#I hope I am not missing anything

[distinguished-slacker]

Please ignore this post I am just creating a checklist for when Mitsuba will get screentime so I will know how many of the facts (including silly ones) I brought up these past years about her have been addressed:

☘️☘️☘️☘️☘️☘️☘️☘️☘️☘️☘️☘️☘️☘️☘️☘️☘️☘️

Mitsuba’s demon debut (I hope it’s not another child-looking one…)

The mitsudomoe tattoo on her demon’s chest (does the tattoo imply the demon is Mitsuba’s or the Sangū clan’s possession? does Aoi’s demon have it too?)

Both fanbooks and the Bloody Blades game saying Mitsuba’s axe’s ability is to manifest an infinite number of demons (yet we only see her manifesting three at most so is she perhaps not using her cursed gear to its full potential or is it just Yamamoto not wanting to draw all that?)

Fanbook 8.5 stating there is no difference in strength between the demons of first to third rank (so Mitsuba’s demon shouldn’t be weaker than those of her squadmates)

What the hell was that time when some of her arm was sliced by Crowley, there was blood but then the next chapter she was surprised that there was no injury?

The similar names of Mitsuba and Aoi’s demons (note: Tenjiryū “Heaven-shaped dragon” and Chijiryū “Earth-shaped dragon”; are their demons perhaps related too? siblings? twins? halves of each other?)

Why is Mitsuba’s demon named after the sky and yet her manifestations come from the earth she cracks?

Why is Aoi’s cursed gear golden?

Why does the hilt of Aoi’s cursed gear have three-leaf clover symbol and drawings? (note: Mitsuba’s name means “three-leaf clover”)

Mitsuba backstory flashback chapter when?

The Sangū clan curse making all of its members blonde (note: the LN mentioned both hair colour-related curses of the Jūjō and Sangū clans but only the Jūjō’s backstory was explained)

Parents (were they good parents and why the hell did they appear out of nowhere?; judging by Mitsuba’s reaction to seeing them I feel like they were good…at least to her)

Did their parents name their daughters that way for a reason or was it just them being silly? (note: “Aoi” refers to a two-leafed plant while “Mitsuba” refers to a three-leafed plant yet they are the first and second daughters; is there perhaps another one?)

Why Mitsuba has such a bad relationship with Aoi?

Her feelings for Aoi

Did Kagami intentionally make Aoi start serve Kureto the same year Mitsuba was born? (Aoi was 7 at the time, the same age gap she has with Mitsuba, suggesting that Aoi was never around since Mitsu was born)

When did Mitsu join the army and how long did it take her to join the Vampire Extermination Unit?

Why did she join the army? (nepotism? forced to? had a desire to prove herself?; note: in one of the CD dramas Shinoa had to ask that question to her squad and Mitsuba was the only one who didn’t answer because she was too uncomfortable to say it)

How was her life with her previous squad?

How was her life after her squad died?

Why is she not loyal to the Hīragis?

When and under what circumstances did she meet Shinoa?

The weird stares she gives at Shinoa when she is with Yuu (I am placing my bets she is not jealous of Shinoa and rather she is just intrigued by her sudden emotional moments when she is with Yuu because the Shinoa she knows has always kept everyone at a distance…maybe she was also hurt that Shinoa appreciated more Yuu worrying for her in chapter 99 than Mitsuba worrying about her since Shinoa kinda half ignored her in chapter 86…also read a theory saying she fears Yuu and Shinoa getting together and leaving her behind just like Aoi did with Kureto)

Her feelings for Yuu (please don’t let her have an ‘officially confirmed’ crush on him)

Her feelings for Shinoa (note: in the fanbook 108 she said she worries for Shinoa the most and that Yuu comes second; it would be so good if she tried to get knock some sense into Shinoa for um…well, you know)

Her inferiority complex towards her squad

How she felt when abandoning the army

How she felt after failing to prevent Yuu from getting kidnapped

How she felt after being left alone when the war broke out

How she felt when she did was the only one of her squad to not contribute in the defeat of Shikama Dōji

If she is aware she is never contributing during conversations

Her view on the resurrection plan (is she actually going to resurrect her parents?)

