#renji and momo swap au

[graciethegreat]

Little AU comic

[recurring-polynya]

The thing about Bleach AUs is that a lot of the time, you come up with this contrapositive, and it's not interesting enough to write a story about, in fact, the AU sucks the interest out of the original narrative, but it's just...so much nicer for the character involved?

I was just thinking about what if Hitsugaya didn't have to be a captain? My 4'4" king never even got to be a lieutenant. He would have been such a good lieutenant. He would have an encyclopedic knowledge of paperwork (I mean, he does anyway). He would hang out with Nanao and have the saltiest discussions about the most esoteric of Gotei procedures. Momo would drag him to the bar for lieutenant outings and he would order a milk and Renji would give him noogies and Hisagi would make a sincere effort to include him in the conversation and he would be very grumpy, but way, deep down in his soul, it would fulfill that need for socialization that introverts like him and me don't want but we need.

This wouldn't work in a scenario where Rangiku became captain of Squad 10 instead of Tosh because that's Too Much Angst; likewise I don't want anything to happen to Ran and I don't want them to swap places. (In fact, I want Ran to go around telling people that Tosh is such a good lieutenant because she taught him everything he knows and it makes steam come out his ears). I suppose he could go over and lieutenant for the 13th, but if this is a scenario where Isshin never disappears, maybe Kaien never dies, either, and furthermore, I think Tosh would die from candy poisoning if he had to work under Ukitake (he and Rukia would become such grumpy little besties, tho). He also can't work for Byakuya because I need Renji to work for Byakuya but also, please imagine Captain Kuchiki Byakuya and his adjutant, Lieutenant Hitsugaya Toushirou. Imagine it. They would approach every mission like a BBC murder mystery and be the two most insufferable men in the Gotei, it would fucking own.

[rinusagitora]

You’re in all my dreams.

Fandom: Bleach

Characters: Karin Kurosaki, Toushirou Hitsugaya, Momo Hinamori, OC- Mae Izumi

Pairings: HitsuKarin

Words: 2.2k

Summary: Shinigami!Karin AU. For HitsuKarin Week 2021. WARNINGS- mentions of suicide, dysfunctional families; Karin graduates Shin'ou and shares her dreams with Toushirou.

AO3

For the last six years, Karin dreamed of the day she’d graduating from cadet to officer and don the shihakusho like everyone she ever admired.

It was an anxious future filled with wonder and promise she never knew back in the World of the Living. Going from cadet to captain of a small force was going to be quite the culture shock, perhaps even more than the cold water of the river where she drowned. But she made it, and it made her much more confident in her ability. Officers were chosen from a pool of graduates and turnover was infrequent since few officers passed away in peacetime. It made competition fierce and even rarer that a graduate obtained a seated position out of the gate.

She was equal parts nervous and excited. For the time being, all Karin wanted to do was enjoy the graduation bonfire.

Mae toppled onto the log, sloshing rice wine onto Karin’s lap. She laughed. “I’m sorry! I’m sooo hammered.”

“No worries. I think I’ve puked on you more times than you’ve spilled on me.”

“Indeed, we swapped roles tonight.” Mae tapped Karin’s nose. “Tonight, of all nights, you choose to be reserved. Why?”

Karin hummed and swirled beer. “I’m nervous, I think.”

“It’s a big change.” Mae looked over the crowd. “Where are Hinamori-fukutaichou and Hitsugaya-taichou? I expected them, of all people, to be here.”

Karin’s reikaku grazed the crowd. Momo was there, just chaperoning. Keeping firelight between bodies like a puritan. Perhaps rightfully so. They were the new faces of the Seireitei. It was better not to romp in the woods right over poison ivy before recruitment day. Pussy itch was a different kind of awful. The kind of awful where Karin, who was once impaled, ended up curling up on the floor crying while Izuru healed her crotch and Shuuhei and Renji laughed in the next room.

The crowd parted for Momo like river water around stones. She stopped before Karin, and Karin smiled at her mentor. “Hi, Momo-senpai.”

