#Like rukia getting with renji was... BAD i saw them more as siblings than ichigo and rukia

[raventrigonsdaughter]

Wanna talk about crack pairings? Hitsuruki from bleach, love it but still not that much of a crack pairing, it has fanfics and a fandom, you know what doesn't have a single fan other than me as far as im aware? Isane x Rukia and i like them simply because stupidly tall soft gf meets gremlin anger issues and serious short as fuck gf and they both have ice powers, that's it, i just think they are neat WHO WILL ENTER THIS SHIP WITH ME, a captain without a tripulation :)

[hezuart]

Okay so 3 things

1) I deadass am so bad at reading things that when I saw you say "73 page chapter" I read 73 chapters and immediately went "OH NO", but I'm right there with you on that feeling of dread honestly

2) if Kubo is trying so damn hard to push Ichika/Kazui why didn't he just....yknow....make IchiRuki the endgame— (I'll always be salty about it to, I'm a filthy OC x Canon shipper with a certain glasses clad boy who was done dirty, but I still think he should've been the one to end up with Hime)

3) I'm right there with you on Chad and Hime being basically useless, which, as a latina who loved anime so much growing up, I was so happy to see hispanic representation in a time where people weren't actively pushing for it, like, wow!! He's just there just because!!! But then he was somehow more useless than Ichigo's siblings which hurt me deeply! Chad deserved better and the fullbring arc should've actually MEANT SOMETHING

1.) i MEAN.... LOOK MAN ITS APPARENTLY A NEW ARC SO AS FAR AS WE KNOW THIS VERY WELL COULD BE ANOTHER 73 CHAPTERS

Kubo has a very hard time getting to the point, he tends to drag things along and add more characters that clutter up the plot.

2.) Yeah Ichika / Kazui don't really have chemistry to me, though we really have only seen them interact like once? like I said before, it's like a Renji x Orihime, and I do not see it working out at all, (those two don't even know each other, nor are they friends. )

Of course, Kazui and Ichika have slightly differing personalities from their parents, but they're kids, and Kazui is a demon while Ichika is somewhat normal (ironically) So I think this ship is a really bad idea.

I can definitely see Kubo doing this Ichika x Kazui thing as some weird form of damage control, which is really only going to upset people more.

what is most infuriating is that Ichika and Kazui seem to sneak off to both SS and the living world however much they want to see each other (or other people from the other sides), meanwhile Rukia didn't visit Ichigo for like... YEARS when he was struggling and failing to adjust to his human life after he lost his powers and i'm like??? Excuse me what is that about?

Rukia had a death wish, everyone in SS (Ukitake and Kaien are exceptions) wanted to kill her / ignored her/ didn't care about her, (Including Renji and Byakuya)

Ichigo had the same welcoming personality of the man she was in love with, Rukia never actually knew what it meant to be human... I mean Rukia Kuchiki's entire arc was supposed to be about Death learning how to live and love. She learned what family is. She learned what friends are. She learned what faith is. She learned about new tech and kindness and juice and...... She was given the world, and yet she chose death. That will never make sense to me. That's when BLEACH officially lost sight of what it was meant to be.

