One night, after showing her juniors what it means to be a Magical Girl, Mami's walk home brings her into contact with a strange man wearing hat and clogs. Neither is quite aware of just what their meeting means for themselves and their worlds as Magical Girl and Shinigami.
Moebius is a fanfiction crossover between Bleach and Puella Magi Madoka Magica by Atamascoliliy
. There are several stories in the continuity.
- Moebius: Completed.
- Drives Me Crazy: Completed.
- Sweet Tooth: Completed.
- Three Worlds: Completed.
- Connect: A series of side-stories taking place around and during the events of Three Worlds: Completed.
This fanfic contains examples of
- Adaptational Nice Guy: While Magia Record says he abandoned her and her mother, here Nagisa's father a regular salaryman who is in fact around and was beyond relieved and overjoyed when Nagisa was found after two months of being missing.
- Adaptational Wimp: While in canon Incubators were a planetwide conspiracy of thousands of years, in story they are limited only to one area of Japan where they could avoid detection by Soul Society and likely have not been active there for any longer than Mayuri's tenure.
- Adaptation Species Change: Madoka, her brother, and at least one of her parents has Quincy ancestry.
- Amazingly Embarrassing Parents: It does not take long for Urahara to fall into this role with Mami and Homura. Kyoko is (mostly) immune to it, mostly as she's not at school to pay the price for Urahara's antics.
- And Then John Was a Zombie:
- Mami witches out in the first story. Fortunately Urahara manages to figure out how to reverse the process after her grief seed is retrieved.
- Reviving Nagisa involves a look into her own witching out in Sweet Tooth.
- Artificial Human: Ururu was created by Mayuri and discarded as a failure, only to be saved and taken in by Urahara.
- Back from the Dead: Madoka's wish brings many dead Quincy back to life, including Uryu's grandfather, by removing the tensions between them and Soul Society in the first place by changing the outcome of a Quincy killing a Hollow from erasure to purification.
- Beta Couple: In contrast to Mami and Toshirio's stumbling into romantic interest, and Homura's worries about Madoka's true feelings for her, Sayaka and Kyoko don't have any problems at all with each other or their relationship, they just keep it quiet for some privacy.
- Big Bad Ensemble: The main antagonists of the first story are Kyubey and Mayuri, the latter who is also the main antagonist of Sweet Tooth.
- Brick Joke: After she shows her designs for being a magical girl to Uryu, he takes them as inspiration for her own Quincy outfit, but removes the pink because it is not a Quincy color. After Madoka's wish creates Kreimhild Gretchen as the Goddess of the Quincy, once of the side effects is that pink does in fact become a prominent Quincy color, replacing blue.
- The Brute: Walpurgisnacht. It is not particularly intelligent, but it is the most powerful weapon Kyubey has access to and can point at it things in a vague form of direction and control. It's also noticeably more powerful than Kyubey or Mayuri The results are evident.
- Canon Foreigner: Do to the author not having been aware of the PSP game at the time of writing, Candeloro was replaced as Mami's Witch form by Trivia Castrovalva, having a different theme based around highways and car accidents instead of tea parties and her dear friends.
- Cerebus Call-Back: Mami's joke about having Madoka wish for cake if she can't think of a wish comes back with a much darker take with Nagisa, who wished for a cheesecake to help her sick mom feel better that nearly immediately ruined her life. It's a callback that horrified Mami when she realized it.
- Deliberate Values Dissonance:
- From the perspective of a modern Japanese person like Mami, the rules and norms of Soul Society are archaic, needlessly harsh, unfairly slanted against the majority of its residents, and the fact that those who had been victimized by it (like Rukia) still being loyal to it baffles her. They also use a outdated lunar calendar by human standards.
- Names. Names in Soul Society carry immense importance. Especially for those who originate from the poorer areas, having a name is often the one thing that is undeniably yours, and they are expected to be very personal. Being given a full name is a gift beyond anything to have. To humans names are important, but nowhere near as much, and Toshiro is flabbergasted at how Mami's name isn't multi-layered in its meaning.