Mae nodded. "Hinamori-sama."

"Izumi-chan, I hope you're enjoying the festivities."

"Oddly enough. It's strange letting loose… but I see where Karin-chan's alcoholism comes from. Dancing while intoxicated is liberating."

"Indeed." Nonetheless, Momo cocked her head and curiously looked over Karin. Karin knew the jig was up from there. She and Ryuuji were normally in the center of the action, and Karin hadn't so much as howled or toasted once that evening.

“Leave us, Izumi-chan.”

Mae managed to right herself and bowed to excuse herself. Gracefully, Momo took a seat beside Karin as she cursed internally. She didn't want to talk about it, but Momo always dragged out her bad feelings and laid them in the open.

“It’s odd you’re not out enjoying the festivities. This is your… thing.”

“It’s just really hitting me that I’m going to be a shinigami,” Karin told Momo. “I’ve been working toward this goal for six years. What do I do from here?”

Momo laughed. “Six years is a blink of an eye for the majority of us.” She held Karin’s shoulders. “There will be plenty to do, Karin-chan.”

“I can’t believe we’re all in a squad just after graduation, though.”

“Who? Izumi and Kawashima?” Karin hummed affirmatively in response to Momo, who then grinned. “Believe it or not, Iba-taichou wanted Watanabe. I think Watanabe is in for a reality check.”

“You are far too happy over that.” Karin couldn’t help but share Momo’s thrill, however. Chousuke Watanabe was a thorn in her side for six years, being her friend Ryuuji’s tormentor. Tetsuzaemon would straighten him out. The very picture of manhood and chivalry according to Momo. It was far too rewarding imagining Chousuke getting reamed by a six-foot wall of meat and battle scars.

"Bias is something I never shied away from. It's been a driving force in my life, for better or worse." Momo kissed Karin's forehead. "For best, in your case. You've been family since the moment I laid eyes on you, Karin-chan. My own in many ways. Every obstacle you've faced, you've overcome, and are better for it. I am so proud of how far you've come, and I'm so glad to have played a part in it."

Karin smiled bashfully. At least she had Momo.

Momo lovingly jostled Karin. There it was. Momo buttered up Karin just enough and was about to get her to bust open a can of worms. "What's on your mind?"

"I just… I thought Toushirou would be here. I haven't seen him all day today."

"I'm not supposed to tell you, but," Momo whispered, grinning, "he's preparing something special. Be patient."

Her heart pattered. "Oh." Of course he was. She was a little ashamed that hadn't occurred to her earlier as if they hadn't developed years of trust and affection, or at least a solid friendship. Nonetheless, Momo stroked Karin's hair, reminding her she was only human, that something so little wouldn't ruin everything.

Speaking of… Karin picked up on a familiar, icy reiatsu approaching. It was Toushirou, still in uniform. She smiled and Momo tapped her on her nose.

"See?"

"Not yet, but he's coming." Momo only rolled her eyes in response to Karin's lame joke.

"I'll leave you now. Enjoy your night, Karin-chan."

"Thanks, Senpai. I love you."

"And I love you."

Toushirou was still in uniform with his hands tucked into his sleeves. As he passed, Karin's fellow cadets parted and bowed to him. He ignored the attention, however, instead sporting a smile as he found Karin on her log.

He'd undergone hormone therapy in recent years to trigger a growth spurt. And he'd grown up to be a handsome young man, with looks rivaling stars in the World of the Living with access to renowned surgeons.

"I hope you've been enjoying yourself," he said. He took a seat next to her. He smelled like flowers. "I never attended these things, truthfully."

"Did you want to try dancing?" Karin asked.

"Well… I don't know," he said. Toushirou pulled a modest bouquet of daffodils from his sleeve, tied off with a turquoise ribbon. "It's not a big gift, I know, but I hope it reminds you that you're always welcome in juubantai."

Gingerly, Karin took his bouquet and smelled them. They smelled like spring. "I love them," she said. "Thank you."

