So here we are again. Attempt 4. Well, you can definitely say we're persistent, if nothing else. But I got such a good feeling about this one!

Anyways, let's get down to it. This is going to be our fourth attempt at the Fanon Canon project. They say three times the charm, and while this is our fourth, in chemistry, we always say the first one is just a scout trial, so this is technically our real third trial. That's how I choose to see it. Our kindly neighborhood Shonen has helped me put the scattered FC information into order so I can finally go ahead and put everybody on the same page with this forum post. So in lieu of throwing bananas at him, please throw chocolate instead.

Format

This is what is the biggest change in our FC this time around. Rather than a very structured and linear plot path, where everybody has to wait to post or to do roleplays until others manage to get the plot going, the FC is going to be more open and exploratory. What this means is, we're going to promote a more open platform RP system by introducing "plot elements" rather than "plot structure".

What we mean by this is that, rather than creating a step-by-step procedure in how the FC's plot has to go, who shows up when, et cetera, all we're going to do is simply state "this is the state of the world", "this is what's going on in the world", and "where we want this to go". You'll have an environment to play around with, with a series of "goals" or checkpoints that we're aiming for. So instead of a closely-followed step by step system, the "steps" so to speak are far more open-ended and spread out, to leave lots of room for self-interpretation and participatation. This way, everybody can do what they want, RP with who they want, and when they want, while still keeping to a "plot" in some sense. We'll be able to accomodate for people getting busy or not being able to post by simply shifting directions without having to completely redo the entire plot structure.

Plot

So we're going to step away from the Coven for a little bit. The Coven will still be a significant group (we're likely going to remodel it again), but it won't play a key role right away at least. Because we're trying to avoid a strict structure, that also means we want to avoid assigning roles like "good guys" and "bad guys" until we actually get things going. Instead, like I've already said, we're going to introduce a plot element in lieu of a structure.

In this case, the central "plot element" will be the announcement of the Soul Society's original sin.

For those unfamiliar with Can't Fear Your Own World, the Bleach light novel written by Ryogo Narita and supervised by the man himself, Tite Kubo, the "original sin" was introduced as being the action taken by the five founders of the Noble Houses when they created the Soul King and the Soul Society itself. It was an act so horrible that it likely turned Aizen against the Soul Society when he learned of it, and even caused Tokinada (the antagonist of the light novel) to believe his hatred was justified by their sin. Should everybody learn of it, it's hard to say what would happen; who would decide to oppose Soul Society and who would remain loyal.

So this is our starting spot. The sin will be revealed, first through rumors that threaten to split apart the Gotei 13, and later by confirmation from Kyoraku, who believes assauging their concerns will prevent another Aizen from being born. But this may lead to unintended consequences. All of which will be explored in this open-ended FC.

Background

In moving forward with this plot element taking center stage, there is some background information to consider as well.

• The FC will take place 14 years after the final battle. 4 years after the manga's epilogue. 2 years after Burn the Witch.
• We will be moving under the premise that, in the final battle, Yhwach's body dispersed when he was slain by Ichigo. Therefore, like the original Soul King, Yhwach has his own "fragments of the Soul King", which we will explore in this FC. (More on this later)
• A short time before the start of the FC, Shinigami notice strange effects while on mission in human/Hueco Mundo. These are what contribute to the rumors that eventually lead to the original sin's announcement.
• Someone credible (like Hisagi) starts asking questions/spreads info/rumors in the Gotei 13. Unrest is caused and accusations of a conspiracy are *As said before, fearing another situation like what happened with Aizen, Shunsui decides to come clean and makes an official announcement of the Original Sin.
• This would likely start a conflict between the Noble Houses and the Gotei, with individual Shinigami struggling over whether they can really continue serving the Soul Society after learning the truth. In other parts, other factions begin conspiring to gather the Soul King pieces in the hopes of seizing the "empty throne in the sky" for themselves. In other words, they all enter the role of Aizen.

Fragments of the Soul King

So here I'll elaborate a little on what I meant by Yhwach's "Soul King pieces". Using the idea that the fragments split off in eight directions, a direct reference to the Ise Clan's Hakkyoken which was likely used to cut up the original Soul King, the pieces we'll be using in the FC are as follows:

• The brain: To be determined later
• The heart (formerly Gerard): It's currently in Hueco Mundo, causing all sorts of shit.
• The left hand (formerly Pernida): Available
• The right hand (formerly Mimihagi): I'll likely take this for myself, I do have some plans for it. Maybe for my resurrected Haschwalth, we'll see. More on that later.
• The stomach: Currently Anastasia Kuznetsov
• The skin: Available
• The nail/chain/eyes: Available
• The tongue/mouth: Available

For the ones that are available, we'll keep this closed for right now until we start, but more than likely, they'll eventually be open for everybody to call dibs on.

