#but it makes sense for him to view it as a game! he's a shinigami! the lives of mortals are just a source of entertainment for him!

[a-model-of-propriety]

i can't stop thinking about the "game" motif in the Death Note musical i need to write an essay about it i swear

[58sei]

The thoughts ran out of control so here’s more detective yomi

This one will contain a lot and I mean a LOT of rambling, the demons need to be let out…..

Contains some game spoilers for chap 5

I thought ab how yomi would climb the ranks of the WDO a bit more and I decided it was with the help of shinigami hitman. (Will get back to this later)

Some things to get out of the way first:

- Yomi’s past in this au. Yomi has always seen a lot of death happening around him since childhood so that’s why he doesn’t feel anything when it comes to the matter. I’m also thinking yomi’s childhood involved a lot of kill or be killed situations, so he develops that mentality down the line. Wherever he goes, death follows, and because his fate is so intertwined with death, it eventually leads up to him joining the WDO and finding the book of death.

- As for how he gets to the book of death, I’m honestly not sure how he manages to breach security. That or he was used in some sorta side experiment and given the book as one of the procedures by the UG but then he kinda just killed em and ran

- After he obtains the book of death he forms a contract. Shinigami hitman asks to see yomi’s life through to the end in return for his powers (bc why is this bitch always attracting death??). Also I want to just, make some slight altercations to the game lore here. In this universe the book of death can only be opened by those who are close to dying (less than 5 years left to live). People who have spiritual affinity like vivia can only see the death god inside and feel it’s aura, but cannot open the book. There is a chance they can open it, but only if shinigami hitman chooses to let them.

Ok with that out of the way, back to how yomi climbed the ranks with the help of his shinigami (calling him fake zilch for convenience). He uses fake zilch’s powers to solve mysteries (as well as crush those in his way). In a sense, he has already performed multiple detective deeds all in the span of less than a year, but because the culprits keep dying, there is no way to properly evaluate the things he did. But he DID solve the mystery and bc death has always followed him everywhere so people in the WDO’s just like “yeah checks out”. So with a lot and I mean a LOT of skepticism he gets promoted to a master detective and also earns the title of ‘grim reaper’ (this’ll be important later) in the process bc everywhere he goes someone dies.

I should reiterate that Yomi absolutely does not feel guilty when killing in the mystery labyrinth, in fact, he feels great about using it to find the culprits. 2 reasons. First, he believes the blood is on fake zilch’s hands bc yomi didnt actually reap the culprit’s souls himself. This view is heavily challenged in chap 4. Second, to him, he’s enacting justice on the guilty and he’s not in the wrong for doing that. Like the original yomi, he views justice in a very black and white way. Fake zilch has his own opinions on the matter, but he is far more interested to see Yomi’s story to the end to bother doing anything ab his behaviour. He only opens the mystery labyrinth for yomi if the case is very complicated (except master detectives take on a lot of absurd cases, so you know how that goes)

As for how he became number 1, he probably just murdered the former one like how his original killed Amaterasu’s old ceo. Then after murder he just, took no. 1’s position without anyone knowing. Not much thought put into this part yet sorry lol. Also I’d say the UG’s successful homunculus did not use the world’s brightest mind but rather the man most associated with death, bc they didn’t obtain no 1’s DNA, and while Yomi is intelligent he isn’t even a contender for the spot.

Circling back to the grim reaper title, it comes into play on the Amaterasu express. Yomi was not dispatched to kanai ward, the real trainee Yuma was sent, but Yomi drugged him and put him in the disconnected 5th car early on. He then asks fake zilch to take his memories after he locks himself into one of the toilet stalls in car 1. Wakes up later yali yali yada, the “where am I who am I” panic, sees his letter thing “oh I’m yomi hellsmile!!”, “wait how am I already on the express ??”, “ok whatever ig”, goes into car 2 and sees detectives, then intro scene. Except yomi isn’t a doormat (no hate to Yuma I love him actually) and has an attitude lol he probably starts bickering with aphex and both nearly get physical before shinigami (who’s now the hitman, who disguises as a diff MD) and melami restrain both of them 💀

Then everyone introduces themselves and the moment yomi says his name the other MDs are like hold tf up why is the grim reaper on the Amaterasu express with us?? So now the strange circumstance is the fact that yomi appeared instead of the trainee. Still the same “oh someone who shouldn’t be here is here” type mystery but slightly different. Suspicions rise and people are starting to get riled up in the express, but then shinigami eases it up and the MDs all realize that if the amnesiac before them actually is the WDO’s grim reaper then they’re in deep shit. (They are) cue rest of chap 0.

Also, during the entirety of the introduction up to yomi getting drugged and passing out in the bathroom, fake zilch is actually able to show himself. He just… doesn’t to act like they just formed a contract.

Yeah ok that’s ab it

[sword-dad-fukuzawa]

Been rereading Offer Me My Deathless Death and idk I really like the idea of L as a vampire. It hits all the right spots. The age gap is no longer teenager and older young adult, it's now teenager and centuries of experience, yet somehow they're still playing games on more or less the same level. Blood as an aesthetic. Monsters (see relight speech), fangs as penetration metaphors. L only eats absurdly sweet things because his taste buds don't really work anymore. He's not human - the death note only kills humans.

In that fanfic in particular, L's lifespan ticks up instead of down, which is interesting, but I think it would be fascinating if, since shinigami eyes only show human names, Rem sees his face for the first time and realizes she sees nothing. He's effectively nameless, deathless, he looks human but he so deeply, fundamentally isn't, what the fuck is he. It's as if he isn't even real. But he has centuries of experience and reputation and wealth and connection. Immortality. What could Light even do? Run? L would find him. And Light's too proud to beg.

(Honestly, I also think Light would be incredibly afraid of becoming a vampire as well, if it were offered. As much as he aspires to godhood, he operates in humanity. He values death as a constant of life as much as he fears it, and every single time Ryuk compared Light to a shinigami in the anime, Light corrected him. I think Light would view vampirism as a wrong way to exist.)

okay I had to go and read the fic you linked and man it was such a sweet bedtime story thank you for sending it :))))

I think it would be genuinely so cool for L to just exist outside of the paradigm of humans and shinigami. something Else. something Other. invisible to their Eyes and yet human shaped. deliciously off putting. an immortal predator and a monster with all the time in the world. closer to a god than light, even with his delusions, could ever become.

but yeah know I don’t think light is all that interested in becoming something undead and undying…it’s light. he’s kind of. vain? does that make sense? he’s vain and he hates cheating. for the reasons you mentioned and these, I also think he wouldn’t really. enjoy the prospect. of vampirism. it would be sexy though

[jeveuxlamort]

Warning, rambling about the death note musical below i am mostly go on about my views on the english lyrics of the 2015 demo, and comparing them to my view of the japanese lyrics, so if anything I say contradicts newer changes, please let me know (also probably should have a general idea of how the musical is structured compared to the original story I realized afterwards I did not mention a ton of context)

(incredibly unstructured thoughts below)

on one hand, I adore the death note musical.

on the other hand, I abhor the english lyrics (yes I know the english version what technically created first) and how Light is characterized in “where is the justice”.

I wish his true motivation, boredom, had stayed the main focus of his motives, if they really wanted to they could have him say flowery things to the class and then have his actual motivations be mentioned, but they make it out like he has issues with the system? which he never really did? he latched the idea of ridding the world of crime (and in his eyes, evil) after he realized the death note worked, but he wasn’t someone who was actively challenging it before he got the death note (and imo he wasn’t really challenging anything after he got it). I personally hate the reasoning of “oh the motivation is different to fit with America” like?? a bored kid who is very gifted academically obtains supernatural powers and uses it to punish people he claims to be evil, can and does still work?? if they didn’t think it would work with America as a setting just have the musical still be set in Japan?? like Phantom of the Opera or Les Mis are performed in other countries that arent France but are obviously french?

ALSO hurricane is just… straight into murder mode without anything else from Light? nothing about the lyrics make me go “yes, this is actually light talking and this is his thought process after discovering the death note works” he goes straight into “I will use this power to rid the world of evil” instead of the moral conflict he had that led him into that thought process? he literally couldn’t handle the idea that he killed two men so he went “well actually they deserved it and I am the only person who could use this the right way” (dumbed down significantly but you get the point) just PLEASE I AM BEGGING FOR A LITTLE NUANCE THAT IS IN THE ORIGINAL STORY (and is in the japanese lyrics btw)

and (imo) L is also?? kinda off??? the english lyrics for “the game begins” just has generic lines that come across like “hey everyone, just so you know, im the detective, and I detect things, with my brain” like nothing about how he views kira, no personality to how things are said, just generic detective speak

(I personally prefer the japanese lyrics, which seem to draw a lot from his musings about kira, where he ultimately decides kira has to be human and cannot be a supernatural force. it just gives so much more insight into his thoughts than just explaining how a detective works)

(edit: also ties into “the unshakable/unwavering truth” and his shock at the existence of shinigami but still believing kira is human and separate from them)

also, why are so many of his lyrics 3rd wall breaks? why is that a thing? the first time it was amusing? but he does it so often??

misa and rem are pretty good overall, my only gripes are that the lyrics don’t feel like lyrics that can only make sense in the context of death note, if that makes sense? like, if you know what going on the lyrics will fit, but if you heard the songs outside of any knowledge of death note they just sound like generic songs that could have been written for anyone? (not just misa and rem’s songs but a few others as well) there are a couple of lines in each song that are more specific to the context, but I just wish they were further intertwined with the story

(again, the japanese lyrics are great with this)

overall, the english demo lyrics feel like a game of telephone where a lot of overall details were kept but other details/ideas were just brushed over and they filled in the blanks with what they thought fit with the story and went “eh, close enough”

(i do have thoughts on the other songs but i mostly just wanted to talk about L and Light atm)

[pennycat83]

I don't usually leak my stories until I finish 'em but I am willing to serve up some good shit

(⚠️Following contains mentions of death/graphic violence, as well as a described panic attack and other poor mental health.⚠️)

I fully admit this is another feral moment regarding a shitpost FNaF fan game, but somehow it also works as a relationship study? I don't even know what kind of coincidence went down for this to happen but I digress. I wrote this a bit different too for weird external reasonings (that and this is a shitpost fangame).

I hope these two goofy weirdos keep being friends and possibly killing stuff ! (also I apologise if this makes no sense, I used the Evil Ending from the third game since it makes the best reasoning for them interacting. I refuse to imagine anything outside of the TTS voice used on Dave since the idea of him talkin' like that as a person is brilliant)

Penny Cat

Cold...hell felt so much colder than he had assumed. Wandering aimlessly as those final words pounded through his crushed head, "I...love you". To the person who had abused him, to the person who sided with Him. His heart dropped as the thought festered more, "I love you", nothing in his isolated life had ever even brought him close to saying those words with sincerity, and he blew it. He ruined his one relationship without even realising. He...HE-

"Yoyo!". The sharp, friendly robotic tone made him jolt, shifting his arms and stance into something like a wild animal. "Y'good?", "W-WHO'S THERE?!". He braced, his eyes had already adjusted to the darkness but it was near impossible to make out the voice. "Shi-ni-gami at yer service!", "y-you mean...". His heart dropped, legs starting to buckle slightly as he stumbled back. "P-please...I...I didn't want to...I...I'm sorry...show me SOME kind of mercy Mr-p-please!". His demeanor breaking down with his voice. Slow wheezing started to emanate from the Davetrap suit.

"Yo, hey cool it bud it I ain't gonna fuck with ya!". It sounded softer now...The voice came into better view with the speaker. Short clops broke the silence as they gained less of an echo. The speaker finally gained more of a discernible form. They stood shorter than even Him. The mention added another surge of pain into his already pulsating breathing. The white cloak rippled slightly as they proceeded further, muffled metallic clanking came with each footstep. The 'face', however, was what his eyes couldn't peel away from.

The helmet was the same ghostly white as the cloak, a large black screen covering most of it. A pair of plastic transmitters stuck on top, giving more devilish illusions. That same synthesized voice spoke up. "David Miller", "d-d-don't call me that". He tripped on one mangled foot, stumbling back, hands scrambling with his legs as they etched further and further. The being stopped, crouched down and stared. A pair of comedically large gloved hands emerged from the cloak, supporting the beings non existent cheeks whilst propped up on their knees in an amused pose. A silence wavered out throughout the void, he continued to twitch slightly as he studied their movements. They stayed static, mimicking him slightly as they continued to linger back. "W...w-what are you...", "Shinigami fer duty sir!", "w-what the hell is that?", "I mean technically it can be translated in two ways, God killer or the Grim Reape-".