She pressed a kiss against Toushirou's cheek, and he happily hummed. "I'm glad you like them. It's hard buying gifts for you."

"As if."

"It's true," he replied. "All Matsumoto wants is a day off, Hinamori loves spices and tobacco, and the boys are happy with some sake. You, on the other hand, easily get your hands on sake and tobacco, and hate downtime." Toushirou crossed his legs. "I should've consulted my sister."

Karin frowned. "But I like them…"

"The flowers? But they're such a lazy gift," he scoffed.

"I like everything you give me." She smiled. "Really, thank you. I love them."

He laughed bashfully. "Well, I'm glad."

Together they sat amid drums and singing and firelight, swaying with it, until Toushirou asked, "I don't want to take you from your friends, but I’m not enjoying myself here. Do you mind going elsewhere?"

"We can leave," Karin said. "Where do you want to go?"

"Someplace quiet where we can see the stars."

Her cheeks were warm at the idea. How romantic.

Karin bashfully followed behind Toushirou, holding his hand as he guided her away from the bonfire. When it was dark, he illuminated the way with kidou, assured in every step. A gorgeous man. He'd grown into his looks. His cheekbones were high, his shoulders broad. She could swoon until early morning over his handsome shape.

Up a hill, through a grove, and up a steep path, until they reached the peak of a sheer cliff. The stars above looked like a river of life. They didn't twinkle but were a steady pathway carved in the sky. Karin fell onto the grass and marveled. "Wow. When did you find this, Toushirou?"

"Not long ago. I wouldn't keep this from you  without a good reason." He smiled at her. Sitting, he said, "Do you like it?"

"Yes!" Karin nigh tackled Toushirou and kissed his cheek. "It's beautiful."

"I should've brought wine."

"This is perfect." Karin laid her head on Toushirou's shoulder. Together they stared into the stars. She searched for constellations but found none she recognized. "Do you think the World of the Living and the Soul Society have different stars?" she asked.

"I'm not sure. No one spends time looking up in the Soul Society. Those who do, don't seem to have the technology contributing to significant findings," Toushirou replied. "I'm not much of an astronomer either."

"You're a man of the law."

He laughed bashfully. "Aye."

Karin drew pictures in the stars herself. Birds, men, kitchenware, like she remembered from her human life not so long ago. Six years was nothing compared to how long her peers lived, was it? Not Momo, who was approaching a century and a half. Not even Toushirou, well into his seventies by that point. But Karin couldn’t remember the names of the stars or where to find them in the sky. How much longer did she have until she overwrote their patterns with other things? How much longer until her sad mortal history was forgotten in a sea of everything else?

There weren’t immediate answers to her questions, but Karin was fine with that. She said, "I remember hoping a rope would drop from the sky and drag me by the neck. Put me out of my misery."

"Understandable," Toushirou replied.

"I'm so much happier here. It's not always easy, but..."

"Slow and steady?"

"Yeah. Slow and steady wins the race. And I'm glad to be with you for it."

"So," Toushirou said, "no more sky-ropes to hang you until you're dead?"

She giggled. "Not anymore. I don't fancy myself a pirate, anyway."

He hummed. "I had a dream some time ago. Similar to yours... although I remember it being less grizzly," Toushirou confessed. She pulled her gaze from the starlight and saw him cloaked in darkness. Still, his eyes shined with wonder. Adoration. "A dream that assured me you're the love of my life."

"Go on," she said.

"I was being puppeteered by the sky. Dragged around day in and day out. And I saw the strings on you, into the sky as far as my eyes could see. And yet despite time, and fate, and all the horridness that plagued life for some time, we fought to be together." He clasped her hand. "Our strings became tangled and pink like cherry blossoms in spring. Like sunset. And... and I never want those strings freed." His blue-green eyes met hers. They made her melt like her body was hot wax in a leather bag. "I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Karin."

It felt like forever before she caught her breath. She asked, "Are you proposing?"

