#chef shinji

[naturallyred]

Shinji learns to cook German cuisine ("Cook in German, Shinji")

[karizard-ao3]

Choose something for Shinji to cook tonight:

He is making katsu curry!

[ryllen]

noodling around

[neesieiumz]

Bleach (at least to me) may not have memorable openings, but those OSTS?? Those character themes?!? Yeah, you gonna remember those!

[cheshiresense]

Starrk time travels with Ichigo to TBTP is everything I never knew I needed! The pain of surviving again, of still being too strong to die- to give up and rest with Shunsui is chef’s kiss beautiful.

I have questions, ideas, thoughts- feel free to ignore any of them lol. First is do you think Hollows/Arrancars have pack instincts/pack bonds. I can imagine the horrible aching emptiness of reaching for friends and family who aren’t there anymore. Pack is forever, should be forever- but now they have to go on looking in the faces of people who loved them once and see nothing in their eyes. No pack bond or instincts that used to link them.

Second is do you think Starrk and Ichigo would eventually start napping together once they settle in a bit more? Starrk might be able to control it now, but I feel like there would be something reassuring about the fact that Ichigo could take it, wouldn’t buckle under the pressure. And then there’s the fact they’re the only ones who know, who understand the weight of it all.

Third is do you have an idea of who you’d ship Ichigo with in this au? I myself am partial to Koyonagi, but I can also see Shinji noticing something off and prowling around like the big cat he pretends he isn’t to investigate. I also imagine that not a few people would assume Starrk and Ichigo are in a relationship lol.

Lastly is I think it would be really interesting if Starrk and Ichigo ended up in the same division, especially since the draw to join the Eighth would be even more tempting. Do you think they’d stick together or try to spread out to be able to investigate/access more.

Thank you, I'm glad you liked it! And I haven't even gotten to the ShunStarrk parts yet but the prospect of it is incentive to write more lmao.

This got a bit long so I'll shove it under the cut:

1) I haven't thought much on this particular aspect of Hollows, although I do see it around a lot, it seems a pretty common headcanon. I def do think they have pack instincts, because even in canon you see Harribel and Grimmjow and others forming "packs" but idk if I'd go all the way to pack bonds. For me it would prob depend on where I want to take that particular fic. In this AU, I imagine Hollows do have pack instincts (again, that's basically canon) and Hollows in general are more sensitive to the reiatsu of pack members, but Starrk's gone so long without them that he's used to the pain of not having anyone. Plus he's like part wolf so I think that makes it worse, but after a thousand years he's probably numb to it. Then of course he got Shunsui for a while, and I imagine he kind of adopted the Fourth as his own and probably a few other Shinigami he'd grown close to, and now all of them are gone. He's in the same situation as Ichigo and grieving that loss, but it prob also feels physically worse for him. He knows what it's like to have pack now, and then he loses them all, and yeah he can sense Shunsui's reiatsu signature halfway across the Seireitei, and half the Fourth is a comfortable bubble at the edge of his awareness, but at the same time, they're not the same and his instincts can tell that too, so it's basically just a constant reminder of everything he no longer has. But he has a thousand years of experience at ignoring this sort of thing, and it's easy to fall back on it, he has to fall back on it because it's not like he can do anything about it anyway. His people, his pack, are gone, and like all the other things he was never able to change over the course of his long life, he can only resign himself to it and shoulder it as best he can.

But Shunsui in particular is a relentless ache in his chest, at the back of his mind, in the pulse of his very reiatsu, like pressure on a bruise on the days he can force himself to ignore it, like a gushing wound when he can't. It's still okay when he's at the Academy and doesn't actually have to see the man. Then Ichigo goes and picks up a stray who just so happens to be Shunsui's family, damn you too Mimihagi may you suffer from carpal tunnel for the rest of eternity, and because his luck has never been what anyone would call good, Starrk's practically expecting it the first time Ichigo awkwardly pesters him into joining their tutoring sessions behind the Eighth Division compound because Ichigo's excellent at Shunpou but he's never quite managed Yoruichi's flawless execution of it, and even before they'd become allies, Starrk's Sonido had been her equivalent, which had seamlessly translated over to Hohou once he'd gained the ability to learn it. Fujiwara's decent enough at it for an Academy student, but still far too slow for Ichigo's liking and also stupidly clumsy and Ichigo can't for the life of him figure out why, so can Starrk please come take a look and see if he can spot the problem or just tell him that there is no problem and all Academy students are just hopeless like this. Starrk wants to say no, but for all that Ichigo gets irritated with his own family for not being able to take no for an answer, the kid himself is actually no better than them, he's just a little more self-conscious about it, but the family resemblance is definitely there beyond just the appearance. Repeatedly refusing would take energy Starrk doesn't have, and he supposes it's nice too to see Ichigo starting to make friends again in this time period, starting to look past his grief. Starrk knows if he really puts his foot down, Ichigo will back off, but he doesn't want to set the kid back in case Ichigo gets the idea to also return to being a perpetual shut-in just because Starrk is, and if that means indulging Ichigo's whims, then so be it. He'd been sent back to serve as babysitter anyway so he may as well do the whole thing properly. And because his luck is just like that, the first time he goes, he finds that Ichigo has already somehow managed to lure his nosy Shiba cousin, his cousin's captain, and the Eighth Division captain Starrk's Shinigami but no he isn't not really not anymore never again to the training grounds even though it's the middle of the afternoon and they should all be at work. At least, judging by the disgruntled expression on Ichigo's face, this hadn't been Ichigo's idea of a good time either. Familiar grey eyes meet his from across the clearing, and for a moment, Starrk is certain someone's ripped his heart out again, leaving only an empty gaping hole in its wake once more, but a thousand times worse than it had ever felt when he'd still been just a Hollow and had never known anything else.

