonal conflicts and relationships are at the core of this Quest, which is why I like it so much.
(And, if after that barrage of multi-Quest shilling, you still have room for more, consider my slow-updating but still active Quests: Snowflake, a urban fantasy story of a young wizardess seeking the mysteries of highest magic, and Bunraku, a fantasy medieval Japan story following the pilot of a wood-and-silk medvieval mecha in her war against bandits and rogue divinities.)
I love this far too much for my own good. As before, 50xp for each, so 100xp + 50 bonus xp to Cirucci.
Thaaank you. I promised, what was it, 50xp for that? Have them.
You know, drawn like that, Nemo looks kinda like a human in a monster suit. Like something you'd see in a sentai show. 25xp.uh, i made a thing. it aint all that good tho. it's just from a lil scene in C0 - Distraction where Nemo's perched on top of a tree looking at some tall hollows? i dont really bleach so i just used google liberally. hope yall eyes dont burn lol. also, im just doing this stuff as practice to do art againif i get some exp with this, then it's just a bonus i think
edit: ill spoiler it if anyone asks
Not bad. I'll give you 50xp for it, although I am not making this canon as there are some details which don't match with my view of Hollow!Cirucci - most importantly, at that time she did not have the power to bring rain, her thunderstorms were "dry," so to speak, without any life-bringing aspect.
Heh.I did a Thingy
Szayel's Inner Monologue
It all started two weeks ago. A normal week of testing, inventing, and suffering. Not your own suffering of course, but rather the suffering of the uneducated masses. At least that is what you thought. But that changed. Not only had your clones been defeated, but that Upstart had been promoted above you, after defeating the Fifth Espada. Now having two new subjects to ponder and experiment with, I couldn't be happier, even if I couldn't use my normal methods, no matter how light I would get off. One doesn't stay alive if not for the kindness, or weakness, of those stronger than you, this is a lesson I learned in life, and still applies here in death.
Or at least that is what you thought. The Fifth Espada and her Fraccion came in to pose as subjects in my tests and experiments. I had learned of the so called ability of "La Marana" a great deal of time ago, however the issue I came across was not lack of ability, nor lack of experience, but rather a reliable teacher, and a reason. However now that I had time, resources, and user of La Marana, I decided while I would not learn it, I would however use it for however long I had it in my possession. Lord Aizen wouldn't keep such characters around for long, in fact I think he was giving them to me until he could dispose of them properly. I do hope the Thunderwitch got my thanks for giving me the best subject I have had in a while, Yes Yammy was a fun thing to pass the time with for sure.
I should thank the Fifth Spot when I have time in the future now that I think of it. Not only has she given me time and resources, but a fun little side project to work on and improve in my spare time. I have learned quite a deal from the former Tenth Espada. Even though I continue to learn more, I should thank Her again for disposing of the unwanted trash that I had littering my lab. Those clones while interesting to create, were flawed. Now that I have seen their faults I can remove these stains from my hand and apply new methods, new techniques, and new abilities to create more wonderful art. Ah but I am getting off task. This note is not for recording the wonderful news and ideas that sprouted from them, but rather to help me keep track of a line of thought for my newest creations.
These Creations of mine were a... collaboration with the Fraccion. A Spur of the moment deal. Like the time I had created the Elixir that was served directly to one of the so called nobles who lorded their might above you. How little did they know what I really was giving them was Poison, plain and simple. Gave it the look and sold it as a life prolonging potion. I did not give it to him myself of course, but the effect was the same. He died painfully, which served him right and showed that once again, Might falls before cunning and intelligence. Ah but I really got off point again.
The Collaboration was simply me providing the Materials and the... models for the fraccion to use to improve. At first they were confused on what I would be doing with the Marana, of course after explaining everything I had planned on doing and proving or disproving, while reluctant, did not disagree with my plan. It had started fine at first. I started creating the clones and had the Fraccion create Marana with specialized effects, at least with a general outline of what I wanted. I then implanted these objects into the subjects. At first it seems to work well together. The Marana and the Subjects synchronized quite well. But one does not get as far as I am without being cautious. After extensive testing the subjects began to show signs of rejection from the Marana, while they could use it, their bodies did not take kindly. A reasonable metaphor for why could be summed up as pushing a boulder up a hill only for it to crush you. While the bolder is intact, you would be crushed by the weight of the boulder.
An interesting application if I do say so myself. With more experimentation I had found that this was only held true to unestablished hollows, or hollows that had not gained enough power to become a gillian. Newly turned hollows while being able to use the effects of the Marana, could not use it often or very long before they started to degrade. But the true breakthrough was when one of the newer hollows actually evolved soon after having the Marana implanted into them. Not only did the Marana merge with them creating a unique feature, but they did not degrade with time.