Factions

While we have multiple factions going on, it's important to remember that there are only two sides.

Opposers of the System and Loyalists to the System

Opposers are those who are outraged at the original sin. Frustrated, irritated, et cetera. They're unhappy, basically, with the current system. Maybe they want it all gone, like Yhwach. Maybe they feel like they could do a better job, like Aizen. What they have in common is that they're all vying for the Soul King, and his pieces, in some manner or another. This could mean they're either working in competition with one another, or perhaps cooperating for a shared goal. Maybe the latter type may betray their new comrades. Who knows.

These groups include the Coven, the Noble Houses, Hell Forces, and (pending) the Wandenreich remnants.

Now, the reason why I list the Noble Houses here is because I firmly believe they would find the idea of their Soul King being a Quincy utterly disgusting. And like their founders, would want someone in that spot they could control. So they essentially oppose this current system.

Loyalists is pretty self-explanatory. They still believe in the system and will fight to protect it. The central group here is the Gotei 13 and their branch ground, Basara. Xstence is more than likely also in this camp. The Three Pillars should also belong to this side. I say this because, I am certain Nelliel and Harribel would simply want to protect the peace gained after the defeat of Yhwach, and Grimmjow himself wouldn't care for a position like the Soul King. So I strongly see them fighting to defend the current system.

We can discuss if other groups are necessary or if they will be added, but that isn't dependent on the FC's start. We can always throw them in later on.

The Wandenreich are tricky. On the one hand, I suspect they would work together with the Shinigami. It's also very likely they already know what the original sin is (Yhwach probably informed them), so I doubt this announcement would change anything for them. Maybe like the Gotei 13, we may see a split here, where some decide to work toward peace, and others decide to fight for the throne. This is open for discussion, of course.

Story Arcs

So because the FC will be more of an open platform, the story arcs will be more flexible, but we'll still have a general guideline to follow so as to keep everybody on the same page. So far, we have two arcs already outlined.

First Arc: Response to the Sin

• Factions respond to the announcement of the sin, pretty self-explantory.
• Xstence will be one of the key RPs of this arc. In the human world, Anastasia is inducted into Xstence and strange phenomena begins to occur. Who is she? (A Soul Piece, although this may not yet be known). Anastasia is taken to Hell, possibly by the Kiyou, who have perhaps been tasked by Hell’s Will to retrieve a piece of the Soul King. Xstence goes to save her. Battle with the Kiyou results in major losses.
• Other RPs will likely involve Basara and the Gotei 13's response. Since the FC is open-ended, completion of the first arc isn't dependent on the completion of all of these RPs and other potential ones going on during this arc. If anything, I see this arc being relatively short, since it's meant to serve as a foundation for future arcs.
• This arc is focused on the revelation of three things: the original sin, the pieces of the Soul King, and "where do you stand?"

Second Arc: Factions Mobilize

• The Xstence RP continues with their escape from Hell after a fierce conflict with the Kiyo. Xstence goes to Hueco Mundo to train. In Hueco Mundo, Xstence battles with either the Wandenreich or the Espada (or both).
• Perhaps around this same time, Basara contacts them, hoping they will work with the Soul Society (Xstence initially refuses to be absorbed by the Soul Society, and their goal is to “keep Xstence free” from Shinigami influence. At least that’s Tetsuo’s goal).
• This arc is focused on the actions of the factions now that they know the original sin and have made decisions as to what they plan on doing now. Whether that means to protect the system, to fight the system, to gather the Soul King pieces, or what have you.

After the completion of the first arc, I'll begin a thread so we can discuss the third arc and potential future arcs as well.

Concluding Thoughts

With that, we can begin the first RP relatively soon. At the very least, we can start up the Xstence RP, and hopefully we can get the others started soon too. I'm thinking we can wait a little, leave this forum open for concerns, questions, and thoughts, and then hopefully start by next week, sometime right after December 16th. If we already have everything settled and everybody's on the same page, we can start sooner too.