#nanao hated that

[hakkyoken]

“I guess i understand ‘touch grass’ means now. Thank you, ‘stars’ for enlightening me with such unimportance.”

[cowboy-finch]

So I just started reading the Bullet Train book today and so far these are some of my favourite moments.

SPOILER WARNING UNDER THE CUT

[michinanas]

Coming on here every couple of months and seeing the same guy in my notifications who is just hating on Nana Hiiragi

I feel like Nana haters talk more about the series than the actual fans atp

[mxddyhero]

A3! characters as LUSH products, because I think about this a lot, actually. Autumn troupe: seasonal addition

spring | summer | winter

[recurring-polynya]

On the continuing topic of Hitsugaya and amanattou-- I think it's very funny that Hitsugaya gets made fun of for liking something that is broadly regarded as a grampa-candy, but amanattou was invented in the Edo era, so it feels like it should be pretty fresh and happenin' by Soul Society standards. Or is it? What is the trajectory by which a thing becomes uncool, aside from young people making fun of it? How does that work in a society where old people continue to stick around and dominate the cultural narrative?

[yeonban]

So you're telling me Shiro stopped smiling and had these panels as soon as Aijiro died? And I'm not meant to go insane about it when the only other time he stopped smiling in the ENTIRE series was when someone insulted the Goddess/his life's goal?

[7-oh-ta1]

Prominent a3en memory was that, upon learning the game was NOT an otome, Taichi became my favorite and so I would save up for his cards but the thing is the only semblance of romance in the game IS IN THE RARE CARDS so when I would get lucky and actually get the card I wanted, I would then proceed to turn him down at every opportunity 😭

[shinikamo]

Roy the boy!!! I have an unreasonable amount of love for him and it's entirely because he's evil and Taichi should get to be evil more <3

Anyways here's an animation of him trying to catch a bird as a snack

Animated him in live2d cause I suck at regular animation and I've got some experience makin Vtubers so I know how it works

The music in the background is from the bird's view because Roy is not doing anything cool enough to merit that

[taichissu]

the thing about bantai is that banri brings out the hidden menace in taichi

[unxpctedlygreat]

So tired 😔

[kyokutsu-sama]

Headcanons

"How would they react if you sat on their lap and hugged them while they were busy?" A/n: I had this one lost in my drafts for a while and I didn't even remember it😅(It was a bit of a random idea, but somehow it was cute❤️)

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

Jushiro : Jushiro seemed focused on the papers that were on the table and had forgotten the world around him, but you decided to test him a little. You opened the door and saw the man with long white hair lost in his thoughts who didn't even realize you were there until you started approaching the table. He looked at you and smiled, you approached him and sat on his lap hugging him, which left him a little confused at first and asked you about it. "Are you okay, love?" He asked when he felt your fingers caressing the back of his neck "Yes, I just came to give you a hug and see how you were" He smiled and kissed your cheek as thanks for worrying about him. He's such a cutie and he wouldn't mind if you stayed there with him.

Shunsui : Shunsui, for the first time in his life, seemed to be doing his job properly. If it hadn't been for Nanao threatening him, saying that she would drag him to the office by his hair if she found him drunk in one of the bars in Seireitei, he wouldn't have been there. You met him in the office and smiled after seeing him working, you got close to him and he switched his attention to you. "Y/n! Good to see you here dear" He greeted, leaning back in the chair. You didn't say anything and sat on his lap and hugged him, he hugged you and placed a few kisses on your neck, still wondering why such a kind act and why you haven't said a word since you entered. "You missed me, didn't you?" He asked, moving your face away from his shoulder and looking at you "Actually, I just came by to hug you, but I can't say I didn't miss you a little" You said running your hands over his face "My lieutenant threatened me and that's the reason I'm here" You smiled and placed your head in the crook of his neck, keeping him close to you.

Byakuya : Busy as always, Byakuya had a somewhat tired look as he read and reread the endless reports on his desk. You opened the door a little and peeked inside only to find him focused on his work, you entered and went to him. He only realized that you were there when you got close to him and put him back in the chair and sat on his lap, then he raised an eyebrow, confused by the fact that you just sit on his lap and hugged him for no apparent reason. "Is everything okay Y/n?" He asked after a while "Yes, I'm just stopping by to see you" You said as you ran your fingers through his hair "I was working on---" "Just stop for a moment, okay ?"You smiled at him, caressing his cheek He took a long sigh but didn't want to persist, surrendering to your affection.