However, being the cautious Arrancar I am, I decided to test the general idea on more Hollows. I was not disappointed, I had found a great source of soldiers, more time was needed, and resources, before I could feasibly use the theory behind what I had found out to create stronger Arrancar, but I would need to see how they would turn out after changing again. I decided to test another theory while I was at it. I had trapped exactly Forty-Two Gillians I had created and modified into one area leaving only them and the Hunger. This was my greatest mistake in the experimentation with the Fraccion.
The Idea behind the Experiment was to see if the surviving gillians not only grew in power along with their ability granted by the Marana, but if it would also be affected by the gillians they consumed, days later when I had gone to check to see how they were going. I had noticed a strange sound. It was Slow but steady, and as I grew closer to where I had sealed the Gillians the sound grew louder. I couldn't make out what the sound was, but investigated. What I had seen was surprising. The Original Gillian who started this all, was making noises. The closest I have to an example of what it sounded like would have to be Grunting and Moaning. There was another Gillian in the background making the loud steady noise, to which the First Gillian was grunting to.
Soon however they both stopped making any noise. The First one after a long moan ceased all noise. The surviving gillians, Ten out of the original Forty-Two remained, began to stomp constantly. As if applauding the Gillian making the noise. Soon to my dismay it started back up.
Ah... How the world enjoys the suffering of the Brilliant! Eventually it died down again once I added additional Gillians to be devoured. But the damned creatures kept up with their noises, and I would not end it because that would be against the point of the experiment. However the longer I listened the more I tolerated it, it was quite annoying at times, not the best atmosphere for instilling fear into the Numeros that you had running errands throughout the desert gathering what little subjects you needed to experiment upon.
Things have changed however and you summon the most... reliable of them all. A Numeros that calls themselves Shurnyo Tirantco. They have fetched you the more exotic materials you needed from the Human world, while not many Numeros had the gall to break Lord Aizen's commands, too many however went into the Human world for getting things to gift their betters. In Fact that little ring of the Human Black Market is how you get some of the ideas you wish to test out. Yes these training manuals and legends he brought you give excellent training ideas to test the effectivity of on unsuspecting Hollows. Shurnyo is one of the few you considered to make your Fraccion, at least a thought before you got back to your much needed work.
The task you gave him was to evaluate the noises and bring back the closest equivalent of what it was so that you could finally give a name to those damned noises. He came back with a type of music which surprised me at first. The music he brought were called the "Blues" a musical Subculture based off Jazz at first. That is what he told me at first. What I heard put everything together. The CD he gave me played some of the most Soul Crushing sounds I had ever heard, they spread pain and suffering throughout my work space. At least until the Player I had for the CD exploded, like the others I had made, Those damn contraptions do not like staying together when fueled by the Spiritual makeup of Las Noches.
I believe this was the Twenty fifth attempt, It took a week for this one to explode. I asked Shurnyo if he would bring back a great deal of these Blues for you to listen to. I did enjoy the depressing atmosphere it gave off. Ah! Here he comes with my Delivery now. Another good thing about Shurnyo is that he is always serious, and he understands my work greatly! Ah to have a peer who can match you, if not in power at least but rather intelligence is quite refreshing.
Note to Self. Eradicate this note with extreme prejudice in an hour or so. Perhaps Cero will do?
X-X-X
I, Shurnyo, have done it! I have played yet another joke on Szayel of the Espada. This time instead of bringing him the damned poetry those Gillians he had locked in a closet of some sort were saying, I brought him the music of a different type. I had brought him the Blues! Now I can add this to the slowly growing list of things I have done to mess with him. Should he ever discover what I've been doing I will surely die horrifically. But if that is the cost of entertainment then so be it!
I can be sure to bring him the Next volume of Unlimited Hive Storm along with more Blues. Personally I still cannot believe he bought that. For all his intelligence, he is an idiot, or at least socially incompetent. He could trick a so called emperor into killing himself with poison, but he cannot tell that I have been pranked him unceasingly since the first time he called for you. Okay, maybe the second time, HOWEVER!
I am glad no one else understands the Damned Gillians other than me, otherwise this would have quickly ended in failure. Another thing to tightrope around. I almost cannot stop myself from laughing everytime I see him. Though maybe I should tone them down quite a bit. I mean, I am learning quite a great deal from his explanations, though... If I did stop then what would I do to entertain myself? You don't have much to lose should your lies be exposed. You have nothing to lose, I myself do not even wish to exist here in the first place, so what is death to a good joke? Nothing. That is a lesson you taught yourself once you became an Arrancar, a servant of a traitor to his own kind, who oppresses me. Though what a joke would it turn out to be should Lord Aizen betray his own creations.
