#also as an uryuu fan

[bothzangetsus]

Ichibe's power is too high-concept to be wasted on Ichibe, I'm sorry

[hailsatanacab]

today I had to explain to my 11 year old anime obsessed nephew what yuri is, and then later I had to explain to my 36 year old anime obsessed brother what yuri is

[thewritetofreespeech]

Could I request Ishida, Ichigo, and Byakuya just kissing their s/o passionately only to get interrupted by someone walking in on them?

Byakuya/Ichigo/Ishida - Interuptions in Inopportune Interludes

Byakuya

“I won’t be long. Just stay here. The squad will protect you.”

“I don’t need protection.” [Y/N] insisted as they looked up at Byakuya with earnest and determination. “I want to be with you.”

The captain smiled; or rather the corner of his lips tilted up. His hand reached out to clasp their cheek. “You will be with me. In my heart. But I cannot do what needs to be done if I’m worrying about you. Please, stay here with the 6th and keep order in my stead.”

[Y/N] huffed and turned their head away, but nodded.

Byakuya lifted their head back up towards him and leaned in for a kiss. He was aware this was dangerous. He was aware that the threat of death was a possibility. He was also aware that he couldn’t stand the thought of them being out there in the middle of it, and would gladly take on this danger alone to keep them safe.

He was also aware this was the last time he could see them.

“Captain! The enemy has broken through the first barriers on the west gate! 1st squad said—”

Byakuya pulled away from his love to level a stern, icy hot glare, at his vice-captain. “I will be there shortly.”

Renji visibly gulped and backed out of the room quickly. “I will be back as soon as I can.” He placed a kiss on their knuckles. “Be safe.”

Ichigo

“This is so stupid….”

“Come on. Don’t pout.” Ichigo replied. Halfhearted as he knew there was no way they weren’t going to pout. It just seemed like the thing to say.

“Why do I have to stay here?!” [Y/N] insisted. This close to stamping their foot down about it. “I’m not a child! And I’m not helpless! I can fight too!”

“I know you can.” He told them. “But I just want you to stay here and help with the ones that make it past. There important too!”

“You just want me benched and picking off small fries.” [Y/N] flopped down on the couch and literally pouted. Clearly not a fan of his plan.

Ichigo sighed and came up to them. “Look, I’ll be honest ok?” They glanced up at him, but only a little. “It makes me anxious when you’re out there.” They seemed surprised by his answer and Ichigo rubbed the back of his head. “It’s one thing when it’s the others, but with you….I can’t think straight and it makes me do stupid stuff. I’d just feel better if you stayed back here. Where I know you’re safe.”

They seemed to think it over for a minute before [Y/N] sighed. “I guess that makes sense. In a really dumb way.”

Ichigo smirked, then knelt down in front of them. “Hey, I never said I was a smart one. Just good looking.”

[Y/N] laughed a little, and Ichigo leaned in to give them a kiss. He was telling them the truth. Of course he cared about his friends & comrades on the battle field. With [Y/N] though, he’d do really stupid stuff to keep them safe.

“Ichigo! We have to get to the west gate! The barricade as already---”

“Jeez Renji! Ever think of knocking!”

The other red head seemed to sputter, sensing deja vu, but then just left to go tell the others.

“Least I won’t be the dumbest one out there.” Ichigo muttered, before he turned to [Y/N] and gave them a quick kiss. “I’ll be back. Keep your head down and try not to break anything important if you can!”

Ishida

“Are you sure you’re fine with this?”

“Yes, Uryuu, go. I said I’ll be fine and….I want to help.”

Ishida’s face scrunched in an unappealing frown as he looked around. He supposed that the 4th was the safest place for them. It was the highest concentration of healers, and Captain Unohana was there; who always somehow gave Ishida a cold chill. Still, he didn’t want them to be anywhere near a battle. “Let me just have someone open a portal to send you home. Humans shouldn’t be here.”

“You’re here.” They insisted.

To which Ishida pushed up his glasses and told them, “that’s different. I’m a Quincy.”

[Y/N] stood up from their crouched position, helping get some of the beds ready for the inevitable injured, and looked him dead in the eye. “I know I’m not like the rest of you. I know I’m not special. Or have powers. Or am good at fighting. But this is something I can do. I want to help. If my friends, and the world, is in danger I want to do something. Let me do this so I can feel important for a change too.”

Ishida instantly buckled at their resolve. He should have known better. [Y/N] had a huge heart and wanted to help everyone. There was no way he was going to get them to budge. “You are important.”

The quincy leaned in and gave them a kiss. Permission, in a way, although they didn’t need it, for them to stay while he went out and fought. He’d honestly feel better knowing there were here to take care of him if he was injured.

“Ishida! Man, everyone is being super crazy today. We need to get to—”

“Get out of here Renji! This is a private area!” Ishida shouted, beet red at being caught kissing his s/o.

This time Renji just huffed with a shrug and walked out. “Did you really need to yell at him?”

“He…He startled me!”

[Y/N] smiled. Then they leaned up to give him another quick peck. “Try not to get cut. I’m not as good with a needle and thread as you are.”

[gallusrostromegalus]

For thinkmeat jiggling: Does that Don Kanonji guy have much of a role in AEIWAM? (Also, I spent a joyful few hours today putting together a Ritual/Fusion-themed Deck from only my vast collection of loose YGO cards, because TPOFATGIF's mere existence put me back in touch with a long-dormant fandom and I'm SO HAPPY right now -- thanks much!)

HE DOES ACTUALLY!

I know that the point of all the terrible/absent parents in children's/young adult fiction is that they're being set aside from the narrative so the juvenile protagonists can shine and instill confidence in the reader to overcome challenges in life.

But I'm 33 now and this is my fic and I'm writing out my middle-aged Queer/ND fantasy of ADULTS WHO SHOW THE FUCK UP FOR THE KIDS WHEN NEEDED, so Mr. Don Kanonji is an important member of Team Ichigo. Namely, the Adult Supervision who knows how to file paperwork, occasionally say "Kids, that's illegal" and putting himself between them and Problems. Kon also gets a new narrative life, and Don takes over the Supervision of Karkura Town for him when Ichigo is away, along with Uryuu's Mom, who also got an excavator to her story and as one friend put it, "I can't believe you Un-fridged her by killing her like that??".

He was also an auditor for an accounting firm before he decided to quit, spend a few years in Europe as a fashion model*, and then stumbled into his televised ghost-hunting gig on accident, but that first job and his spiritual awareness mean Don Kanonji is the BANE of Kisuke Urahara's existence :)

He continues to be the Bane of Urahara's existence after the fic, because since he's already acquired this much spiritual ability in the living world (He's got a beam attack. Ichigo doesn't have a beam attack.) , he's stupid powerful once he passes on and enters Soul Society, and Now-Captain Rukia is still a fan, so he gets to continue to torment Urahara as a seated officer, if not an actual captain. :)

*that's canon actually.

[exo-raskreia]

you'll probably won't see this message but i'll send it anyway lol.. i love you speak your mind about how the ichihime ship isn't that great and has all the facts to bring it show that you're right. i always felt scared to say i don't ship ichihime cuz they're are alot of shippers that can get so intense about it. i always say that ichihime is a cute ship and they have their moments(i don't feel that way at all lol) cuz i don't want to be attacked for not liking how their story played out. twitter is a scary place oml💀 and they made me sorta believe that ichiruki doesn't have any chemistry and they're just siblings when i knew in my heart like yes they do have chemistry and are the superior ship. like ichigo cares more for chad and uryuu then orihime. but since their canon, i guess their love for each other is supposed to be legit. apparently ichigo sees his mother in orihime so i don't understand why that's not a turn-off for the shippers😭so yeah thanks for making me go back in my bleach fangirl era and making my 10-year old self to not feel guilty and stupid shipping ichiruki

Wow, thanks so much, anon! And ur welcome! I will forever be on IchiRuki's side no matter what anyone says 😤.

You don't have to be scared to support what was, and still is, the most popular ship in Bleach (and rightfully so). There was no real ship war during its run (despite what the antis try to claim now), as IR was shipped by most of the fanbase. IR had everything you could hope a M/F ship to have in a battle shounen, the most solid basis for becoming canon with just one more step...and yet... (Kubo fumbled 🙄). The theories on that are interesting...

While more than half the IR fandom is no longer active after that disastrous ending, it doesn't mean they're not still out there. I've seen even non-shippers still praise IR & see it as wasted potential & whatnot (triggering antis in the process 🤭). Not being canon doesn't take away from the fact that it is still the superior ship. Anyone with reading comprehension who reads the manga will see it & wonder why they didn't end up together.