-

2) Honestly Ichigo already spends like 70% of his time in Starrk's room, his own is there just to gather dust and like fake out Kaien cuz the guy either hasn't thought to or at least still has enough manners to refrain from invading Starrk's room too (for now). So like two weeks into the Academy and Ichigo spending five days out of seven crashing on Starrk's floor, Starrk just gives up and goes out to buy an extra futon (and even more pillows because he's a pillow fiend and you can never have too many in his opinion) and Ichigo basically moves in after that. It's definitely comforting for both of them to have the other close by, especially Ichigo because his reikaku abilities are still hit or miss some days. Starrk can relax because his control hasn't been anything less than perfect since his Aizen days but occasionally he still worries about slipping up, except Ichigo is one of the few who can bear the brunt of it so it wouldn't matter even if he does. And Ichigo can relax because he's never really been one for subterfuge, it's actually killing him a little that he can't just bust out his Bankai and either beat Aizen to death or beat some sense into him over the skies of Soul Society like the good old days, but there's nothing he has to hide from Starrk, and Starrk's one of the ones - the only one left now - who's seen Ichigo at his very worst, and likewise it would take a lot of conscious effort on his part to actually hurt Starrk. Lashing out in the midst of a nightmare would wake Starrk but otherwise wouldn't even make him blink.

They can lower their guard around each other in a way they can't anywhere else outside of their room, and with Starrk's habit of carpeting most of the floor with soft things to sleep on, it's only natural to go to sleep next to each other and wake up - in the middle of the night or in the early morning when dawn hasn't even broken yet because it's easier to stare at the ceiling than spend another minute dreaming of faces they'll never truly see again - the same way. Neither of them really moves much when unconscious, and their instincts mark each other as safe, so these days, they sleep best in each other's company.

(This aches too though, sometimes, even though Starrk won't ever voice such a thing out loud. But sleeping with someone else beside him, even when they don't touch beyond an accidental brush of shoulders or a nightmare-fueled flail of a limb digging into his gut, reminds him of another warm body he'd spent close to a decade sleeping beside, half-draped over him or plastered against his back or letting him curl around them in return. It's another thing he'll never have again, but that's hardly Ichigo's fault, and he knows the kid doesn't do well alone either - who in this world does? - so Starrk's hardly going to say anything that would definitely chase Ichigo away because the kid's stupid like that. He locks the sense-memories behind his teeth instead, even when it keeps him up all night or wakes him in the morning just to make him feel like shit all over again when he remembers where and when he is. And it's not always bad. In this era, Ichigo is the only truly familiar thing that doesn't make Starrk's instincts bristle, which means he can sleep more deeply than he would allow himself anywhere else, and that's a comfort in and of itself.)

-

3) This I actually don't know, even in SP I don't really have a ship for Ichigo. But ship candidates are a dime a dozen for him lol. Kisuke's always my go-to for him but I guess he hasn't really been that prominent, although I can def steer things that way. I've written a few KoyoIchi so that's def also a possibility. Shinji is equally likely, and if they could give past!Aizen future!Aizen's memories, I could even pull off AiIchi, although if they could do that, I'd just do the same with Shunsui and then we would have less angst lmao. And it might be weird but I'm not opposed to Ichigo/Asuka but in a platonic neither of us are interested in other ppl and don't want to be bothered by marriage offers so let's just get engaged and it'll even be good for clan politics close friends sort of way. They might develop feelings for each other sometime down the road, but arranged marriage AU would be how it would start (this is actually a wip idea I've had for a long time that I've just never written). Also I just feel like Starrk would be vaguely amused by how they both got attached to Kyourakus (or Kyouraku-adjacent I guess), like what is it about that family 😂 But yeah nothing really concrete yet. Ppl might assume that Starrk and Ichigo are a thing because Ichigo doesn't hang out with anyone else at first, and Starrk basically only leaves school grounds to accompany Ichigo somewhere, but I imagine that would clear up after like thirty minutes of watching them interact, esp once Rangiku and Asuka and Gin are more permanent fixtures in their group and Starrk's just trailing after them like a long-suffering dad, the generational gap would be pretty obvious.