At least Szayel has the decency to admit upfront to you and your kind, and those he tortures constantly, that he is going to cause you suffering, and won't go back on his word. You would know, he may be irritated with certain subjects, but he doesn't seem to lie unless he is attempting to kill you or further his goal. That is why you play these Pranks on him though. So that not only do I get my kicks, but too... Help him enjoy his time, and if I benefit from his misunderstandings well, all I can say is so be it.
Edit1: Spoilered it
Edit2: Unspoilered it
I'm... not sure about this. It seems to switch between second- and first-person and unless I've missed something it looks like a mistake rather than a stylistic choice? And Szayel trying to grasp La Marana isn't something that's happening, and there's a Blues joke but it gets bogged down in the narrative and this... Doesn't quite work, sorry. There's an interesting idea at its core but it doesn't pan out. I might give XP for a more refined version.
Again, some interesting ideas, but the prose doesn't quite let them work. That said, it has a stronger ending, and the idea of Aizen foreseeing the final battle and dismissing it because the characters involved don't seem to plausibly have these skills is amusing. 25xp.I just got the Kenpachi Omake made and edited. Please review and critique please. It is shorter than the Szayel one because I am not the best at writing fights in my opinion.
(
The Defeat of Kenpachi
Everything had gone to Hell. The Espada had taken out several captains and their lieutenants, but it came at a price. The Espada suffered the loss of the new Tenth, your newest creation, a creature of defense, to take hits from captains without a scratch. It died screaming as Captain Yamamoto roasted it alive before Wonderweiss could affect him. The Seventh raced against his death, a clash of speed and steel, a single hit would decide their fate, and he lost, but not before fatally injuring Suì-Fēng, or rather injuring her enough another Espada could finish her off. You couldn't see which one it was. You finally lost the Second Espada. While he had been training, and you would know, it wasn't enough in the end.
Against the might of your arrancars the shinigami lost many more. They had lost a massive amount of their recruits, as well as several Captains. Even should they win, they will not recover from this. Not with the amount of hollows you released from Hueco Mundo. The hollow bait you used gave you an edge after Wonderweiss entered the fray. Under a massive amount of Hollows, arrancars, and Gillians from Hooleer, they would inevitably escape and spread chaos amongst the Human World. The worse thing for them however, was after I had Hooleer leave. He had opened up a way into Soul Societies realm, where he unleashed an unending amount of hollows to devour the souls there. If you would not win, Then you would guarantee that they would not win either.
You caused a great deal of trouble this time. You wish you had prepared more, and stopped messing about with the arrancar like you did. While it did amuse you, and you did not think that it would affect them too much… It did, they were not enough, You wish you created more weapons for this moment, as well as enhanced the ones you already had. Perhaps a Hollow that turned their target's spirit against them. The stronger they are, the worse it would get for them. Perhaps even a group of hollows whose specialty revolve around Ceros, that would wipe a great deal of the lesser shinigami out. However this is not the time for Lamentation or rumination upon the past, but the present. Looking upon the Battlefield once again you see quite a sight.
The collected dead for each force is countless of their main forces, and with another pause you can clearly see that everyone is at their limit. You cannot keep going on like this. It seems like this is the time to destroy these thoughts of victory. As you prepare to unleash your Bankai, that is when he comes charging into the battle. The one who seems to be enjoying slaughter the most and it seems to have not been phased in the slightest, his Endurance is quite impressive, if only you got him with the Hollowification than those low leveled goons you originally used.
Kenpachi, the monster of the Eleventh Division. At this time it seems that the battle lines have been closed and they are charging once more, the Kido Corps are attempting to use a great deal of Kido against your Espada, you end that thought quickly and watch with twisted satisfaction as they impale each other on their weapons, and the weapons of the ones they called comrades. Kenpachi just simply charges once again His presence destroys a large group of hollows by himself. He heads straight for the Fifth Espada, her Fraccion stand in his way. Luppi is thrown into a force of Beastial Hollows and Shinigami crushing them, there are a few Shinigami getting up, but Hollows seem to be used to such things and recover quicker. You are sure that they did not survive.
Her other fraccion, Nemo, blocks the way. She takes the hit from Kenpachi, the damage she has taken already worsens. Her arm is ripped off, Blood flows freely from her wounds, in fact you do not think that she can use one of her arms. But she still stands, if just barely. You hear Kenpachi's laugh before he raises his sword to strike her down once and for all. The Espada screams her fraccion's name. She jumps forward and pulls her back just in time, while not taking the physical blow, she still takes its damage nonetheless.
You see the Fifth espada throws her remaining Fraccion to another Espada's Fraccion, she then releases and charges Kenpachi. He takes several hits one of which injures him greatly, in retaliation however simply grabs her body and slams it into the ground repeatedly. He continues until she stops moving. That is when her Fraccion releases herself.
