#headcanons: bansui

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Also, while I'm speaking about Bansui, if you've ever wondered why he..... talks... like this, with.... all the pausing, disjointed sentences, and weird intonations, its because of laziness, full stop. Bansui literally cant be bothered to speak at a normal pace most times, but when he gets excited or is put in a very intense situation, he will start to speak with others in a more 'normal' manner.

Also x2, if you've ever wondered why Bansui uses weird outdated western or vaguely Shakespearean terms/words like thou or thee etc etc, it's because his mother, who was from the Soul Society West Branch, spoke like that-- Bansui picked it up from her at an early age and it just... never went away,and now its just one of his many eccentricities.

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Bansui: miracles, prophecy, and more.

I: In the decade after the TYBW and the events of CFYOW, Bansui, or the 'religion' / 'prophecy' he preaches (his so called Great Ascension) has gathered quite a following outside the Kido Corps (though it is most strongly adhered to there), with there being many people in the districts of Rukongai and even some within the Seireitei who adhere.

This following isn't without good reason either, it stems from the public 'miracles' Bansui preforms and the 'revelations' he gives that are supposedly done through the 'power and grace of the Soul King', such as apparently raising spirits of the deceased and communicating with them, controlling Hollows, speaking of things he and no one else should otherwise know, predicting the future, and other amazing feats. A lot of these 'miracles' and 'revelations' can in actuality be attributed to high level Kido or Bansui's Zanpakuto or his Hollowfied nature and not the Soul King, but his actions are still enough to wow common folk and Shinigami alike.

Not to mention that some of the 'miracles' Bansui does or the 'revelations' he gives have no rational explanation outside of him potentially communing with or using the power of some higher being like the Soul King.

II: In kind, there are many people, mostly within the Seireitei, that are suspicious or weary of these 'divinely inspired' things Bansui does and says, and even those who may feel threatened by his following outside the Kido Corps (typically the same groups or individuals who are already side eying his leadership of the Kido Corps in general).

There have been many attempts to discredit and at times condemn Bansui's supposedly 'divine' actions or declarations from individuals in the Nobility, Central 46, and the Gotei 13, but due to his status (head of a Great Noble House) and the support he still has within Central 46, he continues on undisturbed, and his following continues to grow.

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Bansui usually moves about with very poor posture, he's almost always incredibly hunched over and when he's wearing his Kido Corps getup plus his hood and mask, its easy to think he's a short, portly guy.

Therefore you can imagine the shock, or horror for some people whenever Bansui decides to stand up straight for some reason and its revealed that he's damn near seven feet tall (maybe seeming even taller than that depending on what shoes he's wearing) and unnaturally gangling, too.

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Bansui, members of the Kido Corps, and more:

I have talked before about the menagerie of followers and allies Jin has cobbled together for his designs against the Soul Society, but I've never spoken on Bansui's own little collection of weirdos he has with him in the Kido Corps, so here's a little bit on all of them;

Wonderweiss Margela:

— Resurrected through a mixture of forbidden Kido and scientific excellence, they officially serve as one of Bansui's personal bodyguards (even if he truly has no need for one), though Bansui has, in his own way, taken to seeing Wonderweiss as something of an adopted son (or at least as close to one as someone like Bansui can envision).

— Wonderweiss, in line with their 'official role', is always somewhere near Bansui-- if they aren't actually walking around with him in the open, they are either cloaked by Bansui in some invisibility based Kido, or simply somewhere out of sight. Needless to say, if Bansui truly has need of Wonderweiss, or feels the need to sick them on someone, they will appear quickly.

— Has been improved by Bansui's experimenting and Hollowfied Evolution in a few ways. The most obvious improvement is their increased mental faculties across the board-- Wonderweiss is still lacking in overall intelligence, and they are still very childlike, but they are now actually somewhat rational, and they can form mostly coherent sentences to communicate with, if someone has the patience to listen.

The second and less obvious improvement Wonderweiss received from Bansui's experimenting and Hollowfied Evolution is their Resurrección: Segunda Etapa, which acts as an enhanced version of their initial release that allows them to 'Extinguish' the abilities of any foe they attack (a lot of caveats to that ofc but it's still pretty sick). To that note, Wonderweiss' initial Resurrección has been altered by Bansui from soley sealing away the abilities of Yamamoto's Zanpakuto, to sealing away the abilities of any Zanpakuto, or Quincy Schrift (again with many caveats but still sick as hell).