and yeah having Orihime get with Ichigo instead of Uryu hurt already, but Kubo made it worse by taking Uryu off the team. That whole speech about how he's doing this "for his friends" and yet in the end they're not even friends? He's not even in the final cover page. Uryu should have just joined Yhwach and killed 'em all for a single world. Would have shockingly made more sense than all this.

~~~

3. Yeah the FULLBRING arc was completely useless. I've seen people attempt to defend it, but literally, nothing happens. Ichigo just gets his powers back. None of the fullbringers really matter, we never learn who Ginjo and Tsukishima are and their pasts and how Xcution came to really be... it's legit a repeat of the Vizard recruitment mixed with Kokuto's Hell betrayal plot lines. Riruka was the only character I cared about. Everyone else was just "meh". Orihime and Chad are fullbringers yet we didn't explore their powers nor gain independence realizing their powers are their own and not gained from Ichigo like they originally thought in the first arc, etc.. (also wtf Orihime's brother was sent to soul society and she never seeks him out / finds him????? What's that about? And how is Keigo more powerful than Tatsuki? How has Tatsuki not become a fullbringer? That's bullshit)

But yeah Chad and Orihime became the most useless characters in BLEACH. Orihime is hated more because she hogs (and wastes) the most screen time by not developing or helping, while Chad is just off-screen. I could make a 40 min / hour long video about how Orihime and Chad are failed characters. Arc 1 they're golden. After that, they're just goners.

~~

[exo-raskreia]

Renji’s Cowardice

So this is something I've been wanting to talk a bit about, even though I've commented on it to other fellow fans, but decided maybe I should make a post about it. This got longer than expected, so long post ahead:

I'm one of those few people who don't believe Renji had feelings for Rukia, or if at all, they were so subtle, they were barely there - ‘cause they can easily be interpreted as that of friendship or siblings.

We know he certainly cared about her, they were childhood friends, helping each other through hard times, the ONLY survivors from their friend group in the Rukongai, & the only ones out of them who had reiatsu. So, obviously, they had a tight bond.

But...there was nothing more. That scene in the anime (ep. 32) where Renji stares at Rukia in the lake during his childhood memories? Filler - like most of the episode. It wasn't in the manga. Check out chapter 98 (which also has a lot of the scenes I will mention here).

When I first watched that, I thought maybe he liked her (so then why did he hurt her?), but as I got further into the anime, no such scene ever happened again, nothing else that indicated he might like her. Then eventually I read the manga, & bam! - obviously there'd been nothing else, since the scene hadn't been there to begin with.

So if you believe Renji was deeply in love with Rukia... Well, that’s not what I saw in the following scenes.

Let’s start off with a little scene in his childhood, where Rukia showcased her reiatsu abilities. Their friends found it so cool, whereas Renji seemed...bothered by it:

And down here, where he shouts at the guys, one could interpret him being a bit jealous that they’re captivated by Rukia, but it can also be interpreted as him being a bit jealous of Rukia, like, “Meh, she ain’t all that!” 

Even so, they all became so close, like a family

Years later, once in the academy, Rukia was adopted into the Kuchiki Clan. Renji encountered Byakuya for the first time & felt an immense fear. Any confidence he’d had up until that point (such as being in an advanced class) faded. 

When Rukia tried to discuss with him if she should accept it, because DUH, they only had each other at this point & were basically family, but of course Renji let his insecurities get the better of him, & basically told her how lucky she was & to go for it, without showing concern or worry. Thus, beginning the end of their friendship.

Renji’s excuse for letting her go was that he didn’t want to get in the way of her happiness... Was it? Not something else like, I don’t know, feeling insecure, possibly inferior, afraid when he had encountered her adoptive brother for the first time? Ah, that's it...cowardice? It's as if he was even trying to convince himself otherwise:

Yep, sounds like it, Renji. Always hiding your fear, masking it with ego, or in this case, thinking you’re “happy” for her.

He didn’t want to admit what he had been feeling in that moment. He didn’t let her go out of the goodness of his heart...but because he didn’t have the guts to stop her. He didn’t have the guts to go against Byakuya for her sake. Or more like...for his own sake.

