#ESPECIALLY when they were in the rukon…..

[yumichikamadarame]

let’s all take a moment to imagine ikkaku and yumichika having a peaceful day lounging about some meadow in the rukon pre-gotei era……

commission by @cha-r4 🩷

ref below:

[recurring-polynya]

Idk if you’ve answered this question (sorry if you have) before, but how do you think Renji & Rukia first met ? What do you think their life was like originally before Soul Society ?

Pardon me if I'm reading this wrong, but...Rukia and Renji's first meeting is enshrined pretty thoroughly in canon? She rescued him from a water heist that was about to turn disastrous.

This is from Chapter 98/Episode 32: A Star and a Stray Dog, which is the first place you should be looking if you're interested in pre-canon Renruki lore.

As to the second part of your question...you mean before they died? What sort of lives did they have in the World of the Living?

I'm gonna pontificate, so I'll throw that under a cut

First off, I am fascinated with the fact that Kubo gives us nothing about what anyone's living life was like. On one hand, I would like to know everyone's pre-history, but on the other, I'm glad he didn't, like as a literary choice. The slate is supposed to be wiped clean. It doesn't matter. It's maddening, but also correct.

It's also one of those places that is just ✨fanfic free real estate✨ in terms of I think everyone should make up their own version for their blorbos, so of course I have them for Renji and Rukia. I have absolutely nothing to support these, they are just what I felt in my heart.

I have actually talked about Renji's beforedeath quite a bit, here and there in various fanfics, usual under the conceit that, particularly in their Inuzuri days, he would sometimes blurt out some half-remembered thing and then promptly forget it again. Here an excerpt from Chapter 3 of go places:

It’s an Alive Memory, Rukia is nearly certain. Most souls get them. All the boys did, from time to time. To Renji, it’s just brain dust. Whatever it is in Soul Society that makes people forget their lives also makes this memory detritus slippery to hold onto. Renji won’t think of this later, or attach any importance to this conversation. The funny thing is, after ten years of watching him stumble through these moments, Rukia probably has a better idea of what Renji’s life was like than he does. He lived on a farm of some sort. A small one, or at least his family grew a lot of their own food. He died of a fever. Nearly all of his Alive Memories involve his mother. Rukia is almost positive that Renji’s mother is the one who taught him to write. The sewing scissors were likely hers. In Rukia’s imagination, Renji’s mother is very tall and beautiful and kind. Rukia doesn’t need to use her imagination to know that Renji loved his mother very much.

Just to offer a little more detail--doing the math out, where Bleach starts in the early 00s, Rukia and Renji have been separated for 40 years and knew each other for 10 years before that, it would make a lot of sense for both of them to have died in WWII. However, I like to think that time is very wobbly, especially in the outer Rukon, so I like to make their deaths a little earlier-- specifically, I think that Renji died in the 1918 flu pandemic, which may have contributed to getting a plague spirit for a zanpakutou. That being said, my general vibe for his childhood is based on Kanta, the neighbor kid from My Neighbor Totoro, which takes place in the 50s. In any case, he had a pretty small and unremarkable life in rural Japan, aside from the fact that he was loved very much, which will never be unremarkable, no matter how common it may be.

I have written less about Rukia's beforedeath, mostly because she was too young when she died to have any phantom memories. [Note: I know there are some theories out there, based on some arcane clues that Kubo has dropped that Rukia may not actually be a normal soul and may be related to Hell. That's...fine. While I'm never going to say no to a storyline that centers Rukia, I really do hope that it comes to naught. Ichigo has enough Crazy Origin going on and I like the Rukia's backstory the way it is, so I'm just going to ignore all of that for the sake of this post]. Ahem! So, infant death is not anything surprising, or even really interesting, but what makes Rukia's kind of compelling is the fact that her much-older sister died at the same time. To me, this indicates either a natural disaster or a death-by-violence.

As I said above, there are infinity ways you can go with this, but to me, there were two important things I wanted to capture 1) given Renji's descriptions of Rukia having an inherent grace and nobility, and the idea that something about Hisana caught Byakuya's eye, I thought that maybe they should have been noble, and 2) I wanted them to live by the sea. I do not actually remember how I landed on this, but in the 1850s, a bunch of sea fortresses were constructed to protect Japan by attack from sea (see here for more detail). This was the tail end of the Edo period and I liked the idea that maybe Rukia came from an old samurai family, and her father was sent to oversee one of these coastal forts. Did they die in a bombardment? A bad storm? The Kanto earthquake? I never got that far. I'm not even sure if this is a realistic scenario, if they had civilians living there, etc, this was just a half-thought-out thing I came up with for a bonus chapter of a fanfic that someone requested once. The one other detail from that that I came up with and stand by is that I think there were more siblings in their family between Hisana and Rukia. I also like that this idea that makes Rukia somewhat older than Renji, even though the math is impossible and the points are made up anyway.

[aurvmz]

bleach by tite kubo, review, small description of characters and story, and thoughts

MASSIVE BLEACH SPOILERS!!!!! BECAREFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

small description : i started bleach around 7 or 6 months ago, mainly cause of my friends, the main character is this person called ichigo kurosaki, he's a high schooler who's known for being able to fight and see ghosts (this is important later), one day, he's in bed doing whatever when a girl in some black robes jumps in through hiswindow, after he thinks it's a robber, he kicks her in the back and she's suprised he can see her. she introduces herself as rukia kuchiki , a soul reaper (she is also VERY important later), and she's from this place called the soul society where they exercise lost souls and sends them to the soul society (this place is VERY VERY important later), where the souls can live a happy afterlife in the Rukon District, which is a village for exorcised lost souls to enjoy, and later, sometimes become soul reapers, similar to rukia, these ghosts are the ghosts which ichigo was able to see. rukia later explains that there are some souls that aren't exercised in time that turn into hollows. hollows are flesh seeking brainless creatures which have immense strength, soul reapers are also made to kill and exercise these creatures to stop any harm reaching lost souls and regular humans.

after this, a hollow breaks loose and grabs ichigo's sister, about to kill her, remember, most humans CANNOT see hollows and soul reapers due to not having any reiatsu or spiritual pressure. in order to keep ichigo from harm, rukia uses a kido spell. kido is a certain type of power that soul reapers can use to help them exercise hollows better. she uses a kido spell on ichigo which immobilizes him as she goes to kill the hollow and save ichigo's sister

, ichigo breaks loose from the kido spell due to his father being a retired soul reaper. ichigo's siblings and him were able to see hollows and soul reapers due to reiatsu passed down from his dad, isshin kurosaki (who is actually isshin shiba, the kurosaki comes from his mother), ichigo's mother was killed by a hollow named grand fisher ( I THINK I DON'T REMEMBER WELL ), ichigo's mother was a quincy,

a group that existed alongside soul reapers in killing hollows, before being driven to extinction by soul reapers. back to rukia and ichigo, rukia wasn't able to kill the hollow, and in a last resort, gave ichigo her soul reaper powers, which intended to be a bit of power, he ended up somehow stealing all of it

and killing the hollow in a power he didn't know the name of, called Getsuga Tenshou,

which starts his journey with soul reapers, Arrancars, and the Quincy. review : world building : 5/5 there's ALWAYS A NEW PLACE, FIRST SOUL SOCIETY, THEN HUECO MUNDO, THEN WANDENREICH, and the squad 0 palace i can go on and on, no complaints about the world building (Soul Society, Hueco Mundo, and Wandenreich)

power system : 4/5 reiatsu and spiritual pressure, bankais, ressureccions, vollstandigs, all super interesting and cool but it can feel a bit eh sometimes and a bit too complicated especially with reishi with quincies and stuff (Ulquiorra's Ressureccion, Segunda Etapa, Bambietta's Vollstandig, and Unohana's Bankai)

female cast : 4/5 so many cool and strong women in bleach that aren't overly weird like yoruichi shihoin, rukia kuchiki, senjumaru shutara, retsu/yachiru unohana, nelliel tu odelschwank i can go on and on, all have powers that are really cool, and yoruichi just going left right , but there are some characters like rangiku matsumoto and orihime inoue that just have unrealistic physics... (Nelliel Tu Odelschwank's Segunda Etapa and Rukia Kuchiki's Bankai)

pacing : 3/5 pacing is a lil slow at some times but it goes well MOST of the time, not really much to say on this.

conclusion : 4/5 i love you tite kubo, so much detail and good background on characters, AMAZING plot twists and introductions, and there's never "main character plot armor" (except for ichigo vs ulquiorra , ichigo should have NOT won that tbh!!) overall, definetly an AMAZING watch

[bleachbleachbleach]

Damnit you just triggered my writers brain. The way I see it is that part of why the Shino Academy takes so long isn't just training the potential shinigami, but also covering things such as literacy. (Aizen had taught a Calligraphy class there before being made Shinji's lieutenant)

Part of that I think would be speach training and language. Think about how in the British army their officers were/are trained to carry themselves like a gentleman, including the king's English. Put simply, they are speeking in a generally agreed upon subset of language so that everyone can understand eachother. There are other languages used in rukon, as well as dialects, and shinigami use their natural language in like company. (It being tokyo Japanese is probably solely for the convenience of the one consuming the media)

[This is in response to musing from this post!]

If we’ve said something that triggered your writerly instincts, when we have carried out our life’s mission! <333333333

As someone who’s spent way too long in school, part of me is like "6 years isn’t that long given that they’re starting from 0" even as I also know that most military training is not that long by any means. One day I’d LOVE to put together a bunch of potential course curricula for the Academy, because 1) I am obsessed with Aizen’s calligraphy class to an unhealthy degree, and 2) I do think they take The History of Soul Society and Hollow Biology 103, etc. though I suspect all of this is sorely lacking in the way that all curricula are—especially because every shinigami we’ve met knows a lot of things while simultaneously knowing absolutely zero things.