-

4) Oh man I've definitely thought about this. So unlike SP where Ichigo's like It Is My Duty To Go To The Fifth Just To Keep An Eye On Aizen's Shenanigans Even If That Means Self-Inflicted Emotional Torture The Entire Time, Starrk puts a stop to that nonsense in this AU. He doesn't actually care where Ichigo wants to go, Ichigo can take care of himself even if Aizen breaks cover and goes all traitor on them a hundred years early, and he's not here to tell the kid what to do anyway, but when Ichigo's waffling between the Eighth or the Fifth, and it becomes pretty fucking clear that he only wants to go to the Fifth because he thinks he has to, because there's no other way to keep track of Aizen, and he starts getting tunnel vision the way he does when he's brooding and obsessing over protecting people, that's when Starrk steps in.

"It's one thing if you want to go because you want to," Starrk says, watching the kid pace their room like a caged tiger. "But I don't think you do, not with the way you behave around Hirako. Besides, are you even going to be able to get anything done when you'll be constantly stressed out by being so close to Aizen?" He pauses, then adds with a ghost of a smile, "And then there's the fact that you're a really bad liar."

Ichigo swings around to splutter indignantly at him. "I am not! I can lie!"

Starrk shrugs. "Good enough to fool Hirako and Aizen when they'll be right there observing you up close every single day?"

Ichigo opens his mouth, then closes it again. Good, at least he's self-aware.

Starrk lets him think it over for a moment, tracking the conflicted shift of emotions across Ichigo's face - and he wants to play spy in front of the likes of Aizen like this? - before continuing quietly, "This is it, you know."

Ichigo blinks at him, thrown by the non-sequitur.

Starrk sighs and leans back against the windowsill at his back, slanting his gaze to the sky outside, winter-pale but clear. "What we're doing--it isn't a job with an end date. We don't get to go back home once we're done. There's no home to go back to."

In his peripheral, Ichigo is suddenly very still.

"This is it," Starrk repeats without taking his eyes off the distant horizon. "And you gain nothing from focusing all your energy on one man who won't even be showing his hand anytime soon. If anything, finding out you're suspicious of him will only move up his timeline or cause him to do something drastic, and then we might not be able to predict him at all. And that's not even getting into what the Quincy might do if you show your hand too soon, with or without their king. But even that's beside the point."

He turns back to Ichigo, taking in the weary grief in the furrow of his brow and the bitter curve of his mouth, and he knows Ichigo already understands. Still, he finishes as gently as he knows how, "This is where we live now, and maybe it isn't home yet, but maybe it's time to start thinking about what it will take to make it one. How do you want to live, Ichigo? Once everything is over, what kind of life will you have built for yourself by then? Or will you let Aizen dictate that too?"

A minute flinch ripples across Ichigo's shoulders. Starrk presses on, as ruthless as he'd learned from Aizen, from Shunsui even more. "Will you let him hound you all the way to your final grave? Or will you let Yhwach do it again? Your mother died to save you. Your friends died protecting you. Is their love for you only worth yet another suicide run at a bunch of madmen and would-be-gods? Do you think that this was all you were worth to them?"

Ichigo flinches again, and for a split second, his expression scrunches like he wants to take a swing at Starrk.

Starrk waits him out, because Ichigo isn't an idiot, but sometimes, it's like he just can't understand certain things without them being spelled out for him. And some things, Starrk thinks, should be heard, should be said.

He wonders if anyone's ever told this kid that he's allowed to live for himself too.

(He also wonders how much of a hypocrite every word coming out of his mouth right now is going to make him in the future.

But it's different, with Ichigo. Starrk is over a thousand years old. At this point, going to his grave isn't a big deal. But Ichigo hasn't even reached three decades, and he's spent a solid ten of those years on one battlefield or another. If one of them has to die at the end of all this, it definitely shouldn't be Ichigo.

This kid needs to learn how to live. There's no time like the present to start, and if that means Starrk has to hit where it hurts, well, infections must be lanced sooner or later.)

At last, Ichigo's shoulders slump, and he deflates like a balloon, anger and hurt deserting him, leaving only exhaustion in their wake.

"Sometimes, you sound so much like Kyouraku-san it's scary," Ichigo informs him, flopping bonelessly onto a nearby pile of pillows.

Starrk says nothing. If that had been meant to hurt, well, he probably deserves it.

"Aizen does need to be watched," Ichigo persists, but he sounds almost relieved at the possibility that he won't have to be the one to do it.

Starrk grunts dismissively. "I can sense him from here. I know when he's in his office, and when he leaves a double and takes off for Rukongai. I think that's enough for now."

Ichigo's eyebrows shoot up in surprise. "His hypnosis isn't affecting you?"

Starrk tips a glance at him. "The soul remembers. It doesn't affect you either, does it?"

"That's true," Ichigo concedes. "But wait, did he never show you his Shikai? Or you touched his blade somehow?"