You could say he didn’t feel “worthy enough” being her friend, now that Rukia was part of a prestigious clan... Or simply...too scared. He made it his goal to surpass Byakuya, & once he did, then he would feel "worthy" or strong enough to talk to Rukia again.

Just...why? Did he not see that it wasn’t what Rukia wanted? It’s not like she would have looked down on him or anyone else for that matter. He didn’t understand her like a certain someone. Actually, doesn’t it sort of parallel the scene in which that certain someone was telling her to go back home with him, & she told him she’d stay in SS, & he actually saw she was happy about it & let her go because of it? She wanted to stick together like family, but he pushed her away. For the next 40 years, he never attempted to talk to her, make sure she was doing well, wasn't there for her, nothing.

But he hadn’t realized the true reason for his actions...yet.

Cowardly Renji was then going to tell Rukia about his promotion to lieutenant after he was encouraged by his friends (ch. 205.2/Side-B ‘The Rotator’), but then he was sent to arrest her in Karakura Town. Instead of trying to make up or let her know he didn’t want to do this, he certainly acted pretty villainous towards her, & did NOTHING to try to stop her from getting executed, not even trying to vouch for her to her brother (I mean, if someone as freakishly strong as his captain wasn’t going to do a thing, then why should Renji The Coward™, amirite?). Some "tight bond”... 

Is this how a man shows he loves a woman?! Is this the kind of man you want for strong, kind, selfless Rukia?!

When Renji decided to visit Rukia in her cell to tell her about a certain orange-haired guy being in SS, he hadn’t expected her to react the way she did:

(Renji then thought that maybe he shouldn’t have given her hope, because the rescue gang might not make it. So even in her final moments, he still wasn’t going to try anything? Instead, regretted giving her some comfort? Oh, boy...)

After hearing about said orange-haired guy defeating strong opponents on his way to save Rukia, his bruised ego sent him to go pick a fight with him against orders.

He went as far as to blame that one person for Rukia’s demise. Like, what the heck? He wanted to break his resolve, because Renji himself had none.

But obviously...things weren’t going the way he’d planned. Ichigo, the man who would stop at nothing to save Rukia, was underestimated. Heck, Renji even got triggered when Ichigo shouted this & blocked his attack:

U mad, bruh?

Eventually, Alpha™ Ichigo defeated him, & made him realize his faults. Cue Flashback no Jutsu & then we got Renji saying this:

Ooh, boy, this is right after the panel where he was trying to convince himself that he let Rukia go for her happiness (ch. 98).

Let’s start off with the first part: "Now that I think about it... I was probably just scared...”

So this does confirm that Renji had been lying to himself, & that his real reason was that he was afraid to confront a stronger opponent for his friend. Afraid to do something about the situation. He was a coward through & through.

Then he continues with this: “I am really a tramp down to my bones. I hate myself. I bark at the star, but...I don't have the courage to jump and grab it."

Is this another way of him saying Rukia is the star & he's the tramp? So basically, he felt inferior to her? A lowly creature who’s all bark & no bite?

Let’s see... You could say that since childhood, Renji had always felt a bit jealous of Rukia, or simply admired her, cuz she had higher reiatsu, their old friends looked up to her more & she became their leader of sorts. And then when she was adopted into the Kuchiki Clan, she was “farther away". 

He made it his goal to surpass Byakuya...because it would mean he had finally “reached” Rukia? You could almost see this as romantic, feel bad for him cuz he doesn’t feel worthy of her, even though he’s tried so hard (fake ‘aww’). But it’s still not enough. Up until this point, Renji hadn’t done anything to help her. Like I said before, he even tried to obstruct the one person who was trying to save her, & tried to blame him for her eventual demise.

Just how insecure were you, Renji? Of the fact that someone else, who hadn’t known her as long, was risking his life to save the one girl you weren’t brave enough to help? That someone else would reach the star, & not you? That someone else proved himself Top Dog™ & you’re still the tramp?

Well, Rukia is more referred to as the moon, while Ichigo as the sun (White Moon, Black Sun). So to Renji, she's a star, but in regards to Ichigo, she's the moon. An unreachable star to one, & the moon to the other... Interesting...