Saizo Fujibayashi:

— Chief Officer of the Kido Corps Shinkubantai and someone Bansui is supporting to succeed as head of the currently eviscerated Tsunayashiro Clan (an endeavor that of course is being opposed by the likes of the Kuchiki and Shihoin, and other distantly related Tsunayashiro who contest Saizo's claim). There's a lot of political and court intrigue going on with this one, along with everything else they're getting into.

— Bansui, on top of seeing Saizo as a future ally of his own Great House, recognizes their ability for Kido (haphazard as it is) and believes Saizo can be shaped into a powerful instrument of the Kido Corps-- maybe, in a few centuries, Saizo could even become Bansui's Vice Kido Chief, if someone more competent and disciplined doesn't come along first.

— Saizo often refers to Bansui as their 'uncle', and while this isn't actually the case, and isn't something Bansui endorses (it actually makes him sigh internally very deeply every-time he hears it), their relationship could indeed be likened to that.

Oko Yushima:

— Chief Officer of the Kido Corps Konpekibantai, they were rescued from the Nest of Maggots by Bansui and 'altered' by way of his Hollowfied Evolution and other procedures that stabilized their previously fractured psyche and freed them from their catatonia.

— Their research into Mod Souls and Artificial Souls in general has proved very useful to Bansui and the Kido Corps, allowing Bansui to advance many of his own Artificial Soul-related projects, and Kido based around them.

— While they have been 'altered' by Bansui's Hollowfied Evolution, and their brain was literally picked apart and re-arranged by them, Oko Yushima is still very much the same person they used to be, and in that vein, they don't really like anyone in the Kido Corps-- they respect Bansui for pulling them out of the Nest of Maggots and allowing them to continue whatever work they wish without the prying eyes of Central 46, however, and are loyal to him because of it.

— They are also a candidate for Bansui's Vice Kido Chief, but Bansui often finds them to be too meek, and isn't sure they would be able to carry out what he expects of his Vice Kido Chief.

Shaz Domino:

— Also referenced at the end of this drabble, but tl;dr, they were rescued from their infinitely sinking, Izuru-induced pit by Bansui and in turn, were convinced to join on and help him in their machinations. Shaz didn't require much convincing though, between owing Bansui their life and Bansui also sharing their goal of one day seeing a Hollowfied Quincy, they were truly two peas in a pod.

— They are secretly sent to aid Jin Kariya in the World of the Living, but they report back to Bansui, acting as another set of eyes and ears within Jin's group (along with Bansui's own alter-ego and half, Parca) for Bansui.

— In 'official' capacity related to the Kido Corps, they are the second of Bansui's bodyguards, though they engage in their official role far less than Wonderweiss, often not actually being around Bansui at all.

Shaz is grateful to Bansui and sees them as their shot at becoming a 'Hollowfied Quincy' one day, but they truthfully loathe the Soul Society and Shinigami in general, and they often can't stand being around the other ranking or rank-and-file members of the Kido Corps, and because of this, when they are in the Soul Society and not acting as another one of Jin's minions, they are often skulking about somewhere by themselves.

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More than a decade after the Blood War and CFYOW, the Soul Society is in a very interesting place. There's signs of small, but persistently progressive change in Central 46, and the power of the noble families has been diminished. This shift in the winds paints a cautiously bright picture for the future of the Soul Society, but it also reveals deeper layers of instability; for all the potential of positive change, there lurks the trappings of vulnerability in the Soul Society's structure now more than ever.

The nobility has been weakened but its power is far from erased, and you can bet that there are those among it who refuse to let this decline continue, and while there is a sizable group within Central 46 who are trying to push the governing body from its nigh-draconian, traditionalist roots, one has to imagine there are still many within who oppose this, who wish to cling to the power and tyrannical authority of their predecessors.

Life for the every day citizen of Rukongai or Shinigami within the Seireitei may be somewhat better than in years past, but behind closed doors or otherwise out of sight, struggles for power and influence between individuals in Central 46 and between the embarrassed nobility undoubtedly rage, perhaps now more than any time in recent history.

Its in these years of political and noble intrigue, these years of turmoil in the Soul Society's authority, that Bansui truly begins to worm his and the Kido Corps way into greater power, both in the common and higher realms. Bansui envisions a time when he and the Kido Corps are truly free from the authority of his Central 46 handlers, and more than that, a time where perhaps the Kido Corps becomes the de-facto authority of the Soul Society itself, beholden not to Central 46, or the nobility, not anyone.... which will be key in realizing his ultimate idea of the 'Great Ascension'.