Mitsuba’s desire

✔️: if the point is partially addressed

☑️: if fully addressed

✅: if one of the possibilities/theories mentioned becomes true

I hope that by the end of this year at least 2 of these points are addressed🤧 A lot of years ago Kagami said there is something awaiting Mitsuba and in the autograph session last Autumn he confirmed he has plans for her. So let me hope🥹…

[obsob]

despite, despite, despite!!

[mizunoir]

stargazing ⭐

happy [late] laven week!

[luminique]

wrio x you pt. 2 because the people (me too) asked for it

you’re the only exception of people who were in his past that he’d try reconnecting with. he swore to himself that he never would but the memory of you haunted him every day and night.

working in the fortress didn’t even make it easier. he’d reminisce the past during his daily checks, filled with fights, scratches and blood, but you were each other’s rock in this cold and dark prison. sleepless nights where he’d go over to your bunk, you’d both be talking and laughing about the future until other inmates woke up to give both of you a good beating.

a letter wouldn’t hurt. signed and sealed, ‘Duke of the Fortress of Meropide, Wriothesley’ with the wolf insignia on the wax seal. he read the letter multiple times until he got sick of it and threw it in the trash. any and every free time he had, it was spent to write the perfect letter to you.

he even consulted sigewinne, clorinde and neuvillette for more opinions. it was honestly humorous to see the Duke be this… frustrated over something as trivial as a letter. his trash basket was overflowing with crumpled up pieces of paper.

“wriothesley, this letter feels too formal.” was a comment by clorinde about his 10th attempt. “you should add more emotion!” sigewinne responded after reading his 27th attempt. “i am not too familiar with matters relating to human love however i do believe that you have not conveyed that in this letter,” said by neuvillette regarding his 59th attempt.

he lost count of how many letters he had written, how many ink bottles he had opened, how many seals he had stamped. it was eating at him, and now the heavy weight of whether you’d even feel the same way back was beginning to creep in.

the ink pooled on the paper. he had run out of ideas, his hand shaking from the fear of it being imperfect. he couldn’t handle it anymore and let his emotions take over him. every word he wrote that night came straight from his heart instead of his brain, putting aside his own formality and rules for you. it’d be another scrapped attempt anyway…

‘With all my love, Wriothesley’, signed off with no wax seal. he had read somewhere that colored wax was used by sculptors when they made mistakes. this letter was no mistake, his love for you was no mistake.

he used his connections, specifically neuvillette and the maison gardiennage, to find where you had decided to settle down. he originally intended to have it sent to you by courier, but here he was, standing in front of your front door. to have the Duke come all the way up to the surface and hand deliver you his letter, oh how smitten he was over you. a quick fix of his outfit, brushed off any dust and fixed his hair before he knocked on the door.

he could hear your footsteps as you scurried over to the door, your voice behind it.

“i didn’t order anything. why is there a-“

you were cut off by the sight in front of you. his charming smile and blue-grey eyes that captivated you the moment you became friends in the fortress. he straightened up his posture, clearly taken aback by how much you’ve changed but it seemed to go both ways.

“good morning, i believe we have some catching up to do.” he said before holding out the letter for you to take. the sun was still out, there was tea in the kitchen and you had time to spare. next thing you know, you were sitting next to each other on the sofa and chatting about each other’s new lives, times changed yet feelings stayed the same.

[ratguy-nico]

Adivinen quien al fin dibujo algo? Wich means I'm back baby!

Its not perfect (like everything I made), but I just love drawing comic-like-stuff, I get to relax more. I dont try to do the lines perfectly or the super accurate anatomy (mostly cause I dont know shit about anatomy at all) and also get to be more simple in the colors, wich helps cause I struggle making colors a lot.

I missed drawing my babies...but why did I drawing them like that? XD I swear...I think I should have seen some reference cause I totally change the way I draw the Burger Babys which is crazy for me XD

Now...is this an AU, is this them as teenagers, why is Louise working on Aplebees? Well I didnt put an exact age for the guys here, they could be 16 or 19 I dunno.

