#chad karin and yuzu deserved better

[bethanythebogwitch]

I was going to make a post about underutilized characters in Bleach but I had to stop when I realized it was pretty much a post about every character in Bleach

[faethewitch]

Wholesome Bleach Headcanons (6/?):

After TYBW, Ichigo and the boys (Chad, Uryu, Keigo, and Mizuiro) go on “bro dates”. After almost dying so many times everyone just wants to spend time together. The boys spend their hangouts doing all of the things normal teens should be doing. They goof off, do stupid shit, and get in trouble (which they are quick to escape). Ichigo makes a point to use this time to get Uryu to loosen up, which leads to shenanigans, and many pranks on Ryuken. They are occasionally joined by Renji and Ikkaku, Karakura fears the days the boys get together.

[johannepetereric]

Karin and Yuzu are the firstborn and the ones stabbed.

The Hollow powers split between them, though Yuzu still can’t see them very well. She’s getting better at sensing ghosts, though, even though they’re still a blur at 15. Karin was also always to see and hear them

Masaki was walking Karin and Yuzu when they were 9, and Karin noticed the girl at the river and tried to get her away while Yuzu followed after Karin to get her away from the river. And Masaki died the same way.

Ichigo was 4 at the time, when he came in with Isshin, so he remembers the idea of her enough to mourn her.

The ghosts follow him too.

Karin still refused to cry, looked depressed and was a delinquent; and Yuzu still did the cooking. Ichigo was still bullied. A few years later, Isshin signed him up for karate lessons, and that’s how he met New Best Friend Tatsuki.

(Do the girls inherit Keigo and Mizuiro?) He always has a smile on his face, even when he’s scared and it wavers and he wants to cry tears of pain. It’s kind of creepy. He gets bullied for this on top of his hair color.

When Ichigo started elementary school, he and Orihime and Uryu and Chad and Tatsuki were all in the same class. Orihime liked Ichigo, and he liked her back, and they bonded over the freaky stuff and cooking. Uryu and him grew to be academic rivals. He also came out as able to see ghosts, minus the Quincy part, once Ichigo brought it up. Tatsuki is the same as always. Later, Chad was also being beaten up by older kids, sand Ichigo’s protector instincts made Shiro form and take over.

So Chad and Shiro fought the guys off as best they could, and Chad called the ambulance and Shiro thought they deserved to die. Shiro’s smiles are “You’re approaching me?” attempts at scary.

Meanwhile, Ichigo was watching from the sidelines and the two selves argued in the Inner World (which still has skyscrapers but is still full of life now) about what to do between them.

Ichigo apologized the next day at school for how he acted after the beat-up. He wasn’t himself. Chad just rolled with it. Ichigo asked him to be friends, and now the friendship circle is 6.

(I’m not sure what to do about Chizuru?)

Even once they had separate class, they still found a way to meet up outside school and shared lunches on the roof sometimes—Ichi’s an adventurer, and Orihime thinks it’s fun. The others just don’t want them to die. Uryu took it as a challenge to beat his rival at something.

(How do we handle Jinta and Uryu? Have them he not-so-secretly-superpowered students as well.)

Shiro and Ossan/Tensa are alters like Moon Knight in this AU.

[plunnies-n-shit]

that line between the sea and sky

Bleach -- GrimmIchi -- No Powers AU

Single dad Big Brother Ichigo trying to raise his two little sisters on their inheritance from Isshin and Ichigo's two jobs.

He does his best, but he doesn't really have time for the little things like walking the girls to their classroom on the first day of highschool, or going to parent-teacher conferences, or sometimes even just walking the girls home from school.

Ichigo, half-asleep on the couch trying to do his homework for his online college classes because he knows if he can get a degree he can maybe get a job that lets him work less hours for more money. It's still early enough that he's not worried that the girls aren't home yet, but he's still relieved when he hears their voices coming down the street.

And there's another voice with them.

"Ichi-nii!!" the girls call from the door, and that's when Ichigo really knows something's up, because the girls haven't called him that in years.

(Yuzu called him Dad once and then cried for 3 days about it)

Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, teacher at Karakura High for class 2-B. He was worried when most of the other kids had their parents come to parent-teacher meetings, but Karin and Yuzu's were noticeably absent. They're both good kids, after all. Smart. Karin's got a promising career ahead of her in pro sports if she keeps this up, and Yuzu's kindness and passion could open doors for in a variety of fields.

So when they said their big brother (and grimmjow thinks of nakeem and shawlong and di roy, and his heart aches a little in his chest) couldn't make it, he was like, "Ok, cool. I'll just go to him."

Ichigo's first thought is "oh god he's hot"

Grimmjow's first thought is "oh god he's exhausted"

Grimmjow stays for dinner. And then after dinner. And then watches the girls bully ichigo into sleeping upstairs instead of on the couch because the couch is bad for his back, he always tells them this and still he falls asleep on it

And grimmjow is like, "you two have a wonderfully caring older brother. Take good care of him."

Of course they take this to mean "try to set ichigo up with every other nice person his age they know”

(Grimmjow is nice to them but they have no illusions Grimmjow is an asshole.)

What the girls dont know is that grimmjow has figured out that ichigo works overnights at a convenience store and its not too far out of grimmjows way to stop at it on his way home every night.

Grimmjow gets used to the taste of cheap coffee and sugary convenience store melon bread, Ichkgo gets used to having someone to talk to (and help him with homework) for at least the early part of the night.

Ichigo gets sick.

Its just a cough and a little fever at first. Nothing too bad. But then he starts getting dizzy spells. Losing chunks of time.

Its not until he collapses during one of his nightly coffee-and-homework shifts with grimmjow that he realizes whats going on.

Masaki got sick like this too. And she didnt get better.

Ichigo doesnt want to tell the girls, but also he needs to start going to the doctor and figuring out if theres anything they can do. So Grimmjow starts coming over to the house more often. Cooks dinner when yuzu has a lot of homework, picks up after them (sneakily pays a bill or buys groceries here and there)

When the girls ask grimmjow lies and says its because he and ichigo are dating now, thats why he and ichigo are going out together all the time too (theyre going to the hospital).

And he doesnt want it to be a lie, he really wants to be dating ichigo. But. Also.

Loving a dying man is. Hard. To say the least.

Ichigo gets worse before he gets better. He's so pale, and his hair starts falling out, and he can barely keep down solid foods on a good day, and it gets to the point where he has to tell the girls, they deserve at least to have a warning.

Grimmjow is right there beside him, holding his hand like their in the doctor's office and not Ichigo's living room. Yuzu is crying. Karin is stony-faced, arms crossed, staring at Ichigo like she's trying to figure out if he's fucking with them or not.

"So when's the wedding," she asks bluntly, and Ichigo laughs, because, yeah, he's been thinking about that. He loves Grimmjow-- maybe not in the romantic way, not yet, but he does love Grimmjow. And even if he didn't, there isn't aren't many other people he'd trust with the girls.