In some translations, he says "stars" in plural, so if that, does it mean Renji is calling himself a coward in general, who doesn't have the courage to stand up to those stronger than him? And/or to get what he wants? In others, he says "moon", & Rukia has been referred to as the moon, so it still applies.

After this, he BEGGED Ichigo to save Rukia, because he himself couldn't. Once again, he felt unworthy. And this time, he had good reason to, because the man Rukia wanted to see wasn't even him, & he knew this. Like I said, he hadn’t expected her to look so happy when he’d informed her that Ichigo was in town.

Renji had a change of heart. He later helped Ichigo in what he could, having formed the resolve to work harder after recovering from the fight against him. After this, we saw him become friends with Ichigo, having his acknowledgement, his respect, his trust. Never once do we see Renji feeling jealous towards Ichigo regarding Rukia (nor anyone else for that matter). Not like Orihime being jealous of Rukia. Renji supported Ichigo in everything, & both considered each other one of their closest comrades.

Remember the scene in Hueco Mundo (ch. 248) where Ichigo didn't want the group to separate in Las Noches after Rukia suggested it, then Renji got in the way & told him it was an insult to her as a warrior? He knew this wasn't about the group, it was about Rukia (dang, was Ichigo that obvious?). Ichigo didn't say that because he didn't trust in her abilities...it's his general care & worry about her. He has to have Rukia in his sight at all times. She obviously means a lot more to him than he realizes (and more than his other friends). Renji doesn't see Rukia the same way Ichigo does...hence why he wasn't concerned like Ichigo. This already shows the difference in their feelings for Rukia.

(Poor Ichigo must’ve later regretted this when he didn’t feel Rukia’s reiatsu anymore & Ulquiorra had said she’d “died”, then Ichigo turned around to go to her, without giving a second thought to Orihime’s whereabouts and-)

Heck, even in the Fade To Black movie, everyone had forgotten about Rukia, including Renji...except Ichigo. He was the only one who fought tooth & nail to get her back. Renji was one of the last people in the movie to remember her, some "bond". Well, she already established a stronger bond with Ichigo, so Renji lost his status as the man closest to Rukia long ago.

Then in the WDKALY fanfiction novel, in the sketch of Renji at the wedding, he doesn't seem very happy? And in the one with him & Rukia announcing their engagement, their Soul Reaper friends seem so shocked, as if they would have never seen this coming? If it was obvious they “loved” each other, why even their closest friends didn't see it? Seems sketchy, doesn't it?

To add to this, as someone had pointed out before, just look at Renji’s expression here while Rukia is injured:

Seems like the typical battle-hardened look someone would have over their injured comrades.

Meanwhile, look at Ichigo, leaning forward anxiously...& then we get a wonderful closeup of his face

So, all in all, what I'm trying to say is that there was never really a critical moment in which made me go, "Wow, Renji really does love Rukia." His feelings just weren’t really...there? Or not noticeable romantically, not like Ishida’s for Orihime - now THESE I can believe. He felt like a coward in general, that not even his childhood friend's life being in danger, had been enough to get him to act. It took someone else, someone much braver than him, to give him the push that he needed to move forward. And that person is the one he came to respect & support, never showing jealousy. He even thanked Ichigo (ch. 682) for restoring his friendship with Rukia, & said he'll always have his back. Some "rival", huh?

(Thinking about it, since we never got to see more of Renji's insecurities again after the SS arc - I think - & had his friendship restored, does this mean surpassing Byakuya wasn't his goal anymore? Did he ever mention it again?)

Kubo really wasn't playing when it came to who cared more about Rukia out of these two (or more like, the differences in how they cared about her). Too bad this all went out the window.

[serene-faerie]

Brutal honest opinion on Ichiruki, Ulquihime, Ishihime, grimmichi, GinRan and HitsuHina 👀

Alright, here I go!