This is solely based on this post from @zer0ogravity I lmao with this and totally need it to draw it.

btw I from Latam, I didn't knew what Applebees was until making this comic so if Applebees dont look like this sorry.

[quins-makeshift-menagerie]

As most of you know I try my best to be civil and kind. I’m too exhausted and the world sucks too much for me to go about making other people feel like shit, it’s not really something I see worthy of my or anyone’s time really. I try to keep things positive not only because it might brighten someone else’s day but for my own sake. I curate this space because I know a lot of you feel and experience the same things I do. Do not twist this into me being delusional. I am fully aware the internet can be an unkind place, but that doesn’t mean my blog, my space, has to follow that example.

Be kind, be patient, and be respectful, not that the majority of you haven’t already been doing so. Asks are open again. Anonymous will be turned on again when I feel comfortable.

Apologies to those who used anon because they were nervous/anxious. I completely understand where you’re coming from and this is nothing against you. Regardless I do hope you stick around, and maybe one day work up the courage to be open with me. Or continue to keep your distance, I completely understand that too.

[akirathedramaqueen]

Is the knowledge of magic gatekept by Hell's elite?

Time for another shitpost speculative analysis. And, suddenly, no conclusions—just some facts I’ve gathered about the topic from the show and a bunch of questions for you. Because this time, as much as I would’ve liked to deliver some hot details, there isn’t enough information yet, and I prefer not to claim anything without having at least some degree of certainty in it.

So let's just talk and make some fun, semi-educated guesses, shall we?

Yesterday, @tealvenetianmask released a wonderful post about Blitzø and his insecurity regarding his intelligence. Give it a read—it's a topic that isn’t discussed enough. One of the points raised was his limited access to education, which made me think.

Grimoire.

An infinitely powerful artifact possessed by Stolas Goetia is central to the series, at least before The Full Moon episode, as it is the only way for Blitzø to access the mortal realm. While it serves its own purposes for bringing together—and ultimately breaking apart—Stolas and Blitzø, it also has many interesting properties and details that allow us to speculate on magic as a whole.

It made me think: Who theoretically can use this grimoire or other spell artifacts? Why is it that no one but Stolas is permitted to use it? Are there genetic and/or biological reasons for this, or is the restriction societally driven?

Namely, would all hell beings be able to use magic if given the chance to learn it?

Let’s examine the evidence we have and try to answer at least some of these questions.

Clue one: Using the grimoire by anyone other than Stolas is illegal

It is clearly stated by Stolas himself in these two episodes.

You know, I have been... permitting you to access the mortal realm less than... legally for quite some time now? S1EP1, Murder Family, 8:31

You will be able to go anywhere you want in the human realm without fear of consequence. Without breaking demon law. You no longer need my grimoire. S2EP8, The Full Moon, 19:05

The question is, why? We know it’s not crucial to have Goetia blood to channel magic from the grimoire—Loona has read spells from it, as we'll discuss later.

Could the reason be that the Goetia family wants to keep their powerful artifacts a secret and maintain their hold on power?

Clue two: Magic books are written in runes

The grimoire and Stolas's book about Asmodean crystals are written in runes, suggesting the potential existence of a language barrier when sharing magic-related knowledge.

Left - S1EP6, Truth Seekers, 17:44 Right - S2EP1, The Circus, 19:45

It is oddly convenient if you want fewer people to understand the sacred information you wish to keep to yourself.

Clue three: Stolas does not need his grimoire to cast spells from it

It is briefly discussed in the Seeing Stars episode.

[Blitzo]: No chance you can conjure us a couple of those, can ya? [Stolas]: Sadly, no. I'm afraid without my grimoire, my powers are just a tad limited in the human world. [Blitzo]: What, you can't memorize your fucking spells? [Stolas]: Oh, your memory's so great?  S2EP2, Seeing Stars, 6:33

See, Stolas does not deny Blitzø's assumption and gets annoyed when his memory is belittled. Therefore, I believe we can safely deduce that it is indeed a matter of only remembering the necessary chants to cast a spell. It is still possible that the artifact holds power on its own and Stolas needs it to access magic in the mortal realm, but it doesn't seem like the absence of the book prevented him from making two poor little human beings soil their little fancy trousers.