"If that's all it takes to spend the rest of my life by your side, and you at my side, I'll fetch a ring now. Propose properly in front of as many people as you like.”

Karin giggled. Picturing Toushirou hopping onto a bar counter, sake raised high, and screaming how deeply he was in love with Karin to their loved ones and peers, was quite a sight to behold! Yet, as anxious as he was to do so, she replied with, "Not at all. But let's make plans down the road. When I'm settled in."

"Of course." Toushirou sighed happily. They kissed. "I'm so in love with you, Karin."

"And I love you."

"I could stay here forever."

Karin hummed. “We have forever to do that…”

He turned to meet her gaze. “But?”

“I want to do more.” She sat up. “We work because we’re more than just lovers. We’re friends, confidants, partners. Warriors and artists and scholars.”

“Of course,” he agreed, propping himself on his palm.

“I want to be married, and I want forever with you, as much as I want-”

Toushirou said, completing Karin’s statement, “More.” He held her hand then. “It’s one of the reasons I love you. My recruitment was necessary. Yours is nothing but-”

“Desire.” She gazed into the stars, searching for divination in the blanket covering a slowly rotating plane.

“Then what more do you want?”

“To give justice and safety to those who have been and yet to be hurt. No one should suffer as I, and we have. I want to tear down the caste system here. Hold nobility responsible for their actions and give power back to the people, and eradicate the symbols of fascism and cruelty. I want to reconnect families. To make the Rukongai safe, so no one’s starving or resorting to crime to survive. And…” Karin turned to Toushirou, her breath stilling as she saw his eyes swimming with adoration. “And I want to mold the next generation to dream as I now dream, and to better the world. And I want to do all of it with you beside me, Toushirou. As equals.”

Toushirou cupped her cheek. He kissed her, and she held his sleeve. “Let’s do it. Together,” he said. Their foreheads touched. “Together always.”

[cc-bleach-blazing-souls]

Wishlist [Bleach]

Wanted / Wishlist [Bleach]

// updated: SAT 20 April 2024

Muse Ships: romantic ships wanted, can become OTPs - ones with a strikethrough means if I found or am already interacting with the muse. I am still open to shipping (especially when approached first), just it will be further canon diverged, even better if your canon muse is diverged already! Interactions: interactions wanted, can become BroTPs Plot Ideas and AUs: a list of ideas/plots/AUs we could RP out - Muses can crossover with my other muses here and on my other RP blogs, as in threads/headcanons from their verse can be referenced.

Ichigo Kurosaki | @cc-ichigo-kurosaki Ships: Rukia, Orihime, Nel, Senna Interactions: Chad, Uryu, Renji, Byakuya, Kenpachi, Ikkaku, Kisuke, Yoruichi, Ginjo Plot Ideas and AUs: 1. Ichigo becomes the Vice Captain of the (13th) division Rukia is captain of. Random Headcanon: Ichigo and Uryu later go to med school together

Renji Abarai Ships: Rukia, ? Interactions: Ichigo, Chad, Uryu, Byakuya, Kenpachi, Ikkaku, Kisuke, Yoruichi Plot Ideas and AUs: 1. Renji becomes a captain (to replace one that deserted) Random Headcanon: Renji stress eats pineapples when his head is called one

Uryu Ishida Ships: Orihime, Nemu, Nel, Quincy canon/OC Interactions: Ichigo, Chad, Kisuke, Yoruichi, Ryuken Plot Ideas and AUs: 1. Uryu (first) goes by himself to rescue Orihime in Hueco Mundo Random Headcanon: He tends to (always) show up to criticise Ichigo’s (delinquent) behaviour

Toshiro Hitsugaya Ships: Momo, ? Interactions: Rangiku, Gin, Ukitake, other Gotei 13, ice power OCs Plot Ideas and AUs: 1. ? Random Headcanon: He can sense when paperwork is being neglected