Below the cut, some of my thoughts on the Academy's auxiliary curriculum:

Entrance Exam

My co-blogger pointed out that the Academy has an entrance exam, and one that’s difficult enough to fail—though it makes me wonder what the nature of the exam is. Is it rote memorization of concepts? Is it testing your logical and spatial reasoning? What else are they screening for besides reiatsu? Regardless apparently it’s a written exam, which I imagine puts you at a pretty distinct disadvantage with you’re from most of Rukongai, because first you have to go find someone who will teach you how to read and write well enough to sit the exam, before you even get to go to shinigami school.

Calligraphy Class

My headcanon for Aizen’s calligraphy class (besides it being one of the many way he cruises for new recruits) is that it has both practical and artistic components. The artistic part is self-explanatory. The practical part is basically just penmanship training, which comes from the fact that all the handwritten reports we see seem to basically be in the same handwriting, even though we see in Colorful Bleach that if they’re not writing those reports with their inkbrushes, everyone’s handwriting is different. The two pieces of this class are DEEPLY divorced from one another, because one is deeply personal and the other the exact opposite of that. But when Aizen sent his course proposal to the Faculty Executive Committee, he probably said something about how practicing artful calligraphy imbues young potential shinigami with a mindset better suited to successful kidou and zanjutsu training and he's probably not wrong. Everything is utilitarian/practical in the end.

Report Writing 101

It would make sense that everyone take Report Writing 101, but part of me feels like that might be a more on-the-fly skill, or Continuing Education, because most of these guys aren’t writing reports anyway, and the number of reports written increases with rank, and since the Captain is going to have to sign off on everything anyway, they probably ether fix anything that’s amiss or give no fucks about whether anything is amiss before sending it on. So maybe that’s beyond the purview of the Academy. I mean, if most people don’t graduate with shikai, I guess they probably don’t graduate with Report Writing either. Maybe it's one of those "if you get fancy enough, there's one more thing you'll have to learn on your own!" deals.

Language Preserves Hierarchies Class

So that’s penmanship and written language, both things that Soul Society seems very invested in. What of the spoken language? The Gotei, for all their… whole thing, really, seem perhaps more permissive about a lot of things than a company might be IRL. Crazy hair, uniform customization, pretty informal language (though there is definitely still some preservation of language register based on rank). I could definitely see the Gotei wanting their trainees to have at least like, a 1-credit practicum in keigo, just because that helps preserve the power dynamics/hierarchies the Gotei runs on. I could also see them staring imperiously at potential new shinigami until this information was magically pressed into them, LOL.

Maybe my big interest here is "what does the Academy teach" vs. "what does the Academy just expect you to just know" (regardless of how much or how little sense these expectations might make). This is in regards to life skills as well as reiatsu skills. I'm convinced that there's a lot a lo a lot of room for improvement when it comes to this curriculum, 2000+ years in the making or not!

We basically said the same thing re: language variance in Rukongai, though oh MAN now I’m curious about like, to what degree standardization within Soul Society makes it out into Rukongai. Because on some level maybe it shouldn’t at all, because the Seireitei doesn’t seem to really care what’s going on in Rukongai except sometimes when whole swatches of souls go missing, but who’s doing all this teaching? To what end, besides Academy entrance exams? Is this a linear process where the resident Literate Soul needs to train the next one, or are there souls coming in from the Living World with different versions of this knowledge all the time? GAH I LOVE IT.

Unpaid Internship Class

I also wanna know, like, how much of Academy training is in situ vs. ex situ. Like, the Advanced Class leapt up to "field trip" really fast. Are the last year or two basically just Gotei Lite, except you don’t get paid (or get paid a lot less), even though you might die? Do you get TA credits if you’re like Hisagi et al, leading first-year field trips? Honestly I feel like a lot of Academy training is probably JUST learning how to interpret, control, and manipulate your reiatsu, and JUST trying to communicate with your sword and make it a true zanpakutou. Jinzen class is probably the hardest class series. If those two things happen to come easily to you, I imagine that’s mostly what fast-tracks you through the Academy curriculum.

But I’m coming at all this from a very contemporary, more-school-than-military, pretty Westernized perspective. Part of me wants to learn about how "school" has worked across the last 2000 years and part of me just wants to make it up in accordance with my own desires and interests because IT’S MAGIC GHOST MILITARY SCHOOL. 

Truly, I just want fandom’s 370 different versions of how this school works. There are so many great options. I want them all.

Anyone wanna do a "36 Views of Shinoureijutsuin" with me where we all make different potential curriculum plans lol. WHO WANTS TO DO FAKE ADMIN PAPERWORK WITH ME.

[madaramee]

@rangikuxmatsumoto: ⚔️ I DEMAND PROTECTIVE IKKAKU

How'd this happen? --Ahh, right. He's just lucky.

The war never ended with Yhwach's defeat. Remnants across time surging on the very rare occasion, dispatching the best of the best to the scene to prevent any potential damage. It may have only been the King of the Quincies' remnants, though the danger his mere presence posed a year ago was enough to sound an emergency of the highest degree in the Seireitei.

It just so happens that the first to arrive at the scene was the only vacant Fukutaichou at the time; sent as the vanguard to the scene. Natually, a Fukutaichou that's been in service as long as she was, would manage to hold her ground; especially considering the urgency of such alarm would garner the arrival of several others, as well as Captains to boot. In other words, help was on its way.

Despite that... This wasn't the first time this alarm struck, though a tad too close to the last one. And strangely enough, specifically when she happened to be nearby with a group of nobodies. He trusted in Rangiku's abilities, of course. She was well-rounded in just about enough fields to protect herself and her squadmates should anything happen, and should be able to hold the remnants enough for the reinforcements to arrive. In this instance, it happened to be himself, Iba, the Kotetsu sisters and Yadomaru. All others were, unfortunately too far; though that roster by itself, including Rangiku, was enough. Under every circumstance observed on surface level, this was well within manageable scope. And even so, Ikkaku couldn't shake the feeling that something was, off. And not only him.

Speed was never in his best attribute. Even now as a Fukutaichou, he had trouble spamming Shunpo the same way his peers probably preferred to during combat. Though the uneasiness urged him to push faster, eventually finding his girlfriend within sight - the same time as the rest of the team. What laid however was, much less desirable. The sight of at least one of her subordinates downed, laid alone by a single tree in the outskirts of this Rukon district. As he observed her form rushing to their aid, her protectiveness over her squad members apparent as one who would take responsibility for their injury; the swirling black energy began to form behind her.

The other squad members weren't around; this was this nobody kid and her, alone. By every means, this was perceived as a targeted assault. But not one they wouldn't be able to interc--

"RANGIKU--!!!"

Without warning, the black swirl protruded one sharpened edge in almost perfect timing, directly aiming to pierce her. Though the attempt thankfully failed; as the blond was forcefully pushed to the side, forced to smack against the floor as the freshman from the 10th knocked over as well. The attack thankfully missed. It could have been bad if she took that -- it's a good thing they got there in...

"..."

...Looking down, his vision failing for a split-second, registering what had happened. Watching the shadowy appendage piercing through his abdomen, red tainting his Shihakusho and splattered over his golden plated arm. Wincing as the urge to vomit turned stronger than him, coughing out blood. The strong scent of iron overtaking, before it disappeared entirely; as the black appendage sharply exited his abdomen and back, only to be assaulted by the aiding troops. At least, that's what he perceived as his hearing dimmed out.

--Oh, right. That hasn't happened in a long time. Maybe the peacefulness of daily life dulled his blade, perhaps the sense of urgency dissipated at once and left him dizzy; though the bald man found himself unable to stay on his feet, giving in and falling to his knees with a gaping hole in his abdomen bleeding profusely - spilling red further down his Hakama. Very quickly, he could feel himself losing his consciousness. He's been there far too many times to mistake this. Dulled, dimmed voices, maybe calling his name. Maybe calling for a medic. Maybe chasing the shadow. Alone with his thoughts, strangely regretting putting himself in such misery; but not for the outcome. Rather for how pathetic his demise ultimately ends up being.

Her voice eluded him, but acknowledging his throat would fail him - Ikkaku remained only wishing in his mind, and strangely, being grateful. If somehow he wakes up from this, he'll undoubtedly get his head chewed off. But... He made it in time, after all. In the end,

He's just lucky.

Lucky that she's safe.

[yumichikah]

/i think yumichika and ikkaku really helped him with his "don't give a shit about others" mindset. I mean he had it before since he's a rukon mutt but they definitely were a positive influence and reinforcement in his life. He highly respecte and appreciates them both. And I love that for him.

-- Heck yeah! I really love the bromance between these three. It's so adorable to think of situations where Ikkaku and Renji get into trouble and Yumichika has to somehow cover for them or talk them out of it. Then them laughing at it later on like silly mischievous kids! In all honesty, I can imagine that they all had such good influence on each other's mental state back in the day too as they were still trying to find their places in Seireitei's ranks - especially when all of them have a background of fighting their way through Rukongai. Renji will always be a part of Yumichika's little dysfunctional family no matter their ranks, titles and whatnots! <3

[talesofsonicasura]

Ichigo/Hichigo/Zangetsu's Pokemon Trainer s/o in Soul Society

Here we go with Part two of this. It took awhile to figure out what to do but I think I found it. I need to come up with a shorter term for the three. This can be read as preferred gender or gender neutral.

You remained at your home in Karakura Town instead of going with your boyfriend(s). As much as you wanted to help, you didn't have any protection against spiritual attacks...at the moment.

Truth is you were working on something to fix that issue. Instincts flaring that something big was going to happen and preparation was needed.

So, with some help from your Gengar and other Ghost Type Pokemon, your project was finished. An enhanced version of the Magma Suit, capable of not only blocking reishi but also dish out your own attacks.