S1EP6, Truth Seekers, 19:11

And he does not need the book to summon the portals, it is seen multiple times throughout the series.

S1EP6, Truth Seekers, 20:10

Not mentioning him performing small magic tricks quite regularly:

Left - S2EP6, Oops, 7:42 Right - S2EP8, The Full Moon, 2:00

So, can we make a conclusion the grimoire is not so unique after all, if to memorize all the spells? Not sure, because... okay, I promise, we will get back to it later.

Clue four: Loona can use the grimoire, even though she is a lower-class demon

And she can shapeshift without any artifacts, which might suggest she has more magical abilities than other members of I.M.P. Her ability to read runes is also noteworthy.

Shhhit! I can't... I can't read the spell in this light! I can't see dick! S1EP6, Truth Seekers, 17:43

Do you think she could become a skilled magician with proper education? It's quite impressive that she knows the rune language to begin with, given her origin!

Clue five: Blitzø, Millie, and Moxxie are never seen using the book

Is this accidental, or are they simply unable to use the book? If the latter, is it because they are physically incapable of channeling magic (e.g., due to being imps), or is it because they don’t understand the language of the spells?

I noticed them bantering about replacing Loona because of her horrible attitude once or twice (such as at the beginning of the Seeing Stars episode). Does this mean they could take on her responsibility of opening the portal, or is it just bluff? There’s no way to know for sure.

If I'm so terrible, how about you just grow a pair and replace me? S2EP2, Seeing Stars, 3:03

Clue six: The I.M.P. crew is never shown trying any spells from the book other than those for portals

I.M.P. never tries any spells other than opening the portal, which seems strange, especially since they could have used disguise spells, as mentioned earlier in clue three.

Is it because they physically can’t use other spells, or is it an unspoken rule not to meddle with a powerful artifact whose true implications they might not fully understand?

Clue seven: Without the grimoire, the I.M.P. crew is not able to access the mortal realm

And it is posed as a big deal—the whole Season 2 setup revolves around Stolas freeing Blitzø by calling off the transactional agreement and providing a grimoire replacement, the Asmodean crystal.

Official Music Video, Just Look My Way, 0:11

This seems to contradict clue three. Perhaps there are specifics we have yet to learn or understand.

Why? If simply remembering the spell is enough, they would only need the book once. If Loona can read runes, she could write the spells down when Blitzø stole it, making the entire ordeal unnecessary.

Maybe, just knowing the spell isn’t enough to use it without the book. Maybe, special education or training is needed to prepare the body for it. Or, maybe, being born into royalty is a prerequisite for channeling magic without artifacts.

Maybe, if not conclusions, let's at least make a guess?

So, here’s everything I’ve gathered on the matter.

Without additional information, it seems a bit contradictory, and I admit, I sometimes get the feeling these might be plot holes left because this isn’t the focus of the story. This would be surprising though, as the show is usually very detailed and well-built in terms of worldbuilding.

I’m going to try to fill in these gaps with my speculations, just for fun. Please don’t consider this as making any claims; it’s more about me engaging in some mental gymnastics because I’m a lore geek and love figuring out how the fictional world works in media.

So, my take on whether the knowledge is gatekept or not: in short, it is.

If not so short:

I speculate (like highly speculate, because I have no proof), that any hellbeing could theoretically learn and use magic. It might require certain genetic preconditions, natural talent, and extensive training, but success is possible to varying degrees;

Artifacts assist in channeling magic for those who are untrained—like the grimoire helps the I.M.P. crew open portals;

Magic knowledge is encoded in runes to complicate the learning process for those not taught in it;

This knowledge is kept secret and shared only within royal circles, with different branches having their own secret techniques and specialties;

There are also laws prohibiting the sharing of this knowledge with lower-class demons.