"S-SO YOU A-ARE GONNA-!". He jolted back once again, falling even harder on his ass as they...stayed. "Ok bud seriously, cool it I'm NOT gonna hurt ya, I have no reason TO hurt you". They raised a large fist to the rim of helmet, mimicking a slightly humoured, thoughtful pose. They watched, then raised one of the hands out for his. He hesitated, curling up slightly as he declined. "A'ight". They remained static, "w-where am I?", "midway", "s-so I can-" "wouldn't, come back as a zombie basically and still end up here". They extended their arm out once again. Their grip wasn't as strong as he assumed, if anything there was a slight warmth in how they slowly lifted him back up. Subtle movements preventing him from his already shaky heart from caving in. "Ya good?", "l-lil bit...", "welp even if ya ain't 100% yer still somethin'!". He stared at the knight (? It felt weird to call them a grim reaper due to the upbeat attitude... although personality didn't always equal your job), it continued to watch him expectantly. "T-thanks?", "no prob". They heaved a slight sigh, their entire facade deflating with their stature as their shoulders sank, "...I'mma be honest I can't do this shit righ' now, jus'".

In a single cape swoop the full armoured figure changed into her casual outfit. A, pin-...cat...girl...thing? His mind was already spinning at the concept of being greeted by a hypothetical  reaper in a poor man's space suit. "I'm sorry, what the hell are you again?", "yes!", "huh?!", "I don't like being a 'Thing', like doin' my own stuff". She shoved a hand in her jacket pocket as her other waved a cut motion to emphasize her point. "Y'could say I'm a cat creature tho", "but cats don't have human hair", "eh, like havin' it", her hand flipped it slightly.

He still felt rigid. "Penny chan". She extended a hand, "right...", "yer fine by the way". He paused, "huh", "ya seem tense... this place ain't gonna hurt ya. Yer safe". He looked around again, the atmosphere remained the same smoky inkiness he had stumbled into. "Y-you sure?", a hint of concern barely managed to line his tone. "Well I mean I'm here, folks tend to say I'm pretty safe t' be 'round", "...". He moved back, arms folded slightly as he moved away.

"...I mean hey, don't blame ya fer a sec! Y'wanna talk fer a bit?", "I...I'm good, thanks". He etched further back, she stayed. "A'ight well I mean I gotta say yer dead so I ain't gonna kill ya, no one can, vice versa...also that's the wrong way". Dave paused, bracing himself, his heart still straining under the soul crushing anxiety...He booked it passed her. "Don'y ya even wanta...i-it's cool!". He didn't stop, pulse revving into full steam as he continued, further and further.

He tripped slightly. Heart physically trying to pump itself up and into his mouth as he heaved. It hurt, it all still hurt. Jack...Henry...all of it. He wanted to let it out, get SOMETHING out of this. Tears began dripping to the floor, glistening against the inky space. He curled up, struggling slightly from the springlocks piercing and digging into his flesh. Heaving, shaking like a damn leaf. "...ey...hey...". She was back, mocking him just like Henry. He barely knew her and yet all he saw was another Him.

"1...2...3...4, hold 1...2...3...4, release 1...2...3...4". Her voice almost seeped softly out, his gaze shot up to her. Just like before she knelt down ahead of him, subtly motioning him to mimick her breathing pattern. "WHAT THE FUCK DO YA WANT FROM ME?!". She raised her hands slightly, "n-nothin' man. Just felt like helpin'", "so you can make me do whatever you need me to?! S-so you can break me!". A slight look of surprise came across her face, the calm energy didn't leave her. "N-no...I jus' wanna help ya", "bullshit!", "eh, fine then...don't believe me if ya want". She sat down cross legged across from him. He stared at her more. "Whad'ya do to calm down then?". He stayed silent, "look bud even if ya don't trust me, least I can do is make ya feel a bit better". Her tone remained the same softness it had before... the heat left his brain slightly as he struggled to even remember."Hug..w-well I did hug my f-friend", "guessin' that ain't so easy to do". He shook his head.

"How 'bout ya hug me!". He seemed to physically recoil at the notion. "What ya think a fully deoderated gal ain't good enough?!", "I don't even frigging know ya", "that's true...then again...". She made another offer to lift him up, continuing her conversation as she gently assisted him back up. "Hugs're the best way to trust som'one, so...", she raised her arms out in antici...

Pation, he falteringly embraced her. The metal pressuring against her arms slightly as he await a response, almost automatically, her arms completed the embrace, finding their ways around the back of his neck and resting gently on his opposite shoulders. His breath hitched at how...safe it felt, melting in her embrace. His breathing steadied out slightly as she began rocking to the sides slightly. "There, there, it's alright...", her voice was like cotton candy by this point, his chin started quivering slightly. Her grip loosened after a while. Eventually dipping back down to her diminutive size. 

"Feelin' better?", "y-yeah...I...I-I think-". His voice broke, in a brief instant he broke into a blubbering fountain of tears. "You good?!", the genuine concern in her voice only drove his tears more as he looked up, piercing white pupils wavering from behind the Davetrap mask. "W-what, I...I, w-why are you...". She offered out her hands once again, feverishly accepting her gentle strokings of his head as she continued to reassure him. "Jus' in my nature bud, ain't that complex...people like ya come my way, I do what I can t' help".

"R-really?", "dude if I wanted to fuck with ya then I'd have a reason", "do you?". She laughed, a warm full chested laugh rang out, barely echoing amidst the void. "HA! nah dude yer fine!". She continued stroking his head until he pulled away. "Yer...nice, heh a-ain't had somethin' like that for a long time", "wan' me to keep going?", "n-no! not now...". She nodded, shoving her hands back into her jackets.

In a quick move, she whipped her fingers back out into finger guns, snapping them as she lent against one leg for extra emphasis. "Oh shit! ya wan' that thing off?!", "y-you can do that?!". She made grabby hands at his head once again "yeyeyeyyeyeyeah", slowly beginning the process of removing the mask, "don't ya need a hand cra-", "yer dead". He struggled to nod a sign of comprehension until it finally came off. "So ya are cute~!", the sudden flirtatious tone caught him slightly off guard. She continued to etch the rest of the suit off him, finally pulling him away by  one free hand before any further springlocks claimed a freebie.

His height was one of the things she was already aware of, alongside his neck cracking as it completed his towering height. But the jarring 2 dimensional, almost, blocky, feel of Dave still caught her off guard, though slight puncture holes and open wounds broke the illusion here and there. He looked down at her properly, pulling a few muscles. "Thanks for that. Didn't think ya'd care enough to be honest", "why the hell wouldn't I give a shit about ya?!". He seemed to have finally had a mental shutdown on that comment. "Y-you...", his laughter rang out as he doubled over. "Eh...I don't really mind if ya believe me 'r not...kinda stuck with me bud", "eh-heh...hah?", "I mean I know this place better than ya so like...". She rolled her hand to conclude her sentence, "so what's to say you ain't doin' this to fuck with me?", "good point...how's this, I make you do horrible shit 'n I blow my-".

She faltered slightly on that proposal, "nah...too intense 'n 'dundent...".  She pondered for a moment until she pounded a fist into an open palm. "NYAH! I don't fuck with ya, ya can be my friend!, "...but...". In a rhythmic pattern, David then started contemplating. "I'm gonna be honest yer makin' my head spin a lil", "Penny chan, hire able as the Shinigami if ya need. Lover of tech, terrified of slugs 'n kids", "why'd you bring up a fear?", "eh, jus' felt like it". He contemplated her words, "Dave, love simple things...I dunno what I really hate to be honest".

"Eh it's fine", "really?". His tone perked up at the notion, "yeah, no pressure dude, go your flow". Her wording kept adding more and more complication to his situation. "Wait, so I don't gotta...". He seemed to falter more. "I mean it ain't that complex, some shit y'just gotta keep to yaself, y'know?". She seemed slightly fixated on his arms, "oh shit, brb". "br-", in a split instant she had disappeared.

Nice enough to help him out the suit like it was nothing, willing to embrace and console him...His head was still pounding from the comment before. "'Sup". She was back, medical kit shoved under her shoulder. "Huh?", "what, some peeps gotta fix up their wounds 'fore they go on 'less they linger". He rubbed his temple slightly, "yer gonna...fix me?", "I mean the wounds yeah", "I-I'm sorry this is just startin' to fuck with me ya know?", "oh no dude totally get it, just gonna bandage up yer wounds 'n let 'em heal so yer body can learn that 'n do it automatically".

Penny chan gestured for him to sit as she began rummaging around. "So, how exactly does this place work?", "I mean not all people end up here, some just kinda get dropped where I am. If ya do tho then ya gotta wander there yourself". Her clawed fingers delicately dabbed antiseptic on the wounds, moving it around to clean up the edges. "As I said before though, some folks ain't lucky 'n end up with permanent deformities from their deaths". She made a subtle flip of the clump of hair covering her right eye, he lifted it. A nearly 10cm gaping hole greeted him, it's fleshy depth seemingly infinite. He shuddered, "eh know some poor bastard who got his upper torso ripped clean off, got a fear of losing his central spine's control now". She continued cleaning up the wounds before pulling out the plasters, "Y'want Hello Kitty 'r My Melody?", "I don't really know those guys", "My Melody it is". She stuck the smaller ones over the minute punctures whilst using regular plasters and  extra bandaging over the gaping holes covering his arms. One done she motioned him to sit up a bit better so she could address the one caving in his chest. "I mean hey, already got the immortality thing goin' for ya". She moved closer, leaning over as she began work on it. His chest physically pulsated under her touch as she worked, politely ignoring it until she grappled around for the bandages, his hand met hers slightly as he brought them up to her, "thanks...", "no prob.

Finally, he looked somewhat better, despite the fact his face was now 10 shades deeper than the rest of his body. "Feelin' better?", "yes'm. He squeaked his response out as she sat back, tidying up the medical kit. "Ya wanna head to my place then?". They had already lingered for what seemed like an eternity, sitting crosslegged as they blathered back and forth. "You have yer own place?", "ye". She nodded her head rapidly, causing her tongue to slip out from the corner of her mouth. It seemed to change in shape and size, from goofily rounded to it's natural state? (he wasn't completely sure if it was supposed to be point and nearly 15cm but-)

She helped him up once again, letting him put some of his weight against her shoulder. "Listen, I know this sounds kinda dumb seein' as I don't even know what ya do or where you're takin' me but...are we, like, friends now?", "I dunno, y'wanna be? I mean I just kinda let people call me whatever", "how's about old Sport". That familiar warm laugh wheezed out of her, "go nuts! dun really care". He beamed, "thanks fer that Sportsy!" "no prob pal!". She gave him a slightly unsettling grin, "sorry, kinda suck at controlling my face", "it's cool", "manage t' convince ya I ain't a threat?". He seemed to contemplate that question. Nice enough to console, get him out the suit and bandage him up and give him weird advice. "Ya I'd say so", neat!". She patted his back gently as they continued past the registration desk.

[ilikedyourablogithere]

Thinking about the 10th Kenpachi

Kiganjo

Cause in a filler arc their was this character Ichinose he has a bunch of light powers

who was butthurt over the fact Zaraki the 11th Kenpachi killed Kiganjo the 10th Kenpachi

the rule has always been there can only be one Kenpachi aka the stongest shinigami. If Kiganjo didn't want this obvious fate to happen he shouldn't have gotten into this type of life

but the thing about this filler arc is it just fits

In the filler arc he is described as someone who is just a man who believes in justice. Which easily explains why someone like Kaname Tosen was so against Zaraki.

Tosen is a character who wants justice and seeks it out so seeing Kiganjo the strongest shinigami is a man who values justice probably put some ease in his mind. And of course when Zaraki who is literally just murder hobo comes along and effortless kills the Kiganjo and now become the strongest shinigami obviously this does not put his mind at ease.

So when you go back and think about how Tosen decided to pick a fight with Zaraki with that knowledge in mind it make sense why he did this seemingly out of character thing.

but the thing that I find odd is when there is a chance to finally show him off... Tite Kubo decided to ignore all that and goes as far as to have describe him a lazy man who does as he pleases and rarely ever bothers to draw him in the story

like you can tell he REALLY doesn't care about this character

like he's let mobile games and light novels make their own Kenpachis rather than use Kiganju

Which personally I think is a bit of a shame

like Tite Kubo adds in things from fillers and light novels into the main canon all the time so it does bother me how it feels like he actively doesn't want to be bothered by Kiganjo

like why didn't he add in what the filler said about him? it's far more interesting than him simply writing Kiganjo is too lazy so he never shows up in flashbacks.

like ya he got one shot by Zaraki but like... he still was the Kenpachi of his era meaning he was in fact The Strongest Shinigami of his time aka

The strongest of this roster

I dunno man... I just find it odd how he has no fans.

cause like it's very easy to see his hook where he the stongest shinigami of his era who does not care the Gotei 13 protocols and isn't viewed in the most positive light by his peers because of it but at the same time is a man with a strong sense of justice who gets the job done

well... at the very least I said something nice about the guy

Kenpachi Kiganjo? you seemed like a cool character

[recurring-polynya]

I have devoted quite a bit of brain processing power to contemplating Rukia’s zanpakutou over the last few years. It’s not intuitive, the way it fits her. I still maintain a pet theory that Kubo came up with “individualized zanpakutou” idea somewhat later in the game, and came up with Rukia’s powers almost as an afterthought. After all, Rukia was the first Bleach character he created-- she originally fought with a scythe, back when it was called “Snipe” and everyone else was supposed to fight with guns. Also, she’s kind of redundant to Toushirou, which makes even less sense if he eventually intended to make her a captain.