- Discard and Draw:
- Homura, at the end of the first story, destroys her time shield's time mechanisms, partially as a means of avoiding punishments for using illegal powers unaware and accidentally causing a Time Crash, losing that part of her powers. In exchange, having already learned several kidos and flash step to compensate, Madoka exploits a loophole in her wish phrasing to grant Homura Quincy powers.
- Madoka is trained as a Quincy by Uryu instead of becoming a Magical Girl. While she does still make a wish, Kremhield Gretchen is able to split off from her to become an independent being, taking her god-level potential as a magical girl with her.
- The Dreaded: As always, Unohana. Byakuya would rather complain about Yachiru's behavior to Zaraki, who he hates and knows isn't going to do anything, than to her as Yachiru's direct boss as the head of the Shinigami Women's Association, whom keep breaking into his house. Even the Holy Quintet picks up in about a week that Unohana is not to be angered.
- Flash Step: Shunpo is one of the techniques that Urahara and Yoruichi teach the Holy Quintet. Homura in particular picks it up quickly as a replacement for her use of her time powers.
- Drives Like Crazy: Urahara's finesse with driving an unmarked white van is...an acquired taste.
- Food as Bribe:
- Kyubey is able to get witches to do things for it by feeding them spent grief seeds to eat. This works even with Walpurgisnacht and the witch that caused Mami's car crash, though it does not work on Castrovalva when Kyubey tries it in the final battle.
- How Mami gets Yachiru to stop taking pictures of her and Toshiro unprompted. That candy Ukitake kept around for Toshiro wasn't going to any better use anyway.
- Where Kyubey couldn't get Castrovalva to obey with grief seeds, Mami has better luck with cake. Unfortunately there is a bad tendency of cake supplies to be limited when this is necessary, though Tessai and Nagisa are usually quick to help resolve the cake deficits.
- The Ghost: Ichigo is frequently mentioned, but makes no appearances. Due to being set between the Winter War and the Fullbringer Arc, Ichigo is currently de-powered and unable to participate in the events of the stories, with the project to restoring his powers being an occasionally mentions project.
- Heart Is an Awesome Power: While Benihime's powers are usually limited in their effectiveness in Bleach due to the series focusing on combat abilities, especially in regards to Bankai, here Benihime's powers to alter reality around itself are just what is needed to help save magical girls by helping turn grief seeds back into soul gems for long enough to communicate with the imprisoned magical girls within to start getting them to recover from within themselves.
- Incompatible Orientation:
- Homura's worried about this in regards to Madoka in Three Worlds, as while Madoka is aware of how much she means to her thanks to Gretchen, Madoka uses the word 'love' to describe everyone she likes, friends and family alike. This worry is unwarranted.
- While it's not outright said, it's implied that Soi-Fon has this with Yoruichi. And having had at least a century to stew in it, on top of other issues, Soi-Fon's personality is not any better for it.
- I Was Told There Would Be Cake: Mami's favorite motivator when Castrovalva needs a bit of encouragement, though often the cake has yet to be prepared when the requests are made.
- Killed Off for Real: Kyubey in his entirety is wiped out by Madoka and Gretchen at the end of the first story.
- Magic A Is Magic A: It is possible for Magical girls to use the abilities of Shinigami or Quincy, but it takes some time for Urahara to figure out how to train Magical Girls with the techniques properly, while the latter only is possible if you have the heritage or Gretchen finds your use of exact words to be amusing and likes you both.
- Mental World: Like Shinigami and their zanpakutou, all Magical Girls have one, though it is not easy to access. They are also the base for witch labyrinths, becoming twisted versions of themselves when a soul gem becomes completely dark.
- The Mole: The Incubators have one in Soul Society to hide their activities in the areas around Mitakihara (such as Kamihama and Mitakihara itself) from scrutiny. The mole is in fact Mayuri.
- My Greatest Failure: Urahara has many regrets in his past, though the events of the story quickly shoot freeing Mayuri as one of the greatest.
- Nice Girl: And Guy.
- Isane Kotetsu, who is in fact so nice even Homura has trouble being grumpy to her before she loosens up.