Bansui and the Kido Corps of course, are just another set of players in this grand, shadowy game going on behind the scenes, and when everything finally comes to a head and spills out into the open, who knows where the Soul Society and those within it may stand? Time will tell.

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//that moment when kubo actually gives us some kido corps lore

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*as i work on replies* here is an Updated℗ Deep® and Accurate© Lore™ post for this blog that I will still not be elaborating on at this time

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If you think that Bansui has never eaten, and will never again eat, the flesh and bones of Arrancar, other Shinigami, Quincy, Humans and the like, you would be very wrong.

Consuming others isn't an every day thing for Bansui, his diet is mostly normal (a lot of 'junk food' and 'sweets' maybe but he's usually eating stuff you would assume most other people eat), however it does happen with enough regularity that its rather common for him.

Bansui conducts many experiments and rituals on a monthly basis (he's always working to expand upon the fields of Science and Kido), and regardless of the successes or failures in either case, he often uses live subjects in his work, subjects who then become useless once that work is completed. Useless as in, too damaged or altered to release back into society or store away for future use, so sometimes, instead of killing them (provided they didn't die during his work) and tossing their corpses away, Bansui just... helps himself to a few, voracious bites.

Bansui personally finds that Arrancar taste the best, with Quincy being a close second, but he also isn't picky, especially after particularly long days of work-- why bother cooking for yourself at that point or waiting for someone else to cook something up when there's food literally right there on the table (or altar)! It's simple, its effective, its low effort, its perfect.

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A few miscellaneous but particularly useful Kido Bansui has created over the years;

Fukitsu Kengen (Ominous Manifestation) Technically a Barrier Kido, it temporarily envelops the user in a green mist-like energy that allows them to move at speeds higher than they normally would be able to. While this Kido is active, whenever the user wishes to make a 'high speed movement', the mist-like energy around them coalesces into beams of flickering luminescence that launches them to their intended destination, though the speed at which this occurs makes it appear as if the user 'manifested' at said location, hence the Kido's name.

Bansui developed this Kido as an alternative to working on and honing his skill in Shunpo, and since, when utilized by him, Fukitsu Kengen allows him to keep up with Expert Shunpo users (and beyond if he is also donning his Hollow Mask), he considers it a success. Fukitsu Kengen's function was based off the phenomena known as 'Bringer Light', which is involved in Fullbringer's High-speed movements.

Jiko Giman (Self Deception) A high-level Illusionary Kido, Jiko Giman causes strong visual and auditory hallucinations in those caught within its area of effect, hallucinations that revolve around the target's own memories. Choosing which memories are used to create such hallucinations depends on the words and actions of the caster in the moments leading up to Jiko Giman's usage, but the hallucinations will almost always be seen as very tangible, very real.

It is one of Bansui's more recent Kido creations, created during an attempt at replicating the effects of Aizen's Zanpakuto into a Kido spell-- the results weren't quite what Bansui was hoping for, as Jiko Giman is far from 'perfect hypnosis', but he did wind up with a very effective means of deceiving others.

Ese Hikari (False Light) Another high-level Illusionary Kido, Ese Hikari focuses less on hallucinations and more on perception, as in, how a caster is perceived to those around them, allies and foes alike. When Ese Hikari is utilized, a pair of seemingly bright, angelic, energy-like wings will appear to sprout from the caster's back, and while these wings will quickly fade, the light they once emitted will have succeeded in ensnaring every onlooker in the Kido's effect.

Regardless of their previous feelings on the caster, those under Ese Hikari's influence will begin to perceive the caster in a far more favorable manner, and will become far more suggestible to whatever it is the caster is saying. Even if the Caster was locked in the middle of serious combat with someone, that opponent will suddenly find that they can no longer muster any ill will or malice toward them, in fact they will be overwhelmed by the opposite emotions-- they will suddenly want nothing more than to be in the caster's good graces, and have an intense urge to submit to their suggestions, no matter how detrimental they may be to the opponent.

False Light has had many applications when utilized by Bansui over the years, both within the Kido Corps and when navigating the vicious world that is the Soul Society's Nobility. False Light is possibly one of the most versatile Kido Bansui has ever created, and when used in tandem with his Hollow Control on the types of opponents that ability effects, it can be invaluable.

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Just like in their B.leach '''''Canon'''''' (is that enough quotation marks) for this blog, Jin and Bansui naturally wind up allying in their JJ.K AU's as well (with each one believing they are using the other lol), only its more direct this time around since Bansui doesn't have to masquerade through Parca 24/7 when dealing with Jin......

though Parca does wind up still being around, naturally. the true puppetmaster.

