Hollow: These creatures are former Pluses-- deceased human souls. As a result of losing their hearts to despair and regret, or because they remained in the World of the Living for far too long, the lost soul becomes a Hollow. A soul also becomes a Hollow if there is no Shinigami to guide it to the Soul Society via Konsou. The majority of ghosts peacefully move on to the Soul Society after their deaths. However, some stay in the living world to fulfill certain goals, such as looking after a loved one, protecting a particular location, or pursuing a grudge from beyond the grave. However, with only limited abilities to interact with the living, and by definition tied to their goals, many ghosts find they are unable to cope when their loved ones move on or old enemies forget them. At this point, some will become dangerously obsessed with fulfilling those goals, even if the means to fulfill them renders the soul empty: for example, killing anyone who comes near a loved one in order to keep them from hurting that person. In doing so, the ghost warps into a Hollow and, ironically, often makes the focus of their obsession into their first victim.
The process by which a soul becomes a Hollow takes at least seven posts to complete, reflected by the length of the soul's Chain of Fate, which usually resides in the center of their chest, and connects to their bodies, if present. The Chain of Fate slowly corrodes over time, coinciding with the degradation of the soul's ties to the living world. The process can be accelerated under certain conditions, such as being attacked by a Hollow, giving into extreme despair, or using certain spiritual powers. When the chain completely decays, they become a Hollow when a hole opens up on their chest where the chain was attached, signifying they have lost their heart.
Hollows are usually killed by splitting their mask and head in two, but most wounds which would be fatal for a Human will effectively dispatch them. When this is done by a Shinigami's Zanpakutō, the Hollow is not truly killed; its spirit is purified of the sins it committed as a Hollow. This allows the spirit within to enter the Soul Society as a Plus. In cases where a Hollow committed great sins as a mortal, its purification will summon the gates of Hell, through which the soul is dragged to its punishment. When a Hollow is killed by a Quincy, it is destroyed, soul and all, which has potentially disastrous effects on the spiritual balance of the worlds.
Appearance: All Hollows wear masks, which are formed from the hearts they had lost as Humans. This mask protects the naked instinct which is left in a being after the loss of its heart, and obscures the original identity of the Hollow. The masks of different Hollows can differ greatly in shape and form, but are always white and skull-like. Hollows have widely varying physical characteristics, rarely appearing the same. In terms of appearance, Hollows can range in appearance from furry (like mammals) to lizard-like to outright demonic. Hollows vary in size, though it tends to be fairly consistent among the various classifications of Menos. In Hueco Mundo, some Hollows are no larger than common pets. Most common Hollows are about twice the size of an adult Human, though it can vary to a degree.
Cero: A powerful and relatively swift energy blast which can be fired from various body parts, such as the mouth, tongue, hand, or fingers. Only Hollows that are at least Adjuchas can use Ceros, and it appears stronger entities can use it more efficiently and forcefully. With the exception of a few Cero techniques and users, Cero requires some time to be used effectively, so the enemy must be not moving, busy with something else, or too badly wounded to even simply dodge it. There exist a number of variations of Cero, which are usually unique to the Arrancar using it. To learn how to utilize a Cero in combat, one must complete a minimum of 500 word count
Garganta: A technique used by the Hollow kind to move to and from Hueco Mundo. It literally tears open the dimensional fabric separating the worlds, revealing a tunnel of whirling, torrential energy which must be focused and solidified to create a discernible pathway. This is not a technique that can be used in combat, but it can be used to avoid confrontations if the thread is kill enabled. It takes a minimum of 500 word count to learn.
Arrancar: Arrancar are a group of Hollows that gained similar powers to that of a Shinigami by removing their masks. In simple terms, they are the evolved species of Hollows. A Menos usually takes on a Human shape when it becomes an Arrancar. The only ones that will definitely get a 100% Humanoid form are Vasto Lorde-class Menos. For the remaining two levels, there are many who don't get a completely Humanoid form, despite becoming Arrancar. Therefore, the closer one looks to a Hollow, the lower its power of reasoning. All Arrancar retain a hole in them somewhere, as well as fragments of their Hollow form (in the shape of protrusions and partial masks). There have been Arrancar who have claimed that they gave up their Human forms in order to obtain enormous power. A number of Arrancar have tried to conceal the remnants of their past whilst others choose to hide their faces completely to escape unwanted attention. Most also have a colored marking of some sort on their face, although some only gain these markings upon the release of their Zanpakutō.
Zanpakutō: The Arrancar seal the nuclei of their abilities within the form of a sword. It is entirely different from what Shinigami use. When they release their Zanpakutō's seal, they unleash their true power and their true form. The combat efficiency of an Arrancar with a released Zanpakutō is increased several times over. Therefore, an Arrancar's release of their Zanpakutō is merely a temporary restoration to their former selves, granting them any powers their Hollow form possesses. The act of release is called Resurrección, which is activated with a command phrase followed by the name of the sword. An Espada's Resurrección is claimed to be different from that of a normal Arrancar.
Subject: Hollow Guidelines 
Wed Apr 20, 2016 2:30 pm