Once you had everything ready, it was time to set off. And thus bringing out the very Pokemon that made such travel possible, your Lunala.

How were you going to reach the Soul Society? By using Ichigo's Spiritual Pressure as a guide. Your Gengar been around the orangette and his other halves long enough to track them.

You had good timing as well because once you crossed the threshold into Soul Society, it was a literal battlefield.

Soul Reapers fighting each other on top of a hill, specifically everyone against three. And it was one-sided for the larger group.

The moment you saw your boyfriend Ichigo on the floor bleeding with an injured Zangetsu and Shiro on guard...count yourself extremely pissed. The brunette looking down on them was the last straw.

"Get the hell away from my lovers, you fucker! Dark Pulse and Moongeist Beam!" Shock hit everyone as the glasses wearing asshole, Aizen, was sent skidding across the ground.

All eyes on you and your two Pokemon who stood protectively over Ichigo and his other halves.

You didn't even give the rogue Shinigami any room to talk as you, Gengar and Lunala continued on the attack until all three traitors fled the scene, scathed.

With the threat gone, everyone who has been injured were patched up by the shinigami or Gotei 13's medical corps. Well, all accept Ichigo and his other halves.

You tended to their injuries as you didn't trust the Shinigami to do their job without doing something extra or invasive. Especially when one of the Squad Captains, Mayuri Kurotsuchi, approached you.

"My! What interesting creatures, a peculiar invention and a unique human all in one! Especially a human in 'love' with a Zanpakuto, Soul Reaper and Hollow. I wonder what child between the four of you will be like. Oh the experiments I can conduct!"

Let's just say that creep got a dose of paralysis from Gengar's Thunder Punch for it.

It didn't stop the visits from various Soul Reapers than just Ichigo's friends. Especially the battle craved Zaraki Kenpachi who wanted to fight your boyfriends.

Luckily you were able to compromise with Squad 11's Captain by allowing him to battle your Purrserker instead.

Let's just say those two had a good time fighting as the Viking Pokemon and Soul Reaper laid on their backs completely spent at the end.

You also got visits from Rukia and Renji, the latter apologizing for all the trouble he caused. Can't forget about the Squad 10 Captain and his lieutenant or the lieutenants from other squads.

Otherwise it was just you, Ichigo, Shiro, Zangetsu and your Pokemon. Gengar had to settle for less strenuous games like Rock-Paper-Scissors since everyone is still recovering.

Once Ichigo was back on his feet, Gengar, your boyfriends and you spent the rest of the time in Soul Society looking around.

Mainly spent most of it in the Rukon District since the Seireitei just felt too stiff. Definitely earned a reputation with the townsfolk, mainly a good one.

To sum it up, the visits somehow became you guys playing games with the younger souls, repair homes and help set up gardens across the Rukongai.

You did visit the Shiba family, mainly to thank them for helping Ichigo and his friends. Ganju had been gobsmack about his rival actually having a partner while Kukaku was bemused. The two of you somehow got into a discussion about fireworks once you complimented the huge firework cannon.

Overall, it had been a good time in the Soul Society before all of you had to go back. You definitely left a huge impact especially for the Rukongai.

The residents will forever pass on the tale of four peculiar strangers and strange beasts that brought growing prosperity. A truth as the poorer districts began to thrive unlike the approaching tragedies of the Seireitei.

The Rukongai really deserve some justice just like Ichigo does. Believe me, there were so many problems Soul Society could've avoided if they treated all souls equally and not be partially genocidal assholes.

Trust me, it's a big red flag if the afterlife is split the noble and poor. Karma is a bitch and she knows when to take stuff like this slow before hitting hard.

I still trying to think of a shorter name for the trio when it comes to later headcanons. The Magma Suit is actually a canon item used in Pokemon Omega Ruby and thought it would be a perfect thing when this particular s/o has to fight.

I'll reveal the Pokemon Trainer's rank in the next headcanon. Just know that they can throttle full power Ulquiorra with the right setup.

Until next time folks! I'll see you later. Here's Perrserker and Lunala alongside the Magma Suit.

[littleeyesofpallas]

オレと同じルコン街の出でありながら大貴族の朽木家に拾われ

Like me, picked up from out of Rukongai by the great noble house Kuchiki

死神としての英才教育を施された朽木ルキアともあろう者がァ!

Given a Shinigami's gifted education, surely that person is Kuchiki Rukia of course

そんな人間みてーな表情してていい筈が無えんだよ!!

Good, should have nothing to do with making that sort of human looking expression(Face)

Like I mentioned in this random post, Renji makes this super curious comment about he was picked up by the Kuchiki house.

The Viz translation reads, "I grew up in the Rukon district, but I was taken in by the illustrious and noble Kuchiki Family. Rukia Kuchiki, you were trained to be a soul reaper!" As if those are two separate and juxtaposed things: He was picked up off the street, BUT Rukia got a special education...

But the line as I'm seeing it, the two things follow one another: She was picked up by the family, like him, thus she got a privileged education (like him). And that's in the context of him berating her behavior of showing human-like expressions/emotions.

In any case, the point being is that this early line seems to indicate that Renji is a retainer of the Kuchiki family, in the traditional feudal samurai fashion. Given that that suggests a structure with pretty distinct rules unto itself, that suggests that while Renji may not have been directly adopted into the Kuchiki head branch family the way Rukia was, he is basically the sole member of a deputized branch family of the Kuchiki clan.

Not unlike how, relatively late in the samurai caste's history, some peasants were granted samurai status and land as reward for fighting under certain more progressive or just desperate daimyo, even if the land title itself didn't really confer functional political power in court or even real social status beyond what could be demanded at the end of a sword. But between this and that initial Kuchiki-sama bit, the hints at this dynamic are never brought up again.

Any way, another fun detail, since I had to stare right at it to get the above bit, is that Kubo's doing weird furigana stuff here, as if of course his distinctive M.O. I never really noticed it before, but Renji says "facial expression/countenance​" with the kanji hyoujou[表情], but he pronounced it with the katakana KAO[カオ] as in kao[顔]: "face/look/expression."

It's an interesting way to write that out and I'm not sure if that's something that's done normally or not? It's being used in such a specific way here that I'm not sure I'd even know where else to look for similar examples in other manga.

He speaks in a pretty regular way, kao isn't an especially informal way to say "face" or anything... But he means hyoujou, which I also don't think has specific formal or informal connotations but seems like it's a slightly more complicated way to say the same thing: "face." And either one would read fine, and in isolation basically exactly the same, even... but you put them side by side and it makes it sound like Renji is trying to speak in a more complex manner than he's capable of?

何番隊の所属だ...!?

What number corp. are you from...!?

(Where are you from...!?)

He does it again when Ichigo shows up to try and rescue Rukia and Uryuu and at first glance mistakes Ichigo for just another shinigami. The kanji here is [何番隊]: "What + Number + Squad" but the furigana reads the whole thing as just DOKO[ドコ] as in doko[何処]: "Where/What Place." So read aloud the only thing Renji actually asked was "Where are you from?" but we're being told what he means is to ask what Gotei division Ichigo belongs to.

There's actually quite a few of these sorts of things peppered into this first appearance...

What he pronounces as KOCCHI[コッチ] here is the word gense[現世] meaning, "this life/this world/this way of things" or even "this era" it's sort of a heady abstract concept of reality as it is. But he pronounces it as kocchi[此方]: "this way​/this side/here" which is much more literal indication of a physical place.​

And then he actually calls three different things CHIKARA[チカラ]

[能力]: ability/faculty

[死神能力]: Shinigami Abilities

[霊力]: Soul Power

where as chikara[力] just means "Power/Strength/Force"

I don't actually know if this carries forward at all once Renji reappears in the Soul Society arc, let alone his many other appearances throughout the series... I get the sneaking suspicion he'll have dropped it if not by the time Renji reappears then by the end of the SS Arc. It's a neat quirk to slap on your rowdy new villain/rival but it feels like it'd be a pain to actually keep up with for a recurring semi-central character.

[kotonoba]

ISYT (Jushiro/Fem!Reader) Ch. 29

Cleaning up your apartment and packing everything was a breeze, especially with Jushiro helping out and teasing you as you separated your items, ones to be thrown out and kept. Even though he said you should keep them, you didn’t feel the need to keep them. Especially now, since you’ve lost practically everything except for your fiance. Thinking back on everything, you’d pity yourself too if you stood from an outside perspective looking in.

As you made several trips with Jushiro from your apartment back to his Ugendo, he could see you decrease in mood as time went on, his brows furrowed, though you weren’t entirely looking at him when you handed your keys to the landlady. She thanked you for being a great tenant, but you took that with a hint of salt; after the whole ordeal with the massacre in your hometown, everyone kept giving you a masked reaction. They would pity you and feel sorry or bad for you, but the moment you turned your back, they would mock you and say things like, 

“It must have been her. She must have killed her whole group and everyone in her hometown and said she got hurt. And then she disappeared, and now she’s back? It must be her, and she’s bewitched such a nice captain. What a vixen.”

Even if they don’t need to be said, or even if you met them with a smile on your face, there was still lingering damage. The looks they gave you, the whispers of ill intent befalling your shoulders; they hurt so bad. It hurt so bad... 

You yelped a little when a tight embrace met you as you unpacked your things in Jushiro’s Ugendo. Reflectively, you embraced him back. When you glanced up at him, his features were quite serious, a frown on his delicate features, “what’s wrong, ‘Shiro?” Although he smiled at the nickname you called him by, he shook his head and continued to frown.

“Something’s bothering my lovely fiancee, and I’m not buying that she’s just ‘fine,’ so will she tell me?” You tug at his sleeves a little, asking him to sit before you sit beside him. You smiled a little when you were met by a soft nuzzle to your cheek before that soft nuzzle turned into a light kiss. 