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Central 46 Post Blood War is set on a path of reformation thanks to the combined efforts of Nayura Amakado and Gotei 13 Head Captain Kyōraku, and while its a very slow process, this reformation does start to chip away the support Bansui has within the court.

There will likely always be a corrupt element to Central 46, but its very possible there will come a time when the court has changed enough to no longer guarantee the current 'legal' protection Bansui and the Kido Corps currently enjoy.

But when that time comes, another issue will surely arise;

Bansui has long since developed a cult of personality within the Kido Corps, he has the full devotion of its members and has practically turned the organization into an extension of himself.

Whats more, is that Bansui has grown the Kido Corps numbers exponentially, especially in the wake of the Blood War. By the time of No Breaths From Hell, the Kido Corps raw numbers start to exceed that of the Gotei 13 and Onmitsukido combined. That growth has been twofold as well-- the average skill of those in the Kido Corps outstrips the average rank and file Shinigami by a long shot, with their upper ranks being comparable to the Gotei 13's Captains.

Worse yet, Bansui's prophecy of the 'Great Ascension' and the pseudo-religion he's crafted around it reaches layers of society outside the Kido Corps itself, be it among the residents of Rukongai or within the Soul Society's other institutions.

You can bet that a lot of the Nobility has also become disaffected by Central 46's attempts at reformation as well (reforms that have seen the Nobility's own power decline) and its not far fetched to think that there are many who are waiting for the chance to reinstate their former glory, and who may throw their hat in with whoever winds up being their best bet at doing it.

When that time comes, it wont be so much a question of,

'Can Central 46 prosecute Bansui and the Kido Corps for anything?', as much as it will be

'Should Central 46 stir up that hornets nest and throw the Soul Society into total chaos?'

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Drabble: Unsealing of the Blade

"Are you going to finally tell me what this is all about, Arrancar?"

Jin, standing there under the night sky, looks up at the large forest flanked staircase in front of them that led up to what seemed like a shrine or temple of some sort.

"Depends depends depends!!!! Did ya get the blood like I asked for? Ya got it didn't ya? Didn't ya?"

"Utagawa and the twins were able to retrieve it yes, though they were all nearly killed in the process" Jin pulls a strangely designed vial of blood from one of his overcoat's inner pockets, holding it up toward Parca.

"You could have told me your target was the former Commander of the Kido Corps and an employee of the Urahara Shōten no less, I would have sent far more capable individuals to deal with the matter."

"Awwwwwwwwww, ya actually worried about the people ya boss around? That's cute Vamps," Parca replies as they steal away the vial of blood Jin had been holding, energetically twirling it around between their fingers, at least until….

Jin vanishes, and then reappears closer to Parca, one hand pressed to and wrapped around their throat, "It's not a matter of worry Arrancar, it's a matter of efficiency, and seeing that both our goals are ultimately met."

Jin, grinning, calmly and viciously continues, "I have to say, I'm also growing tired of how comfortable you are speaking to me like you do; Arrancar never learn anything about respect back in Hueco Mundo, do they?"

Parca, a wide gap of pitch black nothingness stretching across their mask-like visage in the form of a grin, replies, without any trouble or hint of concern, "Both our goals will be met, they wills, and of course, of course, OF COUURRRSSSEEE I respect ya, I just be having fun is all, we both be knowing that!"

Parca then appears to…. melt, wholly, slipping through Jin's fingers and pooling on the floor, before that liquid streamed away, up the staircase toward the temple they and Jin had been walking toward. Its there that Parca reforms, and waves to Jin, shouting,

"I'm trying to get ya some more help here today! Calm down Vamps, calm down! Yer going to need someone to deal with that big brute of Kenpachi when we knock down the door of the Soul Society, ya know?"

Jin, rolling his eyes at the display Parca had put on and relenting on harming them further, replied, "You assume I don't already have someone for that task?"

Maki Ichinose instantly came to Jin's mind-- that man practically lived for the chance to one day kill Zaraki and avenge their former Captain, and they had grown quite powerful over the years, too. Jin was sure that they more than anyone were capable of dealing with the Gotei 13's pet monster.

Parca was never quite convinced of that, though.

"Aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh yeah, ya kinda don't got one, Vamps."

Parca knew that Jin had collected a great number of talented and powerful individuals to make allies out of or serve under him, but there wasn't anyone among them that Parca believed could go toe-to-toe with Kenpachi Zaraki, not even that brat Ichinose-- no, if both their plans were going to work out, they needed someone who could definitely keep that monster Zaraki busy, or better yet, kill them.