Kenpachi : Of all the places you thought he could be, the office was the one where you least expected him to be. He hated that part of the job, you were the one who took on that role and you even used to scold him for spending his days away or leaving all that work to you. You watched him for a while, still trying to believe what your eyes were seeing, who would have thought he would be there? You closed the door and walked over to him, you sat on his lap and hugged him. He dropped the papers on the table and didn't hesitate to question you about that action. "Are you trying something, woman?" He asked, frowning "No, I just came to check on you. Is it wrong to worry about you?" You asked, looking at his confused expression "No, it's not. Unless you have a good reason for sneaking in here and sitting on my lap" "Beyond concern and kindness, no, I don't think so" You smiled and tried to move away from him "You're playing with fire, woman. Come here"He said before pinning your body against his with one arm And that's it, now you were trapped in his arms and he wouldn't let you go anytime soon.

[gallusrostromegalus]

So I may have been browsing through your AEIWAM tag and came across your writing of Komamura saying it's too hot in summer when you have a fur coat you can't take off. By that logic he's gonna always be sitting beside Hitsugaya in Captain meetings if he can swing it, especially in the early days, cause that boy is like a mini air conditioner next to him. XD

Wolves are winter creatures. The double coat, the snowshoe paws, the proclivity for cuddlepiles- if Sajin could move somewhere that never got above 40F he'd be in heaven. Alas, he lives in a major city that hits triple digits in the summer, so he keeps close track of the little pieces of winter he can find.

The first person to realize his little game was Unohana. She knew about the wolfman thing- Yamamoto trusts her as much as Sasakibe, and persuaded Sajin that, should a medical emergency arise, it should not also be a medical surprise.

She is of course, the pinnacle of Medical Confidentiality.

...but his name came up during one of the Shinigami Women's Association meetings/boozing sessions, and a distinct schism appeared.

On one side was Soi Fon, Nanao, and Herself, who all found Komamura to be very polite, professional and reliable if somewhat reticent and at times, aloof.

"I swear I can't get more than three words out of him!" Nanao despairs.

"I like him. He knows how to Shut Up." Soi Fon agrees.

"He's a very private man." Unohana nods.

Across the table, Isane and Rukia are baffled.

"Captain Komamura? Ten feet tall, bucket head? That Komamura?" Rukia the so-called Ice Princess asks, gesturing to indicate their height disparity. "What the fuck are you talking about? He's SUPER friendly and will hang around to talk FOREVER."

"Yeah, every time I go to the 7th he always asks me to stay for lunch and wants to know how everyone in my family is doing and swap horror stories from the ER for tales of crazy people in the intake queue." Agrees Isane, wielder of the ice cloud Itegumo. "It's embarrassing, but one time I was more than two hours late getting back because we get to talking!"

Everyone stares at everyone else, baffled.

"Did- did I do something to piss him off?" Wonders Nanao.

"Huh. Maybe he just picked up on how much I hate small talk on the job?" Soi Fon shrugs.

Unohana is silent, thinking.

"GUESS WHO BROUGHT TEQUILA!!" Matsumoto Rangiku announces as she kicks in the door, holding four bottles of liquor, only three of which were still full.

"We need you to settle a debate!" Rukia demands at once.

"Ooh! I love passing judgement on things that don't effect me!" Rangiku coos, sitting down, her chest making an odd 'clunk' sound on the table "- there's also salt and limes!"

"It kinda effects you." Soi Fon waved her hand noncommittally. "How would you describe Captain Komamura?"

"Tall, Heavily Armored and Mysterious?" Rangiku shrugs, pulling the box of kosher salt out of her cleavage.

"...more like his personality." Isane clarified.

"Oh! Uhh... You know what? He's one of the few people that's ever complimented me on streamlining like 80% of the paperwork we have to do." Rangiku nodded, fishing the limes out as well. "Always has stuff done waaaay before I expected and I feel like a bit of a jerk for not replying immediately, but never complains if my stuff comes in late."