Why? It’s simple—power wouldn’t be power if it could be used by just anyone. Withholding resources and granting access to it only to the wealthy is a characteristic of non-democratic regimes, and, mind you, Hell is an absolute monarchy at best.

But what do you think? Share your opinion via poll, reblogs, and comments!

Instead of my usual funny giggles at the end, I’ll reiterate from my reblog yesterday:

FREE AND ACCESSIBLE EDUCATION FOR ALL

Because only by sharing knowledge and making it public can the community truly prosper.

[ohno-the-sun]

edit:

CLOSED

Thank you to everyone who applied!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yayaya done with the MAP call art and video

If you would like to participate in this Daycare Attendant themed MAP please fill out this form and read the rules listed there.

I have also made a part breakdown for everyone's reference

Latest I will contact people by will be September 1st, if there's still parts open by then I will extend the deadline

A discord will be made for all the animators so they can talk and collaborate if they like (not mandatory to join)

In general I want to give the artists as much time as possible but timeline will be around 3-4 months.

The parts are pretty long so make sure you have the time/motivation!

And for organization I'm gonna put all the stuff relating to this project under the tag #DCA animators project

If you have any questions or concerns please let me know!

Also shoutout to @chaireem and @garbagechocolate for helping me with the form and logistics

Tagging everyone who expressed interest in the tags or comments on the first post below the cut

Sorry if I missed you!

@benji-draws @the-squishy-scrimblo @quetzal-pretzel-blog @piixelpaint @aquilacalvitium @just-a-drawing-bean @tenaciouslittlething @peanut-007 @modellingispainge @burntchickenlookingass @kibbits @kandidandi

[true-bluesargent]

guys am i missing something for real because why do people care SO much about tommy and about his relationship with buck??? like not even from a buddie perspective or anything like i don't have anything against tommy but. he's had the same amount of screentime as all buck's other love interests maybe even less... and we never saw him outside of buck either so it was clear that he was only there as a love interest and unfortunately on 911 the only love interests that tend to stick are the ones who are already established characters (maddie and chimney, bobby and athena). and he was also giving kind of nothing personality-wise sorry😭

[cathalbravecog]

scenecore misty back at it again!! + a speedpaint! :D

it wasn't meant to be a youtube link, but uploading the video file itself won't work, so apologies about that i know youtube links are annoying on tumblr please don't kill me </3

[deoidesign]

.

[fncreature]

an explanation for this image

so, did you guys know that Wato uploads youtube shorts from time to time? Neither did I! I didn’t go looking, either, I took a break from irl stuff to scroll mindlessly, and I’m met with fucking lore. Wato1876 is ruining my life.

So, the short (in video format because it’s easier to look through) can be found here.

So, what happens here? This is, as stated in the description, a clip from the prologue. And, since in the prologue, it jumpcuts to the future, this is what actually happens when wato falls down there.

What actually happens here? it’s the clip from the prologue- but instead of cutting to the future, with Omz Mask Wifies in the escape room, Wato falls down a bedrock tunnel into the white blob, facing a player/entity with an entirely black skin except for the Omz Mask, and then it starts an undertale fight (I don’t know how to explain it. It shows the classic red heart over their chest, and then it moves to the side like what happens in Undertale, iirc)

So, this is the infamous white blob room. But, there’s one crucial difference.

The redstone- which, in many maps is used to signify blood- is gone. So, likely, someone died in here.

I’ll be honest, I don’t know who.

We now can assume this is powdered snow, as Wato falls directly into the middle of it- but his landing is cut off, so we can’t be sure. @enlighten3d’s theory proposes that the Omz Mask is tied to this white blob. While interesting, I disagree- I think this is a trap made for Wato. Why? I don’t know. But powdered snow is an interesting block to be used to stop a player’s fall- it slows them down significantly, and they can start taking freezing damage. If this is a trap, then using powered snow to stop a fall gives the trapper a significant advantage. Otherwise, why not use water? This is a trap made for Wato.

Now, let’s be honest. I’m avoiding the main question here. Who the hell is this?