However, thinking about her powers in the context, not of ice and snow, but of the fact that Sode no Shirayuki is a Yuki-onna actually makes a lot of things make sense. 

I am particularly interested in the Yuki-onba variants of the story, where she has a baby with her, and if a traveler meets her in the snowy woods, she’ll ask them to hold it, and if they do, it becomes too heavy to hold and they freeze to death. This directly ties into the story of Hisana in my mind-- a baby too heavy to carry, a burden that would have crushed her to death. Giving Rukia up, though, has its own consequences, and Hisana is crushed to death by her own guilt. We learn this at the culmination of an arc in which Rukia views herself as a burden over and over again-- she leaves Renji because she thinks she is troublesome to him, she does not want to be saved by Ichigo, she is treated as a stone around Byakuya’s neck. There is one legend where a warrior accepts the baby, but holds a dagger to it so that if it is crushed, the baby will be killed, too. Its mother eventually relents, and rewards the warrior for his... badassery? Cleverness? I don’t know, but I feel like this is such a powerful metaphor for Byakuya and Rukia’s relationship-- he accepts the baby, but holds them both at knifepoint.

Rukia’s earliest character arc, however, is getting past this mentality, summarized in a not-at-all subtle way, given that Renji is literally carrying her around like a sack of potatoes as he says this:

It’s not the end of it, though, because a lot of Rukia’s imagery then moves on to the idea of her carrying burdens. First and foremost, there was the Hogyoku (I am to this day a little miffed that there were never any aftereffects of having had that in her body for several months). There’s the entire business of carrying Kaien’s heart for him, which is tied together with Kaien making her promise not to die alone. This takes on a really interesting dimension when you tie it back to the idea that a Yuki-onna might be the ghost of a woman who froze to death and seeks to share that death with others (or conversely, that it is a comforting story of a spirit who appears to someone in their dying moments, since dying of exposure is an inherently lonely sort of death). Rukia is also the one who restores Ichigo’s powers to him, bearing them in the form a sword built by all his friends and allies. The imagery here is matches the stories where a Yuki-onna grants power and riches to those who outsmart her or withstand her tests.

Rukia is sort of evolving from the yukinko, the baby/burden of the story to the Yuki-onna, the one who bears the burden. The ultimate expression of this is her bankai, of course, where Rukia, who has been dead from the first page we met her, is even more dead, the very embodiment of deadness. Way back when she tried to run away from Karakura Town to spare Ichigo the consequences of her actions, she describes emotions as a burden, and says that a shinigami shouldn’t have them: congratulations, Rukia, you did it!

I don’t think she could have reached bankai, however, if, as she originally thought, she had just ignored her emotions or suppressed them. She had to go through the mortifying ordeal of knowing and being known, of allowing herself to be a burden and to carry the burden of others before she was capable of stepping into her full strength. 

Here are some other points I didn’t manage to squeeze in above:

A lot of the variants of the legend described on Wikipedia associate Yuki-onna with New Year or Little New Year (which is the fifteen of the first Lunar month or sometimes January 15). Rukia’s birthday is 1/14. 

Yuki-onna are sometimes said to carry a white wand (like the kind that would be used in a shinto ritual), and I think you could reasonably make a connection to Rukia’s white sword.  

There are other stories where people are able to withstand the weight of the baby and are granted great physical strength. I know there are various retconned reasons for how the Karakura kids got their powers, but it’s also interesting that it was the four of them that did not forget Rukia when she disappeared.

Japanese lady ghosts are sort of a continuum. Yuki-onna can also fill the folklore role of animal bride, and they can also be baby stealers. It’s only a short jump from a Yuki-onba to an ubume and ubemetori, ghosts of women who died in pregnancy and related bird spirit that screams and puts poison blood on your laundry. Oh, did someone say bird screams in the night, you mean like a nue? BLAMMO, I have finally successfully Kevin Baconed Rukia and Renji’s zanpakutou spirits, just let me have this.

[unohanadaydreams]

This might be controversial, but I always thought Neliel should have died killing Nnoitra. Two incompatible philosophies destroying each other. Because the thing is, Neliel is the anomaly in terms of Hollows, she's extremely un-arrancar like even when you compare her to the more rational Espada like Starrk and Halibel and there's never been an explanation for why. I think part of Nnoitra's hatred for her is because her worldview is so alien and incomprehensible coming from a Hollow. (1)

Nnoitra's attitude towards Nel and how she kept sparing his life after defeating him reminds me a lot of Loly and Menoly's reaction when Orihime healed them after Grimmjow mauled them. They thought she was looking down on them and she's like a "monster" because they don't understand empathy. I'm biased because I really don't like Nel but I do think her dying to kill the person she always underestimated would have been a better conclusion to their respective arcs than her being comic relief. (2)

Ooooh, I like these thoughts.

I think part of the 'why' for Nel is that she took Aizen's spiel of building a rational, peaceful society to rival the shinigami seriously. And what's more, she seems to believe that society is going to take precedent over the arrancar being used en masse to stall the Shinigami.

Its obvious she feels that the lives of the arrancar will further be enriched and that combat with Soul Society will be defensive in nature. She prioritizes a meal with her lovable oafs over fighting because she genuinely believes that's the kind of world that's being built. She spares Nnoitra because killing anyone who loses to you isn't how you build.

Nel wants everyone to stand on equal footing, even if their ranks separate them, and that's what Aizen promises her. And as we know; Aizen fucking lied.

All that said, you're right--she doesn't make sense in Hueco Mundo. Nel's desperate attempt to survive by reverting into a child still doesn't affect Nnoitra's world view. Our protagonists assume her appearance kept her safe but if you look at all the games she mentions, they seem like excuses to stay on the run, don't they?

Her reverting into a child really does not make sense at all for how Hueco Mundo operates. No one fucking cares that she's a kid. They'll still kill her because it'll give them power or simply because it's something to do. It seems entirely for the benefit of Ichigo, who has a great affinity for protecting children and is definitely affected far more by Nnoitra beating the shit out of some toddler than he would've been by a grown woman who he probably wouldn't have carried along to that point to begin with!

Which is a definite weakness for how Nel is set up. The flaw with Nel is that she is supposed to be our sympathetic arrancar, who introduces us to Hueco Mundo. And it doesn't work near as well as Rukia being the introduction to Shinigami. (And personally, I find her as a toddler and her fraccion so fucking annoying.)

You can really feel Kubo trying to compress all his intentions for Nel into that one fight and it works in a sense but it doesn't land all the way. Because Nel is still turning into a baby and we just don't have time to spend with Nel like we did Rukia.

I also think Nnoitra and Nel killing each other is not a bad idea, at all.

Nnoitra would have been killed by the one person he has been clawing at to do so, presumably since he became an arrancar, and mostly likely would realize that in the end, it's not actually what he wanted. WE know that's not what he really wanted. But it's clear HE doesn't--he really, truly hates Nel for making him live in his failure to beat her over and over again. He would feel empty, regretful, and understand what he wanted was the power to fight as her equal all along.

And, for Nel it would be even more tragic. Not only would killing Nnoitra be something she'd avoided (for idk? is it years or months? or weeks??? the arrancar timeline is so fucky. they all act like they've been in motion for years.), and dying by his hand would show that on some level they were equals and instead of living together in understanding, they were doing what hollows always did---fighting to the death to satisfy their point. Which is what she was trying to build away from.

In canon, we did at least get Nel watching Nnoitra die, as Nnoitra seemed to very much wants after he insisted Kenpachi finish him off. But even if Nel lived, which I wouldn't mind, I think Nnoitra should have lived or died by her hand. Because, there really was no reason for her to be so devalued in power. (tbh imagine the absolute power move of Nel choosing to let him live, even. would not be enough copium in the stratosphere for that man)

ALSO, yes, I absolutely agree on the comparison to Nnoitra and Loly. They genuinely do not understand why their violence is being responded to with grace and compassion. And the implications that grace and compassion exists is terrifying if you are someone who has justified not just your actions but all actions against you as 'just the way things are'.

It means when you suffered, there was always a chance someone could have shown you compassion. You could have stayed your own hand. You have to look at yourself and realize that you're wrong. And others are wrong. And 'the way things are' is wrong. It's easier to pretend the compassionate party is really doing it to hold sway over and harm Aizen or hang you out to dry and shame you in front of Tesla and all the other arrancar. To abstain from harming someone back and to firmly show someone their own harm was a CHOICE, is the greatest harm in Nnoitra & Loly's eyes.

All in all, this was a very interesting line of thought and I think it's a shame it would be considered controversial. Nel and Nnoitra are narratively stuck to the hip so it's not like the idea of them dying together is coming out of no where.

[miss-ali-lawliet]

Hello

For the ask game:

3. what do you think about Light? 10, 24 and 25, please.

Thank you for the asks and honestly great questions!! I have a feeling this most is going to be a bit long, so hopefully I can get my thoughts and everything out in a way that’s easy to keep up with!

Also spoiler warning for those who haven’t finished the series!

~~~

3. What do you think about Light?

I honestly have SO many mixed feelings about him, like it’s hard to just be like ‘oh i hate him’ or ‘oh I love him’ because it just isn’t that simple for me personally, which that itself is a great sign of a character since you have to think about that sort of thing with them. Right off the bat though,  I’d like to say that I think Light as a character is phenomenal. He takes the character-type of what many would consider as the ‘perfect guy’ for the main character but twists it in a way that makes the reader/viewer question the protagonist their supposed to be rooting for. 

I also think of Manga!Light and Anime!Light as different people to an extent, as in the manga you watch a seemingly ‘normal’ guy who has issues with the world deal with the sudden power that was thrown on him. I talked about it before in my last ask post, but the scene after Light killed his first person after testing out is a great way to express how he feels, and is one of the few times we really see Light show THAT much emotion. He shows regret and guilt, thinking himself as a murderer and you can tell how it affected him. Anime!Light you don’t get that, and instead he seemed to just take on the task of being Kira and god of the new world without much else thought. I definitely prefer M!Light in comparison to A!Light to say the least, so I’m going to focus a bit more on the M!Light side of things.

I personally found myself wanting to have hope for Light, even though I knew that he wasn’t going to get better but instead worse over time, and honestly it’s probably better story wise to keep him as the ‘bad guy’ who stays bad instead of trying to pull a redemption arc out of no where or something. I have a feeling I’m beginning to ramble, so I’m going to try to wrap this up.

I have a love-hate relationship with Light, because even though I don’t agree with his actions and the tactics he uses to get the ‘perfect world’ he wants, and I do find his thinking flawed and find him very arrogant the more power/ego Kira gains over the world as the story goes on. Yet I find him as a character in general just fascinating. I was definitely more on L’s side of things and found myself enjoying a majority of the scenes where people simple put Light in his place and treat him like a dude with a god complex rather than what he wants/expects. There’s just a lot of thoughts I have about him, but yeah it’s just a love-hate sort of thing for me when it comes to Light. 

~~~

10. Do you ship any characters?

I usually find myself being a bit of a multishipper when it comes to most fandoms, it just depends on the source material and the characters obviously. I definitely can enjoy a lot of the ships when it comes to the fandom, but even if I don’t like a pairing I do my best to remain pretty respectful about it. 

One thing to note is that I can’t really find myself shipping L with anyone in the series to be honest, like I can find myself enjoying his relationship dynamics of characters but with my own interpretations and DR stuff, It’s hard to view him with someone else romantically. 

Some ships I like/don’t mind though (especially when it comes to au stuff as most of these in canon probably wouldn’t work out lol): Matt x Mello, Mikalight, Rem x Misa ig? (more like the concept is sweet i think even though in canon Misa treats her pretty badly and Rem said she doesn’t think of her that way), uhhh. My brain is pulling a blank right now but these are the main ones that come to mind.

Some platonic pairings I enjoy (as there are a lot more of these for me): Matt + Mello, Mello + Near, Matsuda + Misa, Honestly all the task force have really interesting dynamics with one another, L + Watari (obviously in a father/parent way, I just like seeing their interactions), Ryuk + Light, Ryuk + Misa, L + Matsuda’s relationship is honestly pretty funny to me and honestly L’s dynamics with the task force is also interesting as well. 

