#random musing

[violent138]

Duke totally teases Jason about wearing lifts in his shoes, or that the helmet adds on a few inches if Jason ever calls him kid or tries to get him to leave a situation.

[indigosunsetao3]

Thinking about the 141 in a corporate office setting.

Kyle, the best salesman in the company with his slick designer suits and even smoother personality. Need to close that deal or convince someone to sign the dotted line, he’s the one to call.

Simon, the quiet IT worker that people always go to for help because he’s the best at it, even if they’re intimidated by him. He’s the top performer in the business, and he knows it, which lets him get away with the surly attitude.

Johnny, the finance guy who always seems to know all the company numbers and can make any finance report look good. Need some forecasts or predictions on stock, he’s your man. When the quarterly report may fall below goals it’s not as harsh of a blow when Johnny smiles.

John, the gruff COO that’s in before the sun is up and in his office long after everyone goes home. He keeps the company running while the CEO gets all the glory but he doesn’t mind, he prefers the background.

Then there’s you. The new receptionist that greets these men every morning with a cheery smile and wave. You haven’t been around long enough to be intimated or shy around them like the last receptionist and instead get to know them.

You know Johnny’s favorite sweet-treat and make sure the candy bowl stays stocked with it for the ten times he stops by to chat every day. You always make sure John has a hot coffee to keep him going when he hits that inevitable two o’clock wall and you can hear him grousing at his desk down the hall. As a favor, since you see how Kyle is always coming and going, you keep his meetings in order for him on his calendar. And for Simon, you are careful to route people away from him when they forget their password or can’t get the printer to work. This helps keep him free to do whatever it is he does in his office and in turn he removes the website blocks from your profile so you can watch YouTube videos in your downtime.

It comes as a bit of a surprise to the other workers when John ousts his personal assistant and promptly puts you in that position after you’ve been there less than six months. He moves you into the connecting office to his and ropes the other three to get you all settled in with new furniture and decor despite your protests.

The office gossip ratchets up tenfold when people notice the four men book meetings with you, behind closed doors, to discuss business at all hours of the day and night. They’re all in different departments, what could they possibly need from you? And more importantly, why do they all need to meet with you together?

[jade-lop]

A former Ultra host and a former Magical Girl settled down for ordinary life.

They met, fall in love, married and had children. However, none of them disclosed each other experiences as Ultra and Magical Girl to each other.

One child became the Red of the newest Sentai team, the other became a Kamen Rider. Like their parents, they kept this a secret.

Meanwhile, the third child, the true normal one in the family and also the one who knew all the family's secrets watched on from the sideline.

[cant-get-enough-btr-forever]

I'm rewatching "Big Time Dance", and now I'm wondering how many of these Future Logan is forced asked to attend.

What if this is how the movie introduces him?

Kendall (with the rest of the gang): Hi, we're here to see Logan.

Hospital Receptionist: Oh, you mean Dr. Mitchell? I'm sorry, he's at a Handsome Doctors Convention. May I take a message?

James: What?! Why wasn't I invited???

Kendall: ...James, you're not a doctor.

James: Um, I am a certified love doctor...of love. *cue sexy guitar riff*

[muses-with-afp]

Among the cobwebs tangled about in the ole noggin is: Byakuya really is just out there living a whole 'nother life inside his head, isn't he?

We see this get clocked by Toshiro in Chapter 674 (above) and, hopefully, Rukia and Renji (i.e., the "they" to whom Toshiro is referring). You could surmise that Toshiro is very perceptive and that's how he discerned what Byakuya was doing. And, sure, Toshiro is plenty perceptive. But... also... like... how often does Byakuya do this? How often does he put on some weird "performance" that he's fairly certain others "see through"? Or, at least, he intends for others to see through?

My guess is: The whole damn time.

I like to think the below Q&A from KlubOutside isn't just some continuity error that Kubo is fixing in post, but, rather, a suggestion that Byakuya is really out there living a life completely untethered from reality.

KlubOutside Q&A, as translated by reikorun

Like... we know from the SS Arc that Rukia does not view her relationship with Byakuya as warm and fuzzy. She says as much with her words and actions throughout that arc.

But... umm... the above seems to suggest that she and Byakuya likely discussed Renji at some point during their 40/50-year relationship. And, from that/those discussion(s), Byakuya left feeling intimately acquainted with not only Rukia, but Renji as well. Enough so that the man married to formality thought he could totally dispense with it when he met Renji.