Kisuke Urahara Ships: Yoruichi, ? Interactions: Ichigo, Renji, Aizen, Shinji Plot Ideas and AUs: 1. Urahara and Aizen swap ambitions/motives/sides Random Headcanon: Has a habit of conning people into working for him

Kenpachi Ships: N/A Interactions: Ichigo, Ikkaku, Yachiru Plot Ideas and AUs: 1. ? Random Headcanon: Tries to fight Ichigo whenever he’s in Soul Society

Gin Ichimaru Ships: Rangiku, ? Interactions: Toshiro, Kira, Aizen Plot Ideas and AUs: 1. Gin survives but leaves Soul Society and relocates in the Human World Random Headcanon: Tells everyone he’s a snake, but has a fox theme.

Sosuke Aizen Ships: ? Interactions: Gin, Tousen, Ichigo, Kisuke Plot Ideas and AUs: 1. Aizen’s cover up lies are actually fact - aka Aizen the good guy! Random Headcanon: He has cast his hypnosis on this blog and Discord!

Shinji Hirako Ships: Hiyori Interactions: Momo, other Visored Plot Ideas and AUs: 1. ? Random Headcanon: likes to prank people (with his zanpakuto)

Grimmjow Ships: Nel, ? Interactions: Ichigo, Ulquiorra Plot Ideas and AUs: 1. ? Random Headcanon: Still hunts Ichigo down so they can have their rematch.

Ulquiorra Interactions: Orihime, Grimmjow Plot Ideas and AUs: 1. A hollow eaten is Orihime’s brother, Sora, becoming the main personality . Random Headcanon: He reforms after learning about the ‘heart’ from Orihime

? Ships: ? Interactions: ? Plot Ideas and AUs: 1. ? Random Headcanon: ?

[graciethegreat]

More drawings for my Momo and Renji swap AU!

[recurring-polynya]

Fanfic Round-up 2021

(This year started out really bad, like rock-bottom bad, and the first half was still pretty rough, but a big improvement. My kids went back to school in the fall, which was such an enormous improvement for everyone. I knew this, objectively, but then they got abruptly sent back into distance learning the week before Christmas break, and I realized how big a difference it made. I am honestly shocked and aghast that I managed to do anything in the first 8 months of 2021, but I did a lot, actually.

Blessings and Curses  I really love the two New Year’s episodes of Bleach, both the wacky hijinks half and the sweet Renruki half, and I wanted to try writing my own New Year’s story, so I did, a little Academy flashback where Rukia and Renji go to spend the holiday break at Momo’s house in Junrinan. I really like it, even though it’s not one of my more popular ones. Anyway, it’s the New Year, maybe you should go read it!

Rukia and Renji Make a Baby (at Byakuya’s Birthday Party) (explicit!) Uhhhh, it was Byakuya’s birthday after that, and I happened to have some cursed free time, so I wrote an awful porno about... what it says on the tin.

Adventures in Babysitting I wrote this one to cheer up a friend. It’s got both Uncle Byakuya and Byakuya and Hitsugaya being bros and also Matsumoto is there. This is what the people want, I have learned.

Dear Wormwood is the other side of the spectrum: I was doing AU requests at the time, and I wrenched this around to fit my extremely specific interests, vis a vis a Renruki zanpakutou-swap AU that nosedives into lovers-to-enemies territory. I named it after one of my favorite Oh Hellos songs. It was not very popular and I don’t care, it’s my baby. 

Squad Six is Jerks and other Stories, vol I The rest of the AU requests went into my anthology fic, starting at Chapter 33 and running thru the end, at which point I decided this thing was too big and that’s why it has “Vol I” tacked on the end. In particular, I recommend #36, the tattoo artist AU, which I really do hope to continue someday, if I can get some of my other WIPs cleared out. #40, the X-Files AU and #41, Mall Goths, Part Deux are also pretty fun.

Brothers in Arms  ChadIshi is a ship that I love, but I just never have any particular good story ideas for, but this was for a birthday, so I dug deep, and came up with something very, very soft, about two guys taking a day trip to the beach and just being. 