“I just keep thinking about everything people have said to me after the massacre, and then after I’ve come back from the human realm, and I…” you sighed a little, unable to verbalize your feelings correctly. It was tough. You felt wronged for something you didn’t do, and now – even your childhood friends from a rukon town that no longer exists don’t trust you. They’ve joined in to belittle you. 

“It’s tough, and I understand that. Can I tell you a little secret?” You perk at the word secret. And it was rare that Jushiro even had any secrets to share to begin with. He seemed like the type that could be read like an open book. “When I was little, I contracted a deadly lung disease that destroyed my lungs,” he seemed sad when he spoke about it. Your features instantly lit up with worry, “my parents did everything they could; they heard about a fallen god in Rukon District 76, Sakahone,” your face lit up a little.

“I came from that district.”

“That, you did. I call it fate,” you smiled a little as he pulled you into a tight embrace, “my parents had no choice but to offer me as a sacrifice to the fallen God, Mimihagi. And thanks to that God, I survived my fatal illness. My lungs are no more, but the God keeps me alive. I disappeared from Seireitei for a short period. When I returned, my hair had turned white, and I got a pitiful little look from my peers. Often, I would fall sick and would not appear in my classes. When I would return, those whispers and rumors of misfortune would befall me.” A soft whine would escape your throat, “don’t be sad, Y/N,” he chuckled at your sympathy, “people said I wouldn’t be able to become a soul reaper, but I proved them wrong. When I was a seated officer, I was posted in the human realm, and that was when–”

“When you met me before my death–”

“You remember!?” 

“Yeah, I did for quite some time, but I wasn’t sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing, so I didn’t bring it up,” you puffed up your cheeks, and he moved to kiss you quickly on the cheeks.

“It’s a good thing. Trust me, and I’m glad you remember. After I lost you, I was promoted to becoming a captain. I often hear rumors of my frail body giving out on me one day. It’s hurtful knowing people have such thoughts about me, but I’ve lived so long, and I’ve finally found the love of my life; I know I will be able to hold out longer,” he smiled a little as he leaned in for another kiss, you stopped him.

“The fallen God, why would it live in your body and help you maintain your body? What are the consequences?” Something just didn’t sit right with you.

“If the time comes, and the Soul King is no longer, I will activate Kamikake and allow Mimihagi to replace the Soul King. But until then,” he looked you in the eye, you didn’t want to lose him at all, “I would like to be able to love you as hard as I can, even if you don’t–”

“Don’t say that, Jushiro,” he perked at the seriousness of your voice, “I want to be with you forever, as long as time will allow us. I will do my best to protect you,” your arms wrapped around his neck, you pulled his head against your chest where he pressed you closer to his body as he relaxed into your body, “if you allow me, I’d like to–” you choked back your tears. He tensed up in response, “I’d like to be with you, be it life or death. I’d like to be with you forever; I’ve finally found my solace,” you felt him shift to look you in the eyes, tears welling up in his gentle orbs. You reflected that tears glazed over your eyes, “I’m not leaving my solace, in sickness and in health, no matter how treacherous the path may be, or how painful, I’ll always be by your side. If you allow me,” you move to wipe his tears away as he began to nod, moving to wipe yours too.

It took him a second to gather his voice, and when he spoke, it was full of emotions, they sounded happy, “yes, I hate to sound selfish, but that sounds good; I want you by my side no matter what happens. Please don’t leave me, and in turn, I will do the same thing,” you smiled and nodded. Overwhelmed with joy, he pulled you into a long and meaningful kiss. 

What felt like an hour was only a few seconds as he pulled from the kiss, “I love you, ‘Shiro, forever.”

“I love you too, Y/N, forever as well.”

------------------------------------------------

I’ve been slacking.

Cloudy's AO3

[windstormwielding]

When Kotaro was still a student in the shinigami academy, what was his worst class? What was his best? Are these areas that he still struggles in?

{ ooc } Ooh, a question about eager, bright-eyed, Academy days Kōta! Just gonna shove this one under the cut for length-

The shinigami academy is the foundation where Gotei 13, Onmitsukidō, and Kidō Corps hopefuls learn the four combat arts of soul reapers: Zanjutsu, Kidō, Hohō, and Hakuda. Kōtarō’s time at the Shinōreijutsuin was one heck of an adjustment period for a soul who only ever knew the sticks, but the young spirit did show some combat proficiency right out of the gate.

Zanjutsu, the art of the sword, was the one area where he got a sizeable lead over his peers from the beginning and kept it. Though there was no formal training to be had out in Rukongai, Kōta was taught from young how to swing a weapon around in order to defend himself. After all, Kusajishi, 79th District in Northern Rukon, is no place to raise a child, and try as his bandit mother might to keep him safe, she wanted him to at least stand a fighting chance against other goons should push come to shove. Sure, he learned how to fight and comport himself with honour as an upstanding Gotei 13 soldier, but he can get dirty if that meant scoring a win like in the boonies – you can’t afford to be complacent with your life on the line!

Kidō, the art of spellcasting, would pique anyone’s curiosity unless you’re destined for the 11th Division, which Kōta wasn’t. He already knew how to exert his reiryoku during a life-or-death situation once before, so learning how to channel this strange power of his into Kidō proved to be enlightening for him! Incantations and spell books, a wide variety of offensive and support magic, new ideas for sneak attacks to blend into swordplay... there are so many applications for these! As a Lieutenant, he became proficient enough in Hadō and Bakudō that he can cast mid-tier spells without the attached chant, though they are still needed higher up he goes. He also developed some basic Kaidō skills over his career within the 13th Division; he felt it would have probably been a good call—just in case—as a seated officer serving a sickly Captain, though with Kiyone and Sentarō constantly shadowing Ukitake, this was rarely ever needed.

Hohō, the art of movement, made for classes Kōta was especially interested in. Zipping about faster than the untrained eye can follow with Shunpo, learning how to walk up to the same clouds in the skies he wished to fly up to when little, feeling the wind blow right through him with agility he only ever dreamed of... He had a rough time with these classes at first, but he managed to brush up his skills here well enough over the course of the six year curriculum to graduate with considerable competence. In the present, he is fairly agile already, sure, but there’s always room to improve!

Hakuda, the art of close-quarters combat... this definitely made for his weakest classes. True, he had as strong a grasp of the basic pillars in CQC as anyone else did. However, given his preferences for and proficiencies in Kidō and swordplay, Hakuda would become the most neglected facet of the Zankensoki for him while he went on to further hone the other three. This was the case during his academy days and it still is in the present. Fisticuffs were just never his style! So it’s all well and good given his talent with a blade and magic, with enough talent to fight at a range and up close, but if there ever comes a time he can only rely on his fists and legs, he may be in serious trouble against someone far more proficient like an Onmitsukidō member.

As for Kōtarō’s biggest obstacle aside from the combat arts... hands down, by FAR, it would have been general education. Perhaps he could have graduated from the shinigami academy sooner than the full six years through combat potential alone, but he had a lot to learn in extensive reading, writing, language, mathematics, so on and so forth. Compared to pluses who lived closest to the Seireitei, and those who apprenticed as shinigami by virtue of being born and raised within the court of pure souls, his starting line here was set much further back by consequence of his social status at the time, so he had a lot of catching up to do.

As one can imagine, this disparity left Kōta with few he could call friends back in those days... but he still managed to befriend a few people he could rely on.

[lucxns]

( @xyuuken​ said:  i could do the meme thing or i could just....... ask you to imagine rukia and kaname on some mission and he just scoops her up under his arm and runs off before some attack hits-- )

He’d asked for her, specifically and especially -- and something about that had her a level of nervous she’d not been on a mission since, well...

Since she’d gone on her first one, ever.

The stark change of operating under a different captain, that was nerve-wracking enough -- but something had shifted between them ever since that day he’d spoken so extensively with her. She ran into him more now in her little trips around the Gotei barracks, and now this? Rukia was not worried about ill-intent, in fact, quite the opposite. Her walls were lowering again, the idea of healing, of having a friend...

It was a simple Hollow elimination, he’d explained, when she’d met him that morning on the outskirts of the Rukon. And yet, now, in the heat of the battle, she was struggling greatly to keep up.

She was outside of her skill-range, clearly, and that frustrated her more than it usually did. Like it was embarrassing for it to be so glaringly obvious in front of Tosen. Rukia tried to square up, to face off, to try and prove--

And that’s when she felt an arm loop about her, a quick shunpo, hey, wait! She looked up to see that, of course, Tosen had been the one to carry her off (who else?) and that a crater was now where she’d been standing. A little huff, a frown, that crushing disappointment in herself weighing down immediately.

❝I’m... sorry.❞

( @njnth​ )

[lo-55]

Shattered Chains of Fate Ch. 14

Moon on the Water

The first thing Sōsuke Aizen has memory of is hunger. A dull ache in his stomach that grows to pain the longer it goes unsated.

(He will learn, decades later, that only those with high reiryoku are able to feel hunger)

He doesn’t remember, he’s never known, if he was born in Soul Society or if he’d merely died young. He doesn’t recall if he had parents at some point, or if he’d been a hollow once. It doesn’t matter, for he doubts very much that he will ever know the answer to these things. There are some things that are simply impossible to find the answers to.

All he knows for certain is the hunger that he had become aware of.

Then the dust on his skin. Grit in his eyes. Dead grass beneath his hands.

The trees that stand as witness to his beginning are bare of greenery. They are nothing more than skeletons and dead wood, pressed in close and strangling each others roots.

There are no other humans around, only empty clothes laying on the earth around him.

He doesn’t know his name. He doesn’t know where he is or what’s happening.

Hunger gets his legs up under him.

Hunger drives him, stumbling and new, into the dull light.