I think that’s it when it comes to shipping stuff atm

~~~

24. Any headcanons you’d like to share?

Oh! I feel like I have a couple but at the moment my mind is pulling a blank for some reason. Some head canons that do come to mind though deal with my Death Note DRs in some way but they can also be interpreted with the actual series itself, so hopefully this is good enough! Usually I do better with a certain prompt of some sort though for future references though! 

I’ve seen a post a bit ago about Matt and Mello being roommates of some sort at Wammy House and they find themselves in that roommate mentality still when they do room together, and honestly I agree so much with that. 

When Mello leave the Wammy House I see him not contacting Matt or anyone from Wammy House as he turns his focus on his side of the Kira Case, even if apart of him misses them and what he grew up around. Yet he pushes through because he’s stubborn and wants to do whatever he can on his own with the Mafia without involving someone like Matt, probably for his safety. After the explosion though when he has no one on his side, I think that’s when he realizes there’s only one other person he can truly trust and rely on and that’s when he contacts Matt to help him on the case. 

Not really a headcanon as the author himself mentioned that the rivalry between Mello and Near was one-sided and that Near actually liked Mello, I do see both boys sometimes wondering what it would have been like if they didn’t have that rivalry and became friends instead. I honestly see Mello thinking that more towards the end of the case and after the explosion, but at that point he’s probably thinking it’s too late to even pursue a friendship like that with him. 

I like to think that at Wammy House, Matt didn’t really understand Mello’s rivalry with Near and at times questioned him about it at first but he was pretty supportive 

He didn’t have anything against Near though and was pretty indifferent on the whole thing personally, but if it made Mello happy and helped him achieve a goal he had no reason to deny.

Matt in general in general is someone that gives the vibes of not caring about much, but if you’re close to him he is literally SO loyal?? Like if someone close to him has an issue, even if he might make a comment or remark, he is always there to back them up. 

I like to think that over time Light actually enjoys Ryuk’s presence, kind of like a sense of some sort of comfort that he isn’t alone of some sort? Like at first he might have been annoyed and still gets annoyed whenever he acts annoying and distracts him from work, but also I think he doesn’t like hate his company. Probably would rather be around him than Misa unfortunately </3

I think that L and Chief Yagami had a pretty good friendship, or perhaps not friendship but i’m not sure what to call it atm. Like I think L respected him a lot and Soichiro was the same towards him, and I think at times if they decided not to talk about the Kira case it’s usually pretty good for the most part.

It’s not really a headcanon but Matsuda trying his best to get some positive attention for things he does in the case is funny and kinda sweet. Most of the time L probably ignores his antics and doesn’t really feed into it, but there’s like one or two times where he actually does

It’s probably very small, probably something along the lines of “Good job.” or something but Matsuda feels so happy that he even acknowledged him like that and didn’t call him stupid for once. Definitely was a good boost in his mood

I find the thought of Light and Ryuk playing video games early on when he first gets the notebook charming in an almost funny way. Like Light probably either was talked into it by the shinigami or was like ‘screw it, I have nothing else to do atm’ and Ryuk is just happy he can actually do something and not just watch him working 

Light is definitely competitive in games though, like he’ll probably try to act like it wouldn’t matter but like most things with him, but it did lmao

I find the thought of the wammy kids doing things to mess with/annoy Roger so entertaining. Like I feel bad for him, but if I were asked to assist in the pranks or antics I probably would just for his reaction alone

Think that’s all for random misc head canons for now, if you want something more specific just send a request!

~~~

25. Ramble on about whatever you’d like 

Thank you for this one! I usually feel a little guilty whenever I ramble on about things in general, but the fact that some people are interested in my thoughts on things is so sweet!

At the moment though I’m honestly not too sure what to ramble about as there’s a lot on my mind and it’s hard to pick one thing and honestly it can be a bit hard to go through all my thoughts at times. 

But! One thing I will always stand behind that ya’ll have probably seen countless of times so far is that the Wammy Boys deserved better and I will always say it if necessary tbh. Speaking of wammy house though, that comes to mind is that I wish I could learn more about it at times, yet I also enjoy the mystery of it in a way. It’s something I’d be so down to learn more about, but if not I’d be pretty okay with that outcome. Plus just leaves things for fans to interpret in their own ways if they want, and that’s something I definitely enjoy when it comes to the fandom is how they take something vague and turn it into so much more. 

Also speaking of the fandom I’m surprised yet so thankful/grateful for is that the death note fandom is still going on here. It was such a relief seeing that I wasn’t alone in my hyperfixions and thoughts, and seeing all the talent in the art, writing, etc, is just amazing and something I look forward to a lot in all honesty. I’m also just so thankful for the people that take time out of their day to look at my blog in general. You like, reblog, or follow me? I literally want to be your best friend and if I wasn’t so nervous about starting conversations with ya’ll I definitely would have messaged a couple of ya’ll a while ago. Until then I hope you just read this and see me on your blogs and hope my reactions and comments is enough until I get less nervous lmao. 