And Grimmjow laughs because, fuck, he's in love with a dying man, it's now or fucking never right?

So they get married. In a courthouse. Uryu (who's also ichigo's doctor) chad and orihime stand as witnesses. Yuzu bakes a cake and karin makes toppers out of paper mache. Grimmjow sells his apartment and moves in with Ichigo and the girls.

(and maybe Ichigo gets better, and maybe he doesn't, but either way he lives out the rest of his days happy)

[darisu-chan]

whatever our souls are made of (his and mine are the same), pt. 9

Hi!

Today I have another one-shot just for you.

Hope you guys like it!

You can also read it here.

See you!

as long as i have you

Prompt: us against the world

 Summary: Even if no one else understands their relationship, it’s alright as long as they have each other

Things have been tense since Rukia and he have been hanging out with his humans friends again.

 Ichigo can tell she wants to tell them off, but doesn’t.

 She’s prudent like that.

 Meanwhile, all of them except for Ishida seem a bit put off by Rukia’s presence.

 Ichigo doesn’t get it.

 Especially when it comes to Inoue and Chad.

 He thought they considered Rukia their friend as well.

 But it appears as they don’t.

 He has to wonder if they link her to the Shinigami and to all the battles they had to fight in.

 Not that it is Rukia’s fault.

 It’s not his fault either.

 He never asked them to come and join him.

 They did so willingly.

 Although, maybe the last war had been too draining for Inoue and Chad.

 Perhaps they wanted to forget everything and Rukia’s presence complicated things.

 Still, they had absolutely no reason to treat her like she was a bother.

 Or like they disapproved of their relationship.

 Ishida, who has always known how to read the room, does all he can to strike up conversation with Rukia and not let her feel excluded.

 But it doesn’t work.

 Not really.

 Because Ishida is often left behind as well.

 Probably for the same reasons Rukia is.

 Ichigo is not.

 Not when he is by himself.

 But he sometimes feels as if he can’t relate with his friends anymore.

 Like they are from completely different worlds.

 He had heard about things like this happening before.

 Of growing out of your childhood friends.

 Yet he hadn’t realized it would feel this lonely.

 His sentiment rings a little true, though.

 He has never been normal.

 From his birth, Ichigo has been able to see spirits and that has made him different to everyone else.

 And even if that hadn’t been the case, his hair color had often alienated him when growing up.

 But with Tatsuki, Chad, Keigo, Mizuiro, Inoue and even Ishida he had felt accepted in some way.

 Like a normal teen, minus all the world saving and whatnot.

 And he had felt bad.

 Lying to them.

 In particular to Tatsuki, Keigo and Mizuiro, who had never been a part of his adventures.

 Even if it had been for their own good.

 However, eventually Ichigo had realized he didn’t want to be normal.

 After seventeen months without powers, he had known who he wanted to be.

 And that wasn’t a human being.

 He would have never imagined this would isolate him from his friends.

 Or that they would try hard to isolate Rukia.

 Rukia, who had never hurt them or done anything to be disliked.

 And, gods, Rukia is on a whole different level than they are.

 She just gets him.

 Period.

 Although she’s not a human and there are many things about his world she doesn’t yet understand, she knows how to read him.

 Whether it’s because of their shared trauma, similar personalities, or hell, even destiny, at the end of the day it is Rukia who makes him feel understood.

 And it’s not something that Ichigo can explain.

 Not something his friends could ever fathom.

 Meeting Rukia was earth shattering.

 His bond with her just is the way it is.

 So it hurts when the people he trusted most don’t see her that way.

 Ishida sort of gets it.

 In a “I’m not sure what is going on here but I support you” kinda way.

 He is fond of Rukia.

 Considers her a friend.

 And he knows how important she is to Ichigo.

 That is enough for him.

 He just wishes the others were like his cousin.

 Keigo doesn’t get it.

 Or thinks he does in a more simplistic manner.

 To his credit, he tries.

 He likes Rukia well enough.

 But he doesn’t understand how deep their bond goes.

 Chad is probably aware there is more going on.

 Yet, as of late, he has put this barrier that Ichigo cannot break.

 It is as if his best friend is telling him he doesn’t approve of Rukia.

 Ichigo can’t really understand why.

 It is the same thing with Inoue.

 It is as if she thought Rukia was going to vanish from their lives forever.

 It seems she wants to keep her at arm’s length.

 And the others follow her example.

 Tatsuki and Mizuiro, for their part, haven’t grasped the idea of him and Rukia sharing their lives and being together.

 Not that Ichigo can blame them.

 It’s just annoying how they do what Inoue and Chad want and purposely ignore her.

 It’s not only annoying but insulting at this point.

 So much so he doesn’t want to hang out with them anymore.

 Not even when they had supposedly made up.

 So one day, he suggests that they simply shouldn’t show up at one of their get-togethers.

 “Why?” Rukia questions him.

 “Because they keep ignoring you.” Ichigo answers her honestly.

 “But they’re you’re friends.” She retorts.

 But you’re more important. He wants to say but doesn’t.

 Rukia must read it on his face anyway, because she shakes her head, sighs, and then says, “I’m not bothered by them. I don’t care what they think. I’m just worried about you. I want you to keep your friends.”

 He wants so too.

 Friends who actually care about him.

 That won’t make a fuss because Rukia is not really human.

 And his own friends aren’t that.

 He thinks they might find that acceptance in the Soul Society.

 But he quickly learns it isn’t as easy as that.

 The Kuchiki elders don’t approve and much less after Ichigo insulted them at dinner.

 They deserved it, though.

 Assholes.

 But it’s not only them or the other noble clans who talk smack behind their backs.

 Other Shinigami aren’t approving either.

 Thankfully, it’s none of their friends.

 Even Renji has nothing to say against them.

 They’ve got Byakuya’s full support.

 But there are other Shinigami, some from the 13th division too, that look at them with disapproval.

 As if they believe it simply isn’t right for a human and a Shinigami to spend time together, not even when that human isn’t fully human either.

 It’s grating.

 Hell, it’s tiring.

 Cause everywhere they go, someone has to say something about it.

 They’re lucky that their families get it and encourage them.

 Yuzu and Karin adore Rukia and look up to her like an older sister.

 Isshin already considers her his daughter.

 And Byakuya has fully embraced him as a Shinigami, ally, and, say, even a friend.

 But outside of their very small circle, it seems like everyone’s against them.

 Ichigo just doesn’t understand why.

 They’re not hurting anyone.

 They’re just not normal.

 And their bizarre bond is hard to accept for some people.

 Ichigo doesn’t want that.

 He wants to give Rukia all the love and acceptance she deserves.

 Which others won’t give her, so long as they’re together.

 He expresses as much one day when everything feels as it is too much.

 “So?” She replies, seemingly uncaring.

 “So, doesn’t it bother you?”

 Rukia grows quiet and then shrugs. “Kinda. But I’ve already decided this is worth whatever is thrown at us.”

 She’s right.

 Of course she’s right.