Kenpachi takes a few hits from her before he does the same thing he did to her Espada. After Kenpachi finishes with her he turns to find his next target. He spots Starrk and smiles before he starts to charge him. He stops though, you don't see why at first, but when you do you blink. After all that abuse Nemo stands up again. She begins to limp, still released, towards Kenpachi. He turns to face her and smiles. She starts to do something. She plans to Gran Rey Cero him. You doubt that would injure him even if he was injured more, but at this point you decide to lend your own help.
You distract Kenpachi if only for a moment by diverting a lieutenant leveled Shinigami to attack him. He cuts them in half looking away if only briefly. At this point Nemo is but a few steps away. That is when Nemo forces you to blink again. She crushes something that only she can see her hand turns black and wisps of shadow glide from it, suddenly she then lunges towards Kenpachi. She punches him in what some would consider the weakness of any man and then the world turns white.
When sight returns Kenpachi is on the ground. He will not be getting up again. That is without doubt. You move quickly and finish him off permanently. Kenpachi's head rolls across the ground and the Eleventh Division joins the other few divisions that have lost their captains in mourning. Nemo now collapses and begins to crawl towards the Fifth Espada, you think you see tears flowing from her mask. You scan the battlefield for any targets that you should take care of.
There is not that can be done, but fight. And that is what you do. With these final words it has been decided. With this you unleash one of the few trump cards you have left. With a single breath. You speak. "Ban-kai" Everything fades to Black.
X-X
You wake up with a start. What a disturbing dream. And during one of your few breaks after all the chaos the last few days brought. This moment of sleep that you had, while it did provide you a few ideas, was mostly useless. Nothing you saw could realistically work. You sigh as you realize that you have nothing to do today, and since you cannot get to sleep again, you might as well try putting this time to good use. You decide, long ranged support would help against the Kido Corps, as well as maybe, a defense oriented Hollow wouldn't be the worst idea you have had. To be fair though, as far as anyone will ever know, it was all according to plan, because you did not take one hundred years of damned acting lessons to not use them.
You Assume your natural state of being. A Smug Know-It-All, with a permanent Smirk in place. Another long day is in front of you. You exit your room and approach your throne. Once you Sit in it all the trouble in Los Noches rushes you. They will not win against you today.
I would advise getting someone to proofread your work - you still slip from second- to first-person at one point, and it might help your writing feel more fluid.
Why do you people keep throwing maids at me
That said this is a pretty solid sketch. Have 25xp.
I like this.
Now, I get the implication you've tried to sneak in there, and I am not making it canon that Kenpachi is the soul of a purified Vasto Lorde
That said, hey, it's just a story. It could be false or interpreted in various ways. And I like Luppi and Ren chatting together. The omake is canon, and hhave 100xp for it.
I don't know how you keep doing these but I love them. Have 50xp.
AND NOW IT HAS PICTURESNow You Feel Like Number 48
XVIII: That Which Consumes
---------------------------------------------
"Ow! I hate this whole undertaking. I hate these cultists. On our way out the door, I'm destroying their village. What's so interesting about those pictures?"
"This is what we came for. The accumulated history, legends, and myths of the group are carved here on the wall, so that they won't be forgotten. This looks like a pretty conventional metaphysical legend, telling why there is no sun in the skies of Hueco Mundo. There are lots of these legends, although many of them are broadly similar. They provide a mythic, metaphorical explanation for natural phenomena, in this case the eternal night."
"Metaphorical? So it's not even true?"
"It's not a matter of true or false, it's common cultural touchstone for otherwise disparate beings! It's a fascinating and enlightening practice, giving us glimpses into the culture of long-dead hollows!"
"Why are the pictures so crappy?"
"They're trap cultists, not art cultists."
"So this big hollow flew around the skies, shooting energy beams at all those littler hollows."
"Metaphor, remember. The big one with the halo isn't a hollow, it's the personification of the sun. This is a story about the prehistory of Hueco Mundo, when it had a sun that shone down upon the land, scorching and tormenting the hollows, who had to hide from its harsh light underground. That's also why all those shuriken-flinging mechanisms were set up to fire upon you when you approached the mural. They represent the painful rays of the sun."
"Was there really a time when Hueco Mundo had a sun? A real sun, not a fake thing in Las Noches?"
"It's a metaphor."
"I still think it looks like a big hollow shooting ceros at other hollows."
"Ahhhhh! Put me out, put me out, put me out!"
"Stop, drop, and roll! Stop, drop and roll! No, roll the other way! Roll the other way!"
...