*

It’s barely a town where he spends the next two decades. It’s all adult men and women covered in bruises or scars that grip knives with white knuckles. He is the only child among them, and he keeps that title with bloodied fists and teeth.

His ribs hurt and his stomach aches fiercely. Food is in scarce supply, whether people feel the same hunger as he does or not. What little there is is jealously guarded, and nothing is taken without a price paid for it. Gold and silver are worth nothing here. Only steel and bone make a difference.

There is something inside of him that tells him he could be stronger.

It’s a whisper in the night, a breeze on a pond in his dreams.

Grow,  says the moon in the water.  Grow stronger. Grow smarter. Grow.  

It’s something in the way he walks. To tall, too confident.

The men find him when the moon is gone from the sky and can’t float on the water any longer.

“You think you’re better than us, just because you’ve got a little bit of reitsu?” he reeks of sake and years gone unwashed. He’s flanked by three others, all of them red faced and unstable.

That doesn’t stop the hits from hurting.

“You’re no better than we are!”

“You’re just a brat no one wanted, that’s why you’re here.”

“Where’d your whore mother leave you anyway huh? In the woods? Fucking bush runt.”

When he lifts his head to spit on one of them he’s slammed down again so hard he sees stars. Blood roars in his ears and pours down his face with the tears and snot. His lips split. He screams.

It’s over.

When he looks up there’s only clothes on the ground, and he learns how to keep his head bowed and mild. Even still, people start avoiding him. Fear leads to isolation.

* *

He is only just an adolescent when people begin to vanish. They leave blood stains on the ground and screams in the night. There have been other children in the years. None of them last long. Even the ones that he tries to protect can’t take as many hits as he can, or go as long without. The latest dies not a month after he meets them. Adults have stopped speaking to him entirely. He is too smart, to vicious, to strong.

It takes four months for the shinigami to arrive.

One woman faints at the sight of them, the pressure of their souls so intense she can’t take it. He scoffs quietly. He is just as strong, and they don’t drop to their knees for him.

He watches them with solemn eyes. They wander like sparrows, with no direction and hardly any drive. Merely being in their village is a chore for these people, never mind the dead.

They are only people in the outer districts, he hears them whisper. Unmanageable and unwashed. They don’t even have shoes.

Sosuke bites his lip so hard it bleeds. That is not enough for him. He will no be contented to this life and fade away or be torn apart by monsters, those with and those without masks.

He walks up to one shinigami and points him to the hunting ground. The place by the river, where everyone must go eventually. That’s where they will find the monster that they barely bothered to look for.

Someone calls him clever. Someone else notes his energy levels.

None of them look back when they leave again.

He looks at the stick and stone huts that make up his village for a long time before he follows their foot prints. He is worth more than dirt and dead grass and bloody teeth. Regardless of what they tell him. He will find people who recognize that he is a person, that he deserves to be seen, that he deserves to eat and wash and live.

* * *  

The first time he sets sight on the seireitei the only thing that over rides his anger is his hunger.

He wants it. He wants that place. He wants his place in its wall and all that it entails. Shoes, soap, food.

He wants all of it. And he hates these people for hoarding it. He’d worked his way through the rukongai, and he’d made his way to the first districts with calloused hands and a mild smile. He’d seen people throw food away. He’d seen them discard perfectly good clothes and tools simply because they were old.

All of this waste, and yet he’d gone hungry for so long. For what reason?

He’d learned to read in return for months of hard labor, and he’d gotten himself accepted into the academy on work alone.

By then he was still young for the academy, but not the youngest. He had learned to be mild and polite. He’d learned to hide the blood in his teeth and wear his sleeves long enough to hide calloused palms and scarred knuckles.

He’d even started to wear glasses, to give the impression that he was smarter than people thought. And he was. Smarter. Smart enough and savvy enough that he lost his accent and polished his edges so swiftly that anyone who didn’t know before hand where he’d come from never would. Kido came to him as easy as breathing. All of his classes did. It just made sense, like fitting together pieces of puzzles. History and law, mathematics and management.

Poetry especially became a passion of his. It was elegant and beautiful, it opened a window to the soul of the writer.

The stroke of the brush and the stroke of the sword was the same. Once made it could never be undone. There the true intentions were laid bare to the world.

He chose a poetic name for himself. One that was just as unassuming at his smile and his eyes.

Sosuke Aizen. ‘Clever’ and ‘mediator’, and ‘love’ and ‘peace’. Something that he was and something that he wasn’t. Truth and lies.

He had barely graduated when the moon finally spoke to him a name on the water.

  Kyoka Suigetsu.  

“ You have grown, my Sosuke.”  

She is lovely and insubstantial. She ripples at the edges and her long white hair flows like water around them. Her blue eyes are so dark they’re nearly black, and her kimono swims with black and white koi.

She is like him, everything seemingly dripped in finery and hiding the callouses beneath. She is as beautiful as the truth is ugly. Sosuke loves her, suddenly and fiercely. He always has. She is the changing moon that has always watched over him.

She is alone in that.

Even in the academy, surrounded by others, he realizes quickly that he is cut from a different cloth.

He is smarter, stronger, he adapts faster. It leaves him standing above students, a pedestal they cannot reach, but below shinigami who are even weaker than he by the simple merrit of he has not yet graduated.

He asks one of those shinigami one day, when they are visiting to scout new recruits for their squads, why no one has ever tried to make things better for the outer districts.

(why no one ever tried to make it better for him)

They laughed at him, and the notion that anyone would care for mere rukongai trash. Someone all the way from Akaiha was worth less than the dirt on the shoes of someone like a Kuchiki. One person from Junrinan was worth more than eighty people from the eightieth districts.  Why bother with people like that?

If they really hated it there so much they should have worked harder to get out.

If their lives were so terrible they should just hurry up and die and move on.

Another answer comes, years later. It’s given to him by Shinji Hirako, his new captain, but the words aren’t really aimed at him. They stand on a balcony above the graduation class after him. He’s a fourth seat, fresh himself, and prepared to claw his way higher with grace and smiles.

The difference between the people below them is stark. The rukon seeds, the nobility, and the mercantile. It’s in the slope of shoulders, the set of jaws, and the dark eyes. Even their uniforms bear the marks of their origins. Some are new, even in the last days of class. Others are threadbare, grown out of and patched messily in places.

“It’s the same every year,” Hirako says to Rose. The two blonds are shoulder to shoulder, flanked by their underlings. Hirako has no lieutenant, so his entourage is larger.

“A shame,” Rose’s usual smile is faded into a pensive frown.

“Don’t look like that. There’s nothing you can do and you know it. They keep the rukon full so when the Soul King needs to lighten the weight no one with any power does anything about it. That’s how it’s always been.”

“I know that.” Rose’s frown deepens. “That doesn’t mean I like it.”

“No. None of us do.”

Sosuke thinks of cruel smiles and sabotages. Finery hides the sickest hearts. He’s not sure that Hirako is right. Plenty of people like the system just fine. All the ones with power do. The nobility does nothing because it keeps them safe and it keeps them living in luxury. They like living above the common riff raff.

Sosuke starts looking more into history. There have been attempts at change in the past. Rebellions and insurgencies, all crushed. Each time things got worse for the citizens of the Rukongai. More resources were taken, trade was restricted, business taxes increased until the squalor of the outer districts encroached until it reached all the way to the fifty first. The nobles owned the Central 46, who all Shinigami would obey without question. They cut down citizens they should have protected.

After that it stopped. Fear held them in place. They were no more than sheep.

Sosuke would not be a sheep. He refused.  

* * * *

Isolation was a deadly thing.

To be alone, even when surrounded by other people, was the worst sort of torture. He may not have shown it, but he struggled to resign himself to the world as it was. Why should he? He had been born strong. He hadn’t realized it at the time, but the empty clothes around where he woke up were people crushed by his mere presence. He had learned, quickly, to hide himself inside his own skin.

No one saw him. No one saw what he saw. A king that never knew his subjects, a ruling class that revelled in the suffering of those beneath them. There was a king with no face, no name, no influence. No king at all.

The throne in the sky was empty and Sousuke still knew the hunger. It still clawed at his chest and stomach.

Hirako was suspicious of him. He’d never done anything to warrant it, but the captain watched him like he was waiting for an explosion.

He was the last of his graduating class to be sent to the human world. The senkaimon was acting strangely, and they were going to put it off a few more months, but the head captain insisted, over Hirako’s protests. He said Sosuke needed to get his feet wet.

So he went.

He stepped out of the gate and onto a beach, where western troops marched in the dying red light.

This was not right. It wasn’t right at all.

Where were the thick wooden walls and tiled roofs of Kyoto? Surely it couldn't have changed so much since the last paintings were brought back from the human world! There really must have been something wrong with the Senkaimon. It dropped him somewhere he was certainly not meant to be.

There was something weird here too. The air was dense, like the atmosphere had suddenly compressed without room to expand. And the soldiers. Most of them weren’t just in identical uniforms. Some of them had the same face!

They were all alive, that much he could tell, and none of them paid any mind to him.

He touched the hilt of his zanpakutou, a curl of worry and a thrill of excitement coursing through him before he brushed them underneath reasoning and logic.

  Is it an illusion?  

He knows she is the best when it comes to such things. No one else could compare, and once he has someone snared there’s nothing else. The game is over and he has won.

She thrums under his fingers a small denial.

No. It’s real. Everything is real, but everything is also...

Wrong.  He can feel it. There’s something very, very wrong in the air. A thickness, a blanket over the land. The edges of the horizon somehow seem more like a cage than an invitation to find where they lead. As if they lead nowhere.

What is this?!

Sosuke forces himself to calm down. He’s never understood people who let their anger cloud their judgement, or fear decide their actions. Nothing good ever comes of that.

He needs information.