 “So it doesn’t bother you you’re stuck with me forever?”

 “Nah. I made my peace with you being an idiot already. Besides, you need me to keep you in line.”

 “More like you need me to reach high things for you.”

 “Well, that too.”

 They share a laugh and it all seems better.

 Brighter.

 And Ichigo guesses things won’t change anytime soon.

 There will always be those who oppose them.

 But he doesn’t have the energy to care anymore.

 Because, even if no one else understands their relationship, it’s alright as long as they have each other.

 “It’s you and me against the world, then.”

 “Always.”

 “Wouldn’t have it any other way.”

[unohanadaydreams]

last one before i start posting requests.

bleach rambling about my reread ahead. welcome to what i’m doing with my astounding amount of quarantine free time now that I go to 0 places. welcome to my dumpster.

They're scheming!!!!!

Tender. Pure. Wholesome. Amazing. 😭 Would've loved for Chad to attempt keeping in touch/aiding him in finding his mom in subsequent arcs but this scene alone is SO GOOD.

This whole page is amazing. This is Peak what I thought this arc (and manga) would build on. A willing community laid low by the Seireitei, aided by a bunch of good intentioned kids who manage to reach through to and convert a concerning number of high ranked officials to their cause, rallying for permanent change for the better. No, Ichigo and gang don't need to lead it, but they sure as hell unintentionally STARTED it and then the theme went no where and Aizen and the Quincies were used as a 'we have to stay the way we are or the The Bad Guys Win ofc we have to reinstate central 46 and continue to punish or ignore characters on petty technicalities of the law′.

And Kubo acknowledges this through out the arcs by constantly changing the Captain’s and Vice captains looks to show they’ve ‘grown’ and that the Seireitei is constantly being ‘changed’ but fashion doesn’t count, dude. Ppl in the story even try to acknoweldge he ‘changed’ things. It’s fine to say it wasn’t Ichigo’s job to change Seireitei, because it wasn’t. But if you’re going to try to convince us over and over that he has changed it, then uuuuh...show me the money.

And like even in the last arc Yamamoto and Unohana are supposed to be these vicious relics from a chaotic past, reverting to their personas of yesteryear to fight an age old enemy, but it doesn’t land as well, because there is no peace time before the quincies. there’s no breathing room and TIME for change. There is no real, viable change. Especially with characters like Mayuri, who only grow within the last arc and its like....a really subtle and introspective thing that does not apply to the majority of his worst traits and actions. Mayuri doesnt HAVE to grow. the seitreitei doesnt HAVE to change. But!!!!!!!!! You made your bed now lie in the failure of your trashed themes!!!

Like not to say the fullbringer arc had massive potential to fix these problems but, it did. It just got rushed and turned into a Captains vs Enemy fight and was dismissed by most ppl (not that ppl were wrong for doing so its uuuuuuh there I guess).

Incredible that there was a time where people were really calling others stupid for thinking they were related. Even without Kaien, Ganju is like Isshin Lite. Don't touch me, the Shiba family deserved to be in the last chapter with the Kurosakis and I'm bitter.

Hey lil mama lemme whisper in yer ear.

But really, the fact that he told her this and then like pats himself on the back for not saying Gin probably killed him? Dumb of ass. Himbo man. This is literally What She Feared. 

I am once again sad on main that the Kurosaki and Shiba families do not become a Big Family. You can not tell me Kukaku and Ganju wouldn't actually die in the best way once they found out Isshin and his kids were THEIR FAMILY. they yearn for a whole family again!!! Karin and Yuzu deserve the eclectic sake relative that is Kukaku. Also they would absolutely dog on Isshin by saying Ganju is cooler while absolutely NOT meaning it--neither of them are cool. At all.

Mayuri's bug eyes. Hitsugayas hair looking like one unified cow lick. Unohana smiling at the ground like "if this bitch doesn't HURRY". ASTOUNDING.

I forgot how fully Kenpachi is THE initial investigator. Mostly because he wants to fight the hell out of a dude who supposedly stole a reaper's powers and is now in the SS but y'know. He only uses his brain for the things he wants. Like we all do.

Fucking children. The lot of them. Seireitei Day Care is session and they’re all missing their nap time because SOMEONE didn’t kill the bug that flew into the room. On Purpose.

I don't remember if this was a set up between them but my analysis brain wants me to interpret this as Aizen's first real inkling of Gin trying to fuck his plans.

also: THE GIRLS ARE FIGHTING!

[misc-headcanons]

The Karkura gang just being actually teenagers for once.

(They deserve to just be kids for a while, after all the crap they've gone through)

Game night is every last Friday of the month, and who hosts it always rotates. There's a "no-holding-grudges" rule for when things get too intense, but Ichigo and Uryu always break it anyway when the other one wins. Orihime is incredibly good at card games, but Chad has the best poker face.

They also study together whenever they get a chance, since they don't want their grades to slip any more due to Soul Reaper/Hollow shenanigans. You may think Uryu's the best tutor of the group, but it's actually Chad (Uryu gets better grades, but Chad is better at teaching other people).

Whenever one of them is sick, the other three take turns visiting them throughout the day to take care of them, make meals, get any medicine and do any chores around the house, etc. Chad and Orihime especially appreciate this since they live alone, and being sick can drain them of the energy they need to do everything.

They have a group chat together as well! Orihime was the one who made it, and she just gave it a simple title ("Group Chat"). She has little emojis to indicate who's who: Ichigo is, of course, 🍓. Uryu is 🏹, Chad is 🐢 (because he once said he thinks the turtle emoji is the cutest one), and Orihime is 🌈.

Ichigo learned how to make friendship bracelets from Yuzu and Karin years ago (when you have little sisters, you just learn stuff like that at some point) and he made one for each of them with each of their favorite colors. They each have four stripes to represent their favorite colors: Orange (Ichigo), dark blue (Chad), green (Uryu), and light blue (Orihime)

[akaluan]

bibliomatsuri replied to your post “kuroiwriting replied to your post: When All Is...”

but worldbuilding? shiny??? (unless u don't want to talk about it / unless spoilers, in which case ignore this)

Prequel | Prequel | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8

*snerk* nothing is particularly spoilery, I don’t think, it’s mostly just fragments that aren’t really connected to much. So... let’s see here...

((This went a lot longer than I expected, lolol))

.

Being an Arrancar so suddenly, Ichigo can’t use Final Getsuga.

He still has Shiro and Zangetsu, though. Shiro is more prominent than before, of course, and Zangetsu is weakened due to being a Quincy manifestation in an Arrancar.

In this case, Ichigo goes for Resurrección, and then tries to figure out Segundo Etapa. He reaches the first, and gets an unstable version of the second during the dangai training.

Not that he’s certain that either is enough to beat Aizen. He’s actually pretty sure it isn’t. But what else can he do?

(He’s done what he can. Threw himself into learning everything Shiro would teach him. Everything Zangetsu reluctantly agreed to teach him. He’s done what he can and now he has to try.)