One last thing before i close the blog off is that I love L with my full heart and I adore Matt and Mello so very much. My favorite lads <3

~~~

Alright that should be it for this post! If you stuck around, thank you!

Some future posts to expect: Matt, Mello, + a f!reader based on the dream I talked about before, some L angst, and possibly something with Light :)

Anyways have a great day/night and here’s a reminder to stay hydrated and eat something if you haven’t already <3

[darisu-chan]

I’v seen people re-reading B/leach, trying to prove a point that the ending makes sense, that the CaNoN ships were planned from the start, and that nothing’s wrong

I’m seeing the opposite

First of all, the character development

All characters are very different from who they were at the beginning and not in a good way. Since it is a Shounen, we can read it as a coming of age story, in which the characters should have matured at the end, becoming young adults. But it is like instead of maturing, they just became bland and shallow. And yes, their end game makes no sense if reading in linear way.

Let’s take Chad for example, even though he’s silent, he does engage with his friends. And that’s the thing. Ichigo isn’t his only friend. Chad’s not only friends with Keigo and Mizuiro, but he has his own group of friends. Chad plays the guitar. He likes cute things. He tells jokes. He likes going out with his friends. He’s not really just a silent giant. His abuelo, probably his dearest person as he never mentions his parents, tought him that, though he’s big and strong, he should always use his strength to protect others. And he does this throughout the story, because that becomes his goal. Something that gives him pride. Then why did he become a professional boxer? Who, exactly, is he protecting? It’s just a job right now. Something that gives him money. Nothing more. And gradually we lost Chad being playful, having friends or, hell, acting like a person.

Then there’s Orihime. She’s a quirky girl that eats weird stuff, has a lively imagination, and yes, she’s always liked Kurosaki-kun, but she had a life outside him at the beginning at least. She had friends, not only Tatsuki but the other girls in their class. She was friendly, smart, and kind. She first uses her powers to protect Tatsuki. Her hair is proof of that she has faith in Tatsuki. That’s her most important person. She can have conversations with Ichigo that don’t revolve in her trying to catch his attention, like when they talk about Ishida. She has dreams of having five different professions. She trusts her own powers. And then, after the SS Arc, everything revolves around Kurosaki-kun. Her dreams of the future. Her worth as a person. Even her happiness. If she’s not important to him, or as important as Rukia, she gets depressed. She’s not weak and yet she doesn’t want to use Tsubaki anymore. She’s at her lowest during the HM Arc. And she never quite gets better after that. Every time she tries to be of use of Ichigo, she fails. There’s no more Tatsuki. Or even mentioning her other friends. She doesn’t even get to go to college if the novels are to be trusted. She gets her man and a kid. But what of who she is as a person? Who is Inoue Orihime without Ichigo? No one anymore.

Ishida has a tragic ending. In the very first chapters he’s in, it’s clear the purpose is for him to learn to work with Shinigami, as was his grandfather’s wish. The final arc should have been the culmination of that first plot point. But it wasn’t. Suddenly, Quincy Archer Hates You seems meaningless. Then there’s the fact that Ishida didn’t learn to communicate with his peers till meeting Ichigo. By becoming his ally, he starts getting friends. He can show everyone how kind he truly is instead of seeming mean. But what happens at the end? He’s not shown with the others. He’s still alone. It’s as if nothing had changed for him. He’s not working with the Shinigami as a Quincy either. He doesn’t spend time with his friends. They don’t even mention him!

Rukia, who could be serious and funny. She was curious and kind and always trying to do what is right. After her almost excution, her views of the SS should have been shattered and she should have worked to keep dismantling the world that Ichigo helped change. Instead, she joined it and was even fine with the Sokyoku being built again. The very same thing that almost killed her. And am I to believe that after everything she would have ignored Ichigo for 10 years? Or even let him fight alone when, from the beginning, she was there to help him out?

Then there’s Ichigo, who just changed. He had this ideal of protecting the people he cared about. He learned a lot of things. But the thing is, he should have learned the SS was corrupted af and going by his rebellious and righteous nature, he should have tried to change things. He also lost his charisma at one point. At one point, he was just so sad... And by the end it seems that he has no ideals, no agency anymore. What is he doing exactly? Just going through the motions. And though one arc before the end it’s clear that being a Shinigami is what brings him pride, a character development from the beginning when he didn’t know much about being a Shinigami and it didn’t give him pride, he goes back to being human for no apparent reason.

And am I to believe Rukia and Ichigo would just forget about Kon?

What about the character development Keigo, Tatsuki and Karin were promised and never got?

I’m on chapter 50, and already I can see many wasted opportunities and things that would beocme inconsistent later on.

[narratornavigatorstoryteller]

happy birthday L here’s a vaguely outdated analysis

general thoughts/starting points

aversion to teamwork/preference for working alone and directing people to do the more hands-on parts of investigating 

implications that he values being in control

passion

often overlooked in favor of his more obvious traits

represented most clearly in mello

calm and stable

generally seen as his most obvious traits

represented most clearly in near

“grey” morals

despite being "the good guy" of the story, L cannot be described as a good person or a hero. he can best be labelled as an anti-villain, or, "a character with heroic goals, personality traits, and/or virtues who is ultimately the villain. Their desired ends are mostly good, but their means of getting there range from evil to undesirable." (defined by tv tropes)

intelligent, likely equal to that of light

in the english htr13 stats, light’s intelligence is listed as 9/10 while l’s is 8/10. this is due to a translation error in which the statistic was originally meant to be listed as “knowledge.”

neurodivergence

L is probably one of the most heavily neurodivergent characters out of any shows i’ve watched up to this point. because of the time he would’ve been diagnosed with aspergers, but he’s definitely somewhere in the autism spectrum. some of the most major tells for this are his social isolation, fidgeting/repetitive actions (specifically stacking things), and showing few emotions (doesn’t apply to everyone, but is still common)

liar, potentially compulsive or pathological

compulsive - lying with what seems to be no clear goal or ability to stop, often born of habit

pathological - lies have a clear motive, with intent to manipulate

motive (or lack therefore) behind the things he says is debatable

what to and what not to take with a grain of salt is largely subjective, although, it can be assumed that at least some of his “percentages” were meaningless (e.g., he told light that he was one of the least likely suspects with one of the lowest percentages of probability. he often openly contradicts this. knowing that the majority of percentages regarding light were skewed at the least, its not unreasonable to think they were all inaccurate.

near also employs this use of percentages. while they could resemble different things for each, it may still be worth noting.

other traits

sarcastic, with a dry sense of humor

pride/arrogance(?) 

low social and life skills

seems to have a notable relationship with the supernatural/spiritual

briefly considered in the beginning that kira was a god, but let go of the idea on the assumption that god wouldn't need names and faces

reacted harshly to the mention of shinigami in a response video from the second kira. he seemed unwilling at first to accept that shinigami meant exactly what it said, and later stated that he hoped it Wasn't a god of death

knowing that he would soon die, L "atones for [his] sins" by drying light's feet for him. in some denominations of christianity, "foot washing" is used to represent an act of great humility, inspired by the actions of jesus christ washing his disciples feet in the days before his death. this could, however, just be symbolism meant to foreshadow L's death. alternatively, it could be seen as a mark of the way his views have developed over his time on the case

his apparent hesitation regarding things of this nature could be caused by a lack of understanding. as a very prideful person who tends to second guess everything he's given, it would make sense that suddenly being forced to change his entire worldview would cause shock and, at least, mild unwillingness to approach it

it could also be the result of feeling that he may no longer be in control.  L is, as he's shown to the viewer, a leader. he decides what cases he takes, why, and directs those working on the field until he's done. in addition to having to let go of some of that control for this case (by revealing himself and working alongside others instead of just instructing them), he would also have to release full control of his perception of the world around him

relationships

mello and near

mello and near, as the top two choices for L's successor, represent two major parts of L; his passion and intensity (shown through mello) and his tendency to be analytical and collected (shown through near). upon first glance, L is often characterized as being very calm and detached from other people. it may be a stretch, but this can also be seen in the relationship between near and mello themselves, with mello being the "second" and feeling overshadowed by near, who is often read as the "copy" of L

L served as a major inspiration and motivation for both near and mello, seeing how both expressed what could be considered disappointment. mello became angry that L hadn't managed to beat kira, while near's statement about how not being able to "solve the puzzle" and "beat the game" makes you a loser could be read as comment on L's inability  to catch light

on that note, i think that L had to have been in contact with them at least a few times

near, as "number one," may have spent the most time with L, potentially having even met him in person as referenced by the similarities in the way both physically act, though this could be mere coincidence. in addition, his methods of investigating are far more similar to L's than mello's are, implying that he was able to study how L thought and went about doing things to the point where he was able to personally recreate and even correct them. while this distinction could also be influenced by a difference in resources, its still clear from their individual characters that even left under the exact same circumstances, they'd want to take different approaches to the issues at hand.

despite having likely spent less time together, i feel as though the relationship mello and L might've shared wasn't quite the same as that with L and near. mello was distraught upon learning of L's death, largely, in part, because L had promised that he would catch kira. this implies that, even if they truly had only interacted once, mello put a lot of faith in L as someone he could not only look up to, but as someone he could depend on and trust.

watari

the relationship between L and watari is never openly addressed, however, we see watari acting not only as L’s representative and caretaker, but also a genuine father figure. during the flashback before his death, we see watari personally bringing L to wammy's house, and in present time, we see L go to watari, presumably for comfort.

light yagami

as light was kira, there was naturally going to be a tension between him and L. the relationship they had was built on lies, competition, and manipulation. they act as foils of each other; light was a hard-working, handsome honour student and son of  the police chief, while L was an overall eccentric and rude detective who hid everything about himself that he could. this difference between their surfaces emphasizes just how similar they actually are, being both extremely intelligent with a strong sense of justice (seeing themselves As justice) and the ability to stand out from those around them. at one point, L says that light is his first friend. it's not unlikely that this was a stretch of the truth, however, i wouldn't be surprised if L truly had grown attached to light. light matched him for skill and intelligence, surpassed him in many other areas, and provided the challenge that L sought in his cases.

[fatedkings]

i want to preface these thoughts by saying: by no way shape and form will i ever force my headcanons on my roleplay partner of the other character i have the headcanon with. These are just my thoughts and nor do I view muns of villains in a negative light, we all love characters just different types. it does not mean they, the muns, are bad people.

my  ( undead )  izuru headcanons involve Gin/Aizen of course, whom both i love dearly with all my heart, and several other characters like Hisagi, Momo, Renji, and Matsumoto.  I will have a read more,   gore warning etc.  as this WILL get lengthy  ( going in depth about izuru’s state of consciousness leading up to,   the possible backlash,    etc. )

basically tl;dr    izuru kira becomes the epitome of despair.

After a blast in the chest from Bazz-B, obliterating his abdomen tossing his arm aside, Izuru barely “alive” is taken to Mayuri Kurotsuchi to be healed. Held together by a string of will to live, heavy poles, and enhanced by the reiatsu of Izuru’s fallen seated officers now standing at a captain’s level ( as stated by Shaz Domino in their battle in “Beginning of the revive of Tomorrow”. )

much of him ponders his existence:   how he is carrying the souls of the seated officers he was unable to protect, only to continue to fight for his pride as a gotei 13 member.   This mindset  has been the same since Gin Ichimaru left the gotei 13 with aizen in a beam of light, leaving Kira’s trust irreparable. his personality has always revolved around his comrades, his captain, the gotei 13  ( as many shinigami were indoctrinated to unquestioningly  [ i.e. he made momo bow before byakuya even though it was wrong to just allow  renji to be jailed horribly injured as he was. ]  believe to follow the rules and motions at the time making aizens plan easier, izuru is just another sleeper in the system. )

this could be stated as a young shinigami he was impressionable, Aizen “I plan everything to a T” Sosuke stated how he chose Hinamori specifically for being his lieutenant so that he may manipulate her like a puppet for the events of the soul society arc.   (  which arguably pitted them against one another and ruined their [ hinamori and izuru’s ] relationship in my opinion  )    i highly suspect that Izuru was ALSO chosen through the same process that Hinamori was picked so that there were no flaws in this plan, as Gin was in with Aizen one hundred years prior.

now, I am not saying that Gin did not CARE for Izuru personally, I am saying that Gin had a mission and that was to kill aizen by any means necessary even if it meant getting others hurt. Gin played along with Aizen’s game, the manipulation, i even think he cared for Izuru to an extent before the end of their time together, but again he had a mission he had to accomplish. What I have always loved about BLEACH is how morally grey the characters are, and Gin alongside Tosen is a great example of these archtypes. Gin wanted to kill Aizen and return the shard of the Soul King back to Rangiku, what he sold his life away to for the person he loved most.

We know Izuru as a child was more free, chipper to tease and speculate over his and Hisagi’s strength only question what happened to make Kira such a gloomy person. Perhaps it is the exposure to being a soul reaper, but the drastic changes in his personality make me question what made Izuru the person we know now?    it’s only later on in my current re-reading of BLEACH in Izuru’s cell scene did i get the full extent of how uncomfortable it truly was at least for me.    A dilapitated cell,     scratched up,     broken chair,      blood splatter aross the floor, Izuru in a sling self loathing:

Hinamori’s cell was not the same state being absolutely pristine, almost the same for Renji except more concrete than wooden. Kira put the loyalty to his Captain over the loyalty to his friend when it came down to the tension over Sosuke Aizen’s “death”  self loathing over what he had done.  All of this Damage had been done by himself, restrained for his own safety, conflicted over his own emotions:

Izuru was lead to rely and be loyal to Gin ( if not I think part of Kira on the inside was also TERRIFIED of Gin ),  leading to Izuru diverting Matsumoto after the central 46 slaughter although he tells Nayura from “Beginning of the Revive of Tomorrow” Gin did not tell him to fight Matsumoto the opposite is implied in the manga as well as matsumoto’s suspicions of some sort of manipulation  (  rangiku and izuru make up tho and drink so its gucci ) with a q&a of Kira’s after the soul society rebellion sounding lost, stating how he did not want ‘liars’ in his company. However, Hinamori’s q&a had a desire for life and to move on from the tragic events unlike Izuru’s prompt.