IH was never popular in Japan. It was always far below IchiRuki & UlquiHime (Ori's most popular ship 👀. Kubo achieved in ONE arc what he couldn't achieve for IH the entire manga, like-). To this day, those 2 ships get more content than the canon ships 😌.

The antis are just triggered that despite becoming canon, their ship is still. not. popular. IH doesn't have nearly as much content (both canon AND fanon) as IR & UH despite being canon for almost 10 years. Yes, Kubo himself doesn't care enough to give them even one family sketch 🫢.

Compare that to the Naruto endgame ships (mainly NaruHina & SasuSaku), which have way more official AND fan content. Those were always popular, & still are, 10 years later since becoming canon. Pro-Bleach ED fans love to compare their ships with Naruto's yet are nowhere near as popular.

The IH's really thought they would get the NaruHina royal treatment after the ending (you know, like a movie, official drawings from the creator, interviews saying they were meant to be, merch, etc.), but instead only got a novel that wasn't even focused on them (Ren/Ruki is more popular than IH but mainly because of Rukia 🤣), which vaguely went over their so-called "development" & had chicken scratches a rough draft of a sketch for their ship 🫢. Kubo also said in an interview that IH tried dating in college once but then broke up, later getting back together at some point. Super vague. And mind you, all this happened AFTER Rukia's wedding 🫢👀. So, we can only guess what was going through Ichigo's mind- Doesn't sound like Ichigo was all that interested, huh? Yet the IH's claim he was madly in love with her & "came back to life for her" & whatnot. Almost 10 years later & Kubo still can't be clear on when Ichigo supposedly started to "fall" for Ori despite being his "intended" endgame 💀.

The WDKALY novel has such OOC content on there, like it can't be taken seriously. Apparently, Kubo barely had any involvement with it anyway? Those sketches he drew sure are telling, esp if he calls his drawings here as a "rough draft" 💀

"Chicken scratches" for the canon ships, fr 😭.

RR is another dumpster fire but also more meh for me so I don't have to delve into that one, however, here's a post I once made where I go over why I don't truly believe Renji had feelings for Rukia. Meanwhile, Rukia's sad expression on the novel cover & the sketch of heading to the altar with a scared expression (not even when she was headed to her own execution did she look like THAT) say it all anyway 🫢.

Oh, man, there's just so much to make fun of for the canon ships. Even when we lose, we still win. IH's have no content, so maybe that's why they're so bitter & IR & its shippers still live in their minds rent-free despite them calling it a "dead ship". You would think they'd happily enjoy their canon ship & yet... They get triggered whenever IR fanart garners thousands of likes on Twitter 😩...

So, anon, I suggest not to engage with antis, esp on platforms like Twitter & Reddit. They're cesspools full of dudebros & loud IH's. Ignore, block, &/or mute them. No need to try arguing with them & please do NOT cater to them. Do NOT give them the validation they don't even get from Kubo himself, nor his affiliates (LMFAO). Use that energy to look for other fellow IR's & enjoy IR content (and maybe anti-IH content in the right places; you can explore that tag on my blog if u wish 🤪).

As an old saying in this fandom went, "Keep Calm & Ship IchiRuki."

[forcebookish]

thanks for the tag, @retiredficwriter!!

Make a poll with 5 of your favorite rarepairs/crackships. See which one is everyone's favorite!

PROPAGANDA UNDER THE CUT!

obviously, my favorite is kaibaek. i feel like i don't ship a lot of rarepairs so these were kind of hard to come up with after kaibaek and widowana fjdsljldg i might have forgotten a more obvious one, sorry!

tagging: @ariadnekurosaki @takeanumbrella @monwillica @sssneakiest and idk if it's my internet connection but tumblr isn't letting me tag anything else. if you wanna do it, do it and tag me! i wanna see your rarepairs :D

KAIBAEK

my exo otp and one of my ultimate OTPs. they had a bit of a rocky start and had a hard time getting close pre-debut, but once they did they now have a sincere trust for each other. they're caring and protective of one another: jongin (kai) running to baekhyun when he was injured, comforting each other when they cry (baekhyun following after jongin and holding his hand; jongin gently tugging at his ear), baekhyun leading jongin through the airport when he was sick, jongin drinking bitter juice for him in a batsu game (the reason i started shipping them), and so on. they've had to deal with a lot of similar situations wrt hate from fans (added to the group late, "overly" featured, dating scandals, etc.), as well as challenges with simply being in exo, superm, and sm in general. they admire each other, compliment and complement each other, and aspire to be as accomplished as each other; they support each other's solo careers and are always excited for each other. easily my favorite thing about them is why they're a rare pair in the first place, despite being in two groups together: their interactions, even the more affectionate ones, are rarely played up for fanservice. it's often little, private moments where they lean on each other or are affectionate in some other way. like THIS:

it's just so subtle and intimate? it's for no one but them. most of these kind of moments like the ones i've mentioned and others, can only be found on fancams! also they're really playful!!!!! i love them!!

WIDOWANA

my overwatch otp. friends (or lovers if you're delulu like me) to enemies to attempted killers. after thinking amélie (widowmaker) dead for a year, ana snipes her helmet on the battlefield, revealing who widowmaker actually is. once ana realizes it's her friend, she can't pull the trigger. ana, who never hesitates, hesitates for the first time, and widowmaker shoots her cybernetic eye out. they have an adversarial and competitive relationship now that they're both snipers on opposite ends of the war, trading barbs and pity for the other's situation. as the top two deadliest snipers in the world, they're kind of obsessed with one another and specifically outdoing each other. it provides a lot of tension and potential angst, especially of the "i know you're in there somewhere, come back to me" variety.

ISHINEMU

so rare even i don't talk about them (i tend to ship ishihime more, although even that is third after tatsuhime and ulquihime). SO much wasted potential! both of them have been wronged so acutely by mayuri and i think there are a lot of daddy issues to explore between the two of them. plus, uryuu seems to be literally the only person in the series who sees nemu as a person. shame their relationship, and mayuri medically torturing uryuu's grandfather AND the way he abuses nemu, was played for laughs later on lol good one, kubo :/

SHONEJING

jing is my name for him, he's a fusion of "force" who showed up in only boo! and that one guy in you fight, and i love (i'd use the nickname of what character from the novel he's supposed to be, but i couldn't find it lol). i have a fic in mind i wanna write for them and it would have been another entry into the hurt/comfort bingo, but it accidentally ended up too long. the headcanon is that jing is deeply closeted and shone is addicted to heartbreak.

TYLOKKA

idk i just like them. i think ty lee's crush on him is cute.

with a couple exceptions, i tend not to care about popular enemies to lovers ships but when it comes to rarepairs, apparently they're my preference? 🤔

[my-my-my]

For thighs, boobs and ass maybe shinji, buyaka and uryu? Plz

You can choose sfw or nsfw

Thanks for your patience!! I wrote this more nsfw, but it's pretty mild tbh!

TW: edging/teasing, some light dom/sub undertones (this is my bread and butter lol), mentions of candle/ice play.

Tags @stygianoir

✨ SHINJI ✨

He's always struck me as an ass man for sure. He's really handsy with you too.

He'll never miss an opportunity to give you a good squeeze, he loves the feel of your ass in his hands.

Will purposely drop things and ask you to pick it up just so he can watch you bend over.

Not so much in the term of lingerie, but he really likes seeing you in booty shorts, or bikini bottoms. Like Aizen, there's something about the subtle peek of your bottom that gets him going (not to say he doesn't appreciate you nude at all).

He's not a particular fan of spanking you, but once in a while he'll give you one good spank just to see his handprint on your ass. But otherwise, he's just enamoured with you overall, but will pay close attention to your bottom.

🌸 BYAKUYA 🌸

Byakuya comes across as a cleavage/breasts kind of guy. There's something about your décolletage that stuns him, how even though you're seemingly strong, that part of you is so delicate.

He will gift you many necklaces to adorn your neckline, and even more expensive lingerie sets for when you two are alone.

He's not very rough with you, but more stern than anything. He loves to massage your breasts - making you feel good is more important to him than anything.

He's also very respectful about it, the first few times you two are together as a couple, he has a bit of a blush to his face, but his voice is stern and unwavering - he doesn't want to admit he had a quick look at your chest.

He doesn't like using nipple clamps on you - instead, he will use his mouth. Expect rough bites, and quick nips. Byakuya would also use something like ice cubs, or even candle/wax play on you. It's not so much the use of "mechanical" things on you, but rather something sensual instead.

I can see him using some form of kido during foreplay as well, like some kind of bakudo to bind you.

But overall, he's only playing in private and close quarters - he won't leave a mark on you!