(Frankly, Isshin is a bit terrified of this new version of his son. He can see traces of the Hollow that nearly cost Masaki her soul in the Hollow traits his son is displaying. He wonders how much of that Hollow Ichigo has inherited.)

The fight with Aizen goes... not poorly, precisely, but not entirely well.

Ichigo’s still learning how to be an Arrancar. His instincts are all twisted up, and the tail he gains in Resurrección (and which lengthens in Segundo Etapa) is... frustrating.

Still, he’s got a pretty wicked high speed regeneration going on -- not nearly as good as Ulquiorra’s, but still visibly powerful -- and that combined with everything else means he can just... keep going.

(Like his bankai, Ichigo’s strengths are still focused on speed and stamina. He’s strong, of course, almost overwhelmingly so, but his speed still trumps everything else.)

Aizen isn’t actually prepared for the level of speed that Ichigo gains in Segundo Etapa. This is Aizen’s downfall.

(Frankly, Ichigo isn’t entirely prepared for his own speed either. He’s just very adaptable.)

Ichigo manages to win, and Aizen is sealed, and everyone goes home... sort of happy.

(Now comes the hard part. Adapting to life as an Arrancar in the living world.)

(Urahara has his hands full trying to figure out how to deal with this.)

No one initially realizes that Ichigo has poison. It’s not like he uses his claws during the rest of the invasion of Hueco Mundo or when he attacks Aizen.

Because no one realizes this, Ichigo doesn’t know he needs to be careful. He scratches Uryuu on accident, and no one thinks anything of it.

(Urahara wasn’t around to think anything of it, when it happened.)

Uryuu grimaces at the way the shallow marks feel like they’re freezing, but waves Orihime off -- the wounds are barely bleeding, she doesn’t need to waste her energy on healing him.

It’s only luck that has Uryuu around the others when the poison starts to overwhelm him. Orihime hastily summons her fairies and struggles to reject Uryuu becoming a Hollow.

(Urahara is here this time. He gets to watch as yet another Quincy struggles against the fate of becoming unmade. Except this time he knows the Quincy. This time it’s not just academic.)

Ichigo is horrified by this. By the knowledge that he caused this. He decides to leave ‘for everyone’s good’.

Uryuu is furious about this decision when he finally recovers and wakes up. He marches up to Urahara and demands the man help him drag Ichigo back to the Living World.

Urahara points out that so long as Uryuu and the others remain vulnerable, Ichigo’s never going to willingly return.

Uryuu gives Urahara a look and asks if the man’s reputation as an inventor and mad scientist is deserved or not.

(Urahara hadn’t expected Uryuu to be the one who approached him about this. He had spent time trying to create some sort of defense after he recovered traces of the poison from Masaki. He just... doesn’t entirely know if it will work.)

But when the others come to him, backing Uryuu up, Urahara sighs and goes forward with it.

(Besides, with Inoue around, things aren’t quite so dangerous.)

Urahara coaxes Ichigo back to the Living World, with a promise of figuring out how to make his friends immune, but that he needs Ichigo there to help him with that.

Everything actually turns out pretty well? At the very least, Sado and Inoue have no adverse effects from what Urahara has created, and introducing some of Ichigo’s poison to Sado afterward results in... nothing. Same with Inoue.

It’s Uryuu that has problems. He reacts poorly to the initial solution, requiring Inoue to heal him. And the next. And the next.

Uryuu is a Quincy, and every solution Urahara can produce is... harsh, relying on Hollow reiatsu or Hollow nature or some other Hollow-natured thing that makes Uryuu’s Quincy nature rebel.

The one solution that doesn’t is equally uncomfortable, and relies on Uryuu remaining close to hand: implanting an artificial filter in Uryuu’s soul that can handle both the Hollow reiatsu and the poison.

Except it doesn’t change the fact that Uryuu gets sick, and leaves him aching constantly. And Urahara needs to keep an eye on it, to make sure the filter remains operating correctly.

Eventually Urahara runs out of ideas except one. which he doesn’t want to use. But Uryuu is still insistent and Ichigo reluctantly agrees when Urahara proposes it to him.

(Urahara is going well beyond his own comfort, Living World science and medical knowledge mixed with Shinigami healing.)

(He’s never been a medic of either sort. This is a foolish endeavor, and yet...)

Inoue stays nearby during the entire event. Just in case.

Urahara takes a piece of Ichigo’s Quincy nature and implants it in Uryuu.

(He’s hoping that Uryuu’s soul doesn’t reject it. Hoping that Uryuu’s soul will ‘learn’ from Ichigo’s nature, and gain the resistance to Hollow nature that Ichigo grew up with because of his mixed heritage.)

Inoue is necessary.

Uryuu’s soul doesn’t take kindly to the intrusion. He’s been through too much, put himself through too many efforts in too short of an order, even with Inoue there to reject the damage.

Inoue... doesn’t want to see this continuing to happen. She doesn’t want Ichigo fleeing again, and she hates seeing Uryuu constantly in pain, constantly on the edge of serious illness or death--

Instead of rejecting what’s been done to him. She rejects what’s happening.

She rejects the way Uryuu’s soul reacts, keeping him under her shield while the piece of Ichigo’s soul integrates into Uryuu’s. While Uryuu’s nature slowly twists and takes on the darker edge that Ichigo has.

It takes days, and Ichigo retreats in shame. He’s done this to Uryuu. Done this to all of his friends and family. The only reason he doesn’t flee back to Hueco mundo is because he feels like he can’t while Uryuu is still suffering.

(Inoue drives herself to a thread, trying to keep Uryuu alive through the entire process. Urahara does what he can, but there’s very little he can do.)

(Urahara hates feeling so helpless.)

In the end, Uryuu survives. Tired and worn thin and barely able to stay awake for more than a couple hours at a time, but he survives. He’s out sick for over a month, trying to regain his strength and accustom himself to how his very nature has changed.

(His control is shot and his powers are unreliable. He’s given up his claim on being a true Quincy in favor of staying at Ichigo’s side without danger.)

(He’s not only gained a resistance to Hollow reiatsu, he’s gained Ichigo’s immunity to his own poison.)

(Despite everything, he can’t really say he regrets it.)

Of course, it takes months to convince Ichigo of that. Uryuu gets used to stalking into Hueco Mundo and keeping Ichigo company there until his friend finally agrees to come back home.

Uryuu isn’t good with words and he knows this. But actions? He can do that. He sticks by Ichigo no matter what, refusing to be chased off.

(He gets pretty good at fighting alongside his friend, beating off the Hollows in Hueco Mundo who think Ichigo and Uryuu would make a good meal.)

(He gets inured to the way his body is capable of surviving on free reishi for a time, instead of food.)

(He’s picked up a bit more from Ichigo’s nature than just poison immunity and resistance to Hollow reiatsu.)

By the time Ryuuken actually realizes what’s going on, everything is over and he’s faced with his son being... not entirely his son anymore.