Rose might be attached to Izuru, however, Izuru does not want to latch on to Rose and for something unmistakable to happen (  unable to trust, similar to the captain amagai arc in the anime except with one personality of strenuous trepidation and the other willing.  )

It’s always been his mindset to put the Gotei 13 before his friends ( who he loves very much, he worried about rangiku more than himself even though he was a human squirting ketchup bottle ),   he does not have any living family, nor does he seem to have any lingering positive feelings to himself   as now Kira needs to PROVE his worth. Later on in turn back the pendelum with Kisuke and Hiyori visiting maggots nest mentioning how there is no one who intentionally leaves the Gotei 13, implying that in the Gotei 13 you either die as a shinigami or are imprisoned for life.  Unquestioning loyalty is the unhealthy norm among all of them, even if it may seem endearing at times for the Division eleven members, etc.

[Undead] Izuru is just what he says: a ‘different Izuru’. 

although it may be known that the hole in his chest exists, the extent that the mental state has deteriorated would be unknown to most of the people in his life. Just because of the change brought on by Ichigo and his friends does not mean that Soul society has truly made progress, many of the soul reapers linger on the old ways rather than moving forward. Shinigami are still very much sheep apart of the herd and without Kira voicing his concern about the state of being Izuru is in none would be the wiser or know about the souls essentially stapled against his own. Everyone would be complacent, silent... as possibly KIra could decend into a numb void pit similar to a Gillian.

How? Only Arrancar have been stated similar to Shinigami, but the backlash to having the souls pegged onto the motherboard would create some TYPE of hazard for Izuru in the future that would jeapordize his state of being. Here i propose this theory: Gillians are made of hollows intertwined with one another, although, most do not have any sense of individuality because of this make up,

1.)   izuru would eventually lose his sense of object permanence, individuality, perpetually putting his comrades in danger by his own presence that could lead to the harm or slaughter of shinigami and the people he once loved.

2.)   if the process of losing spiritual pressure is painful  ( i.e. how ichigo reacted in the manga when he passed out after mugetsu ) perhaps the same can be said for those who rapidly gain spiritual pressure/reiatsu over a short period of time.

(  in brave souls during his attacks he sounds like hes groaning or in pain.  )

3.)   interacting with izuru is a lot like pulling teeth,  to yank and  tear,   like the moon as a waning crescent his mentality is filled with the dysphoric aftermath.  Unable to turn a new page,   even with the war over,   izuru has not sought help for the gaping cavern that lays in his chest nor does he seem to want to...

(  izuru seems to be content with living alongside his companions day to day as if the days were the same before the TYBW   [ in rukia’s and renji’s getting-married novel he still has the hole because yoruichi tries to unclothe him to look at it ].     Unless kira himself comes to the conclusion that he has regained some sort of status within the gotei 13,     as lieutenant within division three there will be no redemption or acceptance to fill that gap.     it will be there haunting him,      a wound undisclosed with all expected to walk parallel never questioning  his state of being, he is detached from the world around him,  isolating himself for various reasons.    )

4.)    the arm that was blown off is mostly repaired as synthetic, izuru holds his arms and body irregularly    (  i.e.   how attacks with one arm only,    one shoulder is lifted higher than the other.  ) and can be ejected off with enough force if applied.

5.)    SPECULATION**//         his will to fight/kill might be affected,   as we have seen through ichigo,   is what drives a shinigami to gain power in their zanpakuto is their kill intent resolve.     He states that he is only fighting for his pride to gain his status back in the gotei 13, though he protected others, it was to a means to an end.   However,    his former resolve in battle was to the point of no doubt so it would vary by situation   (  i.e. “ can i protect this place?   we will see... “  )

6.)    no one knows about the souls basically stapled to Izuru’s body.     most likely people understand he had grown stronger without a bankai but not HOW.  The only people who know are Mayuri, Nemu ( who is dead), possibly Akon, and very few of those in the twelfth division but those would be sworn to silence.

7.)    a type of imposter syndrome.   believing that he is not the real izuru, since he did indeed die, combined with several different souls who could he be?   it’s why he becomes irrationally agitated when the events of TYBW or the hole inside his body is brought up, why has he not closed it?  truly he is frightened of what the answer might be and only clams up more aka linked back to #3

the reason i call him the epitome of despair is that he always had good intentions, he loves his friends endlessly, he serves his company with loyalty that would be expected of a perfect soldier, but he never had a chance from the start that he entered the academy.

he might have been able to save one girl inside of the central 46 that would go on to do big changes alongside the captain commander and nanao, but for Izuru already so much had been lost at one time significance had no meaning. his life had no meaning, all his faith in the system had been proven to be meaningless as corrupt, most of all he could not protect his comrades that were compounded to his body : how could he continue to be a shinigami in the gotei thirteen, a lieutenant no less? how could he protect others?

i don’t want to stereotype him as the “”””emo””””” type as he, at the core, is far from it even with and despite how gloomy Izuru reacts. He is, for the most part, a grounded level headed individual who is self disciplined, decisive even when it comes to battle that separates him from the rest of the lieutenants  ( he has a usual indecisiveness, but it can be worked to his advantage in some situations. )

Loyal,  soft spoken,  the friend you would WANT to have,  Izuru can still express emotion as the sheer panic and fright he had when yoruichi tried to disrobe him just to look at his hole was genuine enough. hell he even ran division three for a short time by himself, i think that is something to be recognized.

it’s not that he does not believe as the head of central 46 thinks, but that his reasoning for who he was wanes his existence. all of it is jarring, there would have to be some kind of backlash.

it would be easy to say ‘get orihime to heal him’ and ‘get it over with’ but orihime struggled to heal ichigo through ulquiorra’s cero that shot through his chest the first time because of the strong reiatsu that lingered. Bazz-B is a thousand year old quincy,  in comparison the effort would most likely exhaust orihime before she even finishes because of the residual energy that imprinted. Knowing how orihime’s powers work it relies on her mental fortitude, she is human and not indespensible, Kira sees this as a burden on the ryoka and would not ask this of them after all that Ichigo and his friends have done for them.

degradation was not personality/character improvement rather the focus of the marigold on his character was specific, and I am sure there would have been more if Kubo was not rushed by deadlines and illness. I feel like im repeating points by now so i think hopefully everyone gets the picture of what I mean, if anyone has any questions let me know!

[godkilller]

UKITAKE.

❅ ❅ ❅

Tradition has it that all the captains meet every Monday morning - preferably at 8 - for the captain’s meeting, to update headcaptain Genryuusei Yamamoto and to discuss the latest news. Sometimes captains are missing due to various reasons. They need to head out to fight hollows, some have to try and find their subordinates who got lost somewhere in the world of the living... And some fell ill early on in their childhood and never fully recuperated, which left them no other choice but to stay away from what is considered ‘a captain’s duty’.

One of those - but probably the only one - was Jushiro Ukitake. To stay at home when all the captains met always felt weird to him ever since he was made captain LONG AGO. Sometimes Kyouraku would join him in skipping duty but Yadomaru would find him and drag him to the first squad’s barracks after all. It left a sore wound inside the ill man for centuries but he would never let anyone know ; wouldn’t talk about it. In that sense, he was a true captain, never letting his illness be the reason to mentally succumb to self-pity or even DEPRESSION.

As long as he could sit either on his porch in front of his bonsai garden or take a relaxing walk around his estate in order to get better, he wasn’t complaining. And maybe that rather UNWANTED SPARE TIME and his DECLINING HEALTH were enough reason why, compared to other captains, Ukitake still managed to wear a smile on his face, no matter the situation. Those shinigami who shared a view about the world with Ukitake weren’t usually people his age. He noticed that very early in his adult life. Those who did always kept a bit of childlike demeanour or attitude - much like Shunsui. Ukitake had an easier time talking to and spending time with younger shinigami or trainees at the academy than with fleshed out soul reapers or even captains. He RESPECTED his fellow colleagues but their sternness oftentimes dimmed his mood tremendously. It resulted in him withdrawing more privately and rarely being seen outside his estate on his off days.

Today wasn’t such a day however. He’d told Sentaro to replace him at the captain’s assembly as well as made sure Kiyone and Rukia trained the newbies and taught them about a very special subordinate and lieutenant named Shiba Kaien, while he took a long walk around his estate. By the time the assembly must have taken place for about 40 minutes already, he wondered whether Shunsui would come for tea this afternoon. He stopped, looking at the headquarters plenty of miles away from where he stood, when suddenly a little figure walked around the corner.

“Hm?” He blinked for a moment, recalling the face of the little boy. “Don’t you belong with Aizen and his squad?” he said, wondering what that child was doing on his property. He figured - and everyone else knew it too - that the pathway was a faster shortcut to deliver things than using the usual delivery routes. He wasn’t angry. It was just a child. There was always something ODD about this child, he thought. Maybe it was the relentless GRIN. A grin unlike any he’s EVER seen on a child before. Many times he couldn’t keep from thinking that it was fake. He had a hunch.  RUMOR HAD IT that people wouldn’t get much sleep in the 5th and judging by the sight of the little one, Ukitake was CONCERNED. He didn’t look healthy at all. And maybe it was because Ukitake knew how he he looked when he was a child - he was aware of the fact he wasn’t a parent and people told him time and time again to NOT WORRY SO MUCH! Hypochondriac, they called him. But could they really blame him?

“Where’s your captain? Did you get lost? Would you like some tea, maybe?” he smiled gently, offering for the other to join him on his walk back to the entrance of his estate. “Don’t worry, it’s alright. Ichi... maru was it? Correct me if I’m wrong.”

          GIN TOOK SHORTCUTS REGULARLY, he zipped through the quieter portions of the Seireitei with every intention to NOT be stopped, seen, or bothered otherwise by any passerby unaccustomed to seeing such a young Shinigami making their rounds. Often, this resulted in him inevitably being asked if he knew where he was going  ( which he did, though Gin played into certain instances of this question by pretending to be lost to appear less questionable )  or where his captain was  ( HIRAKO SHINJI HAD BEEN REMOVED from his position at the head of the Fifth Division, and AIZEN SOUSUKE now stood as acting captain )  so the question brought something of a difficult answer; truly, tragically so, Gin hadn’t minded Shinji too much.... it was a shame what happened. The loss was fresh; Gin still awoke believing that those echoing screams and Hollowified roars were going off in the cold night, rather than imprinted someplace in the back of his head.

          Thus was the fate of anyone who dared to suspect Aizen and possibly even act on it. Urahara Kisuke and his company were all exiled, too, framed. Gin wondered if anyone could manage to take his superior down, or if he truly was all alone.

          His flash-step faltered and Gin blurred back into sight at a slowing trot, downtrodden by this particular thought, and for a moment more delaying his inevitable return to his division. AIZEN'S SCHEDULE REQUIRED DILIGENCE in the form of rushing to meet deadlines in order to retain his regularly awarded compliments of ALWAYS having his work completed in a timely manner. Thus, Gin was, on occasion, sent as errand boy. It didn’t happen often; Gin was Third Seat, not necessarily a pawn worth moving for insignificant matters, yet Gin was also one of the two subordinates Aizen kept closer to him that could tackle matters that would be outcried as ... possibly illegal. Gin was currently exhausted from this constant game of catch-up, paying in lost sleep to make up for the fact that their main focuses were split between maintaining the divisions whilst also conducting awful monstrosities into the dead of night.

          —— Ah, that voice... he was spotted !

          Gin tugged at his left sleeve to ensure his injury’s bandages were obscured, hidden into too-big robes ill fit for a child warrior, and stepped a few paces back whilst turning to face his superior. THESE WERE UKITAKE’S GROUNDS, AFTER ALL, AND GIN HAD BEEN FOOLISH TO BANK ON THE OLDER SHINIGAMI RESTING FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE MORNING. No, the elder was resilient, peaceful, it seemed only right in hindsight that he’d not sulk in bed till midday, at least. GIN SMILED BIG AND WIDE, prepared for the standard comments to be made — as opposed to the others, Ukitake, at the very least, meant well by them.

          ❝ AH, ‘M SORRY, CAP’N — ❞ Gin called out to the other, projecting his voice with a quip and a grin. ❝ — I’m runnin’ errands, just got done. No cap’n yet, just Lieutenant Aizen ‘n me... am I in trouble ?  ❞ The younger paused as Ukitake finished his approach, making a point to be visibly wary of the other’s scrutiny, that scanning gaze no doubt pinpointing Gin’s fatigue, his dark circles beneath squinted eyes and his growling stomach and aching arm making him anxious to leave. Yet, Gin instead used that antsy feeling to further play into his guise of childish submission; as though dreading a lecture, as though perfectly innocent. His smile was, for the most part, mostly refined save for a spare undertone of strain, of utter falseness that hurt his cheeks. ANOTHER ACHE TO BE ADDED TO HIS PILE. 

          ❝ I’m jus’ passin’ through, I’ll be outta your hair... — ... oh, tea ?  Not sure, I don’t wanna bother ya. ❞ THAT WAS A TRUTH. Didn’t this man need rest ?  Surely he wouldn’t put aside time to be burdened by some random kid coming too close to his fancy palace...

          Gin merely nodded at his name, offering no elaboration nor acknowledgement; no first name needed in his book, surely.... HE WAS STILL A RUKONGAI RAT AT HEART, not accustomed to proper greetings, not quite master of a respectful introduction, and certainly not the type to bow down to his superiors after offering his entire title in service, in obedience. NO, GIN WAS STUBBORN. At times, even awkwardly so. The Third Seat idly fumbled with the edge of his left sleeve within his right hand, clutched, toyed with as he considered Ukitake’s offer.

          ❝ Are you feelin’ any better, cap’n ?  I heard y’weren’t at the meetin’ today. ❞ MAYBE A LITTLE TOO FORWARD, TOO, but Gin also abused the blanket of youth upon his shoulders to ask things in a more blunt manner. Hey, at least he was giving the other their proper title before he asked so outright about their health !

continued @cptn13​‘s ask here, since Tumblr is weird.

[of-muppets-and-men]

Penumbra

Chapter 5: Rising Light

For the first time in what felt like eons, Rukia could say she felt happy. Her life after the Quincy war was most definitely not at all what she’d thought it would be, but at least she could find solace in the little things. She would keep her promise to Katsumi and visited the Shihouin manor every chance she was given, Ichika eagerly by her side every time. The unknowing half-sisters would play from morning till evening, uproarious laughter and pure smiles never leaving their faces. Rukia could happily sit and watch for hours on end; the mother’s joy of seeing her girls flourish delighted her beyond words.

Because if she refrained for even a moment, she would drown in all the regrets that plagued her. The things she should’ve done differently or things she shouldn’t have done at all. If it weren’t for these gracious visits, Rukia likely would’ve fallen apart at the seams ten times over. So to spare her children the harm of the truth, Rukia omitted it altogether. And foolishly intended it to stay that way.