🪡 URYUU🪡

The first thing that came to mind is that for you, Uryuu would design and make custom lingerie sets. He would know your measurements, he would get the most exquisite lace and materials to adorn you.

Of course, he would ask for your input in terms of colour and such, but you're his model and his star - you trust him to design something beautiful (and he does!)

But his absolute weakness is with your breasts. He gets flustered seeing them covered in the beautiful lace he created. He blushes hard when he sees you wearing his creations.

Some days when you two are at home and relaxing, his way to "decompress" is just to play with your breasts (with your permission of course!) or lay on them.

Uryuu would also get adventurous and try designing and making latex suits for you - something that would make your cleavage pop and hug your curves. (He'll get a nosebleed once you wear it though).

All in all though, he's so appreciative that you're also willing to try on what he makes. He's used to being shut down, but the fact that you love what he creates, just makes him fall for you even harder.

[hezuart]

Are you a shipper?

I ??? I suppose- I guess so??? Yes?? ///

~~~~

Here's a list of ships I like that no one asked for

List of ships I think should be canon due to story setup & chemistry (But I also appreciate that the story would focus on plot more than a relationship. Don’t always agree with how these characters are written at certain points though)

Rukia x Ichigo (BLEACH) Two misfits with a death wish from different worlds who find each other and learn how to live. Rukia gives Ichigo closure and reconnection with his estranged family that kept secrets from him, along with giving him closure with his mother. Ichigo teaches Rukia, a soul reaper who never got a chance to live IRL, a soup reaper part of the cold-blooded Kuchiki family, how to live. While Rukia teaches Ichigo about the new aspects of death and all the ghosts he’s been surrounded by as a child that he’s never understood before now. They’re two sides of the same coin. The hero and the heroine of the series.

(Also Orihime x Uryuu from BLEACH because they both lost a beloved family member when they were young and have been living alone ever since. They're both fantastic seamstresses, they believe in each other when no one else does, they've protected each other, and they spend a majority of a season together. Uryu drops everything to save her in season 2, and he has the most chemistry and reason to do so outside of anyone else. Orihime often compliments him and makes him blush too.)

Blake x Sun (RWBY) Both faunus with somewhat opposite personalities that play off each other. Blake is a broody book worm while Sun is almost a literal ray of sunshine. He has a few flirty moments with her. He follows her home knowing she tends to run off by herself, challenging her fear of hurting others I think? He spends a good season assisting her in tracking down her old terrorist group and even meets her parents. She kisses him on the cheek after they depart. Good friends with the potential for something more (If they were written a little more consistently.... its been a while since I watched RWBY so I might revise my opinions later)

Ruby x Oscar (RWBY) It's Red Riding Hood’s silver eyes (aka silver slippers) for Dorothy’s salvation. To help her get home. The analogy and parallels behind their stories are fascinating. They’re both the youngest of the group with the heaviest burdens on their shoulders. So far they’ve been pretty cute, wholesome, and over all supportive of each other.

Izuku x Ochaco (My Hero Academia) Not a big fan of this show but it's the first canonical (?) shounen pairing that has actual chemistry to me. Izuku is a good friend to her and gets flustered when she's close to him. They both give each other great Christmas gifts to showcase they know each other well. Where Ochaco is actually useful and supportive and has a crush on Izuku but has goals and friends outside of him, and both of them prefer to focus on a career rather than have time for a romance during the series.

Charlie x Alastor (Hazbin Hotel) I won’t disrespect Charlie x Vaggie, but Vaggie shoots down Charlie’s ideas and personality. She doesn’t partake in the singing, dancing, or the hopeful and innocent attitude. She’s bossy and nonindulgent of Charlie, albeit simply because she wants to protect her and reel in her ideas. Alastor on the other hand is just as eccentric and carefree. They’re both charmers, centers of attention. Performance artists. Alastor has the potential to corrupt Charlie while Charlie has the potential to purify Alastor. We could see a relationship develop onscreen, where as Charlie and Vaggie are pre-established and unlikely to get attention drawn to how they actually ended up as a couple. Even Viv herself initially claimed it “just happened over time as they started out as friends”, even though Vaggie was originally Angel’s girlfriend, believe it or not. Charlie and Vaggie are the main and only ship for Hazbin though. I just don’t care about them as much as I would if Charlie had something develop with Alastor.

Stolas x Blitz (Helluva Boss before season 2) Scumbag disasters. Prince and the Pauper. Cheaters. Liars. Unhappy guys with romantic baggage issues. Start off as work-fuckbuddies but start falling in love and then at that moment, everything falls apart around them. It's messy, its bloody, its angsty, there were staKES, I'm SO SMAD-

The Harry Potter series isn’t something I’m a dedicated fan of, especially after Rowling, but Harry x Hermoine made way more sense to me from the movies. Scorpius x Albus in the Cursed Child was rectified; the subtext hints it's now canon which thank god they fixed because Scorpius x Rose was terrible. Albus had a crush on Delphi which, yeah, who wouldn’t have a crush on Ebony Darkness Dementia Raven Way? But I prefer those two probably as a brotp. Delphi has lesbian vibes(and she’s over a decade older than Albus, so). Albus Potter befriending his dad's enemies? Like it's great. It breaks the cycle. It's a new beginning. A new family. All the HP kids being gay/LGBTQ+ is just really funny to me. Fuck you, Rowling (There’s an HP crackship I actually like a… lot, but I’m too embarrassed to say what it is aloud. It's a spicy angsty unhealthy ship...)

Otherwise crack ships: White Zangetsu x Black Tensa (BLEACH) Angel God vs. Devil God enemies turned roommates. One is feral and the other is reserved but both are equally dangerous and creepy in their own right. (used to like Ichigo x Zangetsu but now I’ve kinda lost interest because Ichigo’s personality changed. Otherwise interchangeable GrimmjowxZangetsuxIchigo I guess. And Harribel x Neliel. Sweet & silent level 3 Espada girls. Neliel is the gal Harri’s missing for her group. She deserves another queen at her side!)

Roxas x Vanitas (Kingdom Hearts) Also don't mind these two also just being a platonic brotp. But Roxas and Vanitas are both remnants of Sora & Ventus with faces that aren't their own. They both can summon monstrous beings, they've been through pain, and they've always been second to someone else. They were both manipulated and lied to. They both wanted access to Kingdom Hearts for power, for a wish to be whole again in one way or another. They're both half of someone else and this makes them struggle with their identities. Roxas however has a joy for life. He has friends and jobs to keep him busy. Vanitas on the other hand hates life. He has nothing to live for because he's always in so much pain and thinks friends would drag him down. Roxas wants life and freedom. Vanitas wants death and/or fusion. Two kins with opposite desires. Could they save each other or destroy each other? There's so much dramatic potential here. Literary gold.

Namine x Xion (Kingdom Hearts) Wish these girls had more personality and chemistry, but I think they've got a gothic x pastel prep vibe going on. Xion was a puppet controlled by the Organization and Namine was controlled by the same Organization, just a different branch and for a somewhat different reason. Xion can copy & steal powers and Namine can rearrange memories, making them both potentially scary if they were to fight back together. I think they are the only two that would ever understand each other.

(Dib x Zim ..??? or just Brotp because of reasons like Roxas x Vanitas. Basically two opposite beings with similar upbringing or social status, both arrogant hotheads with unmatched intellect. All they want is approval, acceptance, and praise. Which they will never receive from their worlds that reject them. They are the only ones who take each other seriously. When Dib gives up on paranormal hunting, Zim becomes depressed and rots away in his house until Dib returns. Zim even seeks Dib’s help with sabotaging Tak & the Planet Jackers. They could be great friends, if they weren’t on opposite sides. If they joined forces, they’d be unstoppable. Jack Frost x Pitch Black (Rise of the Guardians) Also don't mind them being just brotp. Both lonely and lost in their bleak immortal lives, rejected by everyone else around them. Their powers can be dangerous to children if given the wrong influence, like Pitch's. In the books, they both share a similar past. Both were warriors of light. A light that flickered out and changed them into what they are now due to a tragic loss of some kind. Jack is youthful, silly, but observant while Pitch is old, dramatic, and charming. It's like giving your old dog a new puppy. At first they're annoyed, but then they slowly start being more active to play with the puppy? Not sure that's a good analogy. But Pitch said what goes together better than "cold and dark", while "fear and fun" work just as well together. Thrill rides & Halloween? A lot of adrenaline junkies out there would love what these two could come up with together.

