I was meaning to put this up yesterday, but I was, er, incapacitated, and I guess I wasn't the only one. Anyway, given the recent attacks that were apparently done by the other arrancar in this world, I just wanted to put out a few tips for all you non-shinigami humans out there in case you happen to be attacked by one, seeing as I'm the only arrancar in this world who isn't in cahoots with the others.

So, lets say you are walking along and suddenly some one you don't know accosts you ("accost" is a fun word...I just found it in a book). Might it be an arrancar? Ask yourself these questions:

• Do they have a mask fragment somewhere on their head or upper body? Mask fragments are always white and look kind of like bone, which is a good way of identifying them. And it doesn't have to be a "mask" mask---there is at least one arrancar I know of whose mask fragment looks like a pair of glasses. So, look carefully.
• Do they have a hole somewhere in there body that goes all the way through ? The hole can be covered up of course, but if it is visible it is usually on the chest or torso, though there are exceptions.
• Are they carrying a sword or some other kind of bladed weapon? You should be careful of this one, because I know there are a lot of people in this world with swords, but this is a tip-off that a person at least might be an arrancar. But you should try to check for one of the other signs if this is the only one.
• Are they dressed almost entirely in white? Particularly, in some kind of an all-white hakama, though most if not all arrancar will alter the uniform somehow.

If you can answer yes to one or more of these questions, particularly the first two, you might be seeing an arrancar. So, if you are faced with an arrancar what should you do? There is really only one fail-safe answer:

GET AWAY, FIND A SAFE PLACE, AND CONTACT A SHINIGAMI.

Even if you are a particularly strong human, this is the best policy for you. Unless you are one of the most powerful people in your own world (which is what the arrancar are in our world), you should not consider fighting them, and even if you are that powerful, you should probably get help from a shinigami. Their powers exist specifically to fight beings like the arrancar, so they will probably have the best chance of stopping them.

If you have powers of your own, it is still not a good idea to try to attack them. If you have some kind of defensive power, then by all means use it to protect yourself and any bystanders, but it is still not a good idea to attack them unless there's nothing else you can do.

If you have powers that could be called "spiritual", you might consider speaking to the Police about helping out against the arrancar, as your powers may be, like the shinigamis, a bit more effective against them. The shigami are the only ones who can certainly fight them, but since there are only so many of shinigami in this world, and since the arrancar are apparently attacking random people, it's very important to shore up the numbers of people who can face them on some level.

Oh, and I guess it's probably worth mentioning myself, since I am an arrancar. I look a lot different from most of them, or at least I seem too---I'm at least half purple instead of being all white, and I don't wear a hakama anymore. Also, I have a full mask that looks like a stag-beetle's head (though...some people think it makes me look like an ant...but what do they know). I do have a sword, but I keep it hidden, because I don't have to go waving my sword around at everyone so they'll think it's cool...I already know it's cool.

And on one last note, if you want to who the local shinigami are in case you need one, his guy should probably be able to help you. He is super nice, even to me, and I'm sure he'll be glad to help you if you ask.