"My reiatsu ate it," Starrk summarizes succinctly, then clarifies with a flicker of exasperation at the wide-eyed look he gets, "His hypnosis, not his blade. He never put much effort into hypnotizing the Espada, just enough to make sure we'd obey without too much fuss. And when it comes down to it, even Zanpakutou abilities is just reiatsu cast in a specific shape. It was easy enough to get rid of it after I was whole again."

He thinks of Lilynette and breathes through that particular ache, old now, more scar than open wound, but there all the same.

Ichigo makes a comprehending sound. "That's pretty handy. Can your reiatsu eat it if it's cast on someone else?"

Starrk nods. He'd done as much for Shunsui, and a few others as necessary. Aizen had never been able to affect the Captain-Commander again after he'd been let out of Muken. And for all that they'd been nominally on the same side, Aizen had actually tried a few times. Starrk thinks he'd probably just wanted to see if he could, because after each attempt, he'd turn and look at Starrk with something like amusement and something like contempt.

(Once, he'd remarked in private that Starrk certainly had a preference for kneeling at the feet of Shinigami masters, and he'd asked what made Shunsui the better one to serve, if perhaps he also should've forced Starrk to spread his legs for him, if that would've succeeded in breaking Starrk further, in making him even more eager to please, as much as Shunsui had clearly accomplished with him.

Shunsui had overheard. On hindsight, Starrk's fairly certain Aizen had wanted him to, had waited for him to get close enough to hear everything, though for what purpose even Starrk hadn't been able to figure out, because the resulting confrontation hadn't been pretty. It'd been one of the few times Starrk had seen his Shinigami lose his temper, his wrath a silent deadly creature no one would expect, and in that moment, the shadows around them had almost devoured Aizen whole. They'd certainly left their mark in the aftermath, Aizen's flesh cracked open with scars as black as the void. Even then, Starrk doesn't think Aizen had truly been intimidated, but he'd also never said another word of the sort to Starrk ever again.)

"I'd have to get closer to detect his more intricate workings," Starrk admits. "But I think between that and being able to sense him, it's enough of a safeguard without needing to join the Fifth as well. There isn't much of a point to that anyway. It's not like we don't already have a general idea of what he's doing, or where he's doing it. He isn't the sort to leave evidence lying around either so I doubt you'd be able to gather any."

He glances at Ichigo again, finally letting himself relax when he sees the kid nodding along, albeit with a rather grumpy expression.

"For now," Starrk concludes. "It's best to establish our presence here in this time, make connections, make allies, and eventually make sure we have enough people on our side to tip the scales in our favour. Aizen is one thing, but even the two of us can't take down the entire Wandenreich on our own. When the time comes, there must be people willing to believe us even without concrete proof of the Quincy's existence."

He catches Ichigo's eye, intent to get this point across, if nothing else. "No matter how powerful, there is only so much one can do alone. And you are not alone, Ichigo."

Ichigo's face crumples a little, and for a half a heartbeat, Starrk is terrified he's about to cry. Thankfully, that doesn't happen, and a moment later, Ichigo nods, his eyes a little brighter now, his shoulders a little less weighed down.

"Okay," Ichigo says decisively. "Then… I think I want to go to the Eighth." He smiles a bit wryly. "You're both bastards, but somehow, I like that about you guys. And if it's Kyouraku-san, it wouldn't be hard to work under his command."

He stops and grows more solemn, his gaze a little too sympathetic this time. "Will you join the Eighth too?"

"No," Starrk doesn't hesitate. He's already thought about it, had already made up his mind months ago, even before he'd met Shunsui again. His answer had only cemented further after meeting him. Besides, "I'm going to the Fourth."

He thinks of the agreement he'd hashed out with Mimihagi. He thinks of one of the things that had immediately come to mind when time travel of all things had been proposed to him. He thinks of the things he can do, the things he can create.

He thinks of the life he'd bargained for.

"Back in our time," Starrk only says in the end, meeting Ichigo's gaze calmly. "I was told by everyone who knew her that Unohana-taichou was the best healer in living memory. Now she is alive again, so that's what I want. I want to learn from her."

Ichigo snickers, oblivious. "Well, you are a huge medical nerd so I should've known. So long as you're happy I guess. Try not to take over the division again within the year. I wouldn't bet on your odds against Unohana-san."

Starrk rolls his eyes because honestly Kotetsu had practically gift-wrapped her division for him, he hadn't meant to take over, he hadn't even been a halfway respectable healer at the time, he'd just been strong, with the manpower to support the actual healers, and apparently, that'd been enough. He'd been horrified when Shunsui had sided with them.

Ichigo laughs outright, Starrk shakes his head, and with their choices made, the future begins to take shape once more.

[almaadst]

Of course, this is always the same time of year when I post unpublished sketches from last year, LOL, and as always I won't know if I should add this to my next year art summary (*ﾉω-) But here you have Shinji with the outfit he has in the opening ✨Also I love his bankai music theme!! It's just *chef kiss* and Mayuri in his ICONIC outfit (tbh. all his outfits are iconic lol)

Other: Commission info As Nodt Bleach OC's

PLEASE DO NOT REPOST WITHOUT MY PERMISSION!