Lost my mind at the Jevil x Spamton (Deltarune) shenanigans, implying they’re divorced exes. It’s so funny. Otherwise Jevil x Seam, estranged magicians is pretty nice too.

Other honorable crack ship mentions I won’t explain: Peridot x Lapis(SU) , Pearl x Bismuth(SU) though honestly I even wonder if that's considered crack cuz.... them ladies.... they like each other... so obvious..., Charlie x Helsa (Hazbin Hotel) , Hiccup x Jack Frost (HTTYD & ROTG crossover) , Nicole x Sally (Sonic Archie) , Mettaton x Papyrus??? for some reason?? (Undertale), Also not crackship but Marceline x Bubblegum I’m just not a big fan of Adventure Time to mention it, not crackship but Chat Noir x Ladybug… if they were written well … , Gaz x Tak because why not… goth girls that slay (Invader Zim)... Also not crack ship probably some ships from Star vs the Forces of evil but I haven't watched that show in a long while and the ships got out of hand at the end.... also like Kallen x Lelouch (Code Geass) but genuinely think Lelouch is Aro Ace and therefore think he's perfect alone... and probably a handful of others I’ve forgotten about or just am not a big enough fan of the series or ship to really name

Though I was hanging out with @ciipher-arts the other day and we just??? Discovered??? An incredibly rare ship??? Sonia x Mina? (Sonic Archie x Underground) I feel like I just had my eyes opened. Omygod the internet is sleeping on this crackship. genius

Anyway u h

dont judge me too hard pls or i will cry

[snurtle]

For the Bleach Red AU regarding Ichigo's powers. I'd suggest either Quincy, Hollow or Fullbringer powers being what awakens first. Probably during the Hollow Bait Invasion. Also, I am presuming that Tatsuki is going to awaken to some Fullbringer powers as she's very much Orihime's Chad. And that makes me curious about our now supporting character and love interest Ichigo. Does Chad shake up Orihime when Ichigo has been kidnapped by Aizen like Tatsuki did in canon? 1

Would Ichigo also do a silent, tear filled confession to a sleeping Orihime when put under the isolation spell before his departure to Hueco Mundo?

Back on the Ichigos power wheel. Imagine if the Hollow Invasion attack that awakens Ichigo's power were his Quincy's powers. I can actually imagine early serious Uryuu trying to buddy up to Ichigo and try to teach him the ways of Quincy. All while both of them are probably wondering why. Maybe that ends with a mutual retelling of the past from Isshin and Souken. But given how quickly Ichigo learn son his feet, Soul Society would be in a for a whooping if he awakened to his Quincy powers first

_______

So about Ichigo-- I had planned that his Quincy powers would manifest first, but do so "wrong" as observed by Uryu. :D (Uryu assumes this is because Ichigo is a stubborn, learn-as-he-goes punk with no training and no respect for tradition. That might be partially the case… Or maybe Ichigo has some kind of latent power /cough cough/ that isn't fully covered by 'Quincy' standards. Hm! (it's probably fullbring, but i beef somewhat with the way fullbring was handled in canon, so it would likely be very very different from the standard explanation.) )

You're absolutely right about Tatsuki! I did make some art of fullbring concepts for her in the past, but I don't know exactly where she would sit in terms of power just yet.

And as for your last question vis a vis rehashes of canon scenarios-- I have no idea! There's no guaranteeing that an AU will follow the arcs of canon, because it's already diverged from canon by dint of its very existence. That's part of the fun, and then the wagon hits a bump, you go off the road, end up in another country and oh god we're into wholly original fan content--

If the scenario interests you, you should totally write your take on it!

RED isn't exclusive or anything; play in this sandbox with me!

..

.. that said, and i mean this in the least normal way possible, seeing ichigo cry over orihime is an extremely compelling line of thought.

I wanna see that boy cry!

[kudouusagi]

Infinity week event 8-14 (Part 2)

Okay here we are for part 2!!

Part 1 is here

Next is: Please tell me Sk8!

This part Utsumi answers questions from fans! They asked for questions on twitter. Utsumi doesn't come on the stage but she speaks over the PA with a microphone. Hatanaka says it's amazing and Uryuu mentions it's the first event Utsumi has ever participated in, in Japan and Utsumi says yes she's only ever done one event overseas before this. "I wore some really huge sunglasses though" lol (I was at this event. She was wearing huge sunglasses)

Hatanaka asks if this is the first time people are hearing her voice in person and she says that she's done audio commentary and stuff before but this is the first time she's talking in real time at an event. She says that since Kobayashi isn't here all of the staff thought about how to make this event interesting for everyone. Hatanaka says that if Chiaki were watching then he'd be really excited too since it's such a rare opportunity.

The first question is asked by Hatanaka to Utsumi.

He says he was rewatching SK8 and noticed Reki's underwear was purple and started wondering if Reki's underwear color was determined from the beginning. He didn't wonder about it the first time he watched, but in rewatches he wondered lol.

Utsumi jokes that there are so many interesting scenes in SK8 and that's what he's wondering about lol. She says his underwear is pink but they might look purple on screen. But the the color was determined from the beginning. They knew that Reki was going to have his underwear showing and so they determined what color they would be.

Hatanaka says that most people would wear black and Reki might get bullied for it and so it concerned him.

The next question if from twitter. The question is that at Reki's birthday event last year Utsumi said that Reki's name came from a person she knew named Reki, so they're wondering where Langa's name came from.

She said she wanted his name to have a voiced syllable (aka the ga in langa ガ has the dots on the syllable) because it sounds strong. Also she wanted a name associated with snow and she found valanga in Italian which means avalanche and she thought it was good but that naming him avalanche might be kind of ominous.... but she still liked the sound of "Langa" so she decided to use it.

So it came from the Italian word valanga.

Utsumi says she really wanted to something from Canada meaning snow but didn't find anything good so she gave up.

Hatanaka says the questions are so high level and he's surprised Reki came from a friend's name (but he was at that event he should know lmao)

Utsumi says that she had a friend from Miyakojima named Reki and she used his name since she really liked the name. She says she told him she was going to use it but didn't tell him it was for an anime lol. Hatanaka says he probably definitely knows by now. She says his personality was a lot like Reki.

The next question they ask is if there were any other options for the title besides SK8.

She says the first option was Hill Bomb (which Ookouchi came up with) which was more about the competitions.

The next option was rippers. (I think this might just be in Japanese but) A ripper is someone who is really good at skating. So they thought that might have been good.

Also there was the option of SK8!! with exclamation points lol

Hatanaka says that SK8 still sounds impressive so they made the right choice but he thought the exclamation points might have been good but Utsumi says they're used so much now so they left it off.

Uryuu says that they took them off when they made the logo.

The next question was about if the characters changed with the voice actor's acting or with how the story developed.

The questioner said they really thought the actors brought the characters to life and Hatanaka says thank you but that it's really the directors and stuff that lead them to what they were.

Utsumi says that all of the characters really developed more with the actors. She says that Reki felt even more fun because of Hatanaka's acting. But the one that changed the most was Langa. She says that his passion and how happy he was inside didn't really come across very well before Kobayashi voiced him.

Hatanaka says that he also feel like he felt how honest and pure Langa was while he was acting beside him. He also says it was because he loved the show so much that his passion came through.

Uryuu says that when she heard him talking she really understood him because in the script she always felt like she never knew what he was thinking.

The next question is if there were any other options for the location other than Okinawa.

Utsumi says that when she first said she though Okinawa would be good everyone responded that they wanted to go to Okinawa so it was really the only option.

The next question: About the design of ADAM's board, the sword stabbed through the big chrysanthemum flower that looks like it's being stabbed through a heart really leave a big impression. Did ADAM come up with that? And what did Tadashi think when he saw it?