Don't Threaten Me With A Good Time (explicit!) Hrmm, oh good, more weird porn, just what we need. Actually, you know what, this was, in fact, written to fulfill a very specific need, which was Renji getting pegged by Rukia. As far as I know, this is the only one in existence, but I would love to be wrong, and also, I encourage anyone to add to the genre. It took so long to come up with a title, and in retrospect, I regret not calling it “If  You’re Into It” after the Flight of the Concords song.

a little in love now and then I guess I got a few spoons back when school let out for the year-- the kids even went to a few summer camps, so I had a few hours to myself for the first time in over a year. I’d gotten a little wound a round my own axle on this story, but I fixed up my outline and put my nose to the grindstone and managed to crank out the long and convoluted Act III over the summer. Comedies of manners that hinge of misunderstandings are not easy to write, I am reporting to you, and I am honestly proud of how good it actually turned out. I did not expect this story to go over 100k, but that’s where we are now.

Squad Six is Jerks and other Stories, vol II  After that, I did another Renji-birthday request event. As I mentioned earlier, the first Squad Six is Jerks had gotten too unwieldy, so I decided to do volumes by calendar year. Everything in here is a banger and you should read it.

A Very Convenient Case of Amnesia (explicit) This was also one of the birthday requests, but I broke it out because of rating. If Kubo didn’t want people to write Rukia making Renji do soap opera roleplay with her, maybe he shouldn’t have let Soul Society have soap operas, that’s all I’m saying.

What We Do with Our Hearts I actually wrote the first few scenes of this fic before I even posted Call Me Back When the War is Over, the last chapter of my big, slow-burn series, The Heart is a Muscle, AKA, My Life’s Work. We’re talking late 2019, that strange year I was actually good at writing things. The guilt of having this unfinished had been gnawing at me constantly, so when the kids went back to school, I sat down and worked all fall and... did it. Only the first three chapters are up at the time I am writing this, but the entire thing is complete. The very same day that my beta reader cleared it for posting, I got a phone call at 5:30am that we were going back into distance learning. What an amazing year.

In a fit of insanity, I actually made some writing goals last New Year’s, so let’s see how I actually did:

1) I guess 250k words is sort of a benchmark now, so I guess I’ll try to hit that again.

I can’t use AO3′s word count feature anymore, because if a fic gets updated over multiple years, it counts all the words into every year, so I started keeping a spreadsheet. Usually, I would only count words posted, but I think it’s fair to count all of What We Do with Our Hearts, in which case, the bottom line was 252,107. I literally cannot believe I hit it. What the junk.

2) Finish a little in love. There is… a lot… left to go.

LOL, not so much. I did make a huge amount of progress on it, though, and I can live with that.

3) Finish the next story in The Heart is a Muscle, which I utterly stalled out on this summer. (I have ~40k of it written, but I’m not sure how much of it needs to be thrown directly into the garbage. It was never supposed to be this long in the first place. They never are.

I DID IT, FAM!!!! It’s 110k! ✨It doesn’t matter ✨ , it is DONE.

4) Finish either my Squad 11 Self-Care story or my Last Days in Inuzuri story

Maybe in 2022.

5) Write another adult one

Wrote three, I am an overachiever

6) Stretch goal: Write something that’s… not Bleach?? Maybe?? Can I do it?

Reader, I did not.

So, I didn’t hit them all, but I think I did really well in the circumstances. How about 2022? Well, I feel pretty good about just carrying goals 2 and 4 forward into the New Year, but especially because I literally don’t know when/if my kids will be going back to school, I am setting myself exactly one goal, which is:

Write things I enjoy.

I am incredibly proud of my accomplishments this year, but writing has become less of a fun, escapist hobby and more of a thing-that-fills-the-hole-in-my-life-where-work-used-to-be, and I’m not super happy with that. I have gotten a little better at saying no to projects that I know are going to be a slog, but it would be nice if I could find a way to recapture some of the magic that fueled some of my earlier stories.