- Yuushirou, who really doesn't want to be involved with family political squabbles with his newly adopted family and is happy to help them get out of it.
- Madoka, naturally.
- The Nicknamer: Yachiru is fond of them as ever, and has some for the Holy Quintet in Busty (Mami), Frownie (Homura), Pinkie (Madoka), Snappy (Sayaka)note , and Scorchie (Kyoko)note .
- Not Me This Time: Urahara is quick to point out that he has nothing to do with Mami's Witch powers, having only saved her life. Hiyori doesn't believe him despite it being the truth, mostly due to disliking him already.
- Oh, Crap!: One had by Mami and Sayaka, and Madoka to a lesser extent, when Ms. Saotome clearly shows interest in Urahara upon meeting him and his charms, which becomes monumentally more dreadful when she asks him out to dinner. On top of at least one student egging Ms. Saotome on as she does so. Homura meanwhile just sighs and Kyoko finds it hilarious.
- Perpetual Frowner: Homura, whose many disastrous time loops have left her in a emotional state that worries Urahara to see in a child. Mami notes that Yachiru's nickname for her, Frownie, is rather appropriate. Homulilly helps her get over the worst of it, but she's still the quietest and most reserved member of the Holy Quintet afterwards.
- Rank Up: Nemu takes over the leadership of the Twelfth following Mayuri's defeat by Urahara and long-term incapacitation by the removal of his Soul Gem though she is by no means the first choice for the position, just the only one.
- Related in the Adaptation: At the end of Moebius Homura is adopted by Yoruichi, Mami by Urahara, and Kyoko by both shinigami after the two marry. Thus in the second story and beyond Mami, Homura, and Kyoko are all sisters by adoption.
- Ripple-Effect-Proof Memory: Only those who were caught up in Homura's time crash after Madoka makes a wish to alter the history and powers of the Quincy remember that history used to be different.
- Screw the Rules, I Have Connections!: Why Yoruichi adopts Homura: her messing with time had gotten the attention of the authorities especially after the full-out time crash and being adopted into a noble family of Yoruichi's status makes actually punishing her harder to do.
- Shadow Archetype: Soi-Fon is exactly the sort of person that Homura will become if she doesn't get her issues sorted out post-Walpurgisnacht. Very fortunately, this realization comes as Homura's able to fully process this herself.
- Shipper on Deck:
- By the second story Kyosuke gleefully jokes that Sayaka and Madoka aren't part of his family 'yet', clearly aware of Sayaka and Kyoko and Madoka and Homura's possibilities as a couple. Both being realized by Three Worlds.
- Ukitake quickly starts trying to pair Toshiro with Mami during the same story.
- Split Personality: Urahara's research and exploration on topic expands on how this works from Madoka's canon. Witches are this to Magical Girls, being formed from a part of themselves that are split off during contracting, forming into their own distinct personalities over time, with split-off familiars being this process further occuring. This split nature is most apparent with Castrovalva and Homulilly, who were split off from their original selves for far longer than Charlotte was and have the personalities of their younger selves as a result.
- Stations of the Canon: Kisuke meeting up with Mami on the regular doesn't do a lot to shift the plot at first: the Charlotte fight goes the same as it does in canon beyond Yoruichi intervening to save Mami's life, and Sayaka still contracts for the same reason and saves Madoka the same way despite Mami still being alive. Its only when Sayaka encounters Kyoko in a slightly different way for the first time, and Mami witches out, that the plot truly diverges.
- Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: By Mayuri's own admission, the mole and the Incubators did not get along well and their interactions would end frequently in killing Incubator bodies. Urahara finds the descriptions given of their 'teamwork' to be fairly disturbing.
- Time Crash: Homura's time jumping is damaging space time, and the use of this very dangerous, and illegal, power is what brings Kisuke to Mitakihara in the first place. Once he figures out Homura's powers he warns her of the risk and offers her training to compensate for dropping the use of her time powers, which Homura accepts. However when she sees Madoka make a wish she panics and uses her time powers, creating a time crash that is fortunately averted by Kisuke's preparedness for such a panic use of time powers.