Utsumi just answers "it was probably ADAM" lol she doesn't think anyone could think of that besides ADAM. He's the type to give an idea to a designer and kept bugging them and have them redesign it like 100 times and then still reject it in the end. But she doesn't really know the answer of how Tadashi reacted. She says you all can imagine it for yourselves.

Utsumi says that she didn't ask the designer to make it a chrysanthemum flower just had a version with a chrysanthemum and she was shocked.

Uryuu says it was before they had determined the whole story and Utsumi says she never said anything about Kikuchi so it was really surprising. It was like a miracle board.

The last question: They asked if there was anywhere that they were really focused on as being important.

Utsumi says that the scene where Langa jumps at the end of ep 1 she was really focused on. She knew he knew he would jump but she wasn't sure about how fast he would go or how he would turn and all that so it was really difficult to do.

They ran out of time for questions so they move on to the next segment.

Hatanaka says as Reki "Talking about sk8 really makes me what to skate" and walks off the stage and Yusuke comes out to sing Reki's character song.

They say that he recorded the song in Okinawa and when he was recording it the air conditioning was broken so it was really hot so he was sweating so it was a really hot song lol...

They say they're running out of time for the event so they show off the event specific merch and Reki's birthday merch.

Then Hatanaka tells everyone to watch this video!

They show the announcement video for the OVA and everyone is excited.

Uryuu says that we'll probably be able to see things that weren't able to be done in the first season and asks what Hatanaka wants to see in an OVA and he says he wants to know about Joe and Cherry's past. Uryuu says that Midorikawa also said the same thing when he was at the screening event. Hatanaka says he's also interested in Langa's time in Canada but Uryuu says that Reki wouldn't be in that lol.

Hatanaka then says you're probably thinking "Huh? is that all?" and then he says "of course it's not! The staff wouldn't let it end with this!" and asks us to watch another video.

They show the announcement video for season 2!

It has all the same staff as the first season.

They then get Utsumi to talk to everyone again. She says she was really moved by everyone's happy voices and she really understands how everyone feels right now. She says that they all felt like if they were going to make more they wanted to do a second season. But they had to wait for the reaction for season 1 and the other staff had other things to work on so they weren't able to do it right away and had to take some time to get ready to work on it. She says it will still take some time to get ready for it and so they decided to make an OVA to keep everyone excited while they work on it. "So while it might be a little while until season 2, you've already waited a whole year but it's real and actually coming so don't worry. Since we're serious SK8 fans, right Hatanaka Tasuku-san?"

"That's right they're very serious. So it will be okay."

"Yes so it's okay. So, like ADAM said, you might feel some marriage blues from time to time during this time but I hope you wait patiently."

She also says that they had planned a skit for the event but because Kobayashi wasn't able to come they weren't able to do it so they'll have to do it at some other point when he's feeling better.

Utsumi then says "Until the day we are able to meet again, Love Again!!"

The event ends with a message from Hatanaka about how he's happy to have been able to bring this news to everyone and that the audience's reaction made the staff that are watching seem like they're about to cry so they're all so happy. The reason that we've been able to make such a good work is because of everyone here.

Hatanaka says that while it might be a little bit more of a wait, they'll keep skating and asks everyone to skate with them.

[aizensamasuggestions]

FREE AIZEN HE DID NOTHING WRONG ✊✊

Only 19,987 years to go 🙏‼️

Also vandalism??? When? Aizen you have some explaining to do 🤨🤨

Vandalism? I'm sure they mean "destruction of property," because certainly I am the only person in the Gotei to ever have leveled a building. This, if it is not clear, @jolynestqars, is sarcasm.

So, let's see, of this list I will accept the accusation of experimentation, but I'm uncertain why my experimentation is any more "unethical" than an average day at the 12th Division under Kurotsuchi Mayuri. Yes, I hollowified my former captain, but how is this any different than placing a bomb in a subordinate? Why is one illegal and the other is not? Also, I did what I did only rarely. It was hardly a daily occurrence.

Incrimination? I don't think that word means what you think it means, fan wiki. Perhaps what is implied is when I suggested that Captain Histsugaya had committed crimes he had not in a personal letter to my lieutenant, which is more like a charge of defamation of character, in my opinion. I never took my accusations to a court of law. Hitsugaya was never in danger from being arrested by anyone. Nor was his reputation in any way harmed. This is, I would, posit, a "bullshit" charge.

Mass murder.... mmm. I certainly threatened it when I claimed that I would sacrifice the lives of Karakura Town to make an oken, though, that never came to fruition. That moment might be what this list is considering the crime of "terrorism." Again, I've never claimed to be blameless. I only ask those who condemn me to consider who else goes free who might have done similar things. Where, for instance, does genocide fall on this list? Perhaps Ishida Uryuu has an opinion on whether or not his people were not only terrorized by the Soul Society, but also systematically eradicated by them. Again, what of former Captain Unohana and her idea of "blowing off steam" in the Rukongai when she was the First Kenpachi? What even of the accepted practice of wiping out entire Rukongai villages to "correct the balance" by Gotei soldiers? Perhaps some lives are simply more valuable than others, eh, @jolynestqars.

However, If the charge of mass murder against me here is the deaths of Central 46, yes, I would in fact agree that I ordered those deaths, and thus am responsible for them. This one I will never deny; nor will I feel one iota of regret. I would, in point of fact, do it again.

Conspiracy, well, again, yes, from the point of view of the Soul Society. In the same vein, I also accept treason. I was treasonous since the day I took the oath. I never intended to serve an unjust army.

"Stalking" is a ridiculous charge. What is meant by this? That I spied on people? There is an ENTIRE DIVISION OF NINJA whose sole job it is to spy on their own rank and file. I refuse to even pretend that anything I have done or even ordered amounts to "stalking." You understand, of course, the Soul Society is a police state. You've heard of the Onmitsukido and their mission?

Obviously, I ordered Uliquiorra to chose a hostage from among Kurosaki Ichigo's friends. I would hardly call this "kidnapping" as I believe Ms. Inoue came of her own freewill. In fact, if you recall, because she left on her own, former Captain-Commander Yamamoto wrote her off as a traitor and refused to allow Kurosaki Ichigo and Abarai Renji to go after her. (Speaking of treason and desertion, how often has Abarai Renji disobeyed direct orders, gone absent without leave, been derelict in duty, deserted his post, lifted a hand to his commanding officer--which is insubordination at least, but, in a time of war, is desertion and treason.) I will not accept kidnapping. Speaking of times of war, it is an acceptable wartime practice to take enemy combatants and offer them in trade. If you imagine Inoue Orihime as helpless, then, yes, I kidnapped her. If you consider her an enemy soldier, which I did, and, I might add, treated her as such, then you can not charge me with "kid" napping.

Torture? Abuse? I believe you are looking to the wrong Division. Go look in Kurotsuchi's closets. How he treats his lieutenant alone should qualify on both counts.

If, by "abuse," the list maker is implying that I laid a hand on Matsumoto Rangiku, that's simply not true. The precious thing that I stripped from her was her Human soul. She was a tremendous find and critical to my hogyoku's limited success. If she was manhandled at all, it was only because, I will admit, she did not part with it easily. However, she had already walked herself to the Land of the Dead from the Human World. She clearly wanted to be among us. I merely hastened the process. She does not seem to have suffered overmuch for it, as she's not only a Shinigami, but also lieutenant rank.

//art by: https://www.deviantart.com/lamaxyon/art/AIzen-sousuke-182215763

[asknarashikari]

Riders/Rider Allies Cosplaying as fictional characters (Neo Heisei + Reiwa)

Kadoya - Spider-Man (the Spandex Spider suit without the mask, more like the world immediately put him in Spider-Man's spandex suit without the mask)

Daiki - Kaito 1412 (KID) (Detective Conan)

Onodera - Saito Hiraga (Familiar of Zero)

Natsumi - Louise de la Vallière (Familiar of Zero)

Shoutaro - Sherlock Holmes (Sherlock Holmes)

Philip - John Watson (Sherlock Holmes)