He tries, first, to open the senkaimon again, but to no avail. He stabs the air at least five times before he gives up on that option. Panic thrums under his skin. He sets it aside yet.

An investigation begins.

He follows troops and listens to orders. People are fighting, a war between americans and the clan Connacht.

Soldiers for it march to a prison, where a high profile captive it being held under a general. Seeking information he follows after.

Inside, he finds a tragedy and a miracle all in one.

* * * *

A human who can see him. A man who travels through time in a desperate attempt to save the world he lives in. A boy who has no power on his own but can empower into other people.

He’s an interest ( amazing ) human.

At first glance he’s just a moody teenager. All scowls and harsh edges. Sosuke gets to watch them soften around his people. Mash, a girl of tremendous resilience and knowledge. Cu Cullain, a magician who is two people at once, gentle and fierce in equal turns. Medusa is a vicious contender, with sharp teeth and serpents in her hair. The only smiles she has are reserved for pretty girls, and Ichigo himself.

It’s not his intention, but Sosuke starts to get attached.

It’s not his intention, but Sosuke starts to trust them.

Ichigo feels like his first and final chance. He sees the same injustices, he encourages Sosuke’s anger.

He tells him to change the world.

For the first time in his life Sosuke blossoms. He doesn’t need to hold himself back, or pretend to be anything other than what he is. Ichigo sees through his facade anyways. Ichigo keeps up with the twisting paths and whip quick leaps Sosuke’s mind makes. He’s a match for him. Never has Sosuke felt anything like what he felt when Ichigo placed his hand on his shoulder and shoved his very soul inside his skin.

Fire and moonlight, an ocean of power rushing into Sosuke’s swollen lake of reiryoku.

For the first time in his life Sosuke begs. When Ichigo tells him that he’ll forget him, forget them, he tells him secrets. He lets him touch Kyoka Suigetsu and offers him only truth. He will never be able to hide from Ichigo again, and he will give up every mask and tempered smile he has if it means Ichigo will restore him to how he is in America.

Free.

The empty throne in the sky doesn’t exist anymore. There are only stars and the sun.

It’s a war. Bloody and desperate. Every hollow in hueco mundo has brought themselves to the feast, or to run from the end of their home.

It’s still precious to him. Ichigo’s roughness manages to sand away his edges and hard corners, in the best ways.

It can’t stay. He clings to Ichigo when the battles are over and the light starts to shimmer around him. If he could he would follow him all the way to Chaldeas, no matter the consequences. If he could.

He can’t.

He loses everything, and he can’t even mourn it.

* * * * *

He stepped out of the gate and onto a beach, where western troops marched in the dying red light.

He stepped out of the gate and onto a beach, where western troops marched in the dying red light.

He stepped out of the gate and onto a beach, where western troops marched in the dying red light.

  Onto a beach-  

  Onto a beach-

  Onto a-  

Into carefully planned out streets lined with high wooden walls and roofs tiled in blue. Souls wander, forlorn and clinking with the chains of fate. Somewhere off to the east there’s a hollow hunting for dinner. The living are just as down trod as the dead, trudging through their daily toil.

Sosuke stumbles forwards. He blinks several times. He had just been reaching for something, hadn’t he? He’d been trying to hold something in his hands…

Something in his hands.

He looks down at his clenched fist. There is something cool and powerful held in his hand.

The one constant in Sosuke Aizen's life is hunger.

* * * * * *

[recurring-polynya]

I saw someone on Twitter discussing this bit from WDKALY:

Kuchiki Rukia and Abarai Renji were currently sitting side by side on that very bench. The time was around 10 p.m. and the small night view of Karakura Town was spread out below them. Because Renji was not as familiar with the Human World as much as Rukia was, every time a train would pass by he would curiously follow it with his eyes.

and hear me out, but I want Soul Society to have a train so, so bad. Like, an old timey train, all the best anime have trains. Consider:

Anytime anyone went anywhere in Full Metal Alchemist

The train ride to Swamp Bottom in Spirited Away

That time Kenshin rode a horse onto a train, and also Sanosuke deeply distrusted the train

Demon Slayer had a whole movie about a train and Inosuke wanted to fight it and then it turned into demon and Inosuke did fight it

And this is just period trains.

Anyway, I have decided to headcanon up a train for Soul Society. I have posited before that there is a sea out in East Rukongai that is a source for a lot of (especially canned) sea food, and is also something of a tourist spot for those with the ability to travel.

At some point, someone had the idea to build a train route that would connect the Seireitei to the sea, which would encourage commerce and tourism. Unfortunately, because it’s the Seireitei, it got NIMBYed when it was already partially under construction, so it actually only runs between Districts 6 and 24 of East Rukongai and is fairly expensive, which defeats the purpose almost entirely. It is sort of a twee thing to do for nobles to sally forth out to District 6 and take the train on a Seaside Excursion. There are various onsen and other scenic stops along the way. 

Byakuya vocally disapproves of the train-- he says it is “newfangled” and undignified. The fact is, he has actually ridden it-- he and Hisana took a trip out at some point “for her health.” Byakuya found the train to be both loud and smelly (my man got the sensory sensitivity), but Hisana loved the whole experience, so B may act mad, but it’s actually because thinking about the train makes him very sad.

Train construction/funding/legislation drama took up major real estate in the Seireitei Communication for years. Tousen was hot mad about every single aspect of the project, from the fact that it could have been a major economic benefit to the citizens of East Rukongai (and wasn’t), to the awful way the project was managed, to all the graft and corruption and kickbacks. The lieutenants all know better than to mention The Train to Hisagi, unless they want to spend the rest of the evening listening to his conspiracy theories about all the bodies hidden in the District 18 overpass.

Hitsugaya fucking loves trains and knows a bunch of details about the capacity of the boilers and the design of the flyball governors and crap like that. He knows how nerdy this is, and tries really hard to keep it to himself, but sometimes, on a Friday afternoon before a bank holiday, he’ll let Matsumoto drink in the office while he waxes poetic on rail gauges.

Ukitake and Kyouraku loved a romantic train trip, and made a vacation of it every few years.

It is Soi Fon’s dream to someday fight Yoruichi on top of the train as it speeds through the Rukon countryside.

Rukia and Renji got married in the wintertime, and they didn’t go on a honeymoon at the time, but Byakuya lowkey bought them a train trip the following summer (because Rukia had asked to hear the story about The Time He and Hisana Went to the Seaside about a million times). They were both a little nervous about it, even though Rukia kept bragging about how many vehicles she’d ridden in the World of the Living (by which she meant Isshin’s FunCargo). To make a long story short, they spent the whole trip with their noses pressed up against the window like a pair of Golden Retrievers and had the time of the afterlives.

[rukia-kuchiki-divided]

Continued from [[X]] @dragonsdance

Offering his gloved hand to her to help her off of Nimbus while he certainly would have loved nothing more for them to continue onwards on their journey together as there was so much that needed to be done he wasn’t going to ask her to endure this. Nor was he going to ask Nimbus to endure these blisteringly cold winds either for the sake of getting them to their destination faster. The golden, magical cloud had been shivering all the way through the very moment they had entered this colder climate but all in all…it wasn’t that often that Mt. Paozu would get inundated with harsh winter storms like this.

They certainly weren’t impossible either, especially considering that his home, the one that he had shared with his beloved grandpa gohan so many years ago was situated higher up then most of the dwellings in the area.

It stood to reason that when there where storms, his home in particular would get hit the hardest but this house of his had endured plenty of storms in his younger years and as long as he was around he would be certain that she would in the future as well.

The moment that his guest stepped inside he waved a thankful farewell to his cherished friend as he knew that Nimbus was more than likely just itching to head to a warmer climate and he wasn’t going to take up any more of it’s time.

“ Thanks again Nimbus! I’ll call ya when we’re ready to go! “

Turning around to follow her inside he closed the door soon afterwards, lightly sighing aloud as he was happy to finally have some respite from the seemingly never ending barrage of snow and wind.

“ Whew! Sorry about all that, this part of the world doesn’t normally get storms like this but when we do we tend to get buried. Take a load off, I’ll get the heat going alright? “

Removing his outer coat he moved to start a fire in the hearth. Thankfully he always had the forethought to have some kindling inside of the house to avoid having to step out to grab some before he had originally left.

He was certainly thankful that she had decided to tag along on this trip, as there was much he needed to go over with her.

“ How does a cup of tea sound? “

When Goku had first suggested she accompany him, Rukia had been a bit hesitant. She did have duties to perform after all. But it was difficult to deny the earnest expression on his face and so, after her request for a few days off duty was approved, she agreed. Her violet eyes were wide when he had summoned a cloud for them to travel on. She’d seen cars, buses, taxis, even planes. But travel by cloud?  

Despite her protests about simply following him with a flash step, Goku insisted she attempt to step on. Thoroughly expecting her foot to go through the air, Rukia was shocked when she felt resistance. The cloud was solid?! The world of the living seemed to be full of surprises! 

The weather had progressively gotten worse, the temperature quickly falling as they moved higher in altitude. Rukia’s spirit soared, her expression delighted as they were high up in the sky. She’d always had an affinity for high vantage points and this travel by cloud couldn’t have been more suited to her. Violet eyes closed  as she felt the wind across her face, only shivering slightly in the cold chill against her warm cloak. Her zanpakuto hummed at her side, seeming to reverberate in the ice cold weather. 

Rukia took Goku’s hand when offered, nimbly stepping off the cloud and seeing the small structure that stood seemingly alone against the wind and snow. Stepping in the door, she could see at a singly glance that it was well kept. Goku must come back her frequently for everything to be in such decent condition. 

She smiled at his apology, waving a dismissive hand. “Weather is unpredictable at times. It would be silly to blame you for it. Besides.” Her fingertips lightly brushed the hilt of her zanpakuto. “The cold isn’t entirely unwelcoming to me.” Actually, training in this kind of environment might help me master bankai...