"Does he hang around and talk, or is he just really businesslike?" Nanao asks, eyes narrowed behind her glasses.

"Hmm..." Fowns Rangiku. "Kinda varies by the day- Sometimes he's all business, other times he'll stay and chat. I always assumed he wants to talk but sometimes he's got work, you know?"

There is much confused muttering as the limes are cut, when Unohana raises a finger.

"...How is he with Lieutenant Hitsugaya?" She asks.

"Oh, he ADORES Toshiro!" Rangiku nods enthusiastically, salting her shot glass. "He actually does the majority of Toshiro's Bankai training now because The Old Man handed it off to him so he could focus on teaching Zaraki Everything But Kendo- which, bless him for doing that, Shiro-kin could literally freeze my tits off!- and he really does a good job listening to Toshiro's concerns and confusions- he's a sensitive boy, you know? And Koma-kun is so gentle with him and to be honest I always eavesdrop on his advice because I could use it too. Delightful man all around." She nodded, and moved to down her drink.

"...Why?" She asked, pausing her drink and glaring suspiciously at Unohana.

Unohana nods with the clarity of enlightenment. "Nothing serious, but everything makes sense now." She smiles, then cracks into a small giggle. "It's rather charming, actually."

"Care to elaborate?" Soi Fon grumbles.

"Yeah that answered NOTHING." Rangiku glares.

"We noticed an interesting disparity in his behavior." Unohana explains, pushing her own glass towards Rangiku to fill. "For me, Captain Fon, and Lieutenant Ise, Komamura-Taicho is very polite, but sticks to the matter at hand and will not volunteer any further conversation. For Lieutenant Koetetsu, Miss Kuchiki and apparently Lieutenant Hitsugaya, he has all the time in the world and is quite the chatterbox."

"...Weird." Rangiku frowns, intrigued by the puzzle. "For me it's like, half and half?"

"Not quite, I think." Unohana smirks. "What do Isane, Rukia and young Toshiro all have in common?"

The Resounding Silence of Thinking Very Hard around the table was a bit of a disappointment, but they were about three bottles into the evening already.

"Can't be Height." Nanao hummed. "Rukia and Shiro-Kun are shorter than a stack of pancakes but Isane's got legs that are too long for the cover of Vouge."

"Isane and Toshiro are both silver-haired, but not me, and he doesn't seem to be particularly close to Ukitake-Taicho and I think I've actually seen him run out of a room to avoid Gin." Rukia puzzled.

"What? RUDE." Rangiku protested.

"They're all under a century old, right?" Rangiku pondered.

"No, I'm almost two hundred!" Isane sighed. "Oh wait- we all graduated early from the Academy!"

"Ehhhh, I graduated because I got adopted, I'm not a genius like you and Shiro-kun." Rukia waved. "Also, how would HE know that?"

"You're all Lieutenants!" Rangiku perked up.

"Not yet I'm not!" Rukia protested.

"Pfsh- you run half the division anyway. Jushiro should promote you to Co-lieutenant with Kaien already!" Rangiku waved.

"Its- it's complicated." Rukia mumbled. "Also, Nanao-chan is a Lieutenant and he doesn't like her!"

"Does it have to do with how freakishly huge he is?" Soi Fon asked.

"...Yes, actually." Unohana decided. Sajin might not have so much trouble thermoregulating if he was the size of a regular wolf. She reasoned privately.

"Also, He likes Nanao-chan just fine as far as I know. I think it's less about how much he enjoys your company- which I think he does, he's not one for putting on facades- and more about how much he enjoys your Proximity." She clarified, taking her shot. "Oh, this is good, what is it?"

"Cabrito Blanco." Rangiku read off. "Huh. The Cabrito on the label sure ain't Blanco." She frowned at the brown goat.

"None of us have transferred out of the Division we started in, but again, how would he know? and that hasn't got anything to do with Proximity..." Isane frowned.

Rukia slammed her glass down. "WOW that's got a kick. Maybe uhhhh... None of us wear perfume, but Gin doesn't either. I hope. I don't want to get close enough to find out."