Uryuu’s smiles are sharper and his nature is darker. He’s a Hollow-tainted Quincy, a thing that shouldn’t even be possible.

(Isshin really isn’t in any better position than Ryuuken. He and Karin and Yuzu got the same solution to Ichigo’s poison that Chad and Orihime got, though Ichigo usually only remains around them in the gigai that Urahara built for him.)

(Ichigo can’t return to his body anymore. The Arrancar change means his body can no longer support his soul.)

Uryuu’s body, too, slowly suffers from the constant change between kishi and reishi, on top of the way his soul has been altered. His Living body is still a bit too Quincy in nature, and his soul now permanently contains Hollow reiatsu.

Inoue does what she can, but the more she rejects the damage the more difficult it becomes to do so.

In the end, about the only thing they can do is to accept that Uryuu’s Living body can no longer support his soul either. Urahara reluctantly goes through with it -- Uryuu���s chain is already significantly corroded, and it doesn’t take much to see Uryuu Actually Dead.

(Again Ichigo feels heavy guilt. This is his fault.)

(This time, though, he stays at Uryuu’s side.)

Uryuu forces himself to struggle through, regaining his strength and control for a second (third) time.

(Ichigo doesn’t understand the lengths Uryuu is forcing himself through, just to stay at Ichigo’s side. He doesn’t understand, but he refuses to  push Uryuu away at this point.)

By the time the Wandenreich start poking around, Uryuu and Ichigo and pretty damn co-dependent.

Uryuu still goes with them, still infiltrates the enemy with the hope of exposing their weaknesses, but this time Ichigo is aware of what’s going on.

Uryuu tries to keep a lid on his Hollow nature. Tries to keep the other Quincy from realizing he’s anything more than a Gemischt.

Yhwach knows. He offers Uryuu a Schrift, with the promise that Yhwach’s gift will help Uryuu overcome the ‘unfortunate taint he has been cursed with’.

(Uryuu is infuriated. His nature is not a curse. He walked willingly into these changes, and given the chance he would do it all again.)

(Yet what can he do but accept Yhwach’s “Gift”? To refuse is to reveal himself for the traitor he is.)

Yhwach reveals Uryuu’s secret before the entire Wandenreich, while declaring Uryuu his successor. No matter how Yhwach spins it -- that Uryuu is the next evolution for Quincy, that his survival as both a child surviving Aushwalin and a teen surviving Hollow infection means that he will lead the Quincy to glory -- Uryuu is still an outsider, still tainted and impure.

The Wandenreich hate him, and Yhwach’s words do nothing to assuage that hate.

(Uryuu can’t wait to bring their empire toppling down around their ears.)

[des-does-art]

A Beginning

“A Beginning” by Turtleninjaof-theday

Summary: Ichigo stands on a balcony and thinks of all of his friends’ successes before they visit him. An alternative ending to the very last chapter of “Bleach.”

    Overlooking the cities that floated in the sky, Ichigo slipped his hands into his pockets. The golden band on his wedding finger pressed against the skin of his leg as he slowly walked toward the railing of his palace balcony. From his spot, he could see the Royal Guard making their rounds and checking in with one another. Ichigo sighed and touched at his orange hair, softer than after the use of human shampoos. He hadn’t aged since the downfall of the Quincy’s uprising, but there was a wisdom of thirteen years cradled in the brown of his eyes. It was winter now, and winter meant that his friends could come back to visit him.

    Of course, his friends’ visit didn’t mean he wasn’t aware of their successes. Closing his eyes, Ichigo saw Chad, tall and much more muscular than before. The giant man was actually in Mexico this time, and he was speaking his fluent Spanish and serving his home community at a volunteer center. Chad was wearing an apron over his normal clothes, and a hairnet covered his long dark hair. He ladled soup into bowls for people, who were thanking him and returning to talk with him about various topics. Ichigo could see the inspiration that sparkled in everyone’s eyes as they gazed upon his friend; it was heartwarming. Sometimes, Chad would play his guitar and sing on the weekends, often being joined by other musicians and singers. The brown-haired man was able to fulfill the need to serve and protect, not harm, by creating the very charity he worked in, Heart to Heart.

    So you’re holding up really well, Ichigo, Chad had said. The last time he’d been in the Royal Palace, Chad had barely started Heart to Heart.

    Well, Ichigo had replied, I’m holding everything up actually.He chuckled along with Chad at his joke. You started a charity, Chad. That’s great!

    Thanks, his friend had said, a smile on his face. I’m doing something that I like… and I’d like to think that my abuelo would be proud of me. I hope he can see it all. I hope he can see that I’ve returned to my roots and put up an altar for him during the Day of the Dead. I hope he can see that I don’t use my fists anymore.

    Ichigo smiled. I don’t doubt it, he’d said and had closed his eyes to search out the other spirit realm, where his sights were usually forbidden. Then he’d caught sight of him, an elderly man as tall as Chad, staring back at him. I can see him, your abuelo in the other spirit realm.

    You can see him!

    I think he sees me… Wait. He says he sees you, Chad. He says he’s proud.Ichigo had opened his eyes to see Chad silently weeping. They had embraced. To him, Chad was at his best.

    Uryu, on the other hand, was doing something much more glamorous. Ichigo saw him wearing a fancy suit and sitting at his desk in an office building in the capital of Japan. As a CEO, Uryu was signing papers and reading over plans for his company, Soul Threads. His office was covered in posters and filled with books and binders. At the moment Uryu signed a check to donate to Heart to Heart, his father walked in. At this, Ichigo smiled, knowing that Uryu and his father were speaking with better relations than before. Following her father-in-law, Inoue walked right in with the baby carrier in hand. She was on maternity leave at the moment; her fellow veterinarians were happy for her. Uryu got his happy beginning, outside of medicine, and he had Inoue with him.

    Briefly recalling the end of the war, Ichigo had seen Inoue walking toward him and blushing, despite the many injuries she’d retained against the Quincy army. He had known that she’d watched as he and Rukia both had battled Ywach, and he’d known that Inoue wanted to help them so much. At the end of it all, Inoue had confessed her feelings to him and had taken his hand in hers.

    Inoue, Ichigo had said, I understand your feelings. You’ve had them for a while.

    The young lady had smiled and had held onto Ichigo’s hand even tighter. Does that mean, she started.

    Ichigo had shaken his head and had looked Inoue in the eyes. I’m sorry, he’d apologized. I value your friendship, and I always will. I can’t return what you want from me because I don’t feel the way you do.

    Kurosaki…

    You deserve to live happily back in Karakura, Ichigo had explained. Go to Uryu. Care for him and for yourself.

    Doing her best not break down, Inoue had replied, I will always love you, so I will go back...for you…

    Shaking his head again, Ichigo had said, Don’t do this for me. Do this for you. Live happily with someone who returns your feelings.