Three years passed by far too slowly and far too quickly in equal measure. Passage of time was typically inconsequential for Souls and Shinigami; decades could whip by and no one would bat an eyelash. Most in the Seireitei stop keeping track after a century or two. Three years was a wink by comparison, but that didn’t change Rukia’s perception by any stretch. Not to mention today: Katsumi’s birthday.

It was odd. Seeing the girl who once was barely bigger than her forearm growing into a beauty nearly as tall as her now. Bitter as it may have been to come to terms with. But still… Ten years old. In a home of warm and plenty. All things Rukia wanted for her but couldn’t provide. A debt to Yoruichi she’d never be able to truly repay. 

The party was going to be a small affair, just the way they wanted it. As grand as Rukia and Renji’s wedding had been, most shinigami including them and Yoruichi weren’t big on pageantry. But for what it lacked in guests, it made up for in substance. The Abarai family came down as they normally did, Ichika beaming with excitement to see her best friend again. Renji begrudgingly held Katsumi’s gift: a limited edition Chappie plush. She was Rukia’s daughter after all…

As the family came through the front door, they barely managed to take off their sandals before they could hear Katsumi barrelling down the hallway.

“ICHIKA! AUNTIE RUKIA!” the little girl exclaimed as she tackled them both.

“KATSUMI!” Ichika roared, equally excited.

With a thud and audible groan, Rukia was planted on the ground, Katsumi’s arms wrapped around her waist. Her eyes, by the soul king her eyes, looked identical to Rukia’s. Her elated firstborn giggled as Rukia ran a hand through her hair.

“Hey Sweetie.”

“Jeez, you guys okay?” Renji asked, able to avoid the chain reaction.

“Mhmmm!” both girls said together.

“I’m fine, dear.” Rukia noted weakly, still a touch winded.

Her husband chuckled and crossed his arms at the entanglement of bodies while Rukia scoffed at his lack of action. Eventually, Ichika and Katsumi got up on their own, helping Rukia too albeit a bit unnecessary. The acting captain of squad 13 dusted herself off just before delivering a swift kick to Renji’s kneecap. The lieutenant slumped over in pain, while Rukia and the girls smirked deviously.

“The hell was that for?!” He snapped, clutching his abused leg.

His wife didn’t say or do anything besides give him a playful raspberry; a gesture Katsumi and his daughter copied. Renji could only groan in response, evidently outnumbered again.

“My oh my, I was wondering what all the fuss was.” A voice from beyond the foyer said.

The Lady of the Shihouin slowly sauntered into view, her typical grin stretched across her visage. Katsumi’s eyes brightened, running into her arms.

“Mama! Auntie Rukia, Uncle Renji and Ichika came!” the little one sang, bouncing up and down.

“I can see! C’mon let’s show them inside.” Yoruichi said lovingly.

“Okay!” Katsumi cheered “Ichika! I’ll race you!”

Ichika locked her gaze on her best friend, full of determination, “You’re on.”

Before anyone could argue, they bolted down the hallways, leaving their parents behind in a cloud of dust. She was sure they couldn’t hear her, but Rukia called out to them anyway.

“Ichika! Don’t break anything!” 

Her daughter slowly faded into a speck in the distance. A short sigh escaped through her nose followed by a chuckle. Her husband did the same, save for his almost proud smile. 

“Well, I guess we should find them before they find the cake.” Yoruichi chimed in.

She had that right. The last thing those two walking cataclysms needed was sugar. The shinigami weaved their way through the winding corridors; Renji marvelling at the unexpected complexity of the manor. Even Rukia was a touch surprised, far too accustomed to the layout of her own home. Unlike Ichika, Rukia didn’t have the child-like enthusiasm to explore. It was exsquisite, lavish in every sense of the word compared to the bland tastes of the Kuchiki household. Formality may not have been in Yoruichi’s vocabulary but luxury definitely was. 

Well, nothing is broken so far, Rukia thought to herself.

 A minute or so later, faint laughter could be heard from the dining they’d been searching for. With a gentle slide of the door, the shinigami saw their children playing a rousing game of tag around the dining table, loud as always. Though what they didn’t expect to see or who rather, was Isane joining in on the fun.

“Hey you guys! Long time no see.”

“Isane?!’ Rukia smiled.

“Captain Kotetsu? What are you doing here?” Renji said, equally perplexed.

The captain of the fourth division casually walked over to her friends, a captured Katsumi trapped under her arm. As Katsumi tried to wriggle free, Ichika pulled on her arms in an attempt to free her. But they sorely underestimated the might of a captain.

“Auntie! Lemme gooo!” the girl protested happily.

Ignoring Katsumi's cries for release, Isane answered Renji’s lingering question, “Why wouldn’t I be here? This one here would never forgive me if I missed out on her birthday.”

A lump had begun to take shape in Rukia’s throat. Her violet eyes gazed into her former nursemaid’s, a silent plea for her to maintain her secret. Please Isane, her mind repeated over and over. Luckily, her pleas would reluctantly not go unanswered. Isane put down her adoptive niece, giving her a loving kiss on the forehead. Renji stood like a stump, confused by the relationship between Isane and this seemingly random kid.

“Yoruichi asked me for help when Katsumi was little. Who was I to say no to an innocent child.” the captain explained.

“Is that right?” said Renji, arms crossed with vague suspicion.

“Mhmmm. Katsumi was quite sickly when I found her...” Yoruichi piped up, vouching for Isane’s lie, “She probably wouldn’t have made it if Isane hadn’t helped me.”

“I see…”

Silence enveloped the Shinigami, save for the girls in the background. A familiar solemn look adorned the lieutenant’s face, a look the captains were fishing for. Meanwhile, Rukia couldn’t say a word as her confidants lied on her behalf. Every syllable created a deeper pit in her stomach, worsened by the fact Katsumi was mere feet away. She tried her hardest to remain composed, but the mask threatened to slip at every turn. 

Before the mood could devolve any further, the refreshing scent of food filled the air. In a moment’s notice, a slew of attendants filled the room, carrying platters of anything you could possibly ask for. Meat cutlets, Ramen, Curry, and so much more; arguably too much for the small party to handle. 

A single member of Yoruichi cooking staff approached her, “Everything you requested, my Lady.”

“Yoruichi! You didn’t need to serve this much…” Rukia chided.

“Nonsense!” Yoruichi rejoiced, “Now let’s dig in”

Rukia rolled her eyes at her old friend as everyone blessed the meal before them

“Thank you for the food!” they all said in unison.

Plate by plate, the group slowly chipped away at the banquet that laid before them. Unfortunately with the girls present, alcohol was strictly prohibited by the Lady of the House. Much to Renji’s annoyance. But he wouldn’t let it put a damper on the meal. After all, everything tasted divine. The birthday girl barely gave herself time to breathe, she was stuffing her face so quickly.

Though it didn’t take long for things to slow back down. While they recovered from a phenomenal meal, now seemed as good a time as any to give Katsumi her gifts. Ichika excitedly gave Katsumi the large box, taking no time at all to tear through the wrapping paper. 

Katsumi gasped in delight, “A CHAPPIE?!”

“Special edition too.” Rukia added, warmed by her daughter’s shared love of the rabbit.

Katsumi leaped into Rukia’s embrace, brimming with glee “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

“You’re very welcome, Katsumi…”

Ichika joined in, hugging her half sister and mother as tightly as her little frame would allow. Renji sat by, basking in the joy of his family while Yoruichi and Isane disappeared into the kitchen. And when they returned, dazzling light drew the birthday girl’s attention. In her hands, Isane held a cake decorated in sparklers courtesy of Kukaku, while Yoruichi  held something behind her back. Katsumi’s gaze remained fixed on the cake, her cake; her mouth agape like a flytrap. As Isane placed it on the table in front of her, Yoruichi stroked a hand through the girl’s hair, saying a sentiment everyone repeated.

“Happy birthday, Katsumi.”

With a blow of the candles, the group cheered on the little soul, making her smile more brightly than she ever had before. 

“Did you make a wish, Sweetheart?” Yoruichi asked tentatively.

“Uh huh!” Katsumi proudly declared.

A poke in her ribs led her Katsumi’s eyes to Ichika, “Well, what is it?”

“I wanna be a Shinigami!”

A twinge of horror shuddered down Rukia’s spine. A Shinigami? She was far too young to even flirt with the idea. Beads of sweat formulated on her brow as she looked in Yoruichi’s direction. It seemed the Captain of squad 4 shared her concern but the Commander of the Onmitsukido had other ideas.

“Well then… If that’s what you want, then you’re probably going to need this.” Yoruichi said, pulling out Katsumi’s zanpakuto from behind her, “I think you’re tall enough to hold it now.”

She placed the sheathed blade in the girl’s hands while Renji and Ichika marvelled at its size. The weapon tipped as Katsumi tried to find her balance with it, the weight still unfamiliar. Eventually, she managed to hold it still, smiling at her first steps towards her wish. Rukia, however, did not share in her delight; all too eager to voice her objections. Both of her children sat quietly while she raised her voice.

“She’s too young. They’ll never let her enroll at Shin’o.” Rukia argued, upset Yoruichi would entertain the idea while she was still a child.

“No matter, she can apprentice under me.”

“Yoruichi…” 

“I could teach her some basic kido” Isane half-heartedly spoke up.

Rukia was less than entertained. She may have forfeited her right as Katsumi’s mother, but that wouldn’t stop her from protecting her. How could Yoruichi be so blase about this? Katsumi is a child. She shouldn’t be so eager to thrust herself into a life of dangerous combat. Curses, of all the things she could’ve inherited, it just had to be Ichigo’s recklessness.

“Well, it does matter too much right now.” Yoruichi spoke again, “given that she has yet to learn her zanpakuto’s name.

“True. But if that thing’s size is anything to go by, then I look forward to the day she’s ready.” Renji suddenly remarked.

Rukia’s gaze snapped towards her husband, but he only replied with a shrug. A defeated shake of the head ended Rukia’s outburst. What Yoruichi said barely set her at ease. Sole reason being, if she’s Ichigo’s daughter, then it won’t be long until she learns her zanpakuto’s name. And that idea gave her chills.

Quick as the day started, it was now coming to a close. Evening just on the horizon, Rukia and Renji decided it was about time to bring Ichika home. As much as Ichika might’ve complained, her wails weren’t as convincing as she began to drift off in Renji’s arms. After a lovely party, the abarai family said their proper goodbyes, promising to return sometime soon. One last hug from a teary eyed Katsumi and they were on their way home. It was bittersweet, but Rukia felt blessed she was able to share this day with her.

Yoruichi and Katsumi waited by the gate as was customary until their guests were no longer in sight. Isane had returned to her own barracks some time before; an urgent matter according to Kiyone. With a big yawn, Yoruichi felt it was long overdue for Katsumi to be in bed.

“Such a big girl, putting on a brave face. C’mon, let’s go inside.” Yoruichi coaxed, offering a hand.

The exhausted child took her mother’s hand, barely awake enough to make her way back inside. Every hallway looked the same as Yoruichi guided her through. If only for a moment, she found the strength to ask a question that had lingered on her mind.

“Mama? When will I learn my sword’s name?” 

The sudden question took Yoruichi by surprise, but was able to answer, “One day Katsumi. Once you start your training, it will tell you.”

“How?”

“Your Zanpakuto is a part of you, an extension of your soul. When you’re ready, it will tell you its name. Now no more questions, it’s time for bed.”

Yoruichi could hear her daughter’s disappointed pout, but fortunately she was too tired to argue any further. The pair continued through the manor until they at last came to Katsumi’s room. The massive bedroom fit for a princess matched the luxurious tone of the rest of the manor. With a spot of help, Katsumi lazily changed into a nightgown leaving her Shihakusho in a pile on the floor. Yoruichi chuckled as Katsumi shambled towards her bed, flopping on the mattress like a fish out of water. The captain made sure to tuck her beneath the velvety duvet and with a kiss on the forehead, Yoruichi made her exit.

“Goodnight, Sweetheart.” She said quietly though she was only met with her daughter’s delicate snoring.

Katsumi drifted off in a sea of blankets while Yoruichi shut the door behind her. Shrouded in bliss, she faded slowly into a dream or what seemed like a dream?

She heard a voice call out her name and awoke in a place she didn’t recognize. Where am I, she pondered to herself. Katsumi arose on a slope of green grass; her eyes shot forward to a place she’d never been. A riverbank? That bridge… this wasn’t the Seireitei… but if so, where was this place. Katsumi’s gaze continued to dart around, trying to make sense of what was going on.

“Mom?! Auntie Rukia?! Anybody?!” She called out to no avail. 

But the strangest part was.. Even though she was alone, Kastumi didn’t feel scared. She was remarkably calm despite having every reason not to be. Suddenly, she saw a woman by the river. Where did she come from? She definitely wasn’t there before. Katsumi slowly and carefully approached, the woman turning to look at her. Whoever she was, she was beautiful… a warm smile accompanied by long wavy, brown hair flowing over her shoulder. She was dressed up in a silver kimono with a golden obi. Another thing felt strange about her, somehow familiar? Yet Katsumi had never seen her before. Before Katsumi could even say a word, the mysterious woman spoke first.

“I’ve watched and waited a long time for you to arrive here.” the woman said.

“Who are you?” Katsumi asked, finding her voice.

The woman then proceeded to pick something off the ground, a thing Katsumi hadn’t noticed before. A long object she recognized as a sword. Eyes wide, she stared at the woman. With a smile, the woman spoke once more.

“I am your Zanpakuto.”

[thegreenfaery]

The excerpt no one asked for.

I have recently made reference to a future chapter of The Diplomat’s Daughter in (ever-so slightly snotty) open letter posted to a well-known fanfic website. Anyhoo, both Little Shadow and Diplomat’s Daughter are undergoing refurbishment, so to speak, and I figured I may as well stick self-standing excerpts on here.

That wretched, infernal beast of a woman. How dare she even consider herself to be in the same league as him, much less better?

He knew she was winding him up on purpose, but today was the day that he proved her wrong once and for all. No Shihōin would ever outmatch a Kuchiki. The very thought of it was inconceivable. Laughable, even.

So why, then, was he taking this… this contest so seriously? For one thing, no one could make Kuchiki Byakuya tick quite like Shihōin Yoruichi. And, for another, there was no way in hell that he was going to buy that damned demon-cat lunch, no matter what his Grandfather said. He was also especially looking forward to the moment that he could pummel her wicked face into the dust and make her eat the filthiest of Rukongai dirt.

He’d like to see her laugh at him then, choking on the mud and grime and Kami knows what else.

What was the point of all this? What had started as an occasional annoyance had turned into a nigh on weekly event. He had graciously allowed the small possibility that she was viewing this as an ongoing training exercise. After all, each session became increasingly more competitive; harder, faster, and with more challenging terrain. However, he’d thrown that platitude well away because this was just plain insulting.

They’d raced across water, down cliffs and mountainsides, through forests and thickets. They had even ventured underground, down into great twisting networks of caverns. And loathed as he was to admit it, those matches had been exhilarating.

But today she had taken him across vast expanses of unobstructive tundra, and although they were traversing notably farther than ever before, it was hardly up to her usual standards. That being said, he still had to console himself that she had had a considerable head start as the burning in his chest became ever more noticeable, the stitch in his side ever more present, and his breath ever more laboured.

He had no idea where she was headed, but he knew they were reaching the far-flung outer districts of the Rukon. He could tell by the stench.