Terui - Wataru Takagi (Detective Conan)/Chat Noir (Miraculous Ladybug)

Akiko - Miwako Sato (Detective Conan)/Ladybug (Miraculous Ladybug)

Eiji - Monkey D. Luffy (One Piece)

Ankh - *refuses to participate lol*

Gentaro - Kamen Rider Stronger (Kamen Rider Stronger)

Souma - Natsu Dragneel (Fairy Tail)

Nitoh - Elfman (Fairy Tail)

Kouta - Gilgamesh (Fate Franchise)

Kaito - Lancer (Fate Franchise)

Micchy - Archer EMIYA (Fate Franchise)

Takatora - Gladioulus Amicitia (Final Fantasy XV)

Zack - Akihiko Sanada (Persona 3)

Oren - Lussuria (Katekyo Hitman Reborn)

Shinnosuke – Marco (Star Vs. The Forces of Evil)

Kiriko – Star (Star Vs. The Forces of Evil)

Gou – Black Star (Soul Eater)

Chase – Gray Fullbuster (Fairy Tail)

Takeru - Martin Mystery (Martin Mystery)/Ichigo Kurosaki (Bleach)

Akari – MOM [Mystery Organization Manager] (Martin Mystery)/Rukia Kuchiki (Bleach)

Makoto – Marvin (Martin Mystery)/Hitsugaya Tous hiro (Bleach)

Alain – Billy (Martin Mystery)/Sousuke Aizen (Bleach)

Kanon – Diana Lombard (Martin Mystery)/Retsu Unohana (Bleach)

Emu - Jin Kazama (Tekken)

Parad - Devil Jin (Tekken)

Hiiro – White Blood Cell (Cells at Work)

Taiga – B Cell (Cells at Work)

Niko – Alisa Bosconovitch (Tekken)

Poppy – Macrophage (Cells at Work)

Sento – Jude Mathis (Tales of Xillia)

Ryuga – Regal Bryant (Tales of Symphonia)

Sougo - Tsunayoshi Sawada (Katekyo Hitman Reborn)

Geiz – Ryohei Sasagawa (Katekyo Hitman Reborn)

Tsukuyomi – Chrome Dokuro (Katekyo Hitman Reborn)

Woz - Hayato Gokudera (Katekyo Hitman Reborn)

Aruto - Mithos Yggdrasil (Tales of Symphonia)

Isamu - Sousuke Sagara (Full Metal Panic)

Yaiba - Sakura Haruno (Naruto)

Jin – Portgas D. Ace (One Piece)

Touma – Milo Thatch (Disney’s Hercules)

Kento - Aladdin (Disney's Aladdin)

Rintaro - Peter Pan (Disney’s Peter Pan)

Ren – Sasuke Uchiha (Naruto Shippuden)

Mei – Belle (Disney’s Beauty and the Beast)

Ikki - Tadashi Hamada (Big Hero 6)

Daiji - Hiro Hamada (Big Hero 6)

Sakura – Karmi (Big Hero 6 The Animated Series)

Hiromi – Yuri Lowell (Tales of Vesperia)

George - Kamen Rider Ichigo (Kamen Rider)

Wow. Er... okay this is very extensive

Me: sees Kento as Aladdin, who’s bare chested

Me: YES TO BARE CHESTED KENTO 😍 <- Simp mode activated

I’m not sure if you knew about Gentaro being Stronger’s “equivalent” in the KRC. But if it was a coincidence, it was a great one.

Also, he did kinda cosplay Stronger- albeit it was a cardboard costume the KRC made for the school festival in Movie War Megamax. The other members were dressed as the Riders they were named after (ex. Kengo was Ichigou, and “Utahoshi Kengo” is an anagram for “Hongou Takeshi”).

Takeru as Bleach Ichigo is hilarious. They kept censoring Bleach in the extra for Ghost’s Zi-O tributes because they keep referencing Gentaro’s actor playing Ichigo the live action, which is why he couldn’t make it to film for his own tribute. (Ryuusei’s actor was Uryuu and Nadeshiko’s was Orihime... and yes, the comparisons did not escape my notice.)

Yua as Haruno Sakura though... I don’t really like Sakura as a character... 😅

George would 100% cosplay Ichigou. But OG Ichigou- the suit we usually see is actually a revamped version. As a devoted fan he’d go for the OG version of the suit (like the one we see in Senki).

[lilbugprincess]

Sorry if you thought you were getting a day without me acting like this, but like. I'm waving at this arc. It's all right here. Ichigo's quiet acceptance of the fact that he wants to beat Ulquiorra more than he wants to grab Orihime and run. The fact that he cares about her and her safety but won't let her do what she desperately wants to, help him. Uryuu prioritizing her and her safety, but also what SHE wants. He came only to save her and has not deviated. Etc. It's a good fucking ship.

Secondary shout out to whatever Ulquiorra and Orihime's relationship is in this arc! Big fan of fucked up power dynamics, as we should all know

[mocnfang-a]

  saying this because i saw a fan manga scene stitched together with panels from the manga. but i do absolutely think uryuu and ichigo could have been great friends, if the trajectory of their lives weren’t marred by tragedy & loss, or that they are literally two opposites of the same coin as ichigo is a shinigami ( and his father was one ) and uryuu of quincy descent, but it’s more then just that but also personality wise? i cannot debate further in-depth but i will definitely make a headcanon or something similar later on with a re-read of the manga. like i think a lot of what is later revealed with ywach also plays a heavy part on their lives & later the gotei 13 ( ft. aizen ) but had it not been for the everything canon dictates or without the tragedy i do think they would have met prior to the start of the series. essentially i wil die on the hill that despite canon or non, uryuu will always be important to ichigo and exploring that should honestly be a whole other post. then i’d have to make a dump post for the entire karakura gang.

[oreo-massacre]

mild pet peeve that i need to get off my chest:

People thinking Ichika's name is a combination of Ichigo and Rukia's name - how?

Like, Ichika being named after Ichigo is true in many ways, but where does the Rukia part come from? It's an actual word, much like Ichigo, but instead of a pun (one protect in ichigo just sounds like "strawberry") its literally "strawberry flower" (because its the flower Orihime embroidered for Rukia's wedding).

And mind you, I get people not knowing anything about WDKALY, or not even simply googling what she's named after lmao. But is it the "ka" part that trips people up? Like, where does Rukia have a "ka" in her name? There's a "ru", theres a "ki" and theres an "a".

At this point, with this kind of shaky basis I'll go on and declare that Rukia called her "Ichika" in Kanonji's honour too (ICHI go + KA nonji). I mean shes a big fan and all that. 🤨🤨🤨 Also, even if say, in some super unlikely circumstance, Rukia'd sneak in her own name into her kid's (because its always rukia doing the naming in people's assumption, because ship lmao) like I almost guarantee you it'd be symbolic and less awkward than "strawberry flower", because Rukia has fuckall to do with flowers in the entire series anyway.

I'm no poet but just the Kurosaki naming convention alone "Isshin" (one heart) "Ichigo" (one - from isshin, protect - for Masaki/his family) Kazui (one - following Ichigo, brave - general theme of the karakura kids especially and of the series, hence he ties into the last speech of the last chapter)

Even the Ishida family where you have Soken (ancestor bowstring) ryuken (dragon bowstring) and uryuu (dragon rain). Like, you can see how packed with meaning they are.

Shiba clan having the kanji for birds in their names and the clan's connection with the "sky" (the "ku" in kukaku is literally sky, like her tattoo), Jidanbo and Jirobo following a suffix convention. Rukia's name doesn't even have any kanji to do that with, let alone the absolute stretch that is converting "kia" to "ka" willy-nilly. Kubo takes care picking out his names - virtually every character, foreign or not has a basis or a namesake - especially the japanese cast. Which is why this whole thing is so ignorant, especially in the goddamn cheating aus. And the absolute confidence of these fools too. Like its "haha, funny" once or twice if you indulge in it, but the stupid ass ignorance pisses me the fuck off.

Besides, if you do read/know about WDKALY Kubo pre-packaged the joke for you. The joke of "youd think Ichika was named after Ichigo? No, you fool, it's Orihime's favourite flower and Rukia is playing favourites," but deep down its also a reference to Ichigo so win-win.

Frankly, if you dig symbolically with the assumption that its a reference to two people, and assume the strawberry kanji is for Ichigo and the flower "ka" kanji is for someone related to flowers, well......there are a couple of flower named or related people, and on first glance, Orihime, the real origin of Ichikas name has just as little to do with flowers as Rukia, but literally all the shun shun rikka, and rikka ( lit. six flowers) as a word itself, are named after flowers, a wholeass six of them, so essentially, Rukia named her kid after her goddamn otp whether you follow Kubos naming sybolism or not, and you dont even have to skew Orihime's name for that. Cool. 😃

[recurring-polynya]

Tokusatsu Au where Rukia plays the lead actress in a superhero action show. Renji plays one of the villains and they are The most popular ship in the fandom. Bonus points if Orihime plays the main villain and loves every second of it.

This was the very first prompt I got, and I fell in love. Unfortunately, aside from a brief period of being grotesquely fascinated with Power Rangers as teen, I know almost nothing about tokusatsu. I did as much research as I could and I attempted to watch an episode of Kamen Rider, but my eyes glazed over halfway through. Anyway, please forgive my inaccuracies, I wrote this with my heart.

ao3 | ff.net

🏍    ⚡   🎬

“Uh, looks like we’re almost out of time,” the panel moderator for “High-Spirited Battle Clairvoyant Tomoe!: A Sneak Peak at Season 5” declared, “but would you be willing to take just a few audience questions?”

Head Screenwriter Kurosaki Ichigo glanced at Leading Actress Kuchiki Rukia out of the corner of his eye, and she gave a tiny nod.

“Yeah, sure!” he replied.