We have no idea. It wears the Omz Mask over an entirely black skin, and likely, it sets a trap for Wato. But that’s all we know about them. This figure has never been seen before.

Well, that’s not actually true.

@crowskullls pointed out that the Omz Mask can be seen watching the interrogation in the epilogue. But, this isn’t just any character with the mask. This is the same character in the white blob room. So, who is this character? I’m just going to be calling them the Omz Entity from now on (Omz Mask is too confusing, Omz is already a player).

I have two theories for what the Omz Entity is- 1, it is the original creator/wearer of the Omz Mask, and it wants it back, or 2, this is an entity/demon/something that controls the people wearing the mask.

Personally, I’m leaning towards the first theory for a couple of reasons- based on my theory, during the prologue, Omz Mask Wifies has already been created, and so Wato no longer has the Mask. If the Omz Entity wants it back, it makes sense to trap Wato- he likely has no idea that Wato no longer has the mask, but killing the person with the mask gives you the mask back. This also explains why he’s watching the interrogation in the epilogue. He’s looking for clues, or to see if either Kenadian or Wifies have the mask. Possibly, he is the person who kills Omz Mask Wifies. And if he’s the creator, it makes sense that it looks like he has it, even if he doesn’t.

And there’s the third theory that I haven’t mentioned- this is thing is made to fuck with Wato. This might be the person he mentioned watching him while falling down a pit when he’s being interrogated. And, as pointed out, the Omz Entity is watching the interrogation- watching Wato. Why? I don’t know.

This raises so many questions. Whatever went down in the white blob room, it wasn’t a lore sort of perma-death, as we see both characters later. So, what is the Omz Entity, why is it there, and what does it want? We don’t know. The theories I prefer are that it is the creator and wants it back, or that this thing is stalking Wato in particular. This does explain the random shot of the cabin from the outside- this is the perspective of the Omz Entity. That’s basically all we know about this character.

Honestly, I’m still very confused.

(@brain-empty)

[whatsaudreythinkingabout]

spto coming out has been such a surreal experience bc before it came out i was like. the one roxie kinnie (at least as far as i was aware, i’m not doubting that there were more out there) & now she has like a million stans and half of me is like “FINALLY other people who understand her the way i do” and the other half is like “i liked her before it was cool. my blorbo. mine.”

[munadyke]

saw a post recently of people complaining about how costuming is never given proper budget/attention anymore which is definitely true for a lot of shows/movies however. um not to bring up willow (2022) again but....

[orangehalfpeeled]

using curly-haired mcc etho to distract you from how i dropped off the face of the earth :P!!

[recurring-polynya]

Good morning, happy Thursday, who wants to read a fun idea I had about giants in Soul Society?

So! I was reading this @littleeyesofpallas post about wuxing symbolism and was particularly struck by this passage in a section about the gate guardians:

There is no central guard but conspicuously Kirinji's name comes from Qilin, but apparently according to official height he's actually not nearly as tall as Kubo's drawings always made him seem. Not that he was on the same scale as the gate guardians even then...

No, I said to myself, of course not. He's powerful enough to control his size, because I was thinking of the part where Grand Fisher claims Isshin is too small to defeat him and Isshin responds with a lecture on soul reaper lore:

Now, bodies are not swords, but maybe the same mechanic applies! It certainly applies to Hollows. Earlier in this same scene, Kon mistakes Grand Fisher for a Menos Grande, and Grand Fisher is insulted by the comparison, but it's the same thing. Menos are huge and scary, but when they become Arrancar, they shrink down and become scarier. [Aside: I think this is why the Yammy-is-secretly-Espada-0 reveal doesn't quite manage to hit. It goes against the lore Kubo has been laying down for ages]

On a meta level, this is just a shounen storytelling tactic where X is an indicator of strength, but then later on, it's like "Reverse Uno! Not-X is the real indicator of strength!!" That's exactly how this zanpakutou-size thing is used when it's first introduced.