Rukia, on the other hand? Girly, didn't blink an eye at her crazy "brother's" crazy antics during the SS Arc. She was like "he'd kill me himself and not give a damn" (paraphrasing). And like... understandable since it did seem to be going that way, but for Ichigo et al.

However, what subtle "hints" had Byakuya dropped that he just assumed she understood during the SS arc? Probably a million. Maybe he thought they were totally aligned then. Maybe he thought she knew the extent of his troubled heart along with the whys and hows and whatfores.

Maybe he was really out there living his best headcanon life.

[foryoupeko]

One time someone told me I made Kuzu/peko OOC because I make it sound like Fuyuhiko likes Peko (which a buck wild statement by itself)

And I just realized, months later, they wanted me to write Kuzu/Peko like Toga/Fuka

[scrumptiousstuffs]

Fruit for thought (or really random musing after THK EP 4)

Bison is definitely sharper and smarter than what we think (or at least to me) - yes he has some naivety to him. But him being an artist means he notices details and things:

1) Such as Babe having bruises that the young teenager is trying to cover up and also how evasive Babe was when answering Kant. Also speaks volume that he chose to put his issue with Kant aside to deal with Babe problem first 🥰

2) Bison was also the more rationale and calmer when KantBison when sleuthing in the school. I am betting he was the one that came up with the disguise and plan, which tells me he can be methodical (which really again emphasises how much he no longer cares much about the killing that he carelessly or purposefully not bring gloves to the jobs he has with his brother?)

3) And we know he makes an amazing tiny, pocket rocket Robin to Kant’s not so stellar Batman (I give him props for trying 😅)

Which really tells me - Bison has a huge blinder on whenever Kant is involved. And so, even with the biggest red flag 🚩 waving madly in front of him like the excuses or inconsistencies that he definitely clocks whenever Kant opens his mouth - Bison our lovey murderous meow 🐈 will just ignore it.

(Also helped by the fact he can see how sincere and loving Kant is towards his brother - and that’s when Kant is most truthful and honest with Bison really)

AND THIS CONTRAST so beautifully with Fadel and Style relationship -

Fadel from the start doesn’t trust Style - although the latter was probably the most honest out of all 4 in his pursuit of Fadel (apart from the car thing). Cause he wasn’t aware of Fadel’s job to begin with.

Style just like this brooding, hot grumpy man who he wants to peel layer by layer (the car is just a bonus)

But now Style knows the truth, and starts acting quite differently (like in the gym) - however, Fadel NOW has his blinder on, cause he already trust Style and knows that guy is eccentric and kooky. So, he will likely just chalk it as Style being Style - and it’s his turn to pursue and charm the pants off his new BF…

Anway, I don’t even know if I make sense - all I know, our 2 assassin brothers are smart but also stupid (stupid in lust and love lol) and I’m here for the ride!

Bring on Episode 5

The Heart Killers EP 4

(I will still cry like a baby when Bison and Fadel finds out of the truth though 🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹)

[meg-noel-art]

if there's one thing the most recent five years in fandoms have taught me it's that: a.) writers who are paid professionally to write things are generally worse at their job than unpaid fanfiction authors and fan artists. ii.) the ships/pairings that make the most sense and have the most chemistry will be banished to the shadow realm. 3.) everyone should just generally be nicer to each other. we're all doing this to escape a capitalist hellscape man. Chill.

[zetalial]

Okay I love the idea of an FMA 03xBrotherhood crossover where the gate from one world leads to the other.

Imagine:

"Hi! WHAT IS GOING ON?"

This is the only character from BH who goes through the gate in canon. I don't know how much the Dwarf in the flask can do. Can he survive without a container and if not can he immediately get one? If he gets one I assume he'd try and get some souls and start breaking himself off into new sins and then uhh come up with a new plan. He failed with his giant circle so hes not in the best state of mind. I don't know how much the 03 characters would be willing to work with him but I figure Dante would at least be intrigued to learn more about the other side of the gate so she'd find him a curiosity if nothing else. If can get to making new sins hes quite dangerous but his best bet would probably be to get the stone off the elric brothers if he could get them to trust him.