Rukia returned her gaze to Goku who was already working to set up the fireplace. “Tea sounds lovely.” 

She removed her cloak, draping it over a seat near the fireplace so it would dry more easily. “Did you build this place yourself?” Her voice was slightly hushed as she admired the sturdy walls. Though simple, this shelter was very well built, the howling of the wind not seeping through any cracks. There was an almost reverent air about it. 

“What I would have given to have a shelter like this in the rukon district back then...” She murmured more to herself than to Goku as she ran a hand along the wall, lost in thought.

[hashtagartistlife]

Maybe fate was called fate because some things weren’t choices; some things were simply written into his DNA, woven into the very fabric of the universe. World orders. The sky is blue. The sun is hot. He is in love with Kuchiki Rukia.

Kuchiki Rukia is dying.  

Ten years after the defeat of Yhwach, it’s time Ichigo and Rukia started facing some truths— about the world, about themselves, and about each other. 

so, i haven’t written anything decent in over a year, but i AM sitting on literal tens of thousands of words of unfinished fic, and i figure, what the hell, there’s some good writing in here that deserves to see the light of day. so in that vein, here’s a couple chapters of my absolute favourite unfinished fic, the one i’m almost too scared to work on because i just want it to be that good. god give me the perseverance and skill to finish this one day because if i leave any legacy behind in the bleach fandom i want it to be this fic. 

the premise for this fic can be found here | this is chapter 1 | chapter 2

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F  r  a  y

 by hashtagartistlife

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It’s rotating

Rotating

Every time the sun and the moon touch each other

Constantly changing its appearance to something new

If there’s something that doesn’t change

It is my impotence

It’s rotating

If destiny is made of gears

And we are the sand in between that is torn apart

There’s nothing left to do but be powerless

If I cannot protect by just extending my hand

I want a blade so I can reach in front of her

The power to crush destiny

—looks like a blade that has been swung down

  One

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.

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12 years ago

Karakura Town

Rukia sleeps like the dead. The irony of this isn’t lost on Ichigo, as he glances out the corner of his eyes to see her out like a light against his covers, her homework splayed everywhere like she isn’t just going to make him do it for her at the last minute again. Her eyes are closed and she looks peaceful, even as her arms are twisted under her at an awkward angle. She was going to get cramps if she kept sleeping like that. He calls her name, softly and then a little louder, but she doesn’t budge an inch.

He sighs and gathers her up in his arms; she stirs a little, murmuring a sleepy protest that he ignores. He settles her in the closet and arranges the blankets, taking a moment to study the lines of her face.

“Idiot,” he mutters, “stop falling asleep on my bed. I’ll just push you onto the floor next time.”

It’s a lie. Rukia’s only reaction to this is to shift a little in her sleep, to curve her body in his direction like a plant tending towards the sun. He smiles a little at that, despite himself, and fights an inane urge to sweep her hair off her forehead and place a kiss there. 

“Sleep well, Rukia,” he whispers instead, and slides the closet door shut.

She does.

.

.

.

Present Day

Soul Society

Rukia never sleeps.

She wanders through the halls of Kuchiki Manor like a ghost, weaving in and out of lucidity; she’s never slept particularly well, even as a Rukon street rat, but this… this sleepwalking is new. Renji himself tended to be a light sleeper, a product of their shared childhood when uninterrupted sleep had been a luxury they couldn’t afford, but not to this extent. He silently watches the dark circles under her eyes grow bigger and deeper with every passing day, and worries.

In the beginning, the smallest things had woken her up. She often stirred beside him, restless and alert, till well into the small hours of the morning. When he’d brought it up, she’d brushed it off; she’s always had trouble sleeping, she said. He should know this by now, and it isn’t anything to worry about—she can take care of herself, Renji, didn’t he trust her? It had sounded an awful lot like a dismissal, a warning to drop it, so he had.

But then she’d had Ichika, and things changed.

The first time he catches her slipping out of bed, he assumes that she is going for a walk in the garden. It was a habit she was slipping into more nights than most, and he doesn’t think twice. But when he wakes up again in the pre-dawn, and discovers the futon beside him still empty, he panics. He finds her at the gate, a cold hand on the latch, as if to walk out; god knows how long she’s been there for. When he touches her on the shoulder, turns her around, she blinks like she’s surfacing from a trance. Her eyes haze, then refocus.

“Renji…?” she asks, in a voice so thready it’s barely audible, “What are you doing here?”

He swallows the same question rising in his throat and mutters something hasty about how she’s been too tired lately; she should take the day off. She looks surprised at that, and quietly follows him back to the manor. She does as he advises and stays home that day.

It doesn’t help. The very next night Renji catches her slipping out of bed again. He grabs her by a wrist, but then she turns to him and whispers, eyes clear—

“Ichigo?”

He freezes, and when she pulls her arm from his grip, he lets her slip through his fingers once more.

Ichigo?

His hands fist in the sheets of their shared bed; he hasn’t seen an expression like that on her in over a decade. Hopeful, young, happy—

A boy with bright orange hair, and a sword as long as his height.

Renji finds, once again, that he is at a loss for what to do next.

He thinks that maybe he didn’t have a clue from the start.

.

.

.

Present day

10:05 am

Karakura Town

 A beat of silence, then—

“Yo.”

“Hey!”

His face is familiar, but the carefully mild expression on it is not. Rukia finds that she dislikes it, but it isn’t her place to say anymore. She shoulders her way into the clinic, and ignores the way the heat of his body still radiates like it did ten years ago.  She scoffs a little, wracks her mind for an appropriate jab that might recapture their easy banter from once upon a time; but what leaves her lips makes little sense, considering the fact that this is her first time seeing him in ten years (let alone setting foot in the clinic). Thankfully, he rises to the bait.

“I see this little place is as empty as ever. And is that—yup, I think I even hear some crickets!”

“Shut up. This is an emergency clinic, so it’s a good thing it’s empty, isn’t it?”

He hasn’t lost his habit of grumbling under his breath about her insults. Rukia allows a small smile to touch her lips as she makes her way to the living room, confident with the layout of the place; she doubts renovation is a thought that crosses his mind with any frequency. She encounters the old Karakura gang, and the twins; they’d all grown so much. The twins, especially; she would have gathered them both into hugs and pat them on their heads, had they not both been grown women and far taller than her now. Orihime comes down to greet her, beaming, in an apron—there’s an edge of surrealism to all of this, almost. She looks well, and for that, Rukia is glad. Everyone looks well. Peacetime suits them.

There’s a small kerfuffle as Ichigo rejoins them, and he points out that her daughter is missing. Rukia starts, and finds it to be true. She and Renji split up to find her; Ichigo accompanies her, nagging all the while.

“—nbelievable, how do you lose your own daughter—“

“Hey, I don’t see your child hanging around the premises! Don’t you have a son, too?”

“Kazui’s—Kazui’s fine, Orihime’s keeping a watch on him—“

“Yeah, well, I’m telling you Ichika’s fine too, there’s nothing in the human world that could possibly hurt her—“

She stumbles; a wave of vertigo hits her and she loses her balance, careening towards the asphalt in front of his house. He’s there in an instant, arms strong around her waist; he pulls her back upright and doesn’t let her go. “Easy—“

She pulls away, only to sway again and grip onto his arm for support. Shit, not this today. She thought it had been getting better lately—Ichigo didn’t need to deal with this.

His brow furrows, and he almost looks fifteen again. “Hey, Rukia, are you—“

“—I’m fine,” she cuts him off, struggling to sound nonchalant, but the hand fisted in his shirt is trembling. She’ll let go soon, when the world around her stops spinning. “I’m just a little tired—“

“Rukia,” he says quietly, and she ignores him, focusing on channelling strength back into her legs. For the love of everything holy, why couldn’t she stop shaking—

“Rukia,” he repeats, louder, and grips her shoulders. “Rukia, stop—“

“Stop what?” she asks weakly, then: “Oh.”

His hair and clothes are dusted white with snow; the tips of his fingers, where he’s touching her, are frosted over blue. Ice creeps over the street and telephone poles in tendrils. Rukia heaves an unsteady breath and closes her eyes, pulling the fraying edges of her reiatsu back within herself.

When she opens them again, he’s inches from her face.

“Kami—“ she jerks back, snatching her arm from his grasp. “Have you ever heard of personal space, Ichigo—“

“Like you ever respected mine?” he retorts, but straightens up; his hands rub the nape of his neck. “What was that, Rukia?”

“Nothing,” she snaps. She draws her arms around herself to still the trembling. “Like I said, I’m tired—“

“To this extent? How hard are they working you over at the Seireitei—“

“I can take care of myself!” the words come out too loud, echoing in the empty street. “Need I remind you, I’m centuries older than you are—“

“Well maybe if you weren’t such a midget I’d remember that once in a while—“

“Hey, Ichigo, Rukia! We found her!” Renji’s call interrupts their bickering, and they draw away from each other hastily; they’d been leaning in towards each other again. Rukia deliberately turns away from Ichigo.

“You found her? Where was she?”

“In Ichigo’s room. Well, Yuzu’s room, now, I suppose. She was with Kazui. I think we were worried for nothing, Rukia, they get along like a house on fire.”

“Oh—good. Good.” She’s still a little disoriented, so Renji’s words are taking some time to sink in; he eyes her face, paler than usual, and steps up to put an arm around her. Ordinarily, she would have been annoyed at him for that, but today she appreciates the support. She tries not to visibly sag as she leans against him.

Ichigo’s eyes burn holes into her all the way back to the clinic. 

.

.

.