"So, here, we see the Mantis, who is an archetypal hero to trap cultists, often treated as the first or greatest trapsmith. He grew tired of hiding from the sun during the day, and decided to do something about it. Here he is, at his anvil, wielding his mighty hammer and tongs."
"So the flamethrowers represent the heat of his forge."
"Probably."
"Yeah, I think I'm starting to get this. So he went to his anvil, and forged himself a shield, and a maraschino cherry."
"I think that's a magical lasso that can seal the power of the sun away. See how there's energy inside the loop, but not outside? It's representative art."
"It looks like a cherry. How would you forge a lasso, anyhow? They're made of rope. You can't forge rope."
"Maybe it's made of wire."
"Maybe you're making this all up as you go."
"Son of an Shinigami, that was close. All arms and legs accounted for?"
"Fine. I told you, the traps get more dangerous as you go."
"Yeah, you said that. Ishi, if, somehow, one of these traps gets me, I want you to promise me something. Do NOT let these cultist jackasses eat me. I hate them. Eat my body yourself, if necessary. Don't reward their bad behavior."
"..."
"Only if something else gets me, though. No killing me yourself because you're hungry. I mean it."
"So, in this mural, the Mantis is journeying to the highest mountain in Hueco Mundo, which the sun passes close by at noon. It is a long journey, and he faced many trials along the way; sneaking through the glade of the Great Spinner, matching riddles with ancient Worm Sage, crossing the pits of Green Fire."
"It wouldn't have been as long a trip if he'd just gone in a straight line. Look how that path snakes back and forth. I bet he got lost, and didn't want to ask directions."
"It's metaphorical! The hero has to undergo many arduous trials to gain the skills he needs and prove his worth!"
"If he had just gone north at the start, he could have totally skipped the spiderweb thingy!"
"You cannot skip steps in a mythical heroic legend! It doesn't work that way!"
"Maybe it should! You can bet if I find myself on an epic legendary quest, I'm going to go straight to the end! No screwing around!"
"OK, that was far too easy, which concerns me. No way, after the previous nightmare, was this part only going to have some crummy swinging guillotine blades. This is some kind of like, meta-trap, where they used a simple trap to try and lure us into a false sense of security so that we wouldn't expect the real trap, which hasn't been sprung yet. And I'm not falling for it."
"Maybe they just didn't plan on you being that fast. Most hollows can't use Sonido. And there were a whole lot of blades..."
"Nope. Not buying it. Still on guard. So, here, Mantis guy confronts the big flying hollow, who is suddenly the same approximate size as him."
"It's the sun. It's metaphorical! And yes. He polished his death-deflecting shield to be mirror bright, and planted it at the highest peak of the mountain. When the sun drew close, it encountered something it had never seen before, because the sun can see anything but itself, and was entranced. And then Mantis attacked."
"With his maraschino cherry."
"With the magical lasso enchanted to seal the sun's power. He approached the sun from behind while it stared at its own reflection, roped it, and sealed up its light."
"There's no way that would work. The sun is like, waaaaaaay up there in the sky. Nobody could throw a rope that far, no matter how tall the mountain was. And the rope would break."
"IT'S A METAPHOR!"
"Look out!"
"I TOLD you there was going to be more trap. The swinging blades were way too easy."
"Shut up."
"You're welcome."
"Thank you. Now shut up about the trap. Last mural. Here's the final moral of the legend. Mantis snared the sun in his lasso, and sealed its light, so forever after only the moon is visible in the sky of Hueco Mundo. And all the hollows in the desert rejoiced to be free of its burning gaze."
"And everyone lived happily ever after."
"No. The Sun's light was sealed, but it was still able to fly through the sky. Mantis knew that if it escaped, it would free itself from the rope, and the sun would not be so easily snared a second time, so he held tight to his lasso, and was carried away through the air. They hurtled across the sky towards the west, and were never seen again, but legend tells us the Mantis never let go of the rope tying him to the sun. We know, because the night in Hueco Mundo is still unbroken. The only thing left behind to show his victory was his great mirror shield, scorched by the rays of the sun."
"Wouldn't he eventually get tired and lose his grip?"
"No."
"Or starve to death? He still needed to eat, right?"
"It's a metaphor!"
"If it's a metaphor, who made that big shield hanging over there on the wall?"
"I'm sure it's a replica the trap cultists made. Just like all the carvings on the wall. Anybody can make a giant shield."
"You know, it's kind of nice looking. And the Privaron doesn't have a good full-length mirror. It would look good in her fort."
{ } Grab the mirror and take it home with you. (Gain the Mantis Shield.)
{ } Ha, ha! You know how this works. Like there's any chance the big, obvious treasure at the end of the route isn't a trap! (Gain skill: Trapsmithing)
Goddammit, I love this Minirucci adventure. You actually have me waiting for the next update, even though this is my thread and my Quest, you monster.