That's assuming he arrived mid series of course. Post-series 03!Ed would be in the other world xD

[pterodactylwoman]

Street Fighter characters: This is Jerry Falcore, he has baggy pants, his dad was one of the random goons in final fight, he wants to become the greatest fighter ever and will do so with his special version of Brazilian jujitsu. He will be the main character of this game and then never be mentioned again in any later entry.

Mortal Kombat kharacters: this is Dorvalk, he’s from the mystical sideways realm that the elder gods destroyed, he is some guy with robotic sleeves and big shoulder pads, his only function in the story is to give Erron Black someone to talk to and to get beat up by Johnny Cage and then later beat up again by Cassie Cage. He will appear in more games as a dead body in the background than he will as a playable character.

Tekken Characters: This is Craig Johnson, he never interacts with any major character, he just looks like a white dude wearing a plain t-shirt and he has been in every game after his debut.

[lemissingmask]

I don’t know why, but I absolutely adore when any of the team hold Eliot back from violence with a simple gesture or by putting themselves in front of him. And Hardison is the first to do it, right in the pilot episode 😌 But they all get a turn, like Parker in the inside job and Sophie in the snow job, or Nate several times.

[nyalternatebaker]

"I love my job, but getting stress-horny due to running out of time to set up shop is the worst- The more I release stress, the less time I have, and the less time I have, the more stressed I get-"

What a vicious cycle of cat stupidity.

[jade-lop]

Imagine Lakia entered a rock museum and mistook it as a restaurant.

[cant-get-enough-btr-forever]

Life goal: Be as calm and collected as Carlos in Big Time Movie.

[muses-with-afp]

Musings Mushy Brain Style

So, my brain has been absolute trash lately. It has hit capacity. Too much is happening all at once. But, between life and the occasional and often much-regretted look at the news, I muse. My most recent Bleach musing is: Kuchiki heirs!

And, oh, boy, prepare for mushy brain time!

[Warning: As mentioned, the brain is too full, so pardon me for rambling from my increasingly porous memory on this one!]

A n y w a y...

As my particular niche interest in an already niche interest focuses mainly on the Kuchiki characters and their immediate loved ones, my what-ifs constantly poking at what even is this family? Based on what I can remember and the few snippets I can easily find, we know the following "things" about the family and family dynamics:

🌸Thing the First: Byakuya is the 28th Head of the Kuchiki Family and the captain of the Sixth🌸

I don't have a scan at my fingertips for this particular factoid. The Wikipedia (not always a source of truth, I know) cites the Souls databook, which certainly feels correct. However, I remembered it being in Color Bleach. Either way, this information is interesting for purposes of this musing because, well, if Byakuya is the 28th Head of the Family, that means there were likely at least 27 other heads of the Family.

Which also means....

There must be a process for Head-dom! 🤸

🌸Thing the Second: Ginrei, Byakuya's granddad, was the 27th Head of the Kuchiki Family and was captain of the Sixth 🌸

So, I got the snippets for the "granddad" and "captain of the sixth" parts of this factoid. I don't think there is a scene in the manga proper that explicitly spells out that Ginrei is the 27th Head; although, my porous brain may be kicking in, so perhaps there is. I remember the Masked Q&A pages, where during Kubo's explanation of WTF happened to Byakuya's dad, Soujun, he revealed that Soujun was the next family head, but died in battle. I am presuming, then, that Soujun died before taking over the family and the squad.

This was all a long preamble to the next point that I find interesting, which is: It seems the captainship of Squad 6 is inherited to an extent, and this brings us to....

🌸Thing the Third: Soujun Kuchiki is Byakuya's father, who was Vice Captain/Lieutenant of the Sixth🌸

So, there isn't much about Soujun in the manga. What I remember about him comes from the Masked databook. Specifically, a Q&A with Kubo:

Q: Who is Sojun Kuchiki?

KUBO: Byakuya's late father.

Q: Was he killed in action?

KUBO: Yes. He was never cut out to fight, but since he's from the Kuchiki family he has the talent. Ginrei was concerned about his health, but he was the next family head so that's why he was appointed as assistant captain. But he dies in battle in the end.

Q: Was he talented though?

KUBO: He had the talent, but he was too quiet and too nice.

So... it would seem: (i) most Kuchiki have "talent," (ii) the titles of Head of the Family and Captain of the Sixth appear to follow a patrilineal line of inheritence, but (iii) Soujun was, indeed, "talented," which could be inferred to mean that he was capable (although the note of him being too quiet and nice is a knee-slapper given who we know for sure has helmed the Sixth).