IchiRuki: Honestly, IchiRuki has always been more of a BROTP than an OTP to me, though I can see why some people are drawn towards it. But I just can’t see them as a romantic ship; their relationship always felt like either a younger brother-older sister relationship or a mentor-student relationship. And they kicked each other around too much for me to see anything romantic in it. And that’s fine; for me, that’s what makes it such a good relationship. There’s nothing romantic in it, but it’s strong enough to have changed both Ichigo and Rukia for the better. Also, after hearing all the horror stories about the IR fandom and how they’ve treated other fans, that was also enough to put me off the ship.

UlquiHime: I’ll be honest, this ship is kind of a guilty pleasure for me. I can see why it’s appealing for some people, and to those who genuinely ship it, good for you. You do you. After all, the dynamics between Ulquiorra and Orihime are quite messed up, and it could work as a Mind Game Ship. However, too many times I have seen it used as a spite-ship, and the fact that those spite-shippers say that it’s “healthier” than IchiHime is just bewildering. Like, Ichigo never taunted Orihime to the point where she slapped him, he never psychologically abused her, and he never once threatened to tie her down and force-feed her, Ichigo has always brought out the best in Orihime. So when haters say that Ulquiorra made Orihime “develop”, I just get mad. Because according to them, the only way for a woman to become stronger is if she’s mentally, emotionally, and psychologically abused until she has a complete breakdown, right? (That was sarcasm) And the fact that the spite-shippers do nothing but victim-blame Orihime for her reactions to seeing Ichigo getting killed during the Lust Arc is enough to turn me off as well. So while UH is a guilty pleasure, I can’t ship it romantically.

IshiHime: Again, like IchiRuki, I see IshiHime as more of a BROTP than anything else. And what I said for genuine UH shippers applies here too: if you genuinely ship IshiHime, good for you. But again, I’ve seen this used as a spite-ship one too many times for me to actually enjoy potential content. I like Orihime’s interactions with Ishida because they also have a sibling-like undertone to them, and I never really saw Ishida as having a crush on Orihime, to be honest. They do care about each other, for sure, but I never really saw anything romantic in their interactions. But when Ishida is turned into a Nice Guy™ who thinks he’s entitled to Orihime’s bread buns, that’s what really puts me off. And besides, I ship Ishida with Nemu more, because I personally think they’re cuter.

GrimmIchi: I can see why this ship is so popular, but I dunno… I’m just not really crazy about it, I guess? I mean, don’t get me wrong, I do think it’s quite interesting and super hot, but I’m just… indifferent, I suppose. I don’t have too many opinions on this ship, and I’ll be honest, I’m more of a GrimmNel shipper than GrimmIchi. I don’t think this ship is bad or horrible or anything like that, but if I see a GrimmIchi fanart that I like, then I’ll definitely reblog and enjoy it. And when it comes to male-male Ichigo ships, I tend to ship him with either Ishida, Chad, or Renji. And with Grimmjow, I tend to ship him with either Nelliel or Renji. But overall, GrimmIchi is okay, I guess.

GinRan: This ship is so tragic, it makes me cry. I really like how GinRan is perhaps the most tragic romance in the entire manga, and while it may not be a major OTP, I do like it a bit. Yes, Gin is a sociopath who has hurt Kira and gets off on psychologically messing with people, but I do think that he genuinely loved Rangiku. The fact that he pretended to betray Soul Society all for the sake of getting revenge for Rangiku is kinda touching, but it doesn’t change the fact that he ended up hurting her even more than he would’ve if he’d just stayed with her in Soul Society. Gin’s death scene was sad, especially when Rangiku was crying over him. But even though he loves her, it doesn’t change the fact that he left Kira a broken shell of his former self and has done other horrible things because he could. So yeah, GinRan is definitely a very tragic, heartbreaking romance that surpasses that of Isshin and Masaki, and Ryuken and Kanae.

HitsuHina: I also love this ship, it’s so cute! I really like how much Toshiro cares about Momo, and how their relationship was showcased during the Soul Society Arc. Despite the fact that Momo is older than Toshiro, she is incredibly idealistic in her sheer admiration for Aizen, and her heartbreak at Aizen’s (presumed) death really shows her naiveté. It serves as a good contrast to Toshiro’s slight maturity and experience as a captain. Also, I really like how Momo’s presence softens up Toshiro, and how angry he gets for her. The fact that they’re childhood friends helps, and so they’re a super cute ship that I like a lot.

Thanks for passing by, anon~!