There was already a young woman waiting at the microphone, practically vibrating with anxiety. She was wearing a t-shirt that had ZabiTo4Ever!! handwritten in marker on it. Rukia knew, deep down in her bones, what the question was going to be.

“Hi, yes, hello, big fan of your work! My question is: are Tomoe and Zabimaru going to kiss this season?”

“No,” Rukia started to say.

“As you probably know,” Ichigo said loudly on top of her, “the show holds close to the core plot points of Kuna-sensei’s manga, although, because of her minimalist style, we do expand a lot of the dialogue and filler scenes. She has said in several interviews that High-Spirited Battle Clairvoyant Tomoe! is not a romance manga, so the odds of Tomoe and Zabimaru ever kissing on screen are very, very low.”

The young woman stared at Ichigo grumpily. “Does this also count Zabimaru’s secret college student identity, Satonako Takeru?”

Ichigo stared back at her. “Yes. It does.”

The next question came from a person wearing a full suit of HellKnight’s plasma armor made out of overlapping plates of cardboard. Rukia was kind of impressed by it. She wondered if he could sit down.

“Hi, Kurosaki-sensei, I am a huge fan of your work,” a voice emanated from deep within the cardboard. “I was wondering if you are influenced at all by fanworks, and if Episode 73: Pride is on the Line!: The Bake Sale Must Go On! was based in any way on the classic fanfiction, ‘Tell Me All Your Best Lies’? It’s the top story by kudos in the ZabiTo tag, which I might point out is the most popular shipping category on AO3.”

Ichigo cleared his throat gently. “I am contractually not allowed to read fanfiction, although I do enjoy fanart! There are some incredibly talented artists in the fandom, although for some reason, no one ever wants to draw pictures of Lead Screenwriters.”

“I’ll draw you, sleeping on the set like you always do,” Rukia offered, and that got a pretty big laugh. Rukia’s Tumblr of behind-the-scenes doodle comics was beloved among the fandom.

The next question was from a nonbinary person wearing a big poufy skirt and a hairstyle that would make their make-up and hair guru, Yumichika, sit up and take notice. “Hi, this is a question for Kuchiki-san! If the show is going to roughly keep pace with the manga, as it has done up until now, you should be shooting the storyline where Tomoe and Queen Bloodbuzz switch bodies later this year. I was wondering if you could comment on how you feel about filming that storyline?”

Finally! A good one! “Yes!” Rukia nodded eagerly. “I don’t usually like to speak for my fellow cast members, but Orihime and I are beyond excited about playing each other. We’ve been studying each other’s mannerisms and practicing already! Does anyone want to hear my Queen Bloodbuzz cackle?” She wagged her eyebrows as the audience cheered. “Here goes-- bwaHaHaHaHAHAHAHAAHAAAHAAAAAAAA!”

“Bonechilling,” Ichigo commented dryly as the audience erupted.

“Amazing, Kuchiki-san!” the moderator exclaimed. “I think there is time for one more, but this will be the last question!”

A tall girl in a full set of High-Spirited Battle Clairvoyant Tomoe motorcycle leathers stepped to the microphone. She was holding a notebook. “Hello!” she warbled. “In a 2020 interview with the Psychics and Sidekicks podcast, Abarai Renji was asked about his opinion on ZabiTo as a ship, and he replied,” she consulted her notebook, “‘Tomoe is such a cool lady and talented Battle Clairvoyant, and she always follows her heart and stays true to herself. I think that Zabimaru can’t help but be impressed with her, even though they’re enemies, and I always try to roll that into our on-screen interactions.’ I know that in the past you’ve refused to comment on the ship, but I was wondering if you had any thoughts on, y’know, his thoughts?”

“Well, he’s correct, of course, Tomoe is very cool and admirable,” Rukia replied, which drew a few laughs, although it seemed like the audience was leaning forward in anticipation of her answer. “Like I said, I don’t like to speak for other cast members. I’ll be doing a big cast panel with Abarai and Inoue and Matsumoto and Ukitake tomorrow afternoon, and I hope you all can make it! See you then!”

The moderator thanked them enthusiastically, and then Ichigo and Rukia slipped out the back guest entrance.

“Evasive as always, Kuchiki,” Ichigo teased.

“Whatever,” Rukia sniffed. “The higher ups say we’re not supposed to comment on stuff like that, and I was not commenting. By the way, how many secret fanfic accounts are you up to? Four?”

“It’s only three!” Ichigo paused. “I wrote that fanfic the guy brought up.”

“Of course you did,” Rukia sighed. “I do blame you personally for the popularity of the damn ship.”

“Me? Blame Kuna for making up two such sexy, emotionally constipated dumbasses!” Ichigo defended.

“Also, it’s not Ichigo’s fault that you and Abarai have insane chemistry.”

Rukia spun around, grinning. “Orihime!”

Rukia’s two co-stars, Inoue Orihime and Abarai Renji, the portrayers of Tomoe’s demonic archnemeses, stood in the hallway behind them.

“We sat in on your panel!” Orihime beamed. “You two were brilliant!”

“Don’t worry,” Renji added. “We were incognito.”

“Incognito” was relative, Rukia supposed, when you were at Tokyo’s biggest tokusatsu

convention.

Orihime was wearing a Zabimaru outfit so detailed that she probably could have won a prize down at the cosplay hall. She had the gravity-defying ponytail, the eyeliner, the insane widow's peak (complete with forehead tatts), the fangs, the motorcycle boots. The paper mache snake skull helmet was a little lopsided, but it was charming. She had her top zipped a little higher than canon, but that was forgivable, too.

Renji had taken the opposite tack of looking as much like a normal person-- or at least a normal Battle Clairvoyant Tomoe superfan-- as possible. Relaxed fit jeans and an oversized hoodie de-emphasized his ultra-fit physique. He was wearing a t-shirt with a very dramatic rendering of Orihime that said “Queen Bloodbuzz can step on me!” and a ball cap with the logo of Seireitei University, the fictional college Tomoe and Takeru attended.

“You think you’re in disguise,” Rukia pointed out, “but there are thousands of teen girls in this place with entire Tumblrs dedicated to your stupid face when you’re out of costume.”

Renji cocked an eyebrow at her. “You underestimate me, Rukia. I have bought… new sunglasses.” With a flourish, he whipped out a pair of the dorkiest wayfarers she’d ever seen, and flipped them onto his face. “I’ve disappeared! Who am I? Where am I?”

“You look really great, Orihime,” Ichigo said, his cheeks coloring a little bit. “Did you get Uryuu or Yumichika to help you with that costume?” In his continuing theme of doing things he wasn’t supposed to, Ichigo had finally started dating Orihime on the downlow around the time they finished up filming last season. It had done absolutely nothing for how shy he still got around her. They were, in Rukia’s opinion, cute as hell.

“Oh, no, that would be cheating!” Orihime replied, wagging a finger at him. “Well…maybe I did cheat, just a tiny bit. Renji helped me make the helmet and he held up references for me while I was painting on the tattoos.”

“Only the forehead ones,” Renji quickly added.

“He wouldn’t even offer feedback on my booby tattoos!” Orihime frowned. She leaned forward. “Rukia, how do they look?”

Ichigo turned even redder.

“Perfect, as in all you do!” Rukia replied loftily.

“What’s everyone got coming up next?” Renji asked. “I was thinking of slipping out and trying to pick up some real coffee.”

“I’m judging a villainess-themed cosplay competition,” Orihime chirped. “But I’m dying for a blueberry caramel iced latte. Renji, my henchman, pleeeeease!”

“Of course, my liege,” Renji replied in his Zabimaru voice.

It’s not like it had been a hard decision to accept the role of the motorcycle-riding, badass heroine of one of the most popular manga of the last decade, but it had turned out to be one of the best decisions of Rukia’s life. not just her career. Aside from a few of the money-obsessed executives, she liked nearly everyone in the cast and crew, but the fact that the fact that the ruthless, homicidal, literally Hell-spawned villains of the show were played by the two sweetest marshmallow people she had ever met just took the cake. Renji and Orihime had already known each other from some voicework they had done previously, and their excitement at working together on a live-action project had infected the entire cast from the start. Rukia wasn’t sure, but she strongly suspected that Renji was the one who had hyped Orihime up to ask Ichigo out.

“I have a writers’ workshop I’m moderating this afternoon, and I wanted to review the writing samples people sent in,” Ichigo said, scratching the back of his head. “I’d love to stop by that cosplay contest, though, at least for a few minutes.”

“You’ll be needing caffeine, too, then, eh?” Renji offered. “Hot, black, and in the largest cup they make, as usual?”

“Ugh, you’re the best,” Ichigo groaned. “You wanna power-up this season? Costume update? You know what? Maybe I’ll just have you defeat Tomoe once and for all, no one likes her anyway.”

“C’mon, you know I’m the world’s number one Tomoe simp, don’t do that!” Renji laughed.

Rukia rolled her eyes. “I’m free and I could use some fresh air. Besides, it’s going to take all your dumb muscles just to carry Kurosaki’s vat of coffee back here.”