On the last point, it isn't explicitly clear to me whether Soujun's capability was an important factor in his being next in line to lead the family and the Sixth. At the very least, the statement that Soujun "was never cut out to fight," would seem to bar him from leadership in a fighting manga organization, so... maybe "competence" (in the traditional sense) isn't as important for these roles or he had other skills to make up for the fact that he wasn't really "cut out to fight."

Either way, Kubo spells out that since Soujun was the next to head the family, he was appointed as assistant captain. This, too, is something to ponder over because... well... what does this mean in practice?

Based on Rukia's treatment, it doesn't seem that Kuchiki necessarily go to the Academy; although, it's unclear to me if this was just a special thing for Rukia--i.e., a byproduct of Byakuya being very literal about the "keep her safe" part of the vow he made to his wife--or if all Kuchiki or main-family Kuchiki skip out on the Academy. Maybe Soujun had private tutors and didn't slum it with the "public school" shinigami before heading into the ranks. Or, maybe Soujun was appointed straight to assistant-captain status after his super-duper Kuchiki training. Given just how hierarchical the Seireitei is, it's possible that Soujun never served as a lowly grunt under another ranked officer, especially since he wasn't very good at that whole fighting thing.

Who can say?

Stepping past Soujun for a second, though, I am assuming we are to believe the Kuchiki inheriting the Sixth's top officer roles wasn't always the case. Why? Well....

Because this person was the first captain of the Sixth:

And that person is Furoufushi Saitou... whose name is suspiciously not Kuchiki. But, hey, her hair is the same color as the Kuchiki guards so... put on your tinfoil hats and best believe there is a connection, baby!

🌸Thing the Fourth: Soujun Kuchiki died🌸

As mentioned in the Q&A excerpt above, Kubo confirmed that Soujun perished during battle. When? What battle? Who was there?

Great questions! And, at least from my recollection, they remain a mystery. Maybe this is the set-up to the mystery of who Byakuya showed his bankai to?

🌸Thing the Fifth: Ginrei Kuchiki is... Alive? Dead? Unclear🌸

Unlike with Soujun, Kubo hasn't been as explicit about Ginrei's fate, as I recall it. I think with Byakuya being both the Kuchiki Head and the Captain of the Sixth, one could assume that Ginrei might not be among the "living" in Soul Society, especially since there's a sense that the Gotei 13's retirement plan is likely til death do you part. But, while I prefer to think of the Gotei 13 as an organization operating on The Godfather style rules, we do know at least one lieutenant who effectively retired canonically, and that is the Sixth's lieutenant prior to Renji.

So....

Maybe Ginrei's retired, hanging out at the Kuchiki cabin on the lake fishing into his... twilight years? (Midnight years, really....)

There is perhaps some support for the "Ginrei Is Alive" theory in CFYOW (a source that is certainly there):

This happens in the Third Book (I think???) during a scene where Kyoraku is battling Temu Urahara with an Opioid Addiction this guy:

Now, I'm not going to pretend to understand CFYOW. The more I try to understand it, the more brain cells I actively lose, which is probably more a function of time than what I will charitably blame on the translation of this story. One could take the above excerpt to mean that Kyouraku plans to offer up his gratitude to Ginrei after all the battling stops, which implies that Ginrei is, y'know, actually around to receive such gratitude. Although, maybe Kyouraku is being cheeky and plans to dumb a cup of sake on the geezer's memorial. Or maybe he means that he'll have to remember to be nice to Ginrei when they reunite in hell or something.

It is Kyouraku after all.

So, why does it matter? Well, assuming Ginrei is indeed alive, it means the Kuchiki Lord can abdicate power to the next in line, which is...something??? Maybe??? If you squint -_-

🌸Thing the Sixth: Byakuya married Rukia's sister, Hisana, a pauper from Rukongai🌸

I'll pin that factoid here since it's interesting in the sense that we learn that Byakuya was given a choice as to his bride. That choice, as noted below, seemed to go over like a lead balloon with the fam.

Digging deeper, it is an odd choice for Mr. Law-and-Order Byakuya Kuchiki to fall in love with a peasant. Also, how the hell did L&O Kuchiki come across a peasant from Rukongai, anyway? We are given some details about the state of How Nobles and Peasants Interact from Renji's memories of the Academy days and the years that followed, so it doesn't seem like something that would have happened without some shenanigans. Kubo, however, has never shed light on this to my knowledge, which makes sense since it keeps Rukia's past mysterious, and mystery allows things to be open-ended should he want to take some random direction with Bleach at a later point in time.