    Before she’d left, Ichigo had wondered if Inoue would break down at that moment, but she hadn’t. Instead, Inoue had released his hand after running her thumb over his wedding finger, had turned from him, and had walked toward Uryu, who had held her as she’d rested her head on his shoulder. Ichigo and Uryu had made eye contact at that time, and it had been clear that Uryu had appeared conflicted. Later, Ichigo had assured Uryu that he had no intention of returning home and had no intention of loving Inoue, especially when his heart had never been hers.

    Then, an image of Rukia came to Ichigo. She was wearing her new robe as a captain of the thirteenth squad, and her hair was much longer. Her fair skin glowed in the sunlight as she walked even steps toward her office. He watched her attend to paperwork and give orders to various soul reapers. Ichigo chuckled when he saw the crushing soul reaper gawking at Rukia before leaving with a blush on his face, saluting with a Good-bye, Captain Kurosaki!A smile graced Rukia’s face as she shook her head. Touching at her wedding band, Rukia gazed a picture on her desk.

    You’re really doing it, Rukia had said. You’re staying here. Does your father know yet?

    I’ve sent a letter with Chad, Ichigo had answered. He smiled as he had gazed down at Rukia’s own smiling face. A welcoming flush of heat had filled his chest and had tinted his cheeks a pink color. Ichigo had been holding in what he had thought would never come to fruition.

    Giggling, Rukia had teased, Are you blushing, Ichigo? I guess you’re just happy to see me.

    We’ve been fighting together the entire time, Ichigo had pointed out. He had touched at her hand, feeling his chest had tightened when Rukia had held his hand completely. You’re bankai…it was beautiful…Rukia…

    You fool, Rukia had said, her smile never wavering. That’s not what you want to say.

    I’ll be the Soul King soon, Ichigo had said. Before that or anything else happens, I want to thank you. Rukia had rasied a brow at this. Without you, I wouldn’t be here, not like this. I’d be different, I think, and I wouldn’t have liked that person as much.Feeling Rukia pulling away her hand, Ichigo had held on tighter, meeting Rukia’s glossed eyes. Saying all that, I have something else to tell you.

    Ichigo.

    I was never that good with directly saying what I really wanted, Ichigo had expressed, but, Rukia, I love you!

    He’d compare the bloom of their relationship to a rose, but Ichigo had known Rukia had never been like any other person he’d met. With such a thought, he’d compared the beginning of their relationship to the fan of a carnation, a comparatively beautiful and equally complex array of petals, each a memory woven in to the same truth.

    With the thought of his father and sisters, Ichigo looked to them, seeing that they were all going about their lives. Yuzu was still cooking and writing her own cookbook; moreover, she was succeeding in school, placing number one in exams. Karin was training to become a professional soccer player, so she was at school and on the field most of the time. Their father was sitting across from their mother’s poster. Ever since he’d regained access to his powers, his aging had stopped, and he’d make frequent visits to the Soul Society, catching up with old friends and helping rebuild the name of the House of Shiba, which gained even more favor after Ichigo’s ascent to Soul King.

    In the thirteen years that he’d been in the palace, his family had visited him twice a year, making sure to bring their joys and treats along. Ichigo had been grateful, and Rukia had been excited every single time they made their visit. Like his friends, his family would come this winter.

    “Ichigo!” came Nel’s voice.

    Ichigo turned just in time to be smothered in a hug. “Hi, Nel,” he said through her arms.

    “We came back from our rounds of the palace!”

    “One day,” came Grimmjow’s voice, “you’re going to smother him too much, and he’ll die.”

    “You exaggerate,” whined Nel as she let Ichigo go, allowing him to regain his footing and take in a deep breath of air. Nel wore her usual attire, fluff and a body suit, but she also had a special robe to wear, showing that she was defending Ichigo at all times. The insignia on her robe showed that she was not a soul reaper and meant for defense against Quincy attacks. Along with her clothing change, Nel’s skull had been altered over the years as she grew stronger in training with Nimaiya, who had challenged her until she had bled. Her horns were longer and sharper, and the skull’s fracture had completely closed up. Her sword had become two, like her horns.

    Like Nel, Grimmjow wore his usual black suit and belts; however, there was a robe that billowed off of his shoulders like a cape, bearing the same insignia as Nel. The jawbone on his cheek had only changed in that the teeth were much sharper and that the corners were pointed out, much like Nel’s horns. Because he had trained with Kirinji, Grimmjow had grown as a warrior in both strength and understanding of one’s own limits. Unfortunately, Grimmjow’s limits still hadn’t been where Kirinji had wanted them, so they had trained much longer compared to Nel and Nimaiya. His sword remained as one, but the length of the sword increased, making Grimmjow a much fiercer opponent.

    At the end of the war, both Nel and Grimmjow had been unsure of their place in rebuilding everything. Seeing that the Quincy had been vulnerable to Arrancar attacks, Ichigo had suggested they remain with him as his body guards in the case that Ywach would come back. Because he was Soul King, no one had objected. Thus, both had remained with Ichigo, who had learned how to keep everything in balance with the help of the Royal Guard.

    “Quit acting like a child,” grouched Grimmjow as he crossed his arms.

    “I don’t act like a child!”

    “Yes, you do!”

    “Am not!” protested Nel.

    “Are to!”

    “Am not!”

    “Are to!”

    Placing himself between the two, Ichigo pushed the Espada apart. “You two have to stop this,” he said. “The days pass quickly here, so we’ll have visitors soon. I don’t want any accidents like last time.” He’d been referencing the enormous fight that Nel and Grimmjow had gotten into, requiring Ichigo and Chad to pull them apart.

    Suddenly, Ichigo felt it. He used flash step to get to the balcony’s edge in order to see the Royal Guard escorting all of his friends up the steps toward his palace. “They’re here!” he said with a smile. Rukia was nowhere in the group, making Ichigo frown.

    “Looking for me?” came Rukia’s voice.

    When Ichigo turned around, he saw Rukia standing there with her arms crossed. Grimmjow and Nel were standing aside to let her through. “Rukia!”

    They embraced. With her there, Ichigo felt peace overcome him. “I’ve missed you,” he said.

    “I’ve missed you, too,” replied Rukia. She broke their embrace and pressed Ichigo’s hand to her belly. “We have something to announce today.”

    Ichigo gaped and then smiled. “You’re pregnant!”

    “Two months,” announced Rukia. “I see that I was able to successfully keep it a surprise.” They held onto each other as Nel embraced them both with congratulations. Grimmjow had to pry Nel away, providing the perfect picture for the entire group of friends to come to.

    There it was. Not a happily ever after; Ichigo would never call it that. Rather, it was a beginning.

[hezuart]

@socialjusticeichigo

Hi! Um... short answer, yes I do! 

Unnecessary Long Answer: 

Ichiruki has always been the main canon-material pairing in BLEACH for me, but as BLEACH was an action genre, I was very happy it didn’t get into any romance that would get in the way of the series. That’s one of the reasons I didn’t like Orihime's position in the franchise, because that’s all she was demoted to in the end. 