- Token Good Teammate: Among the three witches we see interact with their human selves, Homulilly is the most nicest and most human in her morality and viewpoint. Where the others often advocate for cannibalism and violence or are willing to let Mayuri run amok completely uncaring until properly motivated, she instead acts more like a conscience for Homura instead.
- Token Evil Teammate: Castrovalva, who is on the Holy Quintet's side, is undeniably loyal to Mami through and through and deeply cares about her, and really isn't evil or particularly malicious by nature, but she is more willing to suggest eating their problems (like Hiyori, Kyubey, police officers, and Charlotte) or using violence to solve problems (like punching Homura for causing a time crash where Mami would prefer a gentler approach) than even Kyoko. Notably despite being a witch as well, Homulilly is far less prone to suggesting violence and cannibalism as a solution to Homura's problems and is more likely to advise Homura to be nice than encourage her to attack or eat anyone who fights or bothers her.
- Took a Level in Kindness: Homura takes one during Three Worlds where having a breakthrough thanks to connecting to Homulilly gets a lot off her shoulders and finally gets her barriers to come down.
- Took a Level in Badass:
- Mami goes from, by Yoruichi's own estimates, someone at the level of a third seat to being able to match Toshiro in a spar blow for blow in the span of several months.
- Nemu learns Bankai offscreen, allowing her to replace her father as Captain of the Twelfth Division.
- Too Much Alike: Yoruichi says that Homura and Soi-Fon are alike and this is true. The problem is that they are so much alike in their single-minded dedication and Sugar-and-Ice Personality towards a single person (Madoka and Yoruichi respectively), and tendency to get jealous when another person (Uryu, other people, Urahara, Homura) gets their attention that they really, really do not like each other. It eventually leads to an outright fight when Homura pushes a few too many of Soi-Fon's buttons too well because those buttons are the same ones that would infuriate Homura herself.
- Trauma Button: Due to losing their parents in a car crash, Mami and Castrovalva don't like being inside cars. Urahara spends the majority of Drives Me Crazy working on this problem.
- Trickster Mentor:
- Urahara's involved, 'nuff said. He's not quite as crazy as he might be with Ichigo, however, due to learning Magical Girls as he goes along.
- Yoruichi isn't quite as obvious about it as Urahara can, but she didn't need to pretend to be a talking cat for nearly as long as she did in the first story. And she clearly expected some lesson to come from pointing Homura near Soi-Fon and saying they are a lot alike, though if she expected it to result in a version of Urahara's patented 'throw someone as close to death as possible to achieve results' method specifically to resolve Homura's emotional issues or not isn't quite clear yet.
- Unskilled, but Strong: By the standards of the Shinigami, Magical Girls. Without mentors they've reached fairy impressive levels of power, and with one their potentials are quite impressive. By Yoruichi's own estimates Mami was already at the level of a third or fourth seat just on her own and able to reach the level of a lieutenant with a bit of help. By Three Worlds she can match Toshiro in combat.
- Unwitting Instigator of Doom: Urahara and Mami's training session after Sayaka contracts, which proved difficult due to magical girl powers and shinigami techniques being similar enough to be mixed but not easy to do so without figuring out the how, had the unintentional effect of darkening Mami's soul gem enough that the reveal that soul gems are the literal souls of their magical girl owners was enough to make her witch out.
- Villain Has a Point: Kyubey early in the story tells Mami to beware of Soul Reapers due to the Quincy genocide. While it is very much Kyubey being manipulative to keep Mami from getting any help he can't control, the actions taken against the Quincy are not something Mami is able to ignore when dealing with non-exiled Soul Reapers and is always on the back of her mind as a worst-case scenario for Magical Girls even after Madoka's wish made that genocide never happen by removing the reason it was done in the first place as Mami is one of the people who remembers that it had once happened.
- Vitriolic Best Buds: Uryu and Ichigo. So much so that Madoka, without even meeting Ichigo and just listening to Uryu complain about him once, can tell they are good friends.
- Wrecked Weapon: Homura's shield is broken at the end of the first story by Homura herself as recompense for causing a time crash. While she is still able to use its storage feature, it can no longer pause or rewind time.