"He's really not that bad-" Rangiku sulked. "OH, 'Blanco' refers to the tequila and this is that goat's white tequila!" She realized.

"Sometimes I wish I could take a weekend vacation in your brain. Its machinations fascinate me." Soi Fon teased. "Hmmm... Lotta close but no Cigar, you're all young-ish, Isane and Toshiro have living relatives and Rukia has a large adopted family, but again, not exclusive or Proximal. You're also all S-rank duelists with- OH!"

"Shh, I'm enjoying the flailing." Retsu grinned.

"Pfff- okay, that is kinda cute and I don't blame him." Soi Fon giggled. "Sometimes I'm real glad my seat is right next to The Old Man for the same reason. Or opposite reason, I guess."

"Bwah?" Rangiku frowned.

"I do the same thing with You, Momo and The Old Man that He's doing with them." Soi Fon grinned. Rangiku frowned, peculiar machinations grinding slowly through the tequila, before she suddenly cackled, head thrown back so hard Unohana had to reach out and grab her by the scarf to keep her from tipping her chair over.

"OH NOOOOOOOO!!" She wailed, shoulders shaking. "Oh- that's cute but Toshiro can NEVER find out he'll be such a brat about it!"

"Sorry I'm late, I had to finish the latest report on the Rice Farm Subsidy Fraud Investigation!" Momo panted, jogging in late. "-What can't Toshiro find out about?"

"There is SOMETHING that You, ran-chan and Yamamoto-sama share, and it's the same thing but backwards as what Me, Hitsugaya, and Isane have in common that Komamura-taicho really likes it or something, and THEY know but won't TELL US and its MAKING ME CRAZY!" Rukia wailed.

Momo stood, expression blank for a few moments. "Wait. You didn't know?"

"KNOW WHAT?" Rukia wailed.

"That Komamura hangs around with people with Ic-Mmpf!" Momo started to reveal but was abruptly tackled and the rest of the sentence smothered in Rangiku's Cleavage.

"With WHAT?" Nanao demanded. "What do they have that I don't?"

"-Hang on." Isane frowned, the slowly turned to her captain, squinting. "Is. Is this a... Physics Issue?"

"That's one way to phrase it." Unohana smiled as Momo flailed for air.

"Oh my Gooooood..." Isane groaned. "Why doesn't he just ASK? I'd happily go over and give Itegumo some practice, I hate summertime too!"

"Huh?" Rukia glared, as Momo finally fought her way free and gasped for air.

"Itegumo? That's your- ohhhhhhh." Nanao realized. "That's. Okay yeah that's actually really cute." She giggled. "Poor guy. The armor can't help with that, can it?"

"That's what I keep telling him but it's-" Unohana waved her hands and grimaced with frustration. "-He wears the armor because he's facing the *stupidest* form of Political Persecution I've ever heard of." she sighed.

"Really?" Asked Momo. "Captain Tousen said Komamura told him it's because he's got a major disfigurement or something?"

Unohana sighed and rolled her eyes. "Komamura is FINE, he's just- It's complicated and medically private but trust me, the helmet is a reasonable precaution against an absurd problem."

"Oh." Momo winced. "Well, I'm glad he's medically alright at least!" "I'm so fucking confused." Rukia whimpered, deflating over the table in despair. "Is. Is hanging out with me making him less sick or something??"

"...Yes!" Unohana smiled. "Or at least, makes his condition more physically comfortable."

Rukia turned that over a few times. "...Talking with him is helping?"

"Yes, but only if you're in the same room with him. Doesn't work over the phone." Unohana nodded.

"Okay." Rukia said, reaching for the nearest bottle. "Lets talk about something else."

---

Years Later, after the Bedlam of her attempted execution and Subsequent Rescue, Rukia finally saw Komamura's face.

It was a bit awkward, walking into the hospital room in search of her brother to find a nine-and-a-half foot tall wolfman wearing the Seventh Division Captain's Haori visiting Momo. It took her a moment to realize who he was, and another as some neurons connected and she squawked indignantly, pointing at him.