"And if I know one thing, it's that the only person who can kill a Kenpachi, is another Kenpachi."

Parca then turns away from the approaching Jin, and walks through the doors of that temple. Within the confines of the temple, Parca finds a large statue with various Kido emblems etched onto the surface, and its upon that statue he smashes the vile of blood.

Afterward, Parca presses both his hands together and under their breath, another voice begins to quietly though quickly chant…

"Shackles of the six arcane arches, prison of the earthly realm, shattered are these binds by the bray of blood, life essence of their jailer; march free, imprisoned Soul, walk the three realms once more."

Jin, looking on from below, watched as that temple began to glow with a dark purple energy, before it suddenly erupted in a massive explosion that sent a shock-waves through the ground, splitting many of the stairs apart and uprooting a plethora of the surrounding trees. Jin easily manages to avoid any injury of course, continuing to make his way up the now ruined staircase.

When Jin finally climbed to the top, he would see Parca standing among the Temple rubble, along with a large individual dressed in tattered Shinigami garbs. Looking on with interest at the person Parca had called forth, Jin asks, "And who might this be?"

The large individual, rising to their feet, a sadistic expression washing over their face, announces, "I am a blade. I am, Baishin."

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The Kido Corps, by its very nature, is an institution that heavily revolves around Kido in all its facets (its literally right there in the name JHSDFGGDHJJGH), and under Bansui, that is still very much the case, but these days there is a lot more.

Bansui is very dedicated to the usage, study, and progression of Kido, but he is also a man of science, and an avid inventor, and to say that he has championed scientific innovation and the proliferation of technology within the Kido Corps would be a vast understatement.

Kido is still the number one tool in any member of the Kido Corps arsenal, and the honing and mastery of one's Kido ability is still paramount, but when it comes to their personal equipment, and the other tools they employ, there is a very distinct Magitek vibe going on (with a further distinct Karakuri aesthetic to it all) that further differentiates them from the Soul Society's other military branches and organizations.

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The (still unnamed) Great Noble House that Bansui belongs to has been noted to have some relation to Hell-- specifically, back during the events of the Original Sin™, its said that the family's ancestor wanted to create a lid over the territory that would later come to be known as Hell, seal it and all that.

So with that in mind you just know Bansui has all sorts of wild Hell-related Kido and contraptions stored away (figuratively and perhaps literally in some cases).

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As noted over the course of a few drabbles and other headcanons, Bansui, or at times the Hollow within him, Parca, can be seen offering aid to those who would do the Soul Society harm-- namely The Dark Ones, Kusaka and co, and Jin's collective-- but he doesn't actually intend for any of them to carry their goals to fruition.

Don't get it twisted, Bansui isn't a fan of the various institutions and individuals who run the show in the Soul Society despite being connected to some of them-- hell Bansui loathes the Nobility in particular on account of the whole 'Original Sin' thing and how the system that runs the Three World's was rigged after that event in the Nobility's favour (to the detriment of pretty much everyone else), but he very much has his own plans in mind for how he's going to eventually change everything.

The Dark Ones, Jin, Kusaka, and their little plans with the Ōin, the Jokaisho, and the Valley's of Screams, Bansui knows they're doomed.

However, Bansui (either directly or indirectly) plays along with / into their machinations because despite them all being doomed, the disruption and chaos they will all eventually bring upon the Soul Society will create an opening for him to carry out a plan of his own-- breaking into Muken and freeing it's original prisoner....

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i would normally headcanon something like this via a drabble but: ya'll remember the sealed sword frenzy ova? the main bad guy from that? baishin? the dude who somehow managed to fuse with his zanpakuto and then went on a rampage killing scores of shinigami?

bansui is responsible for what happened to that man; baishin is essentially the result of a kido ritual that achieved the core goal of what they and bansui were trying to accomplish (fuse a shinigami with their zanpakuto spirit) but which had the unfortunate side effect of inducing blood-lusted insanity in the shinigami.

also tying into this headcanon, its stated that baishin killed 63 seated officers before they were sealed away and their rampage was stopped, two of those casualties supposedly being captains-- those two captains in question? one was the captain of the tenth division directly preceding isshin, the og tenth captain furuoki otogawa, and the other was likely another one of the original captains.

bansui is interested in eventually unsealing baishin to study what exactly went wrong with the kido ritual and how it can potentially be rectified and improved upon... but undoing the seals holding baishin has proven to be its own conundrum.

in time, perhaps.