Why couldn’t she just admit that she was wrong and he was right? Women simply couldn’t match the physical prowess of men. It was biological fact. The fairer sex was also the weaker one. It’s why there were so few female officers in the Gotei Thirteen. Squad Four was the sole exception, but they hardly counted; cleaners and caretakers might be helpful as the Eleventh’s personal healers but they were completely useless for combat. Not that he’d ever tell that Unohana-Taicho’s face. He wasn’t stupid. (She had traumatised him with a calligraphy brush when he was younger. Upon reflection, he may have been acting in what could be construed as a troublesome manner. Either way, he wasn’t keen to see what she could do with an actual blade.)

The point remained that if Shihōin really believed that women were equal she wouldn’t feel the need to pick this fight with a child. Which he was. Technically. He would, of course, highly object to being called a child in any other circumstance, but it was true that he was yet to reach his prime.

Unlike her. She was very much there, as she delighted in reminding him by shoving her excessively large breasts in his face on a regular basis. He was sure it would be incredibly enjoyable if it was any other woman. There had been a brief delusional period several years back when it had made his mouth go dry as thrill shot down his spine. These days, she just raised his hackles and made him feel ever so slightly sick.

Actually, there was nothing slight about it. She’d conditioned him to be like this. Just the other week, his Grandfather had resorted to rolling his eyes and sighing at him wearily after he’d visibly shuddered at the sight of Shiba Kūkaku’s unavoidable cleavage.

Maybe she’d broken him.

This was it now.

Fervent repulsion at the mere hint of a woman’s flesh for the rest of his life.

There would never be a Kuchiki heir and it was all her fau-.

“Oof!” Byakuya felt something crack as his shoulder collided with an object that was very much not the one he wanted to knock to the ground.

Somewhat dazed, he gathered his bearings to find himself winded and prone on the arid earth. To his side lay a split wicker basket, its lid flung asunder and its damp and tattered contents spilling out. It was another couple of seconds before he noticed that there was something beneath the strewn rags. Or, rather, someone.

At first he thought she was dead. Certainly, it appeared that a mild summer breeze would be enough to knock her down, never mind an adolescent Shinigami mid-Shunpo. It was just as well he had already been slowed down considerably by his fatigue. Anything more would have snapped the pitiful thing in half.

Pitiful. She really was, Byakuya thought. Pitiful and pathetic and in the way. As he came to his senses, the familiar itch of irritation began to prickle. This is exactly what he meant when he said women were weak.

Rising slowly, he yanked his shoulder back into place before rotating it and stretching his neck experimentally to ensure everything was as it should be. His jaw tensed as he saw the small cluster of women watching him warily, none of them daring enough to approach. None, save for a scowling portly woman of advanced age who was far more concerned with the state of the sheets than the fact that her employee had been knocked for six.

Grumbling, she snatched at the linens, bundling them into their broken carrier. She was just about to leave when, as an afterthought, she turned back to the girl, nudging her onto her back with a gnarled foot. Byakuya felt a twinge of what he would later recognise as remorse when he saw the bloodied mess of her face. The old woman snorted huffily through her nose, sneering down at her young employee. Muttering about a day’s wasted work, money lost, and mess on the sheets, she glanced up at Byakuya before spitting distastefully at his feet.

There was no respect for the office of Shinigami in this place.

There was little for fellow residents, either, judging by the way the woman chucked the most worn cloth over the girl’s head in a heap and left her for dead.

It was difficult to tell what had shocked him more: the impact of the collision or the callousness of the woman.

The incident no longer of any interest, the women at the riverside had returned to their work, and a stray group of three young boys resumed their boisterous game, chasing each other with sticks. One attempted to poke the girl’s body until Byakuya’s glare sent all three scarpering towards the distant huts downstream.

Surely she wasn’t really dead? And what kind of people would just leave one of their own lying there in their own blood?

Hesitant and unsure about what to do, Byakuya looked around to check that no one was watching before he too nudged her with his foot.

Nothing.

He tried to focus as he gently probed for her Reiatsu. There was a flicker of something that might be indicative of life, but it was so faint it was practically non-existent. Maybe they were right. It wasn’t like he could do anything. Really, letting her die would be a small mercy in a place like this.

He exhaled slowly as he stepped back, his mind made up.

At least it was, until he felt a sharp slap to the back of his head.

“Just where do you think you’re going?” Shihōin Yoruichi demanded his answer in a manner that allowed for no excuses.

His face contorted almost painfully as he struggled between guilt and obnoxious insolence. His gaze settled on the ground as he mumbled sulkily, “To look for you.”

“Well, congratulations! You found me!” she quipped snarkily. She stared pointedly at the body on the floor. “What’s this?”

Byakuya did not deign to answer.

She whipped the cloth from the girl’s head. “Oh for- Kuchiki!” She hissed at him. Yoruichi hurried to wipe the girl’s face of blood before she suffocated. “What were you doing?! Flying about with your eyes shut?” A quick once over and Yoruichi deemed it suitable to sit the girl up, supporting her as she returned her attention to her face.

Defensive, Byakuya tried, unconvincingly, to argue his case, “This is your fault! If you didn’t insist on these stupid, childish games, none of this would have happened!”

She shot her student a warning look that told him in no uncertain terms that she strongly disagreed with him, but they would finish that discussion later. In the meantime, “Get down here and help me!”

Having transferred the girl’s weight across to Byakuya, Yoruichi set about cleaning her face more thoroughly, the soft green glow of healing Kaidō emanating from her hands. He was pleasantly surprised to note that underneath the grime, the girl’s features were actually sort of… pretty.

Dainty.

Dainty was a good word. It suited her.

And to think they say that fine breeding couldn’t be found this far from the Seireitei.

Yoruichi cleared her throat as she smirked at him. “Careful, Kuchiki, that smile might just break your face.”

Sometimes he wondered if it could be found outside of his household in the Seireitei.

Still, he had to begrudgingly admit that Shihōin had her uses, especially as the smelling salts worked their magic and the girl’s eyes fluttered open. She sat there stunned for a few moments before suddenly retching. Yoruichi was there with the discarded cloth in hand to catch the mix of spittle, blood, and bile, and for once Byakuya was grateful for her presence. Dealing with other people’s bodily fluids was not in his repertoire.

After her retching coughs had faded, the girl resumed her wide eyed staring without really seeing. Her body limp, she fell back into Byakuya as she seemed to lose consciousness a second time, but Yoruichi was there coaxing a response, firstly with a firm but reassuring voice and then by tickling the girl’s foot.

Byakuya bit back a snigger as she bolted upright, but he caught her before she fell forwards. That much he could do.

Yoruichi continued with her gentle line of questioning without much luck. The girl had quickly perfected her thousand-yard stare and Byakuya was at a loss of what to do. His eyes darted back and forth between her and his mentor. “Is… Is she alright?”

Yoruichi raised her eyebrows at him. “She’s concussed, what did you expect?” Frowning, she considered their options. Shock was setting in and the girl was cold and clammy. Settling on an answer, she began fishing through her pockets for a small, dark blue vial. Tilting the girl’s head back, she placed three drops of a milky white liquid onto her tongue and waited for it to kick in.

Lifting the girl over her shoulder, Yoruichi turned back to Byakuya. “Think you can get to Sixty-One before me?”

Before he even had a chance to respond, she’d vanished, cackling, leaving him choking on a cloud of dust.

Erupting in a frustrated garble of consonants, he flung his arms up in the air and resumed his never-ending pursuit of the one they called Shunshin, the Flash Goddess.

[shuhey-hisagi]

Could I get some headcanons on what Rangiku, Rukia, Renji, Shuhei, and Toshiro's favorite things to do are in the human world when they're not working(I hope that's not too many)?

I was way too excited writing this..

Favorite things to do in the human world

Rangiku Matsumoto:

- It’s a no brainer that she enjoys visiting shopping centers. She’ll drag along whatever poor sap was around her at the time so they can carry all her bags. How she has that much valid currency is a mystery, but she goes all out. She’s interested especially in new make-up and fashion trends.

- She’s all about doing things that make you happy and is a firm believer in the power of retail therapy. Rangiku might pick up several magazines with make up tutorials so that she can practice back at home when she’s bored. She actually becomes really good at make up and her favorite looks usually involve  brown/red eyeshadows and a bold lip. People at the mall confuse her for a social media influencer or model often.

- She’s not Rangiku if she doesn’t hit up the night clubs or bars. She’ll talk some of the girls into going with her. While at the place of business, she has an easy time talking men and women alike into buying her and her friends drinks. It’s a fun night, especially since she’s really outgoing and down to try new things.

- Since she goes to clubs often, she’s developed a taste in a particular sort of night club music genre, so she might ask Ichigo to help her find a certain song or similar songs. He’s less than pleased but tries his best anyways.

- SPA DAYS. After a long night of drinking and dancing, she most definitely will have booked a spa day. I’m talking facials, full body massages, that weird tropical music they play, a complementary jacuzzi for extra pizazz, all of it. She brings along whoever she feels might be having a bad week/needs to destress though. It’s sweet of her, because she acts like she just wants company, but is trying to use something that makes her feel a little better to help someone she loves.

Rukia Kuchiki:

- Rukia enjoys learning about modern ways of life. This involves watching a lot of cute shows on television or picture books. She appreciates animated shows a lot because it’s interesting to her how much work people put into creating such content. It takes her a while to get used to the subtle humor though.

- Definitely someone who would try to go see the tourist sights available and enjoys places like beaches or small hiking trails connected to parks.

- Would probably take Renji and/or Ichigo to an aquarium with her because that’s a whole uncovered field for her and she’s awestruck. She would find a tour guide or worker and badger them with questions the whole time that she’s there.

- She does like spending time with Orihime and her friends. It gives her a sense of belonging, and they are all really sweet and animated in their own ways. It’s a definite break from the strict atmosphere of the Soul Society. She especially enjoys going to the movies or amusement parks with them because she always experiences something new.

- I can see her trying out a yoga class with Renji and making an utter fool of herself. That’s something she’s never going to attempt again... 

- Would definitely be on the look out for anything that she believes her brother may appreciate. Though her sense of style is a little tasteless, she does like to hit up scarf shops or even craft stores that may have odd trinkets that she thinks Byakuya may find (secretly) endearing. Probably has a custom frame made for him.

- She also enjoys spending time with Ichigo. Harassing him has become one of her favorite pastimes and no matter how old he gets, she’s still able to rile him up. It never stops being funny.

Renji Abarai:

- Renji is a mess. He wants to try everything out. He’s passionate about new foods and accessory shops most.

- You can find him strolling through downtown observing a map and trying to find that new sunglasses shop Orihime mentioned. This dude totally gets talked into buying bootleg Ray-Bans or something. He doesn’t really care- brand names don’t mean anything in the Seireitei, so he can get away with sporting some cheesy glasses.

- Likes going out to try new foods with Rukia and the gang. He usually ends up ordering too much and has to get Rangiku to pick up the tag. She does with the threat that he has to pay her back, but she never owns up to it. She secretly doesn’t mind it. 

- At one point he became interested in motorcycles and Chad was trying to help him learn. That ended up as badly as you can imagine. 

- On the off chance that Byakuya is also in the world of the living, Renji tries to break his shell by bringing him to shopping centers or even suggesting a hike that has a nice view. 

- Though his experience at the Urahara shop was iffy, he does like to drop by every now and then with candy or other small gifts for Jinta and Ururu. He’ll never admit it, but he’s become extremely fond of the two and views them as his younger siblings. That being said, it doesn’t mean that the kids are any less lenient on him. He’s still the victim of relentless taunting. He’s learned to be patient with them and usually just gives them the reaction they want because he knows it makes them happy.

- Renji enjoys going to the jazz cafes that Shinji Hirako suggests. He’s grown fond of the music and when he needs some alone time, he can count on the atmosphere to mellow him out.

Shuhei Hisagi:

- There’s this one Shinigami Golden clip where when he was in the world of the living, he brought back Sajin Komamura a brush for his fur. That makes me think he’s usually on the lookout for items that are not available in the Soul Society that he thinks will benefit his comrades. He’s also always tempted to buy other things like sweets or snacks for people he thinks might enjoy them.

- Chad helps him learn how to play that guitar he found. His progress is slow considering he can’t meet up often, but he takes back books and probably has a laptop that he can watch tutorials on. (Chad got a new one so he downloaded videos on it for Shuhei).

- He likes to cook, so he enjoys going to the grocery stores and scoping out produce that he may be able to find back home as well and looks up recipes. He spends a lot of his time at used book stores. 

- Has definitely thought of getting another tattoo or piercing. Scratch that, he got an eyebrow piercing on his gigai and liked how it looks, so when he got back home he decided to get an actual one. Once it healed, he only ever wears jewelry in it occasionally. He’s thought of a nose piercing but is a little too nervous about a cartilage piercing.

- Ichigo was skating once and Shuhei thought it was cool and had Ichigo teach him how to skate. He’s actually a natural at the whole thing and enjoys evening skates through quiet streets. That is, until someone mistakes him for a rival gang member and he ends up being chased. Usually he tries to avoid conflict, but sometimes thugs just deserve getting their asses kicked.

- On that note, Orihime suggested he get rid of the face tattoos on his gigai if he wants to look a little less intimidating, but Shuhei refuses because they’re an important part of him. He does mind that people are intimidated by him, but he’s come to accept that he might not be the most conventional “human”. ( help im crying )

Toshiro Hitsugaya:

- Definitely visits all the grandmas who somehow hav managed to melt his icy demeanor. A few of them don’t get to see their relatives that often, so he makes it a point to stop by when he can. He’ll help around the house or eat the snacks the provide. They usually don’t mind if he takes a nap and often suggest he can take their spare bedroom, though he hasn’t done so yet. He’s tempted.

- Does his best to avoid any other soul reaper who may be in the world of the living. Once the mission is done, he just wants to relax. He’ll spend time at local parks, and sometimes, if Karin spots him, he’ll be talked into a game of soccer.

- Toshiro enjoys feeding stray cats and has done so so many times that even when he’s not in his gigai, the animals can sense him and follow him around. He claims it’s a nuisance but he’s truly happy about it.

- Like the others, he enjoys experiencing new foods. Shaved ice is one of his favorites, but when he found out about frozen yogurt, he was swayed. He’s definitely the type of person who stocks up on snacks from the convenience store then goes back to where he’s staying, locks himself in his room, and proceeds to devour everything and nap.

- I see Toshiro as someone who would enjoy learning new languages and learning about other cultures. He has made i his goal to learn as many languages as possible, and if he’s able to, he’d like to travel to more countries aside from Japan. He’s learning English. Sometimes Chad will teach him some conversational Spanish. He gets a smartphone so he can use apps like Duolingo when he’s in the world of the living, and definitely suggests that the Soul Society should make more technological progress so he can use said apps in a completely separate plane of existence