I'm giving you 50xp for it. And as usual I offer a completion bonus if you wrap up that series of omakes but given its nature it seems unlikely. So there, that's my revenge
It is with great sadness, but even greater resolve, that I grant you 50xp for putting effort into something I never asked for but which I can't deny is a really interesting insight into the Quest as a whole from a player's point of view.
You are an absolute madman.
Actually it's really interesting to read these - and to have read some entires that are now gone during your writing process - as it gives me a different perspective on the Quest; for instance, you seem to have felt Chapter 10 to be much sadder than I thought it to be when writing it.
Anyway, have 50xp for your work, and this is the last time I am giving XP for anything TVTropes related. There, done.
pnemo cuddling minirucci under her cloak
EDIT: Fiiiiiine, moved one of the images out of the spoiler box so if can be found through quick-scrollthroughs/skimmingsp!nemo taking minirucci clothes shopping in the living world and being harassed by some nerd
minirucci vs biggirucci
this sure is something
nemo imitating cirucci's hairstyle and resulting disapproval
jackalton and a babby new calaveras
ive been informed that, no, they do not actually wear suits ;__;
Ashido dies - An Of Noble Purpose Crossover
I was gonna clean up the lineart before I posted it but it was lazy
p!nemo taking out nnoitra with a small but stronk concentrated cero of doom
he commited fashion crime with those shoes
This is quality.in lieu of cirucci not being able to fly for more than 30 seconds anymore here is cirucci taking nemo out on a romantic flying date (+preparations)
I really love how in the plane theft picture Nemo isn't riding in the plane but instead Cirucci holds her hand while she glides alongside it so she can feel like she's flying. That's adorable. Everything about P!Nemo and Minirucci is adorable, except that Nnoitra pic, which instead is really cool for its level of detail and its feeling of action in motion. Jackelton and the Pugalera look classy as hell.
But I still wish you had a non-joke version of that Ashido page because it's great
Have 200xp for the lot.
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- Location
- Brittany, France
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Now You Feel Like Number None Fan Art
Stretta, Galavant, and Lizard
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Now You Feel Like Number None Fan Art
Nemo In Nine Different Styles
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--
Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends, The Powerpuff Girls, Pucca, Sonic The Hedgehog, Naruto, My Life As A Teenage Robot, Teen Titans, My Little Pony, and Danny Phantom.
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Now You Feel Like Number None Fan Art
Nemo InNineTen Different Styles
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Better?
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Now You Feel Like Number None Fan Art
Golondrina Ascendente
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Now You Feel Like Number None Fan Art
Sashes
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Luppi: What?
Nemo: *moth noises*
Luppi: I stole it from the World of the Living.
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Now You Feel Like Number None Fan Art
Nero!Nemo Welcomes You!
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Now You Feel Like Number None Fan Art
Ready To Serve & The Moth Maid
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I know it's a couple of days early, but....
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Now You Feel Like Number None Fan Art
Happy Valentine's Day!
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I couldn't find a reference image for "one antenna twists elegantly", so I made the antenna into a decorative almost rose-like portion of the caterpillar-woman's mask. I also made that portion of the mask come out from underneath her hair, and had her hair cover the topmost part of her mask, in an attempt to give her somewhat of a more unique look. And, well, you said "vest"....
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Now You Feel Like Number None Fan Art
Caterpillar Numero
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Now You Feel Like Number None Fan Art Two
Caterpillar Numero [2.0]
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----------The Numeros that Dordoni Alessandro Del Socaccio had intended to use in the Exequias Contest -- and later ended up fighting Luppi instead -- were Elyssa, Yin, Yang, Menis and Alegedor and Rabbit. In Intermission - After the Rain, Flowers Blooming, it was revealed that Luppi had killed two of these Numeros -- Menis and Alegdor -- leaving Elyssa, Yin, Yang and Rabbit to become his Hidualgia.
Now You Feel Like Number None
Dordoni's Hidalguia
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Now You Feel Like Number None Fan Art
Alberto, Marlena and Phylius
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Now You Feel Like Number None Fan Art
Nemo Elcorbuzier's (Past to Present)
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This should be better, I think.
Nemo is wearing the Memory Glove -- light brown due to the materials it was made out of -- the Beastly Bracelet above it, the Luppi Glove -- white due to the material it was made out of -- the necklace underneath her coat -- and a scarf. Plus light blue lipstick.
Better?