[your-local-hollow-lover]

Hi!!! Could you please write a hc about Grimmjow, ulquiorra and Shinji if that’s alright with a s/o who’s very affectionate and loves to touch them like rub their cheeks or just hold them randomly

my fave babies!!!

Grimmjow would be surprisingly ok with it as long as you don't go as far as embarrassing him in public. He doesn't like when you pinch his cheeks and will most likely slap your hand away- However, embracing and cuddling is cool with him!

Ulquiorra stays still and lets you be until it's too much for him to handle. He moves away in his usual parsimonious way. Ulquiorrra enjoys pda most when you subtly touch his leg with yours when sitting beside him. It's intimate and subtle enough not to make him itch.

Shinji: This bitch thrives with your love. Shinji would skip some Captain duties to lay his head over Your legs while listening to music. He'll allow you to squeeze his cheeks as long as you wish! PDA? For sure! He's a generally loving partner who's into sharing love in any way you're comfy! 10/10 *chef kiss*

[raeynbowboi]

HOW TO PLAY AS THE BELCHERS IN DND 5E

Today, we're going to explore how to build the Belchers as a DnD Party. Plus Teddy. We're not really going to touch on stats. Let's be honest, the Belchers aren't really great at anything. If we were building them accurately, they'd all be super low level and/or with terrible stats. But it's your character and your campaign, so you can make them more or less optimized as you see fit. They're also all basic Humans, so we're pretty much just focusing on their classes and subclasses.

BOB BELCHER

PALADIN OATH OF DEVOTION

Bob is largely defined by his principles and values. As Tina puts it, Bob is a good business owner, but a bad businessman. He cares more about providing a quality service and succeeding his way than making money. And in Little Hard Dad, he's shown to say "It's the principle of it" way too often. This to me reads as a Paladin. Given his belief in quality service and moral principles, I label him as an Oath of Devotion Paladin.

VARIANT BUILD

FIGHTER SAMURAI ARCHETYPE

Bob is pretty boring and straightforward, which makes Fighter really fitting for his personality. If he was going to model himself after anyone, he'd choose Shinji Kojima/Hawk. Thus, the Samurai archetype. However, if we're leaning purely into the boring practicality and straightforwardness of Bob, I might suggest Champion instead. It's the most Fighter-y Fighter you can build.

Regardless of his class, make sure to pick up proficiency with Cook's Utensils or the Chef Feat.

LINDA BELCHER

BARD COLLEGE OF DANCE

Telling Linda Belcher not to sing or dance is like telling Tina not to talk about horses or telling Bob not to cook. It's just not going to happen. She loves the theater, she sings all the time, and she was once in an amateur garage band. All the makings of a classic bard. Given her love of dancing, I went with the College of Dance.

TINA BELCHER

CLERIC LIFE DOMAIN

Tina is the family member who puts the most stock in things like fate, true love, karma, and damnation. She is also one of the characters that mentions religion more than anyone else. More specifically, she strikes me as a Cleric of Sune, the Faerunian Goddess of Love and Beauty. Sune's virtues include following your heart wherever it leads, championing love and romance at all costs, taking any risk in pursuit of love, being true to your heart and your passions without shame, and trying to make the world a more beautiful place. As such, Tina is the perfect candidate for a Cleric of Sune. Sune has two domains: Life and Light. Given that Tina has at least some interest in nursing, the Life Domain seems more in-line with Tina's values as a follower of Sune.

GENE BELCHER

SORCERER WILD MAGIC ORIGIN

I know, I know. It's a sin that he's not a Bard. But Gene and Linda are very similar characters, and both work as Bards. The best thing for a party is diversity. So, I looked at Gene's personality beyond just his music. And the core of Gene is whacky nonsense. Usually, when Gene tells stories, it's an excuse for weird imagery. The Banana-fullo, Fart School, radioactive pizza sauce. Thus, the Wild Magic origin for Sorcerers spoke to me. Gene loves whacky randomness, so he would be drawn to Wild Magic. Plus, he's not really a good bard. He hates practicing, he's unfamiliar with the concept of a workbook, and kind of just expects a music career to be handed to him. Hell, when he got cast in a play and had all of two lines, he didn't memorize them, and wanted to ad lib every take. Gene's a sorcerer with the Entertainer background, but he is NOT a bard. He doesn't take his craft seriously the way Linda does.

LOUISE BELCHER

ROGUE ASSASSIN ARCHETYPE

One of Louise's main skills is her ability to pick locks. Bob is literally afraid to go into her room as he expects boobie traps to hurt him. She's a clever tactician, masterminding several heists and revenge schemes. She's good at tricking people and lying to their faces to get what she wants. As for why she's an assassin, in the episode where Louise is uncertain of her future, one vignette paints as a John Wick style Wedgie-Sassin. She's also a fan of Francine, a Special Girl doll that spied on the Russians during the Cold War. She's not typically a fan of girly things, but she does like the one that's a spy. She's definitely the family member who would be the outlaw punk of the group.