Ichigo and Rukia had amazing chemistry in the first and best arc of BLEACH. But when the Hueco Mundo arc came around, Kubo kinda destroyed Rukia’s personality. She did hit Ichigo now and then in the first arc when he’d make fun of her, not for just the sake of beating Ichigo up. Ichigo was extremely depressed, injured, and misinformed about the hollow attack. She shows up and beats the crap out of him. She brings him to his senses, but after the Hueco Mundo arc, Kubo butchered Rukia’s caring side towards Ichigo, which I was extremely unhappy about. You’d think considered Kaien’s death she’s be far more caring and considerate...... but no. Just down the gutter. ESPECIALLY when Rukia forced Ichigo to apologize to Orihime. That was not acceptable. Orihime and Chad ran into the fight of their own will, its not Ichigo’s fault they got hurt and he should not take blame for that. Orihime did try to reason with Ichigo that she ran in of her own accord and that he shouldn’t have to be there to protect her all the time. This set up the whole gary-sue trope for Ichigo, and ever since then he was the only one to ever actually progress the BLEACH series and things just got sickeningly repetitive. 

Now...I apologize if I’m side tracking but I have to talk about my stance on these pairings again: 

Ichihime: 

....Orihime was shown to have a crush on Ichigo throughout the entire manga, but never had any real reason or explanation behind it. 

Seriously? Why????? She literally would give up her life for a mere highschool crush.. who does that? Its been stated she didn’t develop a crush for Ichigo until she saw him in Highschool. She stalks him and constantly gets in his way. 

Ichigo has never once shown any interest in her at all, he’s brushed her off and ignored her everytime she approached him, and yet Kubo has the audacity to co-author a book and release it about Ichigo saying he knew about Orihime’s crush this entire time and even asks her out? I’ve never heard something so ridiculous in my entire life. 

I saw a video released recently about one of the BLEACH editors saying Orihime was the heroine of the series which is entirely false. Out of the entire series (besides filler arcs), Orihime has only defeated ONE enemy. Which was a weakling hollow in the first arc. That’s literally it. I don’t think heroines are defined by the amount of people they’ve healed, but regarding that, her healing abilities could be replaced easily by Hachigen or Unohana. Hachigen told her she had the ability to bring things back to life without needing a body, and yet her power couldn’t even HEAL a body like Ichigo’s in the Ulquiorra fight. She’s no heroine. She was demoted to a side-character. 

Back to her crush on Ichigo, remember the ONE time she actually defeated an enemy? That was for TATSUKI. TATSUKI WAS THE ONE WHO AWOKE HER POWER, AND THAT’S WHEN ORIHIME GAINED INDEPENDENCE TO FIGHT. But when going to rescue Rukia, she was really only there to “protect” Ichigo for no real reason as to why besides her crush that she doesn’t even know if its requited. 

Orihime had the ability to reverse time. She was given many opportunities to actually make a difference in the series that only she could make. But none were taken. She didn’t reverse the Hougyoku, she couldn’t stop Tsukishima, and despite having “god like powers” her power does jack-shit to the soul kings. As to how she wasn’t killed in the Yhwach vs Ichigo battle, and as to why Ichigo and CO. even let her come along on this mission will forever be a mystery to me. She’s the weakest character out of the original team of 5, by all means, she should have been killed. Even Renji knew she wasn’t a warrior, so why was she there? Her only significance in the final battle was fixing Yoruichi’s arm, that’s it. (and giving birth to Yhwach Jr. but that’s a cluster fuck to analyze for another time) 

Orihime was reduced to pure fanservice waifu-material. Her breasts were 4X the size of her head in the quincy arc, and her power has been completely useless overall the entire series, especially if others can replicate her abilities to an even better extent than her own. (Like Hachigen.) 

The fact that there’s no soul king and Ichigo wasn’t allowed at home due to his power issues, and the fact that they’re even allowed to have children in the world of the living, this is the most baffling, false, and culture shocking ending to a series I have ever seen. I feel like this ending is legit a dream world that Ichigo is having as the new soul king considering this ending is literally not possible reflecting on all the information we’ve been given this past arc. Yikes. 

RenRuki: 

“Knowing eachother for a long time” is weird in itself considering time passes differently in Soul Society than in the human world... which Kubo seems to have forgotten. As to why they’d have a child that is somehow the same-looking age as Kazui perhaps around the same time as Ichigo and Orihime is a bundle of confusion already. But these two didn’t talk for 40 years, then Renji shows up and beats her up and slices her, threatening to KILL her, where URYU HAS TO STEP IN. HOW BAD DOES THAT LOOK WHEN A QUINCY STEPS IN-BETWEEN A SHINIGAMI QUARREL. Renji and Rukia have had absolutely zero romantic interest the entire series. The only one time Renji ever seems to actually like her was when they were children. But RenRuki has never had any one-sided love confessions like Orihime. THis is the least developed pairing out of the two. 

(and also for Orihime to make Rukia a wedding veil out of strawberry flowers... REALLY? I MEAN.... no wonder there’s Ichiruki/Ishihime cheating AU’s going around right now! I mean can you imagine Renji seeing his to be wife marching down the aisle with strawberry flowers? Considering this anime has heavily implied name association (Princess Orihime, Sado Yasutora the Tiger, Yuzu-Ichigo-and Karin being named with homonyms for fruits, Ichigo addressing his name with the number 15 on his door, Kon being direct from Konpaku..) For Renji not to pick up on that, especially with Ichigo probably attending their wedding....he’s gotta know something is up. I mean how did Renji even know about Orihime’s crush on Ichigo let alone “know” Ichigo has a “crush on” Orihime too? Zero context for that too. Lot of plot hole issues with these pairings. )) 

Ishihime: 

now Uryu. Precious Uryu. He deserved the world and got nothing. An anti-social who ends up making friends only for them all to become distant from him once more. The original quincy who gets nearly zero spotlight in an arc dedicated to quincy. A man who stood up for ex-shinigami Rukia when she was getting sliced up by her “future husband” Renji. A man who noticed, reassured, encouraged, and was amazed by Orihime’s abilities and kindness. A man who would lay his life down for her after spending nearly the entire Soul Society arc with her. Orihime was the closest person in the group with Uryu, they even shared the same aspirations. They were both top in their sewing class, had quirky designs and tastes, and in the end were both interested in the medical field. They even had a close relative they adored die before their eyes when they were young. For this pairing not to be canon is a crime to me. These two deserved so... so much better. 

CONCLUSION: 

I honestly could live with Renruki. That’s a whatever for me for it to be canon. But Ichihime makes zero sense with the plot. That’s my main issue with the pairings. For Ichihime to be real, Ichigo and Orihime have to be in soul society. But even so, if Ichigo was in soul society, that means more time with Rukia, so at that point, who knows which way the pairings would go? 

That being said, I would not want a forced Ichiruki BLEACH ending if it meant there’d be no soul king and massive gun-shot plot holes and contradictory storyline like Ichihime left.  