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I like all of these to an extent, but some stand out more than the others. The Cirucci Ascendete picture is really strong, it has a sense of posing that is sometimes missing from your art - the way I see it Cirucci's skin doesn't turn blue in her Resurreccion, it's just her feathers and lightning spear, but it makes for a very strong picture. You drew Stretta and Galavant! I didn't expect this and I like it. The Hidalguia and the Chibi!Hidalguia are fun, and I like both versions of the Caterpillar Arrancar - although the Alberto/Marlena/Phylius picture lacks in, hm, distinctiveness between the three, likely because I haven't given them much description.Take a Nemo Elcorbuzier, now with Hooded Cloak Action!
I'm giving you 150xp for the lot.
Sole Purpose
Clueless
- Location
- Spread Across Several Miles
Didn't we vote for a thing that let her fly recently? Like, last update?
Edit: not last update, but very recently. LXXVI playing games, to be specific.
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Its not flight its gliding we want nemo to have true flight and not be bound by such a poor substitute.
Coshiua
An Autistic Kyogre~!
- Location
- The Ocean
That's understandable.
Hm. I'll look around to see if I have colored pencils that match Cirucci's skinetone: if I do then I'll make a copy of the Cirucci Ascendete picture, if not I'll probably do a picture of Cirucci with Galavant's broken sword. I mean, I'm already planning to do something like that, but I still have to go back through the Quest to see how she holsters it.
I could do more Stretta and Galavant: their Reserecutions (if you had an idea in mind for them), standing on either side of Cirucci, standing in the desert somewhere, ghosts or whatever.
I wanted to do a picture of all the Opera Numeros, but there have been four to six described out of ten. So, that one will have to wait until sometime in the future. By the way... what is the Caterpillar Numeros' name?
I think that I'll put 100 XP into La Marana and 100 XP into Cirucci. ll
All to Cirruci, please!
Elle S.
Victim of Isekaitis
- Location
- Canada <3
I'd also like to contribute my 25 exp to Maraña
- Location
- Texas
The key is to have one specific joke to tell, and then be willing to abandon any hint of logic or common sense which would prevent you from telling that joke.
Luppi, as a character, is helpful for this, because he's a troll, and I can therefore justify almost any amount of terribly stupid scheming from him on the grounds that he wouldn't care if everything collapsed in fire and ruin, as long as he personally survived.
Whereas Nemo is kind of doomed to be the straight man for various comedians now.
AND NOW IT HAS PICTURES
Goddammit, I love this Minirucci adventure. You actually have me waiting for the next update, even though this is my thread and my Quest, you monster.
I'm giving you 50xp for it. And as usual I offer a completion bonus if you wrap up that series of omakes but given its nature it seems unlikely. So there, that's my revenge
Given that you're like, seventy-five updates ahead of me at this point, I think it's very likely your revenge will be successful.
Also, I have no idea where it's going now. But that's solvable with brute force and vodka.
Drop the 100 XP in Descorrererererer, please. Time to start working on fancy magic portals.
- Location
- Australia
You could always just skip ahead a few updates.
SolipsistSerpent
Endlessly Devouring
I've been kicking around the idea in my head for a while that all of the really powerful Shinigami are former Vasto Lorde. Kenpachi, Yamamoto, the strongest of Zero Squad. Lesser Captain Class shinigami were probably Adjuchas at one point. Rank and file Shinigami were just human psychics. It would explain that huge power gulf between them and everyone else. Presumably the first few to make the conversion were killed by the Soul King.
This was might be countered by something in the last arc of Bleach, but I refuse to read that, so I wouldn't know.
- Location
- Australia
The Soul King was a thing created to keep the balance between the worlds and regulate the flow of souls. It could not kill things or in fact do anything besides exist and do the thing it was made to do. It was an "I have no mouth and I must scream" situation.
I like the idea of the first Shinigami being Arrancar long ago, being the natural expression of that role in the soul cycle nuturing and ultimately being replaced by the more reliably produced and flexible Plus Shinigami.
After all, it wasn't until relatively recently that it was known how to perform Arrancarisation and maintain power, let alone increase it.
Oh! There's a thought! Arrancarisation doesn't always result in a Zanpakuto now does it? What if the first Asauchi and Zanpakuto were an attempt at a 'prosthetic' for failed Arrancar warriors who, while weakened, would still be far more powerful than the average Plus Soul in Seiretei and thus still of use against Hollows.
Pluses are then bonded to Zanpakuto to support the limited numbers of Arrancar Shinigami (perhaps as Kido wielders and healers? Perhaps they posses a finer control over their spiritual energies) and things develop from there, your idea could work in too with purified Base Hollows, Menos and greater being taken down by these improvements in early Seiretei combat abilities resulting in 'Great' Plus Shinigami out-competing the primitive Arrancar Shinigami who ultimately go extinct, either just through losses in combat and no real need to recruit more or being purified themselves willingly or not.
SolipsistSerpent
Endlessly Devouring
Hm... See, I'd have to have read the end of the series to know that.