9:46 pm

The rest of the day passes uneventfully. Rukia disguises the fatigue that has settled over her like a shroud by staying close to Renji and surreptitiously leaning against him whenever things get too hard. She puts on a bright façade for everyone else; she thinks she does a convincing job, too, but Ichigo’s eyes linger on her all the same. Orihime prattles on about how they hadn’t seen each other in ages and she’s so happy for the two of them and isn’t Ichika just a darling? They must be so proud—

She nods weakly, glad that Orihime is the kind of person who can hold up entire conversations on her own. She has missed them too, she has, how could she not—but the circumstances of their reunion are less than ideal, and she knows that she won’t be able to see them again for a long time after this. Even after ten years of stability, opening a doorway into the gensei is precarious business; missions in the world of the living are now all long-term, to minimise the number of passages being opened. Their own trip had been a very, very special extenuation, granted only because the reason the universe still stood as it did today was Ichigo.

A week was all they’d been given. After that, who knew when they could return? So, she is trying, she is trying—but her body is so, so heavy, and the pressure of keeping her wildly fluctuating reiatsu under wraps is taking its toll. She participates less and less in the conversation, hoping people won’t take notice.

Ichigo puts his foot down when she nods off for the fifth time in as many minutes; he cuts the party short and ushers everyone out, with the promise that they could all return tomorrow. She tries to protest when he directs them to the guest bedroom – ‘Urahara has a place for us, we shouldn’t intrude’—but it’s Orihime who tells them don’t be silly, Kazui and Ichika are such fast friends, it’d be a shame to split them up already. The children are excitedly building a pillow fort under the dining room table, and, too tired to argue, Rukia acquiesces.

As soon as Renji hits the bed, he falls straight asleep. He’s had a rough few nights, what with her tossing and turning keeping him awake, too, and Rukia feels a wave of guilt wash over her. She hopes tonight will be a little more restful for him. She stretches out gingerly on the double bed next to him, tucking the covers around her and closing her eyes.

The last thing she is conscious of before the suffocating embrace of sleep is the deep low hum of Ichigo’s reiatsu through the house.

.

.

.

2:57 am

Ichigo wakes to the sound of the clinic door opening.

Beside him, Orihime is still sound asleep; his wife had always been a deep sleeper, capable of ignoring storms, earthquakes, and anything else the Karakura night cared to throw at them. Ichigo, on the other hand, woke often; a holdover from nights spent hunting hollows, from sleep frequently interrupted by a hiss in his ear and a small hand slamming into his forehead. He sits up and shakes the last vestiges of his dreams –curiously unsettled tonight—from his mind, and shuffles outside to investigate.

It’s not the kids. They’re both fast asleep, holed up in their pillow fort; he tiptoes past them, careful not to wake either. He steps out onto the street, and his breath catches in his throat.

Rukia’s there. She’s ethereal in the moonlight, white skin almost glowing, that true-black hair swaying behind her with the wind. She’s looking up, up, up, to something he can’t see, and the curve of her neck and the delicate line of her wrists and ankles captivate him. Had she always been this fragile-looking?

“Rukia,” he rasps, voice still scratchy with sleep, “what are you doing?”

She turns her head to face him; her eyes are huge and dark like bruises in the pale moon of her face. Something about her gaze is both clear and dreamy; Ichigo has the feeling that she’s seeing right through him to something beyond, but also focusing on him with the kind of relentless intensity he only half-remembers from dreams of the past. She takes a tentative step in his direction. 

“Ichigo?” she asks, in a voice as intransient as smoke, and he does not back away.

“Yeah,” he whispers, “yeah, it’s me. I’m here.” 

She reaches for him and, instinctively, automatically, he mirrors her; he is expecting her to need support, to meet his hands with hers, but instead she goes straight past his open arms to place her hands on either side of his face.

Before he has time to react, she leans up and kisses him.

Everything in him short-circuits; the world slows and all he is aware of is the softness of her lips on his. They part slightly, and the breathy sigh she lets out electrifies all of his senses. Faster than his thoughts can catch up, his hands are gripping her shoulders and he thinks that maybe he meant to push her away, but finds he’s only clutching her closer, closer. His eyelids fall shut with a groan as her mouth opens under his — and then the kiss changes, dangerous and hot and wanting. 

He presses his face blindly into hers, and walks her backwards into the stone wall that surrounds his house. She lets out a tiny gasp as her back hits the rough surface, and he uses the distraction to sweep his tongue across hers. Her fingers curl viciously into his neck and he revels in the sensation; there’s nothing but her her her in this world, her taste in his mouth and her scent in his nose and the feel of her skin, fever-hot, against his own. His fingers move to tangle in her hair and she makes a noise at the back of her throat that destroys what little rationality he has left; he hitches her up against the wall and kisses her as though she’s about to dissolve into thin air.

They both draw back for air at the same time; their eyes meet across the infinitesimal space and then Rukia blinks, once, twice, before Ichigo sees something click back into those bruised-violet depths.

“Ichigo…?”

A realisation of his own slams into place; his eyes widen and he disentangles himself from her, stepping back frantically as though that will erase what has just transpired between them. He only barely resists the childish urge to wipe his mouth with the back of his hand. Rukia slides down the wall without his weight holding her up; the dreamy glaze is gone completely from her eyes, and it’s replaced instead with a bone-deep weariness that sets Ichigo’s instincts on edge. Half of him wants to run far, far away from her, the other half wants to gather her into his arms and—

“Ichigo, what are you doing here?”

The tone of her voice, slightly irritated, so ridiculously normal, brings him back down to earth. He casts about in his jumbled mind for a suitable response and flings the first one he finds at her.

“Y—I could ask you the same thing—“

She seems to notice her surroundings then, looking side to side at the deserted street. An expression somewhere between horror and resignation crosses her face. “I—was I sleepwalking—?“

“Was that what it was?”  he retorts, the memory of the kiss burning in his mind. His face feels uncomfortably hot. “Rukia, what’s going on with you—“

“Nothing!” she snaps, but then she sways on the spot; in a flare of panic, Ichigo flash-steps beside her, and she falls into his chest. The spike of reiatsu through his body after not having called upon it for years makes his head spin, but he braces them both against a telephone pole and they manage to stay upright. Her jasmine-scented hair tickles his nose.

“Rukia—“ his voice is thick, choked, but she pushes him aside; impatient, indignant.

“I’m fine, Ichigo, you don’t have to treat me like a child—sleepwalking is hardly a medical emergency.”

She takes a deep breath, before standing on her own; her knees are a little wobbly, but she turns her back on him once more, just as she did that morning. “I’m going back to bed. You should, too.”

A pause. Then, softer; “Goodnight, Ichigo.”

The door to his clinic swings shut after her, and Ichigo slides down the telephone pole slowly.

His heartbeat thunders in his ears in a way that it hasn’t in ten years. 

[inaibaa]

CHARACTER INTERVIEW (repost don’t reblog)

basics (BLEACH VERSE)

NAME:  Akiyama Nao. NICKNAME(S): Starling, Freckle, Spots etc. AGE: 26 (270yrs)  SPECIES:  Shinigami/Soul

personal

MORALITY:   lawful / neutral / chaotic / good / grey  / evil RELIGION: None. SINS:   greed  / gluttony / sloth / lust / pride / envy / wrath This bitch deals in neutrals, and also, any of these, if felt, are so dull and mild, I don’t think I could claim them. VIRTUES:   chastity / charity / diligence /  humility  /  kindness  / patience / justice. PRIMARY GOALS IN LIFE:  They are comfortable where they are now. They just want to keep together their little community in the 3rd. KNOWN LANGUAGES:  Japanese, a few words of English.

physical

BUILD:   scrawny / bony / slender / fit / athletic / curvy / herculean / pudgy / average HEIGHT:  178 cm or 5'10"  WEIGHT: 165lbs or 75kg. SCARS / BIRTHMARKS: Hundreds of freckles, some more noticeable than others. 2 below their right eye and two on the left side of their neck in particular. They have some scars as well. General wear and tear, but none that stick out. ABILITIES / POWERS: Their zanpakutou plays with the concept of inai inai baa { peek-a-boo }, and has a hallucination based shikai. Anything Nao touches with their blade will cease to exist in the minds of those regarding the act. It is based on the concept of object permanence. When children are young, they do not realise that when something is hidden, it is still there, only not visible to the eye. Nao’s zanpakutou does just this; it hides the object or person, and as such, their opponent will believe the object or person to have disappeared.  Nao does not strictly rely on their zanpakutou’s ability, and in fact rarely finds use for it. Instead  they prefer to use a combination of hakuda, kidou and swordmanship to fight their opponents. They are well-versed in all of these, but not a master. RESTRICTIONS: They are prone to {seemingly} caring too little, coming off as blasé, rather missing the passion that may be expected given certain situations. This mostly comes forth from a lack of socialization when they were younger in the Rukon though. It will show most when they have to interact with anyone outside their comfortable bubble within the higher seats of the Third division.

favorites

FOOD:  Crabcakes DRINK: Flavoured Soymilk drinks - especially strawberry. PIZZA TOPPING:   N/A. Never had pizza.  MUSIC GENRES: Traditional & instrumental. They have not been introduced to much from outside the Soul Society, though Otoribashi is certainly working on it. BOOK GENRES:   Romance novels. They can be a bit of a sap.  MOVIE GENRES:   N/A. SEASON:   Autumn, they adore the fall colours. CURSE WORD:  They don’t curse all that often. ‘Shit’ will be heard most, if anything. SCENTS:   Citrussy smells. And they adore chamomile tea. And florals.

fun stuff

BOTTOM OR TOP:  Bottom more often than not. Though they do not believe in ‘defined roles’. SINGS IN THE SHOWER:  No. Humming, maybe. LIKES PUNS: DEPENDs

Tagged by: @windstormwielding​ && @sphaeraa​ (sort of hahah) but i figured itd be more fun to do this for my OC than for Rose.

Tagging: Do it !! its a good character study !!