"My apologies, Lieutenant Kuchiki, but-" He sighed, ears flattening back against his head with Chargin.

"AIR CONDITIONING?!?!" She bellowed.

Komamura scrunched back, chagrined. For a massive apex predator, he did an excellent Kicked Puppy face.

"Rukia!" Momo protested faintly from her hospital bed. "Keep your voice down, I don't want Toshiro to find out!"

"Find out what?" Hitsugaya grunted, stepping out from behind Rukia.

"Ah, Well-" Komamura started to explain.

Rukia rounded on Hitsugaya, pointing behind her at the captain. "THIS JACKASS HAS BEEN EXTRA NICE TO YOU, ME AND ISANE BECAUSE WE ALL HAVE ICE-TYPE ZANPAKUTO AND CHILL THE AIR AROUND US!"

"...Summer is very uncomfortable when you have a fur coat you can't take off." Komamura winced.

"Uh, duh?" Hitsugaya rolled his eyes, strolling into the room. "I didn't know you were chilling Koetetsu and Kuchiki here as well, but I kinda figured you enjoyed the cold when you stayed at my Bankai training like, five times longer than Gramps ever did."

"My apologies for the deception." Komamura bowed his head.

"It's no big deal." Hitsugaya shrugged, putting a hand up to indicate he wanted help up onto the hospital bed, and Komamura obliged.

"See? I use you being tall too." he smirked.

Komamura sighed fondly as the boy sat down between him and Momo. "Momo makes me chill all her juice too, but she never seems to warm up my tea." he handed her a juice box from the vending machine down the hall, covered in condensation.

"It would explode." Momo grumbled.

"Skill Issue." He shrugged and she affectionately swatted him on the leg. "Anyway, don't dogs cool off through their paws?"

"I'm from a wolf clan, but yes." Komamura cocked his head with curiosity, then alarm when Toshiro casually grabbed his forearm and started tugging his Gauntlets off.

"I don't mind being a human ice pack, especially not when it's nintey-eight freakin' degrees out, but be efficient about it, yeah?" Toshiro grumbled, tossing the gauntlet aside and plopping Komamura's pawlike hand on top of his head.

"...Thank you." Komamura smiled gently, and ruffled his hair a bit.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Hitsugaya shrugged, playing the tough guy even as his ears turned red. "At least you're polite about it! Freakin' Zaraki literally just grabbed me- like, put his whole arm through the office window! and threw me over his shoulders once. Jerk."

"TOSHIRO!" Momo yelped, hand on her face. "You almost made juice come out of my nose!" She half-giggled while Rukia snort-laughed at the mental image.

"Hey Kuchiki!" Hitsugaya growled. "He's got two paws!"

"You can't boss me around! You don't outrank me anymore!" She grinned.

"I have seniority." he teased, and the bed started to shake as Komamura tried not to laugh.

"You really don't need to-" Komamura tried to diffuse the argument. His voice was rock-steady but the wide grin betrayed him.

"You gotta follow my orders though!" Ukitake said cheerfully, appearing in the door. "Hi Lieutenant Hinamori!"

"C-captain!" Rukia yelped, spinning around to Salute. "What are your orders, Sir?

"Shh, nothing's happening. But I did hear you squawking from two floors down, so what's happening?" Ukitake smiled down at her.

"Captain Komamura has APPARENTLY been hanging around me and the other Shinigami with Ice Zanpakuto and using us as Air Conditioners!" Rukia glared up at her commanding officer.

"...Rukia," Ukitake patted her head and smiled gently. "Do you remember where Lieutenant Kaien's desk was?"

"Second door on the left, right next to your office, Sir!" She nodded.

"Right! And where's your desk?" Ukitake asked, leaning in closer to her.

Rukia blinked, confused. "...It's immediately adjacent to your desk in your offi- GOD DAMMIT! NOT YOU TOO?"

"Yep!" Ukitake cheerfully patted her head and then palmed it to turn her around to face Komamura. "Hop to it!"

"Technically, I got the Idea from him, when I saw how he'd rearranged the furniture..." Komamura whispered as he helped her up onto the bed as well and Rukia groaned in defeat, settling next to Komamura where she could sulk at her captain from over the wolfman's broad shoulders.