RANGER GLOOMSTALKER CONCLAVE

In more recent seasons, we've seen a newfound interest in archery, with Louise even making a zombie movie centered around her blossoming hobby. The Gloomstalker/Assassin multiclass is also a very good multiclass in combat, which is why I felt it was the most fitting for Louise. She's also pretty accurate with other ranged combat like spitballs and throwing things at people.

TEDDY THE HANDYMAN

ARTIFICER BATTLE SMITH

This one pretty much goes without saying. He's a mechanic and handyman, he's used to moving and hauling heavy objects, plus he's burly, making him a great fit for the party's tank. The Battle Smith is an artificer built for the front line, and they get to be joined by a mechanical ally. Teddy would absolutely take a hit for any of the Belchers. The guy also fell off a roof and walked it off, so he's definitely got the highest Constitution score of the group.

I think this party turned out alright. Bob and Teddy are on the frontlines, Linda and Tina are the primary support, Gene is a ball of pure chaos and uncontrolled energy, and Louise is sniping people from the shadows. Everyone's doing what they should be doing to work as a unit, and also happen to be a fairly well-balanced party as well. This is an especially good party for low stakes and silly campaigns, but probably not the kind of party you want to bring to Barovia or Avernus.

[kugisakiis]

I'm about to play p3p after I finish p3r and I want to romance Akihiko so badly. BUT I cannot because how devastating is that to know that he failed 3 times in protecting someone he loves. I can't do that to Akihiko. I might romance Shinji or Ryoji. The tragedy of them both is so *chef's kiss*. I'm leaning towards Ryoji for the whole romancing the embodiment of death thing the sad thing is they both only get 1 month each.

[all-pacas]

PERSONA 3 LIVEBLOGGING: AMADA EDITION

wow do these new cutscenes with him really just. RED FLAG CENTRAL. like it was never subtle he was planning some shit, but he's both more subtle now and way worse. "oh yeah, i quit the soccer team, something i love. no reason!" "hey, if for some reason i were to die, would you take care of my beloved pet hamster?"

HIS HAMSTER IS NAMED HAMBURGER

but for real, ken is really benefiting from these new scenes and the script polish. he's always been precocious but there's something very serious and deliberate about him now. he isn't just spending september sulking in his room, he's putting his affairs in order. he's quietly suggesting that hmm, maybe junpei and yukari can't be trusted if they trust shinji. he's a lot more subtle, but also RED FLAG CENTRAL

on the other hand, everyone in the lounge is talking about chidori 24/7, so the vibe is more "we have our mind on Other Things."

anyway i love these "hang out with the gang to unlock New Skills" thing. shinji's cooking class was fantastic. koro watching nature docs - amazing. new scenes where mitsuru is pushing shinji to come back to school ("he's on a leave of absence" - lady he dropped out two years ago)

"she always goes out of her way for the dumbest shit" god do i love team third year, though. i put all three in my party and immediately they were all both nostalgic and picking on akihiko together. they really do give the vibe of, well, having been together for 3-4 years. mitsuru drops her formality around akihiko. shinji and mitsuru clearly get along very well as the two "sane" ones reigning akihiko in. just thinking about their personas, too -- shinji is an All Physical Attacks powerhouse, mitsuru is a pretty specialized Offensive Magic type. akihiko is the only one of the three who even learns healing abilities, meaning that for all his stupid hotheadedness, he was the one who had to watch their backs, but that also checks out because he is rather violently protective of people -- where the other two, again, are much more pragmatic "kill it with violence" types. (before 10/4, at least.)

anyway shinji talking about his chef mentor ugh

the new scenes with takaya ahahaha. "i am the shadow, the true self" -- how they actually DISCUSS evokers and how they're a shortcut. i have So Many theories about that, since it's such a plot point in this game that people lose control of their personas to deadly effect, and it's such a plot point in latter games that if you face your shadow/accept your true self you can just summon a persona without. takaya outright states that's the case for him, and then you have STREGA at large and mitsuru's backstory (forced to manifest a persona at a VERY young age) and shinji's (always struggled to control his). takaya's new scenes seem to suggest that he hates SEES in part because they use shortcuts (evokers) instead of fully MASTERING their other selves like future crews will. and i don't even know that he's WRONG.

anyway lol i forgot about the typhoon but it makes me laugh because persona q back in the day explicitly had the crossover timetravel take place that weekend. so have fun meeting the p4 guys kids

lmaoooo akihiko's ace ass getting confused why junpei is excited to visit chidori.