“Cool!” Renji proclaimed. “We’ll be back soon!”

“Thanks, Renjiiiii!” Orihime waved.

“You need to stop off and put on a disguise?” Renji asked.

“No point in it, I always get recognized,” Rukia sighed, pulling her sunglasses out of her purse anyway.

“Here,” Renji said, plunking his hat on her head. “Maybe this will help.”

“Thanks,” Rukia replied, and then did a double take. “Whaaaaaat is on your head?”

“Shut up!” Renji laughed. He usually shaved his head when they were filming, because it made it easier to deal with the make-up and wigs, but since they were between seasons, he’d grown his hair out into a short, tousled mop of reddish-brown waves. He looked, for the lack of a better word, dreamy. “I shot a movie over the summer, and they wanted me to look softer.”

Rukia looked at him over the top of her sunglasses. “You didn’t tell me you were doing a movie!”

“Oh, it was just a little indy romcom thing. I wasn’t sure it was gonna pan out, I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it.”

“You were in a romcom? You’re kidding me!” They ducked out of a side door of the convention center into the bright sunshine.

“Yeah, it’s about a guy who goes to the gym to try to get ripped to impress a girl, and makes friends with me, this nice, already ripped dude who gives him lifting tips and encourages him a bunch. By the end of the movie, it turns out we have crushes on each other.”

“Oh, no, that sounds really cute, actually!”

“It was written by a woman who graduated from one of Ichigo’s writing workshops. The script was really snappy and Ichigo thought having someone like me as the gym guy would give it just a bit of campy cachet. You know what a good sense he’s got for stuff like that.”

“That was cool of you to go out on a limb a little,” Rukia replied.

Renji rubbed the back of his neck. “I’d been wanting to try something like that for a while, actually.”

Rukia blinked. “You aren’t… you aren’t thinking of leaving the show, are you?”

“Huh? No. No! No, the show means the world to me, I would never. But… it’s not gonna run forever, y’know?”

“I would have guessed you’d want to be a big action star or something!” Rukia said, throwing a few air punches. “That’s my dream!”

Renji stuffed his hands in the pockets of his hoodie. “Yeah, that’s what I thought I wanted when I first got into acting. I’d read the Tomoe manga, and I thought playing Zabimaru would be a good jumping-off point, besides just being a cool character overall.”

“Is that… not true?” Rukia frowned.

“Oh, I mean, I guess so! I didn’t really know about the fandom, though and… to be honest, I’m kinda into the idea that there are all these fans who think I’m complex and redeemable?”

Rukia regarded him out of the corner of her eye. “They just want to fix you.”

“Maybe! Ichigo made me read this one fanfic that was eight thousand words of the reader getting sick and Zabimaru making them soup? And feeding them the soup? I still haven’t decided how I feel about it.”

“How does he have time to find these things? Does he even sleep?”

“Anyway, it doesn’t hurt to be well-rounded and it was fun. I’m still mostly an action guy, but I wouldn’t mind doin’ something with a romantic subplot. A period drama or something like that. I look pretty good in hakama, you know.”

“I bet you do,” Rukia laughed. She squinted at him, but his expression was unreadable behind the shades. Renji didn’t have the classic leading man looks, not like her ridiculously famous older brother, but she could definitely see him as the best friend, the B-plot romance, with his cute, messy hair and that big doofy grin.

“By the way, I’m sorry you had to field that question about me spilling my romantic sensibilities on that podcast.”

Rukia laughed. “You didn’t even answer the question, either! These people are relentless!”

Renji stopped at a street corner and peered down the various possible directions they could go. “Which way feels like it might have a coffee shop?”

“You didn’t have one in mind before we left? I thought you knew where we were going!”

“Nah, I just like to go out and see what there is.”

“I can look up a map,” Rukia said, reaching in her bag for her phone.

“Let’s just go this way,” Renji said, stepping out into the street in the direction that had the WALK light. Rukia sighed and had to scramble to catch up with him.

“So, what do you think about it?”

“Huh?” Rukia asked. “Think about what?”

“Our ship. ZabiTo.”

“I can’t believe you just said that word out loud. And you know we’re not supposed to give our opinion on it!”

“Aw, c’mon, we’re not supposed to give public statements on our opinions. I don’t think there’s any harm in talking between ourselves. We’re in disguise, even.”

“‘Disguise’,” Rukia sniffed.

“You don’t like it, I can tell.”

“He’s a bad guy! Everyone always talks about chemistry, and that may be true, but I just don’t think that Tomoe could ever get over his acts of violence and cruelty.”

“Queen Bloodbuzz is cruel. Zabimaru is not cruel.”

“Okay, that’s fair, but still. He’s kidnapped just about all of Tomoe’s friends and or turned them into monsters at one time or another. He’s always setting Karakura Town on fire or flooding it with magic lizard goo. He ruined the sports festival.”

“Maybe the sports festival deserved to be ruined,” Renji muttered under his breath.

“Okay, you’ve got a point on that one,” Rukia admitted.

“It’s really clear though, that he’s got some agenda beyond just simping for Queen Bloodbuzz--”

“The simping for Queen Bloodbuzz is the most relatable thing about him, to be honest.”

“Granted. But, what if he’s got a good reason for everything he does, actually? What if he’s doing all of this against his own moral code as a means of infiltrating Hell itself and getting himself into a position of trust so that he can bring down the Lords of Hell from the inside?”

Rukia slipped her sunglasses down to the tip of her nose. “Does Kuna give you Zabimaru spoilers?” The reclusive creator High-Spirited Battle Clairvoyant Tomoe! was only barely involved with the television show, but she did privately meet with each of the cast members about once a year. Most of Rukia’s meetings consisted of Kuna giving her constructive criticism on her battle poses.

“No, mostly we practice sneering,” Renji replied. “But I gotta play the guy, so I gotta think about this, you know, what motivates him? I mean, you’re probably right, it would never work out. But unlike Tomoe, whose principles would call for her to ignore any attraction she has to him, Zabimaru has the freedom to pine for her, perhaps because his love is futile and he doesn’t think he deserves it anyway.”

“That’s kinda dark, dude,” Rukia frowned.

“Yes, well, that is the kind of character acting that netted me the 2019 Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Best Villain Award, Foreign Language Category.”

“That’s literally what’s going through your head when you’re shouting that if I can’t make some sick motorcycle jump, you’ll turn all my friends into stuffed animal versions of themselves?”

“No, of course not! At those times I’m thinking about how much I love my job. OH! and what is that I see!” Renji struck an extremely Zabimaru pose. “A MISTER DONUT!”

“My hero!” Rukia exclaimed, unable to resist an opportunity to shout dramatically. “I’m sorry I doubted you!”

“I think we should get some donuts, too. Orihime loves donuts,” Renji declared.

“Oh, for sure,” Rukia agreed. She was thoughtful for a moment. It would be easy to move on to a different subject, the subject being donuts, but she wasn’t happy with leaving the last conversation hanging. “Look, Renji, just because I don’t like the dumb ship, you know that’s not a reflection on you, right?”

“Huh?” Renji replied. “You mean you don’t mind if I like it?”

“Well… I mean, I don’t, I guess, but what I really meant was, er… we joke a lot, but Tomoe and Zabimaru are just parts, y’know? Just because I don’t think Zabimaru isn’t good boyfriend material doesn’t mean I…” Rukia trailed off, suddenly realizing what she was saying. “Um. What I mean is. You’re very nice and probably one of my favorite people I’ve ever worked with and if someone I knew wanted to ask you out, I would definitely encourage them to, A+ guy, I’d say, probably would make a great boyfriend.”

Renji pushed his sunglasses up onto his forehead and regarded her for a long moment. “For the record, Kuchiki, I think that both you and Tomoe would make excellent girlfriend material.” While Rukia stood there and gaped like a fish, he turned and pushed open the door to the coffee shop. “Ichigo likes crullers and Orihime always wants the most colorful thing they’ve got. Do you know what you want?”

“I need to think about it,” Rukia squeaked. She wasn’t talking about donuts.

🏍    ⚡   🎬 

Bonus: Here are my notes from when I was making up the show. I hope this wasn’t too confusing!

High-Spirited Battle Clairvoyant Tomoe!

based on a manga by reclusive mangaka Kuna Mashiro

Head Screenwriter: Kurosaki Ichigo

🌟 Starring: 🌟

Kuchiki Rukia as Yukimura Tomoe, a spunky college student who can see ghosts and fights demons from Hell! She rides a motorcycle!

Inoue Orihime as Queen Bloodbuzz, a Lady of Hell, who seeks to gather energy from the Living Realm so that she can become the Supreme Ruler of Hell. Very aesthetic. Much bees.

Abarai Renji as Zabimaru, Queen Bloodbuzz’s ruthless henchman. He leads a double life as fierce-looking, but gentle-hearted college student Satonaka Takeru! What is his long game??