I completely shipped Ichiruki in the first arc, but as I said, Kubo changed Rukia’s personality (and her friggen backstory? He made her out to be one of the weakest shinigami and yet she had a shikai like... when did she obtain this? If this was before she lost her powers then I’m at a loss as to how she couldn’t defeat a simple hollow, Kubo is a complete liar he legit had no idea where he was going with the story.)Maybe her desire to get rid of her powers and die because of the Kaien incident would make sense at the time, but other than that her being weak was weird, especially now since she’s defeated one of the most powerful underling quincy and obtained a bankai. How can that BLEACH editor say she’s not the true heroine of the series? She can fight and heal injuries, she’s got the training for it. 

So I absolutely love Ichiruki. As an AU. Because with the way Kubo set Ichigo up to really be the only soul king option besides Aizen, Ichiruki couldn’t be canon along with Ichihime. If the quincy arc diverged away from that where there was no desperate need for a soul king, Ichiruki should have totally become canon because of Ichigo’s bounds to Soul Society and given their chemistry. 

Orihime was jealous of Rukia because Rukia was always the one who could reach through to Ichigo no matter what. Orihime was never able to do that (besides that time in the Grimmjow fight, but the reason Ichigo was upset was because of her in the first place so it makes sense as to why he’d only listen to her that one time.)  For Orihime to still hold such good ties with Rukia all the while hating her on the inside for being closer with Ichigo is a surprise to me. She’s strong with her kindness, I’ll give her that. But regardless, she was helpless to save Ichigo, even with her powers. The only time she successfully healed him was during the first arc up to Grimmjow’s fight. After that, she just couldn’t seem to heal him anymore because her power is “no match” against the reiatsu inflicted wounds. 

Renji said Rukia’s faced never looked so alive when he mentioned traces of Ichigo sightings in Soul Society. Ichigo, a guy Rukia only knew for a little while, rushed in with little to no shinigami experience to save her, while Renji sat back hopeless knowing he could do nothing despite her being his only friend for so many years. He BEGGED Ichigo to save her because he couldn’t. 

Orihime and Renji could not once reach out to the ones they “loved” this whole series. They both held a jealously towards their “spouses’” significant other because they knew they couldn’t do the same. That says a lot about this entire situation. 

Ichiruki: 

To have two main characters: male and female... have such a great start off friendship.... to have the female character have a back story involving a guy who she loved who was so similar to Ichigo its uncanny, to have Ichigo quote something he heard from Rukia an entire arc ago when addressing his father’s shinigami powers, to have Orihime fear Ichigo turning hollow when Rukia fears FOR Ichigo as a hollow, to have ichigo constantly be concerned for Rukia’s well being during the Orihime Rescue mission ready to drop everything to go save her first if she was in trouble, to continuously joke about Ichigo and Rukia’s close “romantic” relationship in canon and filler arc along with rumors being spread that the two are dating within the highschool in the first arc, to have an entire movie dedicated to Ichigo and Rukia’s relationship where Ichigo remembered Rukia so quickly, while her future HUSBAND RENJI FORGOT HER COMPLETELY, to have multiple parallels of “sun and moon” yin/yang - clad-type finale white and black bankai moves -  similar Masaki-Isshin forbidden meeting parallel not to mention the parallel of Ichigo/Isshin saving Rukia/Masaki savior scene nearly laid out the same way, to have a PTSD rain significance with Ichigo’s memories of his mother dying- and when he saves Rukia he says the rain stopped because of her, to have Isshin and Ichigo’s family accept Rukia as a third daughter/sister and have her sleep in their house treating her as part of the family while Isshin and Yuzu listen in on Rukia and Ichigo’s conversations in the bedroom along with Yuzu being concerned because Rukia seems more girly and romance material to Ichigo than Tatsuki was, to have ichigo miss his power that he dreams about Rukia, to have Ichigo think of Rukia as the last and strongest pride he had as a shinigami when trying to gain his fullbring, to have Rukia swoop in and save him when he’s crying his eyes out to help him regain his power- to be the only one in Soul Society to be against the idea of Ichigo becoming Soul Society’s enemy and spying on him, when Ichigo ends up seeing Rukia’s butt in the hot springs and he and the other guy think of peaches....., when Renji forcibly picks a bloody defeated Ichigo off the ground Rukia tells him to wait and  that Ichigo might not be in good shape for a lecture despite that being her job the past few arcs, to have Yhwach say he’ll show up when Ichigo and his friends are at their happiest and he chooses to show up during Ichigo and Rukia’s 10 year reunion and not their weddings or baby-showers, to have Ichihime and Renruki become the “canon” pairing and having their children be the focus of the final chapter and yet the finale book cover is Ichiruki, to have a co-author novel with the suspicious title “We do KNOT always love you” featuring Renji and Rukia’s wedding and Ichihime confession, to have Ichiruki be voted the most popular BLEACH pairing and to be promoting the final BLEACH manga with Ichiruki advertisement bait..... to have the last image we see of the main group be of Ichigo and Rukia who hardly acknowledge their spouses the whole chapter?  

and Tite Kubo FRIENDZONED these two? 

Bye... 

I’m glad Ichiruki didn’t get in the way of the story like Ichihime did, so at least that’s a positive. 

Mitsuro Kubo, the creator of Yuri on Ice did in 12 anime episodes what Tite Kubo couldn’t do in 10 years. 

Create a believable, developed, romantic relationship with a good plot to back it up. 

and the best part is, Mitsuro Kubo did it with non-heterosexual characters. 

For Kubo to rush in with this light novel to try and force in “romantic development” to try and explain pairings he literally only splooshed together for the sake of children.. and to attempt to explain it in a single light novel when he had wasted a ton of plotline set ups that went no where that he could have spent developing said relationships in 10 years time? To have him claim this is an action genre only for him to approve of a light novel based around forced romance and not filling up the hundreds of plot holes he made in the series? Sure we get insight on a couple character’s status and whereabouts but uM WHAT EXACTLY HAPPENED... TO THE SOUL KING? THE ZERO SQUAD? Y’KNOW... THE MOST IMPORTANT KEY TO THE WORLD BEING ABLE TO LIVE? HE DEEMED PAIRINGS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THAT?

If Kaien Shiba claims our hearts are in our fists, I think there’s a lot of bleach fans out there who would love to introduce their “hearts” to Kubo’s face... as harsh as that sounds. He and his entire editor team just continue to ship bait and lie to their fans. It’s very disrespectful, kinda giving fans a reason to be upset with them aside from their other choices. Still don’t approve of the harassment going on though. Nothing is gonna change it now besides us. Its up to us to patch up what’s left of BLEACH’S dignity by continuing to improve and create better plot lines that Kubo pulled out of his garbage can. 

So yeah. Ishihime and Ichiruki were, without a doubt in my mind, canon in the first arc. The amount of time and care each exhibited toward eachother throughout the arc says it all. The end game pairings were DEFINITELY not planned from the beginning. Kubo never had a hold that good on the plot of his series past the first arc. Its just... its not believable. Can’t buy it no matter how hard I try...