[naturallyred]

Chef Shinji Ikari appreciation post

[karizard-ao3]

If you know anything about me is that I keep promoting the Chef Shinji agenda. While making preparations for the wedding, Asuka uses Shinji's culinary expertise as an excuse to ask him to come with her to taste the food for the party. Arriving there, everyone thinks they are the groom and bride

Oh ho ho! And Shinji and Asuka don't catch on at first! The caterers are asking them kind of generic wedding related questions at first, like when is the wedding, what venue did they pick, are they nervous about it. Asuka mentions what a help Shinji has been and everyone is like, "aw, that is so nice that he's being so involved." They're really gushing about it and Asushin are just like, "🙂❓" then the caterers ask how they met and stuff of that vein and they start getting a little confused. And then, they ask them how Shinji proposed and that is when they get it.

Asuka and Shinji are sputtering and red and it takes them about five minutes to calm down enough to explain the misunderstanding and the caterers are like, "oh my God, I'm so sorry! You just seemed like a couple! Are you dating, though?"

Asuka and Shinji are blushing and stammering while they wrap up the tasting and finalize the menu, then they go outside. They rode over together, so the drive home is really awkward and thrumming with sexual and romantic tension. Asuka gets overwhelmed and says something crappy to dissipate the mood, postponing any kind of resolution for when they are getting drunk in the closet at the wedding lol

[authorofthemoon]

Persona 3 update mostly on the story. I just got Aeigis and as a unit she's interested. Very focused on two things which are buffs and AOE physical damage. However her versatility is low so hopefully she gets better skills later. I didn't expect to get her this early I thought she was the last one we get like. Personality wise she's okay. Standard robot character so far but I'm sure her story gets crazy.

But what I really want to talk about is the characters of P3 and how it's really good at giving them their own agency. At first I was very disappointed that characters didn't get their personas through a self revelation like 4 and 5 and that their social links are way more of a barrier, but I get now it's bc they put more time putting their character development into the actual story instead of social links.

I think Yukari might be my favorite Persona character which man it's hard putting her over Ryuju, Kanji, and Mishima but damn she's up there. Her telling everyone off was chefs kiss to be honest. Dont get me wrong I adore Akihiko and Kirijo and I'm not necessarily saying they deserved to get yelled at like that. But Yukari definitely deserved to pop off. And the scene with her on the beach is great. The fact that she's like there's nothing you can say that will make it go away is just great. Again she's the most normal persona but her determination to do go snooping and finding out the truth is just so badass.

Moving onto Junpei my sweet sweet boy. I understand he's an insecure boy who just wants to feel respected and lovef and worth something but that doesn't mean I wanna go around hitting on women that I have no interest in. But I digress. I love his little arc after the love hotel where he just feels such visible content. I felt bad bc I do like Junpei and I hated him being mad even if it wasn't my fault. But it very sweet tbh after the erealizesnthst he's the problem he genuinely goes 'sorry I've been a dick' and we're good but I get the sense that feeling of resentment isn't over. It seems like a common theme in the Magician arcana.

I need to know what went down with Akihiko and Shinji. Also apparently Kirijo gonea through some intense shit too. They're still shrouded in so much mystery in such an intriguing way and seeing them both open up slowly is very sweet. Also I didn't expect Kirijos dad to be so nice I was expecting a Haru situation.

Fuuka is very funny and her willingness to hack into a major corporation is peak. Again I love her own agenda is just not wanting to stay with her parents.

Again, I love that everyone has their own agenda that makes more internal conflict. The P4 and P5 groups all shared the same goal so most conflict was external and very rarely did personal character development happen outside of their persona awakening or social links.

Also looks like I was pretty accurate in my analysis of the protag and that he's just vwry quiet and calm. He's a good leader, but socially he doesn't say much. So I'm more lenient with him being not as expressive as Yu and Akira if that is in fact his character. Yu comes off as very empathetic and a bit more extroverted (from what I remember it's been a while since I've played 4 and 5 and ofc player choices matter) and Ren comes off as introverted but with a silly side along with a strong sense to help others.

But yeah quickish analysis of the my P3 experience. Could possibly become my favorite solely for Yukari.

[hirak0s]

Modern AU

Shinji: Radio DJ, Record Shop Owner/Worker, saxophonist for a jazz club, might red-light district on the side.

Rose: Co-host on Shinji's Radio Show, Music teacher, Might help Ayame with clothing designs, models

Ayame: Play writer, poet, bunraku creator, carver of sorts, mainly a moderately known Fashion Designer.

Kensei: Motorcycle builder, works in the news, likely a part-time fitness trainer, has been a chef once or twice.

[rays-of-fire-and-ice]

BLEACH: The Thousand Year Blood War Ep 16 Reactions and Thoughts

Overall reaction:

Another late reaction post, but considering the next episode is airing today, I had to get this out before then...also, there was no way I was doing this reaction post without gifs from this episode!

If I was blown away last week, I have lost my footing this week. OH. MY. GOD! There's was way too much good stuff this week, I don't know where to start.