Exhibit A: Renji, a court jester, being impressed by the size of Ichigo's sword:

Exhibit B: A handful of issues later, Urahara, an intellectual (lol), sets us straight:

Genre convention or not, I think it lends itself some interesting world-building. Among low-powered people, size is impressive, but as you scale the ranks of power, it's kind of pathetic. Weirdly large people are like the petty bourgeoisie of Soul Society power dynamics.

But that's actually the perfect niche for a gatekeeper! In general, your typical Joe Shinigami is going to be able to take on just about any rando from the Rukongai, but maybe not a particularly strong ryouka. Ganju was able to take on Yumichika, after all. A single shinigami wouldn't be able to take on a planned rebellion, like in the Bount arc, and they've got to, like, sleep and stuff. The Gotei could, in theory, have an entire gatehouse and a gate patrol, etc, but that they are perpetually short-staffed as-is. Instead, how about one medium-powerful gatekeeper whose size makes them well-suited for fighting groups of people (or siege weapons), and who is going to be intimidating overall?

Furthermore, it's implied that Jidanbou isn't actually a shinigami. He wears a shihakushou, but his axes don't seem to be a zanpakutou (he doesn't release them and is distressed when they are destroyed). His neighbors offer this comment on him:

It's not quite right, though: after all, many shinigami are from Rukongai, including Gin, who is the reason Jidanbou is being healed at the very moment this panel takes place. I think what this guy means is that Jidanbou is of Rukongai, which is to say not of the Seireitei.

So what is he, then? Here's my big idea: I think that the gigantism in Soul Society might actually be a reiatsu-developmental disability! It's always been my impression that growth, especially for powerful people, happens in fits and spurts, rather than linearly, and that furthermore, big changes in growth tend to coincide with developments in reiryouku. Somewhere, either in childhood or adolescence, someone's spiritual pressure grows more quickly than their control over it, which results in their body growing uncontrollably. They become very powerful "physically", but their strength is all in their mass/reishi, which takes most of their spiritual pressure to control. This may end up limiting the upper end of power they are able to achieve and some cases means they get cut off entirely from the other forms of power used by shinigami (connecting to a zanpakutou, kidou). I think this might be especially common in children from the Rukongai, who lack access to education and training. I can also imagine it leading itself to cautionary tales in the outer Rukon that if you feed your hungry children too much, you'll end up with a giant on your hands.

This offers one explanation to why Jidanbou is a giant and his brother Jiroubou is large, but not remotely on the same scale (the Souls Data Book lists his height at 7'7" vs Jidanbou's 32'5"). There are a handful of other shinigami of larger-than-human height, which could be a milder form of this, or it could mean that some sort of special training or medical intervention helped keep their growth manageable. I think you can squeeze in a lot of interesting character insights into this headcanon, from Hachi (8'5"), who perhaps worked exceptionally hard in an effort to control his power and ended becoming incredibly skilled at kidou as a result (interesting that he, too, is not actually a shinigami). Or Oomaeda (6'11"), who gets by a lot on his family's wealth and clout, but is definitely on the weaker end of the lieutenant power scale. In his case, his large size kind of speaks to his entire "thinks he's classy, but is really just gaudy"/can't-even-tell-how-outclassed-he-is-by-his-peers deal.

Then, as a counterpoint, you've got Hitsugaya: immensely powerful from a young age, and one of the hallmarks of his character is how in-control of himself he is, down to having developed an actual visible power bar for his bankai. Whether this is some effect of his personality, or whether it's an intervention on Hyourinmaru's part, his growth has been choked off as a side effect. He's the direct opposite of Jidanbou, who additionally seems somewhat childlike in personality (crying over his axes, for example, or his attachment to his extremely dubious "rules of the city"). To me, it's very sweet that their friendship might have roots in opposite expressions of the same reiatsu-growth-fuckup.

Much in the way that the Shiba use some sort of magic that's distinctly different from shinigami-kidou, I guess I really like thinking about other ways power might manifest itself in Soul Society outside of the shinigami-industrial-complex. And also the way the Seireitei may or may not try to control those powers."Guard this gate!" they say. "We won't actually let you live in the city or give you city wages, but you can have a cool outfit and, uh...do it for the exposure?"