"Oh, stop pouting!" Ukitake teased, sitting down on the chair beside Momo's bed and leaning back. "It'll be winter soon enough. Actually, Your friend Mr. Yasutora told me about a fascinating wintertime holiday in the Living World-"

[imaginingbleach]

Hello :3 I have a request: can you do Kyouraku and Ukitake (I love 'em both hehehe) as dads, please? Thank you very much :3

:sob sob sob sob:

i'm sorry this took literally years to reply

here's hoping it was 1/1000000 worth the wait

Wrote this with GN reader in mind, so...

Whether reader decided to adopt or (if able) give birth is up to you.

Shunsui Kyoraku

Not that he's against them, he just never imagined he would end up with children.

No matter how he gained his child, he just didn't think he would end up in this situation.

He absolutely adores them and would lay his life on the line for them, though.

He's definitely the fun dad, unfortunately. You would need to be the one to scold both of them...

Though, you might be able to get Nanao to help a little bit.

You don't dare ask her for help when she's off duty, though she usually doesn't mind scolding her captain :)

He will happily participate in bring your kid to work day, but might forget to tell you--

Luckily Nanao or Jushiro informed you before you had the chance to go into a panic.

There's also not even a dedicated day for "bring your child to work", he just decided to do it.

You're going to end up with gray hair long before he does with how much stress he puts you through.

You love him, though, and know he would burn the world down to keep you and your child(ren) safe.

He likes using them as an excuse on why he can't do paperwork--

"but Nanao, I can't work on private documents in front of a child/children!"

"Then you shouldn't have brought them! 😡"

"They wanted to see their godmother! (Or any special title she may have) 😚"

She would blush for a moment, stutter, then continue scolding him.

Hates sending his family away during dangerous times, but he does it to keep them safe.

Spoils them when they return with whatever he can offer.

Jushiro Ukitake

When the idea was first brought up, he was a bit apprehensive.

He was worried about the future and leaving you as a single parent...

You would have to convince him that he was allowed to enjoy things in the here and now.

He was surprisingly composed when he first met them, but he was definitely crying.

He would hold them close and welcome them to the family happily, voice cracking a bit.

He tries to spend as much time with them as possible, since he is constantly thinking of the future...

Between being a captain and his illness, he knows all too well how suddenly someone can leave your life.

He cannot shirk his duties, but he's always making sure you and your child feel loved.

His favorite thing is when you bring them with you to check in on him.

He feels bad when he's down and out, but he always manages to put on a smile.

He has a wall dedicated to every single get well card and art that's brought to him.

He'll sometimes just stare up at it and remember when he got it.

He dedicates one day out of the month to spend time with you and your child.

From morning until night.

He has to reschedule fairly often due to suddenly getting sick or work, but he does manage.

It's never the same day of the month, but he relishes in the big smile he gets from his child.

He's so thankful they're so understanding of his illness.

It makes him strive harder to do what he can in the time he has with them.

[tealover27]

On amazing underated anime!

Ok so not enough people know about Talentless Nana and it is abosultly absurd so if you like Assassination Classroom, Classroom of the Elite, Death Note and Charlotte, than this is your watch. Even if you don't love those you should still watch it 'cause it's great.

Warning; the first episode makes a bunch of people want to drop for reasons that you'd have to watch it for, but continue 'cause it's great.

13 episodes for people that hate long anime's.

TALENTLESS NANA SPOILERS!!!

Now, if you're hella pissed about Nanao, then read the manga; bro comes back better than ever.

[bleachbleachbleach]

i know we like to snatch bits from the omakes and pretend soul society is a big friendship circle but i think it's hilarious how much they all cannot stand each other. each squad probably has a burn book. i'm rewatching the soul society arc and when you strip it back the seireitei would be MISERABLE to live in - this is 2001 and they don't even have internet! and that's not to mention the slums DIRECTLY OUTSIDE. if i was a member of the main 4 i would have immediately collapsed upon entry due to how rotten the vibes are.

I love the omake and the fun, silly world it presents the Gotei 13 in. However, I do agree with you, in that I don’t think the majority of the Gotei 13 members actually get along. There’s plenty of evidence in the Soul Society arc that actually there’s a lot of animosity between squads.