Highlights:

Momo's cameo: SHE'S BAAAAAACK…for ten seconds. I'll take what I can get! What's happening with Ichigo: I mentioned my theory in the last episode reaction that Ichigo is going to the Reio's past and this is all likely a test to see if he can be as strong as Reio to take his place as part of Kyouraku's plan. Well, it looks like that's basically what's happening. He's getting visions of Reio's life and we even got the multiple irises. Is this a sign of him simply seeing into Reio's past, or is it a sign he has the potential to become the next Soul King? Toshiro vs Cang Du and the lead up: this was just top tier! Form the music, the voice acting, and the animation, it was a beautiful adaption. Seeing Toshiro's hollowfied bankai was a moment for me, because I'll forget how I reacted to seeing it for the first time in the manga all those years ago. As a Toshiro fan, seeing him struggle, especially when Rangiku was thrown down in front of him, and he was helpless to even crawl over to her, was heartbreaking.

Then, to see him rise up again, with a form that looks this cool, and to take down the one that had harmed both him and Rangiku, it's one my favourite moments from the arc. Now here I am watching it ANIMATED (for, like three minutes, but who cares?!). And not just animated, but voiced. Romi Park couldn't have done a better job, and whoever thought to sync Toshiro and Hyourinmaru's voices when Hyourinmaru deserves a raise. That moment gave me the shivers, and it adds to the reveal. And just look at him!

I absolutely love how the ice has been coloured, and the small particles falling from his bankai is such a good touch. The conclusion of this fight had me sighing sadly, because I know where this goes for Toshiro and Rangiku. It was sad enough to see him stumbling and then collapsing trying to get to Rangiku, but then knowing that's Giselle's shadow and what she's about to do to him...I am both dreading and excited for zombie Hitsugaya. So then, this begs the question of will Toshiro make another appearance in this arc. The first arc adapted volumes 55 to 61 more or less, and this arc is still volume 62 if I'm not mistaken? Zombie Hitsugaya first appears in volume 65, so my guess is we will be getting an adaption of his fights against Ikkaku, Yumichika, and Mayuri in this cour. The excitement is real everyone! Shinji's shikai and bankai: the man of the hour. Fifth division's best captain. The fashion icon. The dork who spells everything backwards. The spin master himself. Shinji Hirako is here and he got his bankai animated. I knew it was coming, I had screamed during the trailer when I saw it was going to be included as part of the arc in a small way, but I still screamed when I saw and heard him activate it. When I read it in Can't Fear Your Own World, I knew I needed to see this animated, and the team behind the anime has made that happen with flying colours. Would it have been better to see him use this ability against a massive army? Of course! But the emonstration of it here was still amazing, and like with Toshiro's fight, the combination of the animation, colouring, music, and Shinji's voice actor made this scene AMAZING.

They make Shinji look like a freaking tank here (and he deserve it considering how the rest of this arc goes for him). Then there's the animation for his shikai, which was also just *chef's kiss*

Sui Feng gets her bankai back: I'm not a fan of Soi Fon, but even I have to admit this scene was great. Just look at this explosion, it's epic!

Mayuri the Christmas tree continues: HIS SUIT/COSTUME CAN CHANGE COLOUR?! HE REALLY IS A CHRISTMAS TREE! Shuhei, Ikkaku, and Yukichika vs Mask De Masculine: in my initial reaction, I said Sajin appeared the battle earlier than he did in the manga. My mistake, he actually does appear at this point in Shinji vs Bambietta, I had just forgotten about it. What IS early though is Shuhei, Ikkaku, and Yukichika's battle again Mask De Masculine. I'll admit it here and now that Mask is one of the few Sternritter I don't like. I found him annoying the manga, and so far, the anime hasn't really changed my opinion of him. So when I saw him appear in this episode, I cringed a little. I thought the anime wasing going to come back to him and just show he'd defeated Shuhei, Ikkaku, and Yumichika off screen like it happened in the manga. I was pleasently surprised to see this was not the case, and that we actually get to see this fight. Yes, it's going to end with the three of them defeated, but it's still great to see them in combat, showing off their skills and getting some good banter in. If nothing else, at least Hisagi gets to look cool for a couple of minutes:

Why did Yumichika get a Shin'eiyaku?!: It the question that's got the fandom scrambling for answers, and I honestly didn't notice he got one the first time I saw the episode XD

Overall, what an episode! We got at least two iconic moments here, and they happened for two of my faves! I have high expectations for the next episode, considering Momo will finally get an appearance that's more than a minute long (I hope)!

[shuubaehisagi]

your chat about shinji made me laugh okay and how would you explain kensei then? xD

Oh right! I thought I already posted it but I actually haven't zfbsfjafj

I actually had to explain Kensei to a friend who I commissioned to make a doll of him.

Me, explaining Kensei Muguruma to a friend: he's Shūhei's current captain and idol (she knows who Shūhei is already because she managed to watch episodes of BLEACH before the Vizards were introduced) He's also the resident chef who'd take any request (but he's kinda tsundere about it) and wears a frilly apron.

Friend: He WHAT?

Me: Yeah. He looks tough but he wears a frilly apron.

Friend: Okay, he's cool.