Ah well, then Vasto Lorde Yamamoto was killed by an alliance of Arrancar or something.
pucflek
Verified simpleton
- Location
- Czech Republic
If you think about it, shinigami don´t really make sense, because they are made up from one, or, if you differentiate them, two souls. And they can be hella powerful. But every powerful hollow has to devour literal nations of souls to become vasto lorde. And if you purify hollow like that, all the souls and their power is dispersed, no? At least i assume so.
chocolote12
A Penguin Flailing Against The Keyboard Of Life.
It's just how the two different methods of progression work. You can either grab your sword buddy and start working together to increase your base numbers with training, or you can go over and steal other people's numbers to make your numbers larger with hunting.
So a hollow has to eat a bazillion people because they're all 1s and 2s, whereas a shinigami is, like, a 54 or something.
And then there's the invisible skill multiplier, which makes what you have more deadly; Stark is an excellent example, because he was theoretically the strongest Espada amongst a group where him and three other people could casually curbstomp Ichigo (Ulquiorra breaks out Segunda Etapa, which might have made him stronger than Stark, but he didn't need to; he was kicking Ichigo around before that), but he lost to a single captain's shikai because he didn't use it well enough.
So a hollow has to eat a bazillion people because they're all 1s and 2s, whereas a shinigami is, like, a 54 or something.
And then there's the invisible skill multiplier, which makes what you have more deadly; Stark is an excellent example, because he was theoretically the strongest Espada amongst a group where him and three other people could casually curbstomp Ichigo (Ulquiorra breaks out Segunda Etapa, which might have made him stronger than Stark, but he didn't need to; he was kicking Ichigo around before that), but he lost to a single captain's shikai because he didn't use it well enough.
pucflek
Verified simpleton
- Location
- Czech Republic
IIRC, segunda etapa gets lot of spotlight and undeserved cred for something that only allowed few more tricks, like contained cero, and spiritual pressure density shift. His power gets more overbearing, closer to despair, but doesn´t actually increase. But yes i get it. Its just that no matter how hard you train as hollow, you simply won ´t get to be a captain level combatant. Ever. Which is interesting.
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- Location
- Texas
In defense of Starrk...
He lost to a sneak attack from an unusually strong captain using a shikai designed for sudden one-shot kills, who got the opening to strike by playing dead after Starrk beat him down in the first round of the fight.
Seriously, Shunsui's strategy in the fight was to pretend he got killed and wait for a chance to strike after realizing he just flatly couldn't take Starrk in a slugging match. Starrk beat him and Ukitake working together, then beat two Visored ex-captains working together, then got punked by a guy he thought was already down for the count.
Saying he lost to a single captain's shikai is roughly as accurate as saying Barragan lost to a single ex-lieutenant's kido spells. It's technically true, but it doesn't mean Momo is the favorite in a cage match between the two.
Sinsystems
Patron Librarian
So on a side note I am once again trying to figure out who Nemo and Luppi will fight once the rescue arc begins. Because as far as I can tell they are both either rather unorthodox fighters (Nemo) or abnormally strong for their rank (Luppi) which when combined with Cirucci's rival status makes the match ups rather interesting.
Out of the canon rescue team I can see Nemo fighting against Ishida or Rukia (maybe both) and Luppi being a relatively interesting match up against Renji and Chad, at least in terms of rough power levels. Of course the Nemo fight I would be extremely interested in is a Nemo Vs Tatsuki&Orihime.
Out of the canon rescue team I can see Nemo fighting against Ishida or Rukia (maybe both) and Luppi being a relatively interesting match up against Renji and Chad, at least in terms of rough power levels. Of course the Nemo fight I would be extremely interested in is a Nemo Vs Tatsuki&Orihime.
Diomedea
A piece of the continent
- Location
- The interblag
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Nemo and Chad are the obvious matchup. He enters a room and finds Nemo sitting with a table and tea set out in front of her, and she offers Chad some tea in an obvious callback to his encounter in the soul society arc with Shunsui. When they fight, it's a redux of his lack of speed making his powerful attacks unable to land, but like his canon fight with Gantenbainne he'll have a sudden powerup via power epihany and land a crushing blow on Nemo.
However, unlike Gantenbainne, Nemo wont have released (because she hates releasing), and makes a verbal declaration about how she's fighting to protect Cirruci (again, as a mirror of Chad's motivations), and releases...
However, unlike Gantenbainne, Nemo wont have released (because she hates releasing), and makes a verbal declaration about how she's fighting to protect Cirruci (again, as a mirror of Chad's motivations), and releases...
Sinsystems
Patron Librarian
I think such a fight should include at least one beam struggle where Nemo matches Chad's energy blasts with her own Cero.