It's funny--thinking about this ask, I feel like the Gotei captains live two lives amidst each other. On one hand, they don't know each other well; they don't see a lot of each other. No one likes the captain's meetings. Their teamwork was so bad Third Captain Amagai had to be the one to suggest "what if you guys practiced working together tho…" Everyone thought Aizen got straight-up murdered and had his corpse pinned to a building and all his colleagues barely batted an eye! The lack of concern was deafening! I love absolutely all of this. On the other hand, they often seem to respect each other as professionals, even if they have little personal regard for one another. No one likes Mayuri, but they all admit his talent; and at least after the Soul Society arc, in situations where they feel it's necessary, they *will* take orders from each other without expending undue energy getting into pissing matches. (This does not stop Byakuya and Zaraki from fighting *each other* in Hueco Mundo.) I'm really attached to the dichotomy of this; I feel like it gives their contempt for each other a little extra zest, in its specificity. 

Right now I'm writing post-TYBW interactions within the Gotei with the addition of the Vizard captains, and it is SO much fun, because they don't hate each other; but at the same time, everyone's stressed out and deeply suspicious of and/or frustrated with each other, and the benefit of the doubt/presumption of respect is burning off like it's a fire sale, lololol.

The VCs seem to have it together a bit more as a collective, though obviously there are limits to this as well. I think it helps that all the women have banded together until the banner of the Shinigami Women's Association, and that on the men's side almost everyone is at least friends with Renji, even if they may not be friends with each other. I feel like Matsumoto/Nanao (Matsumoto with the power of her extraversion and Nanao with her intense investment in feminism vs. the brass ceiling) and Renji are really holding it down when it comes to inter-division VC relations. The VCs would win the trophy for "best friendships outside their own division" all day--though again, I think a lot of this is quite recent, given Renji being a relatively new VC, Kira and Hisagi only recently bonding more intensively post-Tousen/Ichimaru, and aside from Renji a lot of the VCs being pretty new to the job. I imagine after TBTP the collegiality even in the rosiest parts of the Gotei social scene took a giant nosedive!

We see a lot of Joe Shinigami hating on the 4th (and in the Third Captain Amagai arc, also the 3rd a bit), and we see the 11th being generally antagonistic, but I'd bet that most Joe Shinigami don't interact with people outside of their division all that often, and tend not to think about them at all. Part of me wonders if some of the antagonism against the 4th, aside from drawing on "lol those healer losers" brospeak, has to do with the fact that the 4th is the only division outside of this own that Joe Shinigami actually HAS had repeated interactions with (as a patient). Familiarity breeds contempt, gives the catty muscles something to latch onto, and it all escalates from there.

[alexiethymia]

In relation to that earlier (crack)post, it dawns on me that for all that they call him ‘Aizen-taichou’, neither of Aizen’s vice-captains really choose him.

Sure, Aizen has only disdain for bonds, but I’m also of the interpretation that he tried to replicate at least a facsimile of them through twisted ways - loyalty, dependence etc. - but it always boiled down to no one would ever be able to understand him because no one was at his level, so he discards them.

What makes a prodigy? Age? If so, Nanao would be considered one. Intellect? But no one really alludes to either Hirako or Urahara as a prodigy. Maybe potential, and if so it would make sense that Gin and Hitsugaya are referred to as prodigies. And it would make sense to show that Aizen was at around the same age (at least physically) as Gin when he started to question everything. Despite being prodigies, Gin and Hitsugaya had what Aizen didn’t - people who understood them and made sure they didn’t feel too “other”. From his perspective, I could easily imagine Aizen perceiving his fellow prodigies as being held back by those bonds, at not even attempting to nurture their potential to be ‘god-like’. I am also of the theory that Aizen did want to bring Hitsugaya into the fold, or that he had a sense of his potential so if he wasn’t going to be under his control like Gin, then he had to be cut down.

But going back, when I say that neither of Aizen’s vice-captains choose him, this is prefaced with the context that both Gin and Hinamori were people he cultivated for years, maybe even centuries. Aizen showed Gin his true face (or as true as it could be knowing that Gin meant to kill him) while showing Hinamori the ideal captain, the image of the best captain even. But unlike Gin’s vice-captain who fights Hinamori to defend him (no matter how sick and self-loathing it made him feel deep inside), Hinamori despite being ordered by Aizen himself couldn’t manage to avenge him (she didn’t even try to her fullest capabilities). This was not in Aizen’s plans, and he even says it himself. Aizen was one of the most revered Captains, and he intentionally manipulated Momo to become dependently loyal on him, to the point that, he alleges, ‘she couldn’t live without him’. But if both were a test of loyalty, Kira passed his while Hinamori didn’t. And Gin rewards this (in a twisted sort of way) by involving Kira just enough that he could make sure that he and Rangiku were outside the blast point.

I could easily believe that Aizen intentionally did make Momo fall in love with him (his use of the words, ‘as a man’ in his letter for example), but unlike Hitsugaya who was ready to commit murder and treason just to keep Hinamori away from threats, she couldn’t fully severe that connection with Hitsugaya to avenge him. For all that Aizen seems to be above Hitsugaya and Gin, and they both lose to him, they will always have something he will never have. Even later, Momo despite the centuries of hypnosis chooses to stand on the battlefield against him.

In other words, in that confrontation, as a vice-captain, Hinamori couldn’t do for him what Kira did for Gin, and as someone who ‘loved’ or ‘admired’ him, she couldn’t do for him what Hitsugaya was willing to do for her, and this is after years and years of intentional emotional manipulation. For all of his ambitions, he failed to be the most important person for someone he intended to mold for that exact same purpose. And this is why in the realm of canon and headcanon, I do believe that as much as Hitsugaya hates Aizen, Aizen also hates Hitsugaya, just as much, insofar as someone like Aizen is capable of hatred. This is where you can see Aizen’s surface level understanding of bonds, as well as his being an unreliable narrator. His plan was for Kira and Hitsugaya to kill her, both people shown to love her, and when they couldn’t do it, for him as the person she ‘loves’ to deal the final blow. Did he really think that either Kira or Hitsugaya could actually go through with it? Maybe because he assumed that Momo actually would (because he knows the lengths Hitsugaya would go through and suspects the same of Gin, so as someone she ‘loves’ he might have had that same expectation of her).

He made sure she knew who was the one to hurt her, and he did it in the cruelest way possible. When I think about his overall plan, the interaction in Central 46 never had to happen. He already had his distraction. He didn’t have to deal death blows to both Hinamori and Hitsugaya, especially since no one at the execution knew what was going on at Central 46. In fact, it was because of that interlude that Unohana was able to warn the rest of the Gotei. But that wasn’t just an interlude. It really was part of his plan to kill Hinamori because ‘she couldn’t live without him’. Or maybe he convinced himself of that fact.

Even with Gin. For all that he says it was all part of his plan, and that he only kept Gin around because he knew Gin was going to kill him, I find it difficult to believe that he told Gin Kyouka Suigetsu’s weakness with that in mind. This is where his being an unreliable narrator comes in. When all is said and done, he can just claim it was all part of his plan. But I noticed he let his guard down when Gin claims to have killed Rangiku, and that he acknowledges that he could have been wrong about Gin having feelings for Rangiku. It seems to me that having another prodigy who was against Soul Society was something that he maybe wanted? And that he was just waiting for Gin to fully cut off those ties (to Rangiku) and prove his loyalty, in a manner of speaking.

So showing both his true face and his ideal face didn’t secure him the loyalty that he [wanted]. All the pieces fell into place, but it was actually his vice-captains who acted against his expectations. He claims it was Hirako’s rejection or suspicion that allowed him to hollowfy the Vizards, but even when he actually and actively exerted his influence over them, still neither of his vice-captains choose him. Even Urahara, who he considers an intellectual equal, still does nothing about the Soul King despite knowing the truth, because Urahara also has existing bonds he wishes to take care of. No matter how many people he hurt and defeated, and no matter that he considers it all a part of his plan, no matter that he doesn’t consider bonds important in the first place, ultimately Aizen was rejected on every front.