🌸Thing the Seventh: Byakuya's marriage--or, more specifically, marrying someone from Rukongai--was against somebody's laws🌸

I say "somebody's laws" because it is unclear to me whose laws are being violated based on the English translation of the manga. I am assuming that it is the nobility's/Seireitei's laws and not clan-specific laws, but maybe the Kuchiki have their own black-letter laws and regulations along with the necessary guidance materials for interpretive and procedural purposes. (You just know this family has an Employee Handbook if you join along with a week-long orientation process with a test you must pass before you are allowed to do anything.) To support that assumption is another scene from CFYOW, also between Kyouraku and Tokinada:

I would assume that if a noble family could raise objections to what another noble family was up to re: marriage, that whatever Byakuya was doing here was a violation of the Law, law and not the Kuchiki Handbook for Good Little Heirs and Their Noble Consorts.

Digressing, the phrasing of "marrying someone from Rukongai" is interesting. Literally taken, this phrasing means even spiritually gifted folks who were born outside Seireitei would be precluded from marrying a high noble or, more narrowly, a Kuchiki. Which means that souls going through the soul cycle would be precluded, along with souls born in Rukongai. This is interesting since we learn that Vice Captains can mingle with high nobles, thus explaining Renji's dogged motivation to become a Vice Captain so that he could reunite with Rukia. It's possible that: (i) Byakuya is speaking imprecisely here or the translation is imprecise; (ii) socializing and marrying have different standards (i.e., Renji can share the same air as Rukia but they can't marry per the law/Kuchiki custom); and/or (iii) the laws/customs for an heir/current head of a Great Noble family are different from the laws/customs for members of that same family who are not in the direct or immediate line of succession.

🌸Thing the Eighth: Byakuya adopted Rukia as a sibling, which was also against The Rules🌸

Okay, so, here is where I want to talk about family.

The credited response whenever thinking about fictional families.

Specifically, the Kuchiki family presumably consists of more than just Byakuya, Ginrei, Soujun, Hisana, and Rukia. There are these--quite literally--faceless "family" members (see: the black panel above full of absolutely no one). How many other Kuchiki are there? Who can say? How influential are they? Well, Kubo makes it sound in his Q&A that the family is generally regarded as talented, so, probably somewhat. They are also members of one of the Great Noble Families, so... they have that going for them.

It doesn't seem as if these nameless, faceless "family" have much of a vote on what the Head chooses to do. What did resistance even look like, here? A strongly worded letter? A drive-by "I disagree!" in the corridors of Kuchiki Manor? Pearl clutching in the halls? I suppose there could have been defections. Perhaps some branch families decided to align themselves with another Great Noble Family to avoid the "sullying" of being associated with Rukon girls. We know the Tsunayashiro objected, but... in what forum? How did that look? Was it a public debate? A congressional hearing? A strong finger wagging at the Seireitei Convention Center?

A n y w a y....

These fistfuls of fun little factoids sort of bring me to the conundrum of what's next for this family?

Based on what I've read and retained, I get the sense that Byakuya hasn't remarried. (However, this, too, may be an assumption since Bleach isn't really about the nobility aside from Ichigo's curious place in it.) We also don't have any sense of who would be the next in line for the Kuchiki. It doesn't appear that Byakuya and Hisana's marriage produced a viable heir (although... this, also, is an assumption), and we don't have a next-in-line Vice Captain holding the water for Byakuya.

Perhaps Byakuya would marry again and produce an heir. However, given how the marriages in Bleach tend to go, though, perhaps not.

The sibling adoption angle is an interesting one, and one that I sort of wish Bleach had stuck with when it came to "families" (i.e., the better-funded families snatching up powerful prospects elsewhere to groom to be the next in line). This may have been the direction Kubo was heading from the very beginning, when Byakuya and Renji were introduced. And, there's historical precedent in the Edo period and earlier eras in Japan where families would adopt young men to groom and later run the family.

Perhaps, if ever revisited, this question is answered solely for the sake of parsimony/everything getting wrapped up in a pretty red bow, and Ichika becomes the next in line.

[